The role of Civil Society in promoting

good governance and

professionalizing evaluation

Ada Ocampo

Regional Evaluation Advisor, UNICEF

Member of EvalPartners Management Team

Manila, Philippines, November 2013

Civil Society, National Evaluation

Capacity Development (NECD) and Good

Governance

Evaluation for Development – Development Evaluation:

Evaluation has historically been recognized as essential to

progress, hence evaluation is critical to development.

Shared accountability:

Increasing consensus on the role of civil society, media,

parliamentarians in evaluation for development – national

evaluation capacity development

Engagement of civil society on national M&E initiatives and

on NECD

At the core of the agenda of development organizations

and of Governments

Civil Society, National Evaluation

Capacity Development (NECD) and Good

Governance

• Civil society is expected to foster and contribute to

increase the use of evidence and knowledge for policy

decision making

• Civil society is then expected to contribute to

transparency, accountability.

• Transparency and accountability: key principles underlying

good governance.

• National Evaluation Capacity development is key to good

governance.

The changing external

environment

Stronger role for Civil Society

Voluntary Organizations for Professional

Evaluation (VOPE)

• From Paris “Declaration on Aid effectiveness” to Busan

“Partnership for effective development cooperation”

• Recognition of significant growth and existing expertise

• Civil society Organizations engaged on evaluation

(Networks, Societies, Associations) are called VOPEs

(Voluntary organizations for professional evaluation.

• Number of VOPEs is growing throughout the globe. VOPEs

are playing/are to play a role on national M&E strengthening

as well as on professionalizing evaluation.

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1981 1983 1986 1987 1988 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Cumulative number of VOPEs, by year

124 VOPEs

23030 people reported as members of one or more

VOPE

total of 23030 people have been reported as members of one or more evaluation association

Mutual

accounta

bility

Paris, Accra and Busan

Managing for

results

Harmoni

zation

Alignment Ownership

National ownership and leadership are overarching

factors for ensuring relevant development outcomes

WHY NECD?

Evaluation Capacity Development : Why?

• National ownership and leadership are overarching factors for ensuring relevant development outcomes;

• National Evaluation Capacities are integral parts of good governance;

– Transparency

– Accountability

– Policy advocacy

– Policy reform

• National Evaluation capacities as a means to reach our international commitments and to support the establishment of true M and E system.

Evaluation Capacity Development : Why?

• NECD aims at strengthening both demand and supply capacities for evaluation at three levels:

1- Enabling environment: policies, legislation, social norms.

2- Institutional capacities: institutional frameworks and procedures.

3-individual capacities: skills, knowledge experience

Individual Level(skills, knowledge, experience)

Institutional Level(policies, procedures, frameworks)

Enabling

Environment(policies, legislation,

power relations,

social norms)

WHAT is NECD?

A Systemic approach to Capacity Development

Individual Level(skills, knowledge, experience)

Institutional Level(policies, procedures, frameworks)

Enabling

Environment(policies, legislation,

power relations,

social norms)

A Systemic approach to

National Evaluation Capacity Development

De

ma

ndS

up

ply

• Tailored to the specific context of each country

• Country leadership and ownership

Individual Level(skills, knowledge, experience)

Institutional Level(policies, procedures, frameworks)

Enabling

Environment(policies, legislation,

power relations,

social norms)

A Systemic approach to

National Evaluation Capacity Development

De

ma

ndS

up

ply

• Tailored to the specific context of each country

• Country leadership and ownership

VOPEs develop sustainable strategies to enhance the

evaluation skills, knowledge and capacities of their

members, and of evaluators more widely, to manage and

conduct credible and useful evaluations.

Individual Level(skills, knowledge, experience)

Institutional Level(procedures, frameworks)

Enabling

Environment(policies, legislation,

power relations,

social norms)

A Systemic approach to

National Evaluation Capacity Development

De

ma

ndS

up

ply

• Tailored to the specific context of each country

• Country leadership and ownership

VOPEs are stronger. Their

institutional and organizational

capacities are enhanced.

Individual Level(skills, knowledge, experience)

Institutional Level(policies, procedures, frameworks)

Enabling

Environment(policies, legislation,

power relations,

social norms)

A Systemic approach to

National Evaluation Capacity Development

De

ma

ndS

up

ply

• Tailored to the specific context of each country

• Country leadership and ownership

VOPEs are more influential. They are better able to play strategic roles in

strengthening the enabling environment for evaluation within their

countries, and so help to improve national evaluation systems and

promote the use of evaluation evidence in developing policies geared

towards effective, equitable and gender-equality responsive development

results.

Individual Level(skills, knowledge, experience)

Institutional Level(policies, procedures, frameworks)

Enabling

Environment(policies, legislation,

power relations,

social norms)

A Systemic approach to

National Evaluation Capacity DevelopmentD

em

an

dS

up

ply

• Tailored to the specific context of each country

• Country leadership and ownership

Equity-focused and Gender-responsive

The international Partnership/

movement to promote National

Evaluation Capacity

Development

What is EvalPartners?

• It’s NOT a new organization

• It’s NOT a new fund

• It’s an international partnership/movement to

strengthen Civil society/VOPEs capacities, by

maximizing existing experiences and promoting

Peer to peer mutual support

EvalPartners: Purpose

• VOPEs are more influential. They are better able to play

strategic roles in strengthening the enabling environment for

evaluation within their countries, and so help to improve

national evaluation systems and promote the use of evaluation

evidence in developing policies geared towards effective,

equitable and gender-equality responsive development

results.

• VOPEs are stronger. Their institutional and organizational

capacities are enhanced

• VOPEs develop sustainable strategies to enhance the evaluation

skills, knowledge and capacities of their members, and of

evaluators more widely, to manage and conduct credible and

useful evaluations.

Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation (VOPEs)

A role on Professionalizing evaluation

22

23

Professionalization?• EVALUATION is a PROFESSION in the making.

• Over the years, Evaluation Associations and Networks have developed

• Evaluation Norms• Evaluation Standards• Evaluation Policies• Evaluation Code of Ethic• Evaluation Methodological Guide• Evaluation Training Programmes

• Initiatives for professionalizing evaluation are occurring in different regions as well there is greater formalization of evaluation policies at the global level.

• Discussions on competency profiles for evaluators are high on the agenda of evaluation seminars and conferences.

24

Why Professionalization?

The ASSUMPTION

If evaluation is professionalized –

then, qualified and RECOGNIZED EVALUATORS will lead and guide the evaluation function.

THEN the evaluation practice will gain in terms of:

- Quality - Use

- Rigor - Credibility

Source: Ada Ocampo, UNSSC –UNEG Evaluation Course

Elements of Professionalization

A Will to Improve the professionalism of Evaluation

Norms and Standards

Deontology

Competency Profiles

Benchmark Job Descriptions

Policy

Core Training

Quality Assurance Professional

RecognitionLearning & Improving

National Credentialing Programmefor Thailand

• Thailand Evaluation Network (TEN) with support from Canadian Evaluation Society (CES).

• Peer to Peer support in the frame of EvalPartners

• Initiative will launched on November 4th at TEN’s second evaluation Conference

Teaching Evaluation in South AsiaTESA

• University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanks

• Institute of Public Health and Management Sciences,

Afghanistan

• Institute of Health Management Research, India

• Administrative Staff College of India

• University and Industry Alliance from the University of

Dhaka, Bangladesh

• Himgiri Zee University, Dehradun, India

www.teachingevaluationinsouthasia.org

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Lack of evaluation

professionals

Weak evaluation

culture

Graduate level training - a sustainable

solution

Trained Faculty

A curriculumAdministrative arrangement

TESA THEORY OF CHANGE

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India

Indian School of Business (ISB) – UNICEF:

Executive Programme on Evaluation and Development

The Programme targets professionals from government, civil society, development agencies, research institutes and consulting organisations who commission, manage or conduct evaluation for social development programmes and policies.

www.isb.edu

Aim: bring together supply and demand side

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Concluding words

Using evaluation to improve people’s lives

through better policy making