Who we are
The Office of Evaluation (OE) is responsible for evaluating IFAD’s operations and policies. In April 2003, the Executive Board approved IFAD’s Evaluation Policy which led to OE’s independent status. Since then, OE reports directly to the Executive Board.
OE evaluates IFAD’s projects and programmes to assess what works and what doesn’t and to determine how far IFAD’s policies and strategies are successful in tackling poverty alleviation in rural areas. In identifying key insights and recommendations drawn from evaluation findings, OE is also concerned, in accordance with IFAD’s disclosure policy, with communicating and sharing IFAD’s knowledge and experience of rural and agricultural development with a wider audience. OE's evaluation is based on a coherent set of evaluation methodologies.
The role of the Executive Board with regard to the Office of Evaluation is to:
- oversee IFAD’s evaluation work and assess the overall quality and impact of IFAD’s programmes and projects as documented in evaluation reports
- approve OE's annual work programme and budget
- approve policies aimed at enhancing the independence and effectiveness of the evaluation function at IFAD
- receive directly from OE all evaluation reports, including the annual report on the results and impact of IFAD operations
- endorse the appointment, removal or renewal of service of the OE Director
The Evaluation Committee is a sub-committee of the Executive Board which performs in-depth reviews of selected evaluation issues, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the Executive Board. Meeting at least four times a year, the Evaluation Committee reviews OE’s strategies and methodologies, discusses selected evaluation reports and OE’s annual work programme and budget. It also makes suggestions for including evaluations of particular interest to the Committee in OE’s annual work programme. From time to time, the Evaluation Committee may request the chairperson of the Executive Board to include certain evaluation issues on the Board's agenda.
The committee’s current composition is as follows: Brazil, Canada, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Sweden, and Egypt in the Chair until the end of 2010.
What we do
The main purpose of Office of Evaluation is to promote accountability and learning and to improve the performance of the Fund’s operations and policies. Evaluations provide a basis for accountability by assessing the impact of IFAD-funded activities and are expected to give an accurate analysis of successes and shortcomings –‘to tell it the way it is’.
Instruments
Corporate-level Evaluations (CLE) are intended to assess the effectiveness and impact of IFAD policies, strategies and approaches to rural poverty alleviation. Insights and recommendations then feed into the formulation of new and more effective policies and strategies.
Country Programme Evaluations (CPE) provide an assessment of the performance and impact of IFAD-supported activities in a given country. CPEs provide concrete building blocks for reviewing and formulating country strategic opportunities papers (COSOPs) in individual countries. CPEs also contribute to IFAD’s policy dialogue with other development agencies and government representatives concerning rural and agricultural development.
Thematic Evaluations examine IFAD’s impact and performance within a particular theme or issue. They build on project evaluations and draw on a variety of external sources, including evaluation work done by other organizations and institutions on the same issue.
Project Evaluations – two types of project evaluation are carried out at different stages of the project cycle.
- Interim Evaluations are mandatory before starting a further project phase or launching a similar project in the same region.
Findings and recommendations are used to assess the justification for a further phase in a given country and for improving the design and implementation of subsequent interventions. - Completion Evaluations are normally conducted after the finalization of the Project Completion Report prepared by the borrower and IFAD, generally up to 18 months after the project has ended.
