Following the first sub-regional consultation in East and Southern Africa in April 2021, the second Eval4Action sub-regional consultation took place in West and Central Africa on 27 May 2021. The consultation provided a platform to regional and national evaluators and other stakeholders to consult on ‘What actions for influential evaluation should be prioritized to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs and the Africa We Want?’. The consultation was organized by the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA), the young and emerging evaluators network of AfrEA, African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE), Réseau francophone de l'évaluation (RFE), CLEAR Anglophone Africa, CLEAR Francophone Africa, African Development Bank, African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and Twende Mbele. The speakers at the event included Samuel Kouakou (Vice President of AfrEA), Saturnin Zoetyande (Co-chair, AfrEA YEE network), Hon. Noel Rossan Goakun Toe (Member of Burkina Faso National Assembly) Abdoulaye Gounou (Chief of Evaluation Office in Benin), Bakary Kone (Director, Strategic Planning, Partnerships and Resource Mobilization at ACBF), Urbain Tsala (Chair, Cameroon Development Evaluation Association), and Mamadou Coulibaly (Vice President, RFE). The main priorities emerging from the consultation include: Building capacity on evaluation especially of young and emerging evaluators Strengthening national evaluation policies in countries in the sub-region To nurture Made in Africa evaluations The sub-regional consultations in Africa are a follow up to the Eval4Action pan African regional consultation held in December 2020. Together the priorities emerging from the sub-regional consultations will shape an African evaluation action plan for delivery of the SDGs by 2030. Watch the sub-regional consultation recording here.

As part of Eval4Action’s commitment to inclusivity and participation, the campaign has held seven regional consultations since its launch, to mobilize ideas and priorities across the world on accelerating influential evaluation. To further prioritize evaluation advocacy areas and action plans and build evaluation partnerships at the grassroots, the campaign with its partners is organizing several sub-regional consultations in 2021. The sub-regional consultations aim to develop more specific and nuanced action plans for promoting influential evaluation in the sub-region to accelerate the Sustainable Development Goals. Sub-regional consultations will be followed by national consultations to identify national priorities to enhance the evaluation capacities at various levels. Eval4Action sub regional consultations in 2021 East and Southern Africa, 22 April 2021 West and Central Africa, 27 May 2021 South Asia, 16 June 2021 East and South East Asia, 25 June 2021 Please continue to check back here as more sub-regional, thematic and national consultations are coming up. If you are interested to organize a consultation or an event to promote influential evaluation in your region and/or country, please write to contact@eval4action.org.

Read updates on the campaign activities and news from partners around the world. If you would like to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox, sign up to receive Eval4Action updates here. As an individual advocate or a partner network, if you have news or information to share with the Eval4Action community, please write to contact@eval4action.org.

By Gabriela Rentería Flores Chair, EvalYouth Global Network The year 2020 was marked by a swift departure from all paradigms of normal life; the status quo no longer exists. With alarming speed, COVID-19 deepened existing global challenges and overturned hard-won gains on global development. Through a multidimensional domino effect, it has evidenced deep-rooted vulnerabilities everywhere, even in the more developed countries. No region in the world has been exempt from the global economic shock nor the calamitous effects in every aspect of human life. These effects have been particularly strong on the young, women and other groups under already precarious conditions. One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is still facing its effects. The COVID-19 crisis was initially a health crisis but has spread its effects to all other dimensions of development. Just for 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates a global growth of 6.5 percentage points lower than the pre-COVID-19 projections of January 2019, directly affecting low-income households. This has not only pushed back millions into poverty, but it also imperilled the significant progress made in reducing extreme poverty in the world since the 1990s. [1] The International Labour Organization estimates that as of April 2020, almost 1.6 billion informal workers faced a 60 per cent decline in earnings, with women over-represented in the most hard-hit sectors. [2] For young people, the risks in the fields of education, employment, mental health and disposable income are increasing exponentially. These consequences are not only affecting them in the present, but will have long-lasting effects on their development, and after all, will have an impact on humanity as a whole. Almost every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) has been affected by the pandemic. Hard-fought gains are under threat. Unquestionably, this pandemic has become the biggest challenge that the modern world and international development has ever faced; and, indeed, the uncertainty not only keeps surrounding our livelihoods, our social interactions, and our lives, but it will permanently modify and transform them. Under these meaningful and challenging times, dreaming for a better future is not only possible but desirable, and evaluating for a better future should no longer be an aspirational statement but an opportunity to take action for influential evaluation, to work even harder than originally planned. This pandemic has presented enormous challenges, but as young evaluators, we need to build from this crisis, collect the lessons learned, and transform them into knowledge that contributes to solutions for a better society. One that genuinely leaves no one behind. Dreaming for a better future is not only possible but desirable, and evaluating for a better future should no longer be an aspirational statement but an opportunity to take action for influential evaluation, to work even harder than originally planned. The attempts to respond to the current crisis need to consider the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as a roadmap to development. This will help us to build a better world, providing a stable and prosperous life for every person and ensuring also the health of the planet. Yet, this challenge cannot be dealt with in isolation, but with partnerships. Integrated solutions can lead us to build a greener and more inclusive future that can help every country to meet the SDGs. A response to the pandemic is not only about amending inequalities, but also about building a better and resilient world, for everyone, everywhere. The 2030 Agenda calls for breaking down silos, so we must work together and redouble our commitment and efforts to ensure that better practices and more evidence are utilized in subnational and national plans, as well as in international assistance. We have the historic opportunity to reach the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and we can do it by using evidence, by accelerating influential evaluation. We need to promote evaluation that makes a difference, that has a positive impact on the lives of people and that includes youth. Going out of this trap and achieving the SDGs by 2030 requires a generational commitment. While it is the responsibility of everyone to act towards the achievement of the SDGs, young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) should take the lead and contribute to sustainable and equitable development by creating innovative ways of approaching evaluation, building new partnerships, and advocating for a sustainable and resilient world. We need to promote evaluation that makes a difference, that has a positive impact on the lives of people and that includes youth. Young and emerging evaluators normally face the common challenge of exclusion and under-representation in the evaluation community and many other organizations. Now VOPEs, international organizations and governments, need to include youth as actors of social change to build a resilient and better future. Since its establishment, EvalYouth has been about actions and transformational change. Partnering with UNFPA and the Global Parliamentarians Forum in the Eval4Action campaign has enriched and complemented our vision. Eval4Action is about transformational change, actions, focusing on evaluation as a critical tool to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. Furthermore, it is about opening opportunities, in particular to YEEs to participate and lead the articulation of regional evaluation action plans, for our ideas to be heard. Now it is time to seize these opportunities and demonstrate our ability to make a change, to go beyond commitments, to accelerate influential evaluation. Now it is time to seize these opportunities and demonstrate our ability to make a change, to go beyond commitments, to accelerate influential evaluation. I envision reaching 2030 where influential evaluation is widespread around the world to drive positive change, where YEEs are effective drivers of social change, where we can learn lessons from what has been done and integrate them into real action plans. A 2030 where we can commit again as humanity on new and more challenging SDGs, considering youth as key informants, advisors, and decision-makers. None of this will be possible without everyone's commitment and actions. [1] International Monetary Fund, 2020. World Economic Outlook Update. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/Issues/2020/06/24/WEOUpdateJune2020 [2] International Labour Organization, 2020. https://www.ilo.org/globa l/topics/employment-promotion/informal-economy/publications/WCMS_743523/lang--en/index.htm Gabriela Rentería Flores is the Chair of EvalYouth Global Network and an Independent Monitoring & Evaluation Consultant. She holds a Bachelors degree in Economics and a Masters degree in Development Economics. She has worked in M&E projects for GIZ, UNDP, CONEVAL and subnational governments in Mexico. Gabriela is a member of the National Academy of Evaluators of Mexico (ACEVAL), EvalGenderMx and EvalYouth LAC. Follow Gabriela on Twitter and LinkedIn.

On 22 April 2021, the Eval4Action first sub-regional consultation was held in East and Southern Africa to support the development of the African evaluation community’s action plan towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The consultation was organized by the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA), the young and emerging evaluators network of AfrEA, South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA), African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE), Réseau francophone de l'évaluation (RFE), CLEAR- Anglophone Africa and Twende Mbele. The speakers at the event included Fazeela Hoosen (Co-chair, AfrEA YEE network), Dr. Kobena Hanson (African Development Bank), Dr. Nana Opare Djan (Twende Mbele), Prof. Ian Goldman (SAMEA), Hon. Paurina Mpariwa (Member of Parliament, Zimbabwe) and Mark Mulobi (young and emerging evaluator). The event included interactive sessions where participants had an opportunity to shape priorities to promote influential evaluation in the sub-region. The main priorities emerging from the consultation include: Nurture and promote evaluation action for Made in Africa evaluations Strengthen evaluation capacity especially among young and emerging evaluators Institutionalize evaluation at the national level This sub-regional consultation is a follow up to the Eval4Action pan African regional consultation held in December 2020. In addition, a second sub-regional consultation will be held in West and Central Africa on 27 May 2021. Together the priorities emerging from the sub-regional consultations will shape an African evaluation action plan for delivery of the SDGs by 2030. Watch the sub-regional consultation recording here.

By Krithika Rajagopalan and Shagun Sabarwal CLEAR South Asia The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing development problems such as unemployment, poverty, and inequality, underscoring the need for carefully framing policies using data and evidence that is generated through reliable and strong monitoring & evaluation (M&E) systems. Many governments in low- and middle- income countries collect data but may not use it well. There is an opportunity to use emerging technologies and systems based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning to improve real-time decision-making. For technological innovations to be truly useful in driving effective decisions which affect millions of people, we need to improve the data quality, reliability of information generated and system readiness to absorb these technologies. The importance of decisions based on scientific evidence and facts cannot be understated amid the rising spread of misinformation which has also complicated the war against the pandemic. At the level of policymaking, one of the ways to ensure this is through M&E data that is generated in-house or by third-party evaluators. However, low quality data or the absence of the value of M&E data can lead to decisions taken which may be ineffective or in some cases, counter-productive. Studies suggest that even well-drafted programmes that appear to work well based on data collected on administrative indicators, can fail to work in practice. For technological innovations to be truly useful in driving effective decisions which affect millions of people, we need to improve the data quality, reliability of information generated and system readiness to absorb these technologies. Some of the common barriers to good quality data include system-level challenges such as inconsistency in the mode of data collection across various data generating units, and man-made errors at the data collection and data entry stages. Lack of proper integration of these databases might create duplicates, and might also lead to the publication of a combined version of data collected by different units at different points in time. This is problematic because such data may not be entirely representative. The underlying economic, political and social institutions also need to be conducive to collect good quality data. It is important for government departments to lay down comprehensive data collection protocols to collect quality data on policy processes and outcomes, secure the data that is collected, and institute an effective monitoring process to ensure adherence to protocol. Such protocols can enable consistency and resilience in the face of changes in the political system or staff within government departments. In our work at the CLEAR South Asia Center, which is hosted at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) South Asia, we engage in many such capacity building and advisory services with government partners to help them use quality evidence to inform decisions. We also conduct workshops on helping stakeholders improve data quality through content such as conducting data quality checks and the design of robust data collection systems. It is important for government departments to lay down comprehensive data collection protocols to collect quality data on policy processes and outcomes, secure the data that is collected, and institute an effective monitoring process to ensure adherence to protocol. What did this work look like during the pandemic? There has been an increased prevalence of remote data collection over the last year. Researcher interest in methods such as Computer Assisted Telephonic Interviews (CATI), Interactive Voice Response Systems (IVRs), and self-reported surveys sent to respondents through SMS or the internet have seen a substantial increase globally. Some prerequisites for weaving them at a large scale into existing systems include digital literacy of respondents and survey staff, increased mobile-use penetration in a region, and internet and signal prevalence. Investing in these basics can help continue the propagation of low-cost remote data collection while ensuring quality data. Predictive analysis using AI is another recent innovation, which seeks to use large datasets from previous economic events to predict future events, and incorporates various interlinked factors affecting the outcome of interest. Poor quality data will constrain the ability to observe patterns in such a relationship. The foundation for this must be built on a deep understanding of the geographical region and context on which the data collection and analysis is centred, and requires personnel trained in machine learning[1]. New methods also include geospatial analysis in policy areas such as urban planning and transportation planning, which require the availability of internet facilities and accurate GIS mapping. Climate change is an emerging policy area that can benefit from the geospatial analysis[2] for new policy recommendations. The true potential for technological advancement in M&E can be harnessed only with a conducive infrastructure and enabling environment. Maintaining security to avoid misuse of the published data and documentation is important as governments, donors, and researchers use technology for activities of varying levels of complexity. The many threats to the security of administrative and government data can range from intentional breaches into government platforms or authorised persons/departments unintentionally exposing information to the public due to lack of adequate skills or awareness such as intentional unauthorised access by hackers, unintentional breach of security (lax security protocols by the authorised user) and authorised users illegally using data for unauthorised purposes. To avoid such breach of security, existing systems can be empowered using reliable data storage mechanisms such as encrypted hard disks, encrypted data transfer processes, and restrictions on access networks. The true potential for technological advancement in M&E can be harnessed only with a conducive infrastructure and enabling environment. Building capacity on the use of such technology is one vital component that we address at CLEAR South Asia through training courses on digital modes of data collection and measurement. The current crisis has highlighted the need to revisit these systems to ensure that innovations actually translate into actionable policies. We have a long way before M&E is used as effectively as possible to inform important decisions and improve development outcomes. The current crisis has highlighted the need to revisit these systems to ensure that innovations actually translate into actionable policies. As technological innovations abound, the focus should be on supporting currently fragmented M&E systems to move from data generation towards data use, and work towards improving their readiness to absorb technology. [1] A type of computer programme that performs specific tasks such as data cleaning and analysis based on information inputted by users. [2] Geospatial Information is a digital replication of the physical world in which all human, economic and environmental activity takes place. Analysing this information to guide decisions in termed as geospatial analysis. Krithika Rajagopalan is a Senior Training Associate at CLEAR South Asia and J-PAL South Asia. She supports the team in partnership development with governments, civil society organisations, donors and multilateral organizations. Follow Krithika on Twitter. Shagun Sabarwal is the Director of CLEAR South Asia and the Director of Policy, Training, and Communications at J-PAL South Asia. She promotes the Center’s mission to strengthen the monitoring, evaluation, learning systems, and data use of decision-makers in the region through capacity building and advisory services. Follow Shagun on Twitter.

In the first of its kind social media outreach in the evaluation community, more than 700 VOPEs (Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation), EvalYouth chapters, young and emerging evaluators, parliamentarian networks, UN agencies, NGOs, the private sector, academia and others converged at the Eval4Action Tweetathon on 7 April 2021. In the lead up to the event and during it, about 14,000 tweets led to 105 million impressions, putting worldwide attention on the importance of accelerating influential evaluation in the Decade of Action. The Tweetathon also marked one year of the Eval4Action campaign. The 24-hour global conversation was kicked off by the global co-leaders UNFPA Evaluation Office, EvalYouth Global Network, Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation, and were joined by IOCE and EvalPartners. This was followed by seven Q&A regional dialogues, led by the: Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) and EvalYouth Asia in the Asia Pacific Eurasian Alliance of National Evaluation Associations (EvalEurasia) and EvalYouth chapter for Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and South Caucasus in Eurasia Middle East and North Africa Evaluation Network (EvalMENA) and EvalYouth MENA chapter in MENA European Evaluation Society in Europe African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) and the Africa wide young and emerging evaluators network (AfrEA-YEE) in Africa EvalYouth LAC chapter in Latin America and the Caribbean; and American Evaluation Association (AEA), Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) and the Academia Nacional de Evaluadores de Mexico (ACEVAL) in North America. As the Eval4Action torch went across the world, participants joined from more than 80 countries and engaged in more than 10 languages, widely amplifying the call for accelerating action for influential evaluation. To catch the Tweetathon highlights, see the Twitter Moment. As a follow up to this engagement, and to the Eval4Action Commitment Drive held last year, a Walk the Talk video drive will be held in October 2021. This new initiative invites everyone to showcase actions delivered to accelerate influential evaluation. This is because the Decade of Action is also the decade of delivery, to supercharge all actions and solutions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by their 2030 deadline. The Eval4Action campaign is intensifying efforts to galvanise this momentum in the evaluation community and beyond, to inform a sustainable and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. For a deeper look at the Tweetathon conversation, see a snapshot of responses to the four questions that framed the all-day global conversation: What does influential evaluation mean to you? What actions for influential evaluation should be prioritized for equitable & sustainable recovery from COVID-19, and to get back on track to achieve the SDGs? How can young & emerging evaluators accelerate action for influential evaluation? What actions are you or your network taking to accelerate influential evaluation?

Read updates on the campaign activities and news from partners around the world. If you would like to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox, sign up to receive Eval4Action updates here. As an individual advocate or a partner network, if you have news or information to share with the Eval4Action community, please write to contact@eval4action.org.

On 7 April 2021, the Eval4Action campaign turned one! In its first year, Eval4Action has rallied a worldwide call for stronger coordination and partnerships for action towards influential evaluation. Launched when the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading across the globe, the campaign seized the moment to advocate for equitable and sustainable response and recovery from the pandemic that is backed by evidence. Through the year, the campaign put a spotlight on evaluation having the highest multiplier effect on sustainable development. In a short time, Eval4Action mobilized the global evaluation community in an unprecedented way. Today, the campaign’s 127 partners are co-creating and shaping evaluation advocacy in regions and countries, with young and emerging evaluators leading the way. Key milestones High-level launch by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem and UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake took place in June 2020. Marathon of nearly 70 motivational statements from the global evaluation community marked this event. Eval4Action was launched via regional consultations in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Europe, Eurasia and Africa. The seventh regional consultation will take place in North America on 20 April 2021. The consultations have mobilized regional and national partnerships to build national evaluation capacities. In the Asia Pacific, the consultation led to the development of the regional evaluation strategy. Regional action plans are in development in MENA, LAC and Europe. In October 2020, a global call for institutional and individual commitments to action for influential evaluation was launched, to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs at all levels. The Drive resulted in 125 voluntary promises, including high-level commitments and those from young evaluators to increase action for influential evaluation. As a follow-up, the Walk the Talk video drive will take place in October 2021. The Eval4Action Twitter Chat was held with 27 co-panelists including all regional and international partners in May 2020. The tremendous outreach of the Chat brought worldwide visibility to Eval4Action and to evaluation being a key accelerator for the SDGs, especially during COVID-19. Building on this experience, an all-day #Eval4Action Tweetathon took place on 7 April 2021. The campaign launched Eval4Action blogs to feature ideas, reflections and knowledge on strengthening and utilizing evaluation as an accelerator to achieve the SDGs. Moving forward in its second year, the campaign has co-created its global agenda via a priority survey and an informal dialogue with partners. The campaign efforts are now focused on intensifying regional and national action for influential evaluation and strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships for evaluation at all levels. To inspire a movement for transformational change, the values of shared ownership and participation continue to guide Eval4Action in 2021 and beyond.

Read updates on the campaign activities and news from partners around the world. If you would like to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox, sign up to receive Eval4Action updates here. As an individual advocate or a partner network, if you have news or information to share with the Eval4Action community, please write to contact@eval4action.org.

An all-day global #Eval4Action Tweetathon on accelerating action for influential evaluation will take place on 7 April 2021. Everyone can join this global conversation via their Twitter handle, using the hashtag #Eval4Action. The event marks one-year of the Eval4Action campaign, advancing global advocacy and multi-stakeholder partnerships to strengthen national evaluation capacities to accelerate the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals, in the Decade of Action. The Tweetathon will be kicked off by the campaign co-leaders, UNFPA Evaluation Office, EvalYouth Global Network and the Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation at 4 pm EDT on 6 April. Over the next 24 hours, seven regional Tweetathons will be held across the globe, every two hours on the GMT. Eval4Action co-leaders, international partners and all regional leaders will host the all-day Tweetathon, passing the Eval4Action Torch across the globe. The Tweetathon will conclude with the launch of the ‘Walk the Talk’ video drive, a follow up to the Eval4Action Commitment Drive held in October 2020. Together, the Tweetathon and Walk the Talk are a call to action, for renewed mobilization and commitment to deliver actions for influential evaluation, to accelerate the delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. Interested to learn how you can join and support the Tweetathon? Get more ideas. Spread the word on the Tweetathon by using the promotions pack.

Read updates on the campaign activities and news from partners around the world. If you would like to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox, sign up to receive Eval4Action updates here. As an individual advocate or a partner network, if you have news or information to share with the Eval4Action community, please write to contact@eval4action.org.

By Thomas Archibald Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education, Virginia Tech To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and recover from the devastating impacts of COVID-19, business as usual is unacceptable. Paradigmatic transformations are needed as civil society, industry, and governments alike rethink how they work and how they define success in relation to social, economic, and ecological impacts. In parallel, conventional evaluation approaches are inadequate. Reductionist, linear, technical-rationalistic modes of thinking and evaluating are ill-equipped to face the complex dynamic challenges confronting us. As Michael Quinn Patton and the Blue Marble Evaluation (BME) community suggest, evaluating transformation requires transforming evaluation. One way to foster transformation in evaluation is to intentionally and explicitly focus on critical and evaluative thinking skills. Specifically, evaluative thinking can broaden recognition of evaluation as a powerful tool to improve public accountability and good governance, while simultaneously bolstering evaluation systems and capacities among evaluators and programme implementors alike. Evaluating transformation requires transforming evaluation. The needed transformations of evaluation One clarion call about transformation is from the BME approach, with its three overarching principles: global thinking, Anthropocene[1] as context and transformative engagement. The premise of the third principle is that, “Global, anthropogenic problems are so severe, threatening the future sustainability of the planet and humanity, that major and rapid systems transformations are needed.”[2] Another call for transformation is from Thomas Schwandt[3], reflected on thoughtfully by Zenda Ofir.[4] Against the backdrop and predominance of ‘normal evaluation,’ which is “wedded to notions of scientific rationality, social progress, effectiveness and efficiency in social programming, and the broad ideology of modernization,” post-normal evaluation draws on: Resilience thinking as a rationality of governing The return of politics to the people A recovery of practical reasoning Co-production to redefine the relationship between professionals and citizens, and Ethical accountability. Yet another call for transformation is the call for equitable evaluation, as expressed via the principles of the Equitable Evaluation Initiative, including that evaluation should be in service of equity, should be multiculturally valid and orientated toward participant ownership, and should answer critical questions about the historical and structural entanglements of societal conditions and the strategies designed to address them. One final call for transformation with clear implications for the evaluation of the SDGs is the movement towards decolonizing evaluation—which requires that evaluation itself be decolonized while simultaneously acting as a decolonizing force in society. This topic is discussed beautifully in a Twende Mbele webinar featuring Candice Morkel, Mjiba Frehiwot, and Mokgophana Ramasobana.[5] Taken together, Blue Marble Evaluation, post-normal evaluation, equitable evaluation, and decolonizing evaluation can guide evaluation towards the radical reimagining required by the challenges of evaluating the SDGs and COVID-19 recovery well. All four of these trends also highlight the importance of critical and evaluative thinking. Blue Marble Evaluation, post-normal evaluation, equitable evaluation, and decolonizing evaluation can guide evaluation towards the radical reimagining required by the challenges of evaluating the SDGs and COVID-19 recovery well. Evaluative thinking for transformative evaluation What is evaluative thinking? It must be the thinking we (or any one does) while evaluating, you might say. In a sense, that is true, but in recent years, a number of evaluation scholars and practitioners have taken a deeper dive into this elusive concept. According to Patton, “Evaluation is an activity. Evaluative thinking is a way of doing business. This distinction is critical. It derives from studies of evaluation use. Evaluation is more useful—and actually used—when the programme and organizational culture manifests evaluative thinking.”[6] My colleagues and I have defined it as follows, “Evaluative thinking is critical thinking applied in the context of evaluation, motivated by an attitude of inquisitiveness and a belief in the value of evidence, that involves identifying assumptions, posing thoughtful questions, pursuing deeper understanding through reflection and perspective taking, and informing decisions in preparation for action.” (p. 384)[7] Expanding the horizon of what worldviews frame our conceptualizations of evaluative thinking and reasoning, Nan Wehipeihana and Kate McKegg also consider the ethical imperative of acknowledging and upholding the place of indigenous knowledge systems in evaluative thinking.[8] Evaluative thinking is both a fundamental philosophical foundation of evaluation and a way to develop evaluation capacity of individuals and organizations—to unleash the power of inquiry. It is similar to critical thinking and reflective practice, but also distinct, in that it centers the four-step logic of evaluation to make value judgments. Evaluative thinking is both a fundamental philosophical foundation of evaluation and a way to develop evaluation capacity of individuals and organizations—to unleash the power of inquiry. Here are some ways evaluative thinking relates to transforming evaluation to evaluate transformation: Evaluative thinking democratizes and decentralizes evaluative inquiry. Therefore, sensitive to power dynamics, citizens from all walks of life can find their place in collecting, analyzing, and using data. Evaluative thinking taps into practical wisdom and a plurality of ways of knowing and reasoning. Due to the messiness of “wicked problems,” practitioners don’t just apply technical solutions to technical problems. We are not robots. Rather, we engage in “reflection-in-action, a kind of ongoing experimentation, as a means to finding a viable solution to such problems” leading to “a particular kind of craft knowledge (or the wisdom of practice).”[9] Evaluative thinking is systems and equity thinking. By constantly identifying assumptions, taking multiple perspectives, and exploring relationships, evaluative thinking helps do the systems-oriented ‘glocal’ work BME requires, including the attention to power, positionality, and privilege that equitable evaluation necessitates. Evaluative thinking balances intuition and rationality. In a time where we must re-center values and facts in the face of the dangerous erosion of public discourse for good governance, evaluative thinking admits a plurality of ways of knowing while maintaining a critical eye on the credibility of claims and evidence. In these four ways, among others, evaluative thinking has the potential to effect functioning cultures of transformed evaluation needed to evaluate the SDGs well for the betterment of all. [1] The current geological age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/anthropocene/. [2] https://bluemarbleeval.org/principles/transformative-engagement-principle [3] Schwandt, T. A. (2019). Post-normal evaluation? Evaluation, 25(3), 317-329. [4] https://zendaofir.com/ten-essential-competencies-for-post-normal-evaluation/ [5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buwDju-Os2o [6] https://www.theclearinitiative.org/resources/embracing-evaluative-thinking-for-better-outcomes-four-ngo-case-studies [7] Buckley, J., Archibald, T., Hargraves, M., & Trochim, W. M. (2015). Defining and teaching evaluative thinking: Insights from research on critical thinking. American Journal of Evaluation, 36(3), 375-388. doi:10.1177/1098214015581706 [8] Wehipeihana, N., & McKegg, K. (2018). Values and culture in evaluative thinking: Insights from Aotearoa New Zealand. In A. T. Vo &T. Archibald (Eds.), Evaluative Thinking. New Directions for Evaluation. 158, 93–107. [9] Schwandt, T. (2015). Evaluation foundations revisited: Cultivating a life of the mind for practice. Stanford University Press. Thomas Archibald is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education at Virginia Tech, where he also directs the Feed the Future Senegal Youth in Agriculture project. Thomas Archibald is winner of the American Evaluation Association Marcia Guttentag Promising New Evaluator Award, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society and is an Associate Editor of Evaluation and Program Planning. He received his PhD from Cornell University in 2013. Follow Thomas on Twitter and LinkedIn.

The first national evaluation week in the Asia Pacific region will take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 5 to 9 July 2021. The EvalWeek2021 is jointly organized by Sri Lanka Evaluation Association (SLEvA), Parliament of Sri Lanka, Government of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura and EvalYouth Sri Lanka. Framed around the theme ‘Evaluation for a prosperous Sri Lanka’, the EvalWeek seeks to: Improve individual and institutional capacities to produce independent, credible, and high utility evaluations Improve policies and systems to plan, resource, implement, and use evaluations Encourage decision makers to actively support monitoring and evaluation at their respective institutions The five day event includes capacity building sessions, keynote speeches, panels and interactive sessions. The closing ceremony will be held at the Parliament of Sri Lanka. For further information, contact Dulmina Chamathkara, EvalWeek Manager at sleva.evalweek@gmail.com.

The first Asia Pacific Winter School for young and emerging evaluators (YEE) will take from 29 to 31 March 2021. The three day event will be facilitated by YEE champions from the EvalYouth Global Network and other internationally renowned and experienced evaluators. The Winter School’s practical and interactive sessions will focus on technical capacity building and career development of YEEs in the field of monitoring and evaluation. The Winter School will also serve as an opportunity for YEEs in Asia Pacific to network and actively contribute to EvalYouth Asia. Ninety applicants have expressed interest to join the Winter School, and the selection of 30 participants is underway. The virtual Winter School is being supported and led by EvalYouth Asia, Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) and Sri Lanka Evaluation Association (SLEvA) in partnership with Evaluation Community of India (ECOI), EvalYouth Sri Lanka, EvalYouth India, EvalYouth Afghanistan, EvalYouth Pakistan and the Center for Evaluation, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. For details contact Randika De Mel, EvalYouth Asia co-leader at rldemel@gmail.com.

The Eval4Action seventh regional consultation will take place in North America on 20 April 2021, on the theme ‘Influential evaluation to advance the Sustainable Development Goals’. It is being organized by the American Evaluation Association (AEA), the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES), ACEVAL, the Young and Emerging Evaluators Network of AEA and EvalYouth Mexico in partnership with UNFPA Evaluation Office and EvalYouth Global Network. The regional consultation is an opportunity for evaluation practitioners, evaluation users, VOPE leaders, young and emerging evaluators, policy makers and other stakeholders to shape regional priorities for influential evaluation, to accelerate progress toward the Global Goals. The event also marks the launch of Eval4Action in North America. UPDATE: The regional consultation recording is available here. For any questions, please email zachary.d.tilton@wmich.edu.

The Asia Pacific Communication Hub (APC Hub) is the communication platform for evaluation endeavors in the region. It was initiated by the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association in the context of the Eval4Action campaign, to support regional communication and outreach on influential evaluation. With the launch of Eval4Action in Asia Pacific, several regional events and initiatives were launched to raise awareness on influential evaluation among the evaluation community and non-traditional actors. Due to COVID-19, nearly all events and initiatives were held virtually in 2020. This requires enhanced capacity to communicate and network effectively on digital platforms with the regional stakeholders. The APC Hub is managed by a team of volunteer young and emerging evaluators. It was formally launched in December 2020 during EvalVision Asia. The first undertaking of the Hub was to plan and manage communication for EvalVision Asia including creating content and managing social media platforms. The APC Hub also initiated and maintains the regional events calendar, resource database and provides support to partners on dissemination and promotions of evaluation focused initiatives. It also supports live coverage of virtual events on social media platforms. Read a brief introduction to the Hub. For details contact, Ana Erika Lareza at apea.coordinator@gmail.com. #APChub APC Hub team members

With its launch in April 2020, Eval4Action is mobilizing action for influential evaluation to accelerate the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals. Today, the campaign has nearly 120 partners that are spearheading global, regional and national action for influential evaluation. For a brief recap of the campaign activities in 2020, watch this video. As the campaign moves forward in 2021, partners from all the regions shared their feedback and suggestions via the Eval4Action 2021 priority survey. This was followed by an informal dialogue with 40 global and regional Eval4Action leaders that came together to frame priorities for the campaign at the global and regional levels. The feedback received from the survey and the informal dialogue has been instrumental in shaping the global direction for Eval4Action. The campaign priorities are focused on intensifying regional and national action for influential evaluation and strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships for evaluation at all levels. In particular, Eval4Action will focus on: Supporting the regions in the design and roll out of the regional action plans for influential evaluation Establishing regional communication hubs together with regional stakeholders Facilitating cross sharing among regions Follow up to the Eval4Action Commitment Drive, accelerating action for influential evaluation Strengthening outreach of the campaign in the global fora A brief paper summarizes the outcomes of the survey, the informal dialogue and Eval4Action priorities and plans for 2021.

Read updates on the campaign activities and news from partners around the world. If you would like to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox, sign up to receive Eval4Action updates here. As an individual advocate or a partner network, if you have news or information to share with the Eval4Action community, please write to contact@eval4action.org.

By Shada El-Sharif Climate Change and Sustainability Advisor; Founder, SustainMENA As countries begin to rebuild from the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations has issued a call for the world to ‘build back better’. Early examples of this, like the European Green Deal have demonstrated how an ambitious, multi-sectoral plan that will impact the lives of millions of people can simply be captured by a few key bold targets to make the European economy more sustainable. Targets around climate action, biodiversity, circular economy and smart mobility have already raised the visibility of the Deal and will enable evaluation and communication of progress along the way. High quality and independent evaluation and communication of best practices and lessons learned around the implementation of the Deal will also help to sustain its buy-in within the European Union, and serve as an inspiration to other regions to embrace green recovery. MENA’s climate change and data challenge The Mediterranean region, which is home to several countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been described as a ‘climate change hotspot’ in a United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) recent report, State of the Environment and Development (SoED)[1] in the Mediterranean. Populations and livelihoods in coastal cities of Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change (SDG 13) due to the increasing risk of sea level rise. It is no surprise that countries of the region are increasingly adopting low carbon and climate resilient policy frameworks. The Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia’s (ESCWA) latest Arab Sustainable Development Report (ASDR)[2] highlights significant challenges in data availability on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the 22 Arab States. For example, the limited information on ecosystems and interlinkages between climate change and invasive species was cited as one of the key barriers for advancing SDG 15 in the Arab world, where poor data availability hinders the capacity to incorporate impacts in management strategies, monitor progress and changes over time, and adapt plans to meet conservation challenges[3]. Jordan as a case study We often hear statements like “Jordan is one of the most water scarce countries in the world”[4] or “Jordan imports over 92 per cent of its energy requirements”[5], which is typically followed by a statement about the country being “the largest host of registered refugees in the world” (as of 2018, 2.8 million refugees registered with UNRWA and UNHCR)[6]. Jordan issued its Voluntary National Review (VNR) in 2017 on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda but has yet to submit its update. It has been tracking some of its SDG targets and indicators through the Department of Statistics (DoS)[7], however, communication of Jordan’s progress on the SDGs does not happen regularly enough to resonate with the public. This can be a lost opportunity, particularly to celebrate achievements. Better tracking, evaluation and communication around the SDGs in Jordan would galvanize the needed political buy-in to turn green transition plans into actions, and potential investment opportunities. Better tracking, evaluation and communication around the SDGs in Jordan would galvanize the needed political buy-in to turn green transition plans into actions, and potential investment opportunities. Progress on SDGs in Jordan: Despite limited communication of success stories, Jordan has made progress on key SDGs, both at the policy and project levels. For example: SDG 13: Jordan issued its Nationally Determined Contributions with a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14 per cent in 2030 (with 12.5 per cent contingent on receiving international assistance) SDG 7: Jordan concluded three rounds of direct proposals to establish utility scale renewable energy projects, based on its landmark Law on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (2012) SDG 6: Jordan is home to Al-Samra Wastewater Treatment Plant, one of the most energy efficient wastewater treatment plants globally SDG 11: Jordan has a fleet of over 20,000 electric vehicles SDG 2, 6, 7, 15: The Sahara Forest Project[8] in Aqaba is a successful demonstration of a water-energy-food nexus project. What ‘build back better’ could mean for Jordan: Jordan, like other countries in the region, is exploring what ‘build back better’ means for its national context. A good starting point is the National Green Growth Plan[9] (NGGP) issued by the Ministry of Environment in 2017. In order to operationalize the NGGP, Jordan recently issued the Green Growth National Action Plans (GG-NAPs) for the economy’s key sectors: water, energy, agriculture, waste, transport and tourism. As shown below, the GG-NAPs seek to achieve five national objectives that are interlinked with the SDGs. The policy development and implementation process of the GG-NAPs is captured in the graphic below, along with the desired impacts including jobs, carbon reductions, resource efficiency, and poverty reduction, all of which must be measured, evaluated and communicated regularly. Evaluation and communication of impact Jordan already has a robust green policy framework in place, but key to its success will be the ability to define, measure, monitor, evaluate and communicate impact across the desired objectives of the GG-NAPs. This will also help to prioritize post-COVID green recovery measures in the medium and long term. Furthermore, the ability to forecast and communicate on the green jobs created by this paradigm will be instrumental in securing wider support for this agenda, since unemployment continues to be a pressing challenge. Jordan already has a robust green policy framework in place, but key to its success will be the ability to define, measure, monitor, evaluate and communicate impact across the desired objectives of the Green Growth National Action Plans. Robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks of the green projects will also help Jordan and MENA countries to access international climate and sustainable finance. Jordan is well positioned to ‘build back better’ by turning its natural resource and socio-economic challenges into opportunities, by adopting a data-driven, green recovery pathway that is both climate resilient and deploys low carbon technologies. The communication of data-driven success stories along its green recovery journey will further facilitate cross-fertilization of best practices at the regional and global levels. This underscores the strategic importance of embedding an effective evaluation and communication framework as an integral component of its green recovery model. [1] UNEP. 2020. State of Environment and Development in the Mediterranean. [2] ESCWA. 2020. Arab Sustainable Development Report (ASDR) [3] ibid. [4] MWI. 2017. Water Reallocation Policy 2016. [5] MEMER. 2019. Energy Sector Brochure. [6] Jordan Economic Growth Plan 2018-2022 (UNRWA: United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNHCR: United Nations Higher Commission for Refugees) [7] Department of Statistics (DoS). 17 Dec 2020. SDG Tracker. http://jorinfo.dos.gov.jo/Databank/pxweb/en/SDG/ [8] Sahara Forest Project. https://www.saharaforestproject.com/ [9] Green Growth is defined by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. Shada El-Sharif is a recognized thought leader on climate change, green economy and sustainable development in Jordan and MENA. Shada El-Sharif is an advisor to the Government of Jordan on Sustainable Development and Green Recovery, and served as Director of the Jordan Environment Fund at the Ministry of Environment. She holds MEng and BSc degrees in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University, and is pursuing an MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School. Shada is Founder and CEO of SustainMENA, an advisory and public awareness platform on climate change and sustainability in Jordan and the MENA region. Follow Shada on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn or contact her via shada@sustainmena.com.