On 9 July 2024, EVALSDGs and UNICEF Evaluation Office on held a side event to the High-level Political Forum on the topic Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient, and innovative solutions.
The materials can be downloaded here:
EVALSDGs, a network of evaluation practitioners and experts dedicated to supporting the evaluation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), recognizes the urgent need for action in the face of unprecedented global challenges. EVALSDGs see an urgent need to focus on innovative and resilient evaluation practices to ensure that sustainable development efforts can withstand and adapt to these crises. In this critical time, evaluation systems must be pivotal in supporting the SDGs and the forthcoming “Pact for the Future.” What role do evaluation systems have to play in this Pact? The UN General Assembly Decision 77/568 outlines that the Pact aims to strengthen international cooperation, foster inclusive development, and enhance global resilience. Evaluation is essential to this Pact, providing the necessary evidence to drive accountability and learning, inform policy decisions, programmatic and advocacy when needed, and share good practices across development partners. By ensuring rigorous, resilient, and adaptive evaluation systems, we can better navigate current challenges and accelerate progress towards sustainable developments.
The objectives of the panel:
- Showcase successful evaluation systems practices: Highlight innovative and resilient evaluation systems practices that have effectively contributed to the advancement of key SDGs in developing countries
- Facilitate knowledge collection & sharing for leveraging partnerships: Provide a platform for practitioners and a wide range of critical partners to discuss challenges, strategies, and solutions for implementing evaluation systems frameworks during times of crisis and conflict. For instance, sharing experiences from countries that have successfully implemented Evaluation systems during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain educational outcomes
- Partnerships: Evaluation systems could include collaborations between local governments and NGOs for example to improve waste management, between public and private sectors to enhance resource efficiency, and alliances between academic institutions and community groups to monitor environmental impacts
- Forward-looking solutions: Explore forward-looking options to enhance evaluation systems practices, supporting the upcoming “Pact for the Future” outlined in the UN General Assembly Decision 77/568
SPEAKERS:
- Nashwan Ahmed, CEO EvalYemenRepublic of YemenNashwan Ahmed is the CEO of EvalYemen Organization (VOPE), recently, a Regional Evaluation Expert for Yemen and the Horn of Africa at UNODC. Prior to this, an Evaluation Expert for the Yemen Support Fund at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and Save the Children, Relief International and other NGOs.
Nashwan has over 7 years of experience in evaluation within humanitarian, development and peace contexts, with a focus on enhancing the professionalism of monitoring and evaluation in Yemen and the MENA region. He holds a Master’s Degree in Project Management from the University of Malaya (2018). - Joselyn Michelle Corrales Vallejo, Undersecretariat for Evaluation at the National Planning Secretariat, EcuadorRepublic of EcuadorSubsecretaria de Evaluación | www.planificacion.gob.ecShe has held various roles related to national, sectoral, and institutional planning, public policies, and territorial evaluation.
She is recognized for her leadership in participatory processes as mechanisms for feedback and evaluation of public policies, adept in handling participatory methodologies, among other skills. Her publications include the Socioeconomic Evaluation of COVID-19 in Ecuador and the Guide to Public Policy Evaluation. Additionally, she has conducted further studies in evaluation, advanced office tools, comprehensive command and management indicators, public policy evaluations, and ethics. Currently, she leads the Undersecretariat for Evaluation at the National Planning Secretariat and is spearheading the first participatory evaluation with an SDG focus in Ecuador.
- Zakari Lawal, Senior Adviser, Former Director of M&E Department, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, NigeriaFederal Republic of NigeriaDr. Lawal Zakariya’u is a seasoned professional with a PhD in Agricultural Economics from Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. His 35-year career spans various fields including Rural Development Management, Development Planning, and Monitoring and Evaluation in both public and private sectors. He has worked with the United Nations Agencies, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the World Bank.He served as the Director of Planning at the National Planning Commission, under the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning. Notably, he pioneered the establishment of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Department in the same ministry, where he served as Director for 13 years. In this role, he coordinated the implementation of Nigeria’s National Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, aimed at ensuring accountability in federal government public sector investments and generating learning through evaluations of government policies, plans, programmes, and projects. He also spearheaded the formulation and coordination of Nigeria’s National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy, which was approved in 2022.
- Carolina Zúñiga Zamora, Evaluator Analyst for the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy, Costa RicaRepublic of Costa RicaCosta Rican, Sociologist, with a master’s program in Evaluation of Programs and Projects at the University of Costa Rica. Eight years of experience in the research field in social sciences, and ten years of experience in managing and performing evaluations for the academy, the German International Cooperation, Costa Rican Public Sector, and as an independent consultant.Currently serves as evaluator Analyst for the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy, in the Evaluation Unit, a department in charge of managing the National Evaluation Agenda and monitoring the National Evaluation Policy.
MODERATOR:
Denis Jobin, EVALSDGs Co-Chair