This newsletter is produced by IOE Evaluation Communication Unit
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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
The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD releases the second edition of the Evaluation Manual
The Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) has just released the second edition of the Evaluation Manual, which contains the core methodology that the IOE uses to conduct its evaluations.
The manual has been developed upon the principles set out in the IFAD Evaluation Policy, building on international good evaluation standards and practice. It incorporates new international evaluative trends and also builds on IOE’s experience in implementing the first edition, taking into account the recent changes in the international development architecture, as well as IFAD’s new strategic priorities and operating model, with clear implications for evaluation methods and processes. IOE has also adopted more rigorous methodological approaches, for instance through the promotion of better impact assessment techniques and through the use and design of theories of change.
The manual also contains the core methodology for evaluations that were not contemplated in the first edition, such as corporate-level evaluations, impact evaluations and evaluation synthesis reports. It is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish to facilitate its use in all regions where IFAD has operations.
How evaluation has helped IFAD shape its agenda to promote better rural livelihoods: new publication on "The evolution of the independent evaluation function at IFAD"
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IOE has just released a publication on “The evolution of the evaluation function at IFAD”, which documents and traces the history of IFAD’s evaluation function since 1978, summarizing some of its major contributions to improving accountability and learning for better performance. Over time, evaluations in IFAD have contributed to significant institutional changes; they have served to promote accountability through measuring and reporting on results, generating lessons and making key recommendations for improving the organization’s institutional and development effectiveness. They have therefore been very useful in planting the seeds of reform in the Fund. |
Just released! 2015 Annual Report on Results and Impact of IFAD Operations evaluated in 2014
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The 2015 Annual Report on Results and Impact of IFAD Operations (ARRI) shows that, overall, IFAD operations are satisfactory and making good contribution to inclusive rural transformation. Projects and programmes had positive results in reducing rural poverty and improving the living conditions of rural poor people, in particular in terms of increased income and assets, better human and social capital and empowerment, and gender equality and women’s empowerment. Nevertheless, there are areas that can be further improved, such as operational efficiency, monitoring and evaluation and non-lending activities (e.g. policy dialogue, knowledge management and partnership-building). This year’s learning theme is the sustainability of benefits of IFAD’s operations, which was found to be one of the weakest-performing areas. |
IFAD independent evaluation in the news
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The work of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) is often featured in the news, during the presentation of evaluation findings at the country level (e.g. national round-table workshops for evaluations of IFAD country strategies and programmes), or on the occasion of international events. A new web page was just posted on the IFAD Evaluation website, “IFAD independent evaluation in the news”, where you can follow how evaluation at IFAD is increasingly perceived as vital also by the general public and the media. |
International technical Seminar on "Enhancing the evaluability of SDG2": post-seminar material now available
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On 17 and 18 November 2015, the evaluation offices of four food and agriculture Rome-based agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, IFAD, the World Food Programme and CGIAR – hosted a technical seminar to consider the evaluability of the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG2). The statements, group presentations, as well as the recordings of the whole seminar, are now available online. |
SEASON'S GREETINGS
The IOE team is delighted to wish everyone a very happy Holiday Season and a New Year filled with peace and prosperity. The International Year of Evaluation, 2015, closes with extraordinary achievements for IOE, none of which would have been possible without the continuing support of IFAD Management and staff, members of the Executive Board and Evaluation Committee, representatives from partner governments, colleagues from the United Nations and international financial institutions, academic institutions, civil societies and other partners. We look forward to the new stimulating challenges and to working closely with all of you in 2016.
OTHER STORIES
EVALUATION UPDATES:
- Evaluation Capacity Development workshop held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 6 November 2015
- The Gambia country programme evaluation: national round-table workshop
- Ethiopia country programme evaluation: national round-table workshop
- Brazil country programme evaluation: national round-table workshop
- IOE Emerging findings workshop: Evaluation synthesis on Environment and Natural Resource Management
RECENTLY RELEASED:
- Interview with Oscar A. Garcia, Director IOE, by EvalStory
- Evaluation synthesis on IFAD’s Engagement with Indigenous Peoples:
Overview | Full document | Infographic - Tanzania country programme evaluation:
Executive summary | Full Document | Profile | Insights | Infographic | Video