EKSYST and IFADEVAL

The IFAD Office of Evaluation and Studies, Office of the President, carries out indipendent evaluations of projects, programmes and grants financed by the Fund. Evaluation findings are stored in a computerized system, called the Evaluation Knowledge System (EKSYST). EKSYST is accessible within IFAD on all computer terminals. At the time of formulating a new project, devising a policy or a strategy, IFAD staff or consultants concerned can have easy access to evaluation findings and lessons learned on relevant theme, country or region.

For wider dissemination, an experimental web site, IFADEVAL, has been set up on Internet; its address is http://www.ifad.org/evaluation/index.htm. Selected lessons learned from IFAD-financed projects are available on the site. Both the general public and development experts or partners may discuss evaluation findings and lessons or make their own contributions through the General Evaluation Forum and the Specialized Evaluation Forum. The latter is linked to a new mechanism of cooperation among UN agencies, the World Bank and other governmental and non-governmental agencies: the United Nations Administrative Coordination Committee (ACC) Network on Rural Development and Food Security. This ACC network was set up as a follow-up to the World Food Summit convened by FAO in 1996; IFAD was given the responsibility of the network’s evaluation activities. The specialized evaluation forum of IFADEVAL, ACC Evaluation Knowledge Web, allows all members of the ACC network (UN and non) to exchange their experiences on rural development and food security and thus to learn from each other.