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About the Independent Office of Evaluation
The Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) conducts evaluations of IFAD-financed policies, strategies and operations to promote accountability and learning.
About IFAD
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in developing countries. Its work in remote rural areas of the world helps countries achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
FEATURED STORY
Bangladesh Country Programme Evaluation — National Round-table Workshop
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The Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) co-organized a national round-table workshop to discuss the main issues emerging from the Bangladesh Country Programme Evaluation, as a final step in the evaluation process. The event was held on 7 June 2015 in Dhaka. The Chief Guest was the Honourable M.A. Mannan, State Minister, Ministry of Finance and Planning.
The evaluation reviews the ten-year period between 2004 and 2014. The findings reveal a responsive and productive partnership between the Government of Bangladesh and IFAD. Overall, the country programme, which is directly benefitting 9,702,563 households, has produced significant results in alleviating rural poverty, especially in increasing rural household income and assets in the project areas. The target group includes people living in extreme and moderate poverty. For example the haor areas in Sunamganj, and char areas in newly accreted land near sea in Noakhali, are remote and hard-to-reach inaccessible locations covered by the IFAD country programme.
The programme has contributed to microfinance, rural infrastructure, community-based resource management and enterprise development. Progress was made in strengthening social capital and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment. On the other hand, the evaluation underlines that there are pockets of unmet need in rural credit and stresses the need for diversification and policy support for emerging entrepreneurs.
Prior to the workshop, the IFAD delegation from Rome visited the IFAD-funded project Haor Infrastructure and Livelihood Improvement Project-Climate Adaptation and Livelihood Protection (HILIP-CALIP). This visit offered the delegation an opportunity to interact with beneficiaries, project staff, district-level government authorities and see project activities.
Read more | CPE Bangladesh report (final - unedited version) | Evaluation Profile | Infographic | Press release
Inception workshop on the IFAD country programme evaluation in India; and learning event on the impact evaluation of the India Jharkhand Chhattisgarh Tribal Development Programme
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The Government of India and IOE co-organized an inception workshop on the IFAD country programme evaluation in India and a learning event on the impact evaluation of the Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh Tribal Development Programme (JCTDP) in India. Both events were held on 11 June 2015 in New Delhi. More than sixty participants attended, including the Joint Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Finance and the Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, representatives of multilateral and bilateral organizations, universities and research organizations, tribal resource persons, the Deputy Director of IOE, the IFAD India Country Programme Manager, and IFAD project staff. The Government of India and the event participants welcome both evaluations. Read more Download the impact evaluation report | IFAD Management's response | Press release | Evaluation Profile | Infographic | Interview with Ashwani Muthoo by Doordarshan TV (Kisan Channel), India
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Six ongoing evaluations of IFAD's country strategy and programme in five diverse regions
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IOE is evaluating IFAD's country strategy and programme in Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, The Gambia and Turkey. The main objectives of the evaluations are to assess the performance and impact of IFAD-supported operations in the respective countries; generate a series of findings and recommendations to enhance the country programme's overall development effectiveness; and to provide information and insights to inform the formulation of the next country strategic opportunities programme, proposed by IFAD and the concerned government. Except for India and Nigeria, which started recently, the evaluations will be completed in 2015. As a conclusive step in the process, a national round-table workshop is being organized in Brazil, Ethiopia and The Gambia between October and December 2015, and in Turkey in January 2016, to discuss the key issues emerging from the evaluations. Approach papers: Brazil | Ethiopia | India | The Gambia | Turkey |
OTHER STORIES
EVALUATION UPDATES:
- IOE's Lead Evaluation Officer interviewed by Gambian national TV channel (video)
- Influential evaluations guide decision-making and stimulate change and reform: article authored by Oscar A. Garcia, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD
- High-level panel of experts reviews the second edition of IFAD's Evaluation Manual
- IOE Ms Johanna Pennarz, Lead Evaluation Specialist at the 2015 Shanghai International Program for Development Evaluation Training
- Oscar A. Garcia, Director of IOE, part of the IFAD delegation visiting Morocco
RECENTLY RELEASED:
- Islamic Republic of Pakistan: Community Development Programme – Project Performance Assessment
- Republic of Albania: Programme for Sustainable Development in Rural Mountain Areas – Project Performance Assessment
- Republic of Turkey: Sivas-Erzincan Development Project – Project Performance Assessment
- Corporate-level evaluation on IFAD's Engagement in Fragile and Conflict–affected States and Situations
Evaluation Committee updates
At its 114th session in April 2015, the Executive Board approved the appointment of the Evaluation Committee members for the three year period ending in April 2018, as follows: Egypt (until 28 February 2017), France, Ghana (until April 2018), Indonesia, India (Chair), Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway and Switzerland.
IOE welcomes the new EC chairperson, Mr Vimlendra Sharan, Minister (Agriculture), Alternate Permanent Representative of the Republic of India to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome, as of 26 June 2015. IOE would like to thank the former Chairperson, Mr Tazwin Hanif (Indonesia), for his valuable contributions to the Committee's work.