The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) hosted the 38th annual meeting of the International Research Group for Policy and Program Evaluation (INTEVAL), which took place at IFAD headquarters, in Rome. Over 50 members participated in the three-day hybrid gathering, with almost 40 attending in person. Authors of recently published volumes presented their works to the meeting, during which proposals for future books were discussed. The event also featured a seminar titled ‘Reflections on evaluating complex organizations’. Recognizing the prestige of the occasion, IFAD senior management addressed the meeting, offering noteworthy inputs and providing important stimulus to the discussions.

INTEVAL is a multidisciplinary constellation of world-renown expert evaluation leaders and distinguished authors. The group’s members address the key strategic issues that define the evolution of the evaluation function, shaping the international debate, and advancing the discipline within the context of the everchanging
global landscape.

Every year, for the past 38 years, INTEVAL affiliates have met in different countries across the globe. The group’s first meeting took place in Brussels, back in 1986, while the most recent gathering unfolded against the prestigious backdrop of Wilton Park, in the United Kingdom. Over the years, renown universities, research centres, national entities and international agencies have hosted the INTEVAL annual meetings, which have benefitted from the generous funding of multiple donor institutions. To date, the INTEVAL group has published 31 books on various evaluation themes, including through Routledg.