Stefano D’Errico

July 2017

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Author name

Date

Stefano D’Errico

Evaluation

and Voluntary

National Reviews

Joint webinar: EVALSDGs - UNICEF

Stefano D’Errico

Thursday, 13 July 2017, 9:00-10:30a.m. EST

Stefano D’Errico

July 2017

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VNRs and Evaluation

The 6th IIED briefing paper on

evaluation and VNRs has been

co-authored by 11 evaluation

experts and led by Benoit Simon.

The paper has analyzed all 22

Reviews submitted to the HLPF

in 2016

The full series can be

downloaded at: https://www.iied.org/effective-evaluation-

for-sustainable-development-goals

The 6th EVALSDGs paper: an international collaboration

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July 2017

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Voluntary National

Reviews

Every country has to present

a Voluntary National Review

once every four years to

the High Level Political

However the VNR to the

HLPF is only one piece of

the jigsaw

Agenda 2030 encourages all

countries to conduct regular

reviews, assessments and

evaluations to accelerate

implementation of the SDGs

Voluntary National Reviews, one piece of the jigsaw

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July 2017

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Voluntary National

Reviews

The real change will happen only

when reviews will be used locally

to accelerate the implementation of

the SDGs.

Eventually, this means

understanding national politics as

much as fuelling movements for

social and environmental action.

Ultimately for evaluators this means

brokering the values, views and

needs of different stakeholders

while new knowledge is generated. Source: https://grassrootsfund.org/groups/gala-global-

awareness-local-action

Voluntary National Reviews, the other pieces of the jigsaw

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July 2017

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Evaluators and VNRs

As evaluators, we can serve

Agenda2030 by facilitating the

co-generation of judgements of

value. These must be based on

varied sources of rigorous

evidence. Equally, they must be

based on processes that enable

different stakeholders to interpret

data and unpack the complexity

of the real world.

The role of evaluators in VNRs

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July 2017

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Evaluators have a responsibility to

challenge monopolies of problem

definition, of issue formulation, of data

control, of information utilisation. For

example, the interaction of the SDGs

often implies clashes between

conservation policies and economic

growth. Evaluators must mediate

different interests in the processes

of value definition.

The role of evaluators in VNRs

Evaluators and VNRs

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July 2017

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Agenda 2030 and

complexity

Agenda 2030 is a massive step forward because it recognises the inter-relationships between human, economic development and the environment. However, in its complexity, it can become a huge burden for national governments

Digesting complexity

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July 2017

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Digesting complexity

We need to find ways to digest the

Agenda by developing simple

messages around its key

principles:

- Country ownership

- Universality

- Sustainability

- Partnerships, and

- No one left behind

Agenda 2030 and

complexity

Stefano D’Errico

July 2017

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Findings of EVALSDGs – IIED

Briefing paper

Evaluation: a missed

opportunity in the first set of

Voluntary National Reviews

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July 2017

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Country ownership

22 pioneer countries presented

reports on their respective VNR at

the High-Level Political Forum

(HLPF), and a further 44 countries

are presenting their VNRs this year. 16 of the first 22 countries have

already established a governance

system for M&E at a government

level. In 8 countries, inter-

ministerial agencies coordinate exchanges between ministries

A few countries are taking ownership

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July 2017

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Universality

However, some important states,

including Australia, Canada,

Russia, South Africa, UK and the

USA, have not yet announced any

plans for reporting on their VNRs.

Some developed countries see

Agenda 2030 mostly as related to

their overseas development

assistance.

Agenda 2030 is everybody’s concern! Though not yet…

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July 2017

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Sustainability

Very few of the 22 reporting countries

are considering developing a specific

M&E system for SDGs. Many are

relying on systems already put in

place for the MDGs. three situations:

Countries adapting the framework

of the MDGs,

Countries with advanced

frameworks on sustainable

development, and

Countries starting from scratch

Adapting M&E systems without forgetting sustainability

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July 2017

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Partnerships

Partnerships to oversee the agenda at national level

Many of the 22 countries have

implemented Special

Committees to consult, guide

or oversee their SDGs national

processes. These institutions

often include civil society

organisations and people from

the private sector.

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July 2017

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No one left behind

Many countries noted that they lack

data and need to improve their

statistical system.

The more data get disaggregated

the more it becomes unreliable

Only 2 countries reported use of

qualitative data

The answer to understand

progresses on equity and equality,

cannot come only from numbers

and survey data.

Which data to understand equity and equality?

Made by Andrew a facebook user in Canada

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July 2017

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Use of evaluation and

M&E in VNRs

Most of the Reviews lack detail about how evaluation could

be used to inform the reporting processes

in almost all national reports, it was not entirely clear how the

proposed M&E system would support implementation of the

2030 Agenda.

There appears to be very little awareness about just what

evaluation is and how it could be used to support the 2030

Agenda

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July 2017

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Recommendations

1. The evaluation community should convince senior politicians

that evaluation is useful, and thus that national evaluation

policies for the 2030 Agenda should be designed.

2. VNRs should make clear that macro indicators have limits.

VNRs should also be clear on evaluation’s role as an

essential complement to indicators when judging the effects of

policies and attributing these to implemented measures.

3. VNRs should complement the focus on quantitative

indicators with more qualitative methodologies. This is an

opportunity to include different data sources and tools for

analysing and reporting progress.

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July 2017

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Recommendations

4. Countries should organise evaluation processes using a

four-year pattern that fits the HLPF’s thematic cycle and

focusing on three main aspects:

a) Assessing causes and effects in complex and

interdependent systems by looking at what has changed, for

whom, how and why

b) Paying attention to vulnerable populations and

environments

c) Assessing the roles and responsibilities of different

stakeholders through a ‘co-responsibility lens’, i.e. taking

an approach that expects sustainable development

strategies to be co-designed and co-implemented by all

stakeholders (public, private, NGOs and citizens).

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July 2017

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Recommendations

5. There should be a standard requirement for all countries to

explain in their VNR what role their M&E system plays in

reviewing progress towards the SDGs. UNEG could help

develop this.

6. As the SDGS are strongly interlinked, it is crucial to both avoid

counterproductive interactionsbetween different objectives

and targets (ie ensure internal coherence), and to reinforce

synergies between stakeholders (external coherence). VNRs

should strongly focus on building an interlinked picture at

national and local levels..