Insights from the National Evaluation Capacities Conference 2024

Summary

John Lavis discusses the National Evaluation Capacities Conference in Beijing, emphasizing the vital role of evaluators within the UN system and government in assessing policies and programs. He reflects on his evolving understanding of evaluation, recognizing its significance for accountability and learning. Lavis highlights new funding for evidence synthesis infrastructure and the need for collaboration with evaluators to enhance its impact. The conference also provided opportunities to connect independent evaluation offices to streamline access to valuable evaluations, ultimately aiming to better leverage evidence in addressing societal challenges.

Takeaways

• 😀 John Lavis emphasizes the importance of evaluation in assessing government policies and programs.
• 😀 The conference serves as a platform for evaluators across the UN and country levels to exchange insights.
• 😀 Lavis acknowledges a shift in his understanding of evaluation, recognizing its broader role beyond academic research.
• 😀 Evaluators play a vital accountability function, providing insights that help governments achieve their objectives efficiently.
• 😀 There is an increasing emphasis on integrating monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) for continuous improvement.
• 😀 Recent funding announcements are aimed at developing new infrastructure for evidence synthesis.
• 😀 Collaborating with evaluators is essential to ensure that the new infrastructure meets their needs.
• 😀 A key proposal is to create a common database for evaluations from various UN agencies to improve accessibility.
• 😀 Engaging with independent evaluation offices can help surface valuable reports that are currently hidden.
• 😀 Lavis is committed to fostering collaboration among evaluators to effectively address societal challenges through evidence synthesis.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the National Evaluation Capacities Conference?

The conference focuses on bringing together evaluators from the UN system and country levels to discuss the evaluation of government policies and programs, emphasizing the importance of evidence synthesis.

How has John Lavis's understanding of evaluation evolved?

Initially, Lavis viewed evaluation primarily as academic research, but through collaboration with UN evaluators, he recognized the broader role of evaluation in accountability and learning within governments.

What dual role do evaluators play in government settings?

Evaluators serve as both accountability agents, providing insights to hold governments accountable, and as facilitators of learning and improvement, integrating insights from evaluations into government processes.

What recent funding announcements are significant for evidence synthesis?

The Wellcome Trust and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have made landmark funding announcements aimed at supporting infrastructure for living evidence synthesis to address societal challenges.

Why is engaging evaluators in shaping the new evidence synthesis infrastructure important?

Engaging evaluators is crucial to ensure that the new infrastructure meets their practical needs and effectively supports their work in evaluations.

What is the proposed solution for improving access to evaluation reports?

A centralized database is proposed to aggregate evaluations from independent UN offices, enhancing visibility and accessibility for those conducting evidence synthesis.

What partnerships does Lavis aim to establish following the conference?

Lavis intends to partner with the Global Evaluation Initiative and regional evaluators to shape the future of evidence synthesis infrastructure collaboratively.

What role do independent evaluation offices across the UN have in this initiative?

Independent evaluation offices are seen as key partners who can contribute insights and ensure that the infrastructure adds value to their work by surfacing their evaluations.

How can global insights improve the evaluation process?

Global insights can help evaluators quickly identify relevant information to frame their evaluation plans and make informed recommendations based on evidence from various contexts.

What is the next concrete step Lavis plans to take after the conference?

Lavis plans to work with the Global Evaluation Initiative to engage the evaluation community at the country level in shaping the future of the evidence synthesis infrastructure.