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In observance of the World Day of Social Justice, the seventh Future of Evaluation dialogue was convened on 19 February 2026 to explore how evaluation can serve as a mechanism for addressing systemic inequalities. The dialogue called for transforming evaluation from a "technocratic box-ticking" exercise into a profession that advances public accountability by actively centering marginalized voices. A fundamental shift was called for: moving from "power over" toward a "power with" model that considers local communities as equal partners in decision-making. This transformation is presented as essential for ensuring evaluation remains relevant in a world facing a polycrisis of climate change, extreme inequality, and the rapid integration of emerging technologies. In case you missed the conversation, watch the recording. Five quick takeaways from the dialogue Prioritize moral judgment and social relevance through downward accountability. Evaluation education must evolve beyond technical mechanics into a comprehensive education framework that considers evaluation as a vital public service. Success of an evaluation is best measured by social impact and the reflection of local realities rather than donor compliance or technical execution alone. Traditional "upward accountability" should shift toward a model of "downward accountability", where evaluation findings are shared back with communities in accessible ways. The ultimate goal of improving lives is at risk if evaluation findings ignore what the community actually needs, or if evaluators focus more on mastering technical tools than on making fair, ethical judgments.By centering the perspectives of the communities, evaluation is moved beyond a "tick-box" exercise to become a bridge between evidence and real-world change. Transition from "human machines" to values-driven evaluators. As generative AI becomes more prevalent in data processing, the unique value proposition of a human evaluator is found in the ability to apply values, context, and ethical foresight. If evaluators act merely as "human machines" following rigid algorithms, they become replaceable. Instead, the profession must be shifted toward "responsible AI" use and human-centric judgment. Evaluators are not neutral observers; they can be viewed as agents of change who must check their own biases and motives to ensure that data is not stripped of its social context. Institutionalize intergenerational "co-creation" spaces. The future of the evaluation is dependent on bridging the gap between senior professionals and youth. Synergy is built into spaces, where methodological wisdom and "business smarts" are provided by seniors to navigate the market, while young evaluators bring a fresh perspective that challenges established assumptions. Youth should not be relegated to data-collection roles; they must be engaged in designing evaluations and reporting to ensure the profession remains adaptive to current social realities and global trends. Decolonize curricula through diverse knowledge systems. Evaluation education must be decolonized to include indigenous, community-based, and local knowledge systems. It was noted that current evaluation frameworks are often biased toward North American and Western perspectives, leading to the misrepresentation of local cultures. Education is made more inclusive by acknowledging "epistemic diversity"—recognizing that oral histories, storytelling, and spiritual practices are rigorous forms of evidence. By incorporating indigenous methodologies and relational accountability, evaluation training is made more globally relevant and respectful of the people it serves. Move from retrospective reporting to evaluative foresight. As global crises like climate migration and digital exclusion accelerate, evaluation must be moved from looking backward to looking forward. Evaluative foresight is utilized, involving the use of future-focused questions and systems thinking to prevent inequities before they become entrenched. By shifting from "what happened" to "what might happen next”, organizations can be helped to adjust in real-time. A "learning loop" is created, allowing for course correction during implementation and ensuring that a better future is shaped rather than just the past being explained. The Eval4Action Future of Evaluation dialogues are a series of forward-looking discussions that explore innovative and adaptive approaches to evaluation. Designed to make evaluation more influential in a rapidly changing and complex world, these dialogues bring together a diverse range of voices—from experts to young evaluators—to share knowledge and highlight ways to future-proof the field of evaluation. Each monthly dialogue is aligned with an international action day, ensuring the conversations are timely and relevant to a global discourse.  The next dialogue, “How can evaluation accelerate rights, justice, action, for all women and girls?” will take place on 10 March 2026. Register This article was written with AI support with human authors in the lead.

By Uugantsetseg Ginchigdorj Former Co-leader, EvalYouth Asia Mongolia, often cited as a "poster child" for democracy among post-Communist societies, stands as a unique case of democratic transition. However, the 21-day "Easy to Resign" protests in 2025, led by youth, signaled that civil society is reclaiming constitutional mechanisms for a more participatory and responsive democratic system . This episode illustrates that democratic consolidation requires more than elections; it requires responsive institutions capable of learning and accountability.   In this context, strengthening the institutional foundations that enable evidence-based learning and accountability becomes essential. This reflects growing attention to the institutionalization of evaluation, the process of embedding evaluation within the legal, social, and professional systems. Institutionalization means that evaluation becomes routine, resourced, credible, and publicly meaningful rather than episodic or donor-driven. To understand Mongolia’s current evaluation landscape, this blog draws on the Evaluation Globe  framework by the Department of Sociology and the academic Center for Evaluation (CEval) at Saarland University , which analyzes the political, social, and professional systems, combined with the insights of the 2025 National Evaluation Capacities Index (INCE) pilot .  The political system: Strong legal mandates, unclear oversight  Following the transition to democracy and market-economy in the 1990s, Mongolia has undertaken multiple efforts to establish and govern monitoring and evaluation (M&E) within the government system. This journey began with the 1996 Parliament Resolution No. 38, which set the policy on government activities and structural reform, followed by the 1999 Government Resolution No. 4, regulating the monitoring and evaluation of administrative bodies and continued subsequent amendments and legislations. Today, Mongolia possesses a robust legal framework for M&E. The Law on Development Policy, Planning and its Management (2020) and the recent Government Resolution No. 43 (2025) mandate M&E across the public sector, which formally regulates evaluation as a distinct function from monitoring. The results of the 2025 INCE pilot in Mongolia reflect this strength. The " Institutional Structure" dimension scored 4.4  out of 10, indicating that institutionalization of the evaluation ecosystem is at a moderate situation. The country has established a regulatory system where the government machinery is active; ministries report against plans and maintain dedicated M&E departments, and executives and decision-makers consume performance data as required by law. However, the system remains heavily centralized. With the Authority for Government Supervision (AGS), the successor to the General Agency for State Inspection, leading these efforts in the absence of a specific National Evaluation Policy or a high-level decision-making body on evaluation, there is a risk that evaluation is perceived merely as a tool for internal administrative control rather than for broad democratic learning. Without safeguards for independence, evaluation can be conflated with supervision rather than learning. The professional system: The missing middle  In the professional system as a sub-system in the Evaluation Globe concept, Mongolia faces a “missing middle”. The INCE pilot revealed a critical gap in the "Evaluation Offer" dimension, specifically a low score of 2.4 for "Training Programmes " , indicating the absence of a formal professional education system to supply evaluators. This weakens the ability and availability to produce independent evaluations and hinders the development of local evaluation practices. Yet, this creates reliance on external expertise and limits the emergence of a locally grounded evaluation profession. The social system: The democratic deficit  In the context of evaluation as a mechanism for government accountability, Mongolia faces a significant challenge. The INCE score for "Multi-agent spaces" was the lowest of all dimensions at 3.25 . Although Mongolia has two Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation (VOPEs), the informal Mongolian Evaluation Network (MEN) and the formal Mongolian Evaluation Association (MEA) and other stakeholders as civil society organizations and international organizations, their integration in state evaluation processes remains limited. This disconnect is illustrated by the protests mentioned above, highlighting unmet demand for participatory evaluation spaces.      The way forward: Gaps to address While Mongolia has made progress, the path from "control" to "doing" and now shifting to "learning", the current landscape shows significant structural and practical gaps. It is insufficient to simply call for professional education or civil society engagement; the multi-level gaps below need to be addressed. 1. The policy gap: A critical gap remains in the absence of a National Evaluation Policy (NEP). While the country possesses laws and resolutions, it lacks a cohesive policy defining the principles of evaluation. Current laws mandate that evaluation occurs, but an NEP is needed to ensure independence and that public interests are prioritized over bureaucratic box-checking. Such a policy should define principles of independence, transparency, ethical standards, stakeholder participation, systematic use of findings, and public disclosure, guiding on how evaluation contributes to decision-making and how evidence is integrated into policy cycles. Though parliamentarians must play a leading role, this high-level strategic vision is currently missing in Mongolia.  2. The governance gap:  While the AGS is currently the government body responsible for implementing M&E across state organizations, relying solely on a single agency to govern the entire system presents a risk to accountability. To ensure true democratic accountability, there is a need for a high-level, multi-stakeholder governance mechanism in the country, perhaps through a high-level body, committee or working group. 3. The utilization gap: Perhaps the most pressing challenge is the disconnect between evaluation findings and policy design at this critical transition moment. Even with the positive step of implementing Resolution No. 43, Regulation on Evaluation, whether the mechanism to ensure that these findings actually alter the next cycle of policy design exists, remains unclear. If the country begins conducting government programme evaluations but fails to use those findings to inform the design of future strategies, the system lacks best evaluation practice. Institutionalization is incomplete if evaluation does not feed back into policy cycles. For Mongolia institutionalizing evaluation is ultimately about deepening democratic governance: ensuring that public institutions not only deliver, but listen, learn, and adapt. Moving from control to learning requires more than mandates; it requires professional capacity, civic engagement, and credible systems that connect evidence to reform. In this sense, evaluation becomes not just a tool of government, but part of democracy’s infrastructure. Uugantsetseg Gonchigdorj is an independent evaluator and consultant with a background in sociology. She specializes in programme evaluation at the intersection of policy, systems, and institutional learning across diverse development sectors. She has contributed to evaluation networks including EvalYouth Asia, EvalYouth Mongolia, and the Mongolian Evaluation Association (2023–2025). Connect with Uugantsetseg on LinkedIn . AI Disclaimer: AI tools were used solely to bring the blog to the required length and to correct grammatical issues. The blog's content, ideas, and narrative were authored by the human writer, not generated by AI. Disclaimer: The content of the blog is the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of Eval4Action co-leaders and partners.

The Decade of Evaluation for Action, also known as the #Eval4Action campaign, to accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. influential evaluation. better decisions. better results. better policies. get involved Learn more Learn more latest Shaping the future of evaluation #Eval4Action 2.0 Meet 2025 Youth in Evaluation Champions! Institutionalizing evaluation in democratic Mongolia By Uugantsetseg Ginchigdorj 1200 signatories Sign the manifesto #Eval4Action February Newsletter Subscribe

Future of Evaluation dialogue brings together leading experts and newcomers in the community to explore how evaluation can become more influential by innovating and adapting to evolving external environments. The Future of Evaluation dialogue brings together leading evaluation experts and leaders, young and emerging evaluators and new voices in the evaluation community and beyond, to explore how innovative approaches and adaptations can make evaluation more influential given the evolving global landscape. By fostering dynamic knowledge exchange, these dialogues seek to enhance evaluation's relevance, ensuring it remains vital for informed decision-making and sustainable development, today and in the future. Building on the momentum from the Summit for the Future of Evaluation , and aligning with the #EvalTorch relay , the Future of Evaluation dialogue provides a platform for collaborative learning to future-proof evaluation. Each monthly session will be strategically linked to key international days, ensuring thematic relevance and amplified outreach by aligning with global observances. This dialogue series is a cornerstone of the #Eval4Action 2.0 launch, brought to life in partnership with EvalPartners Global Evaluation Agenda 2.0 and the 3 Horizons initiative led by the International Evaluation Academy. Schedule 12 August 2025 , International Youth Day Is the intersection of youth, innovation, and influence evaluation's new frontier? Catch up 23 September 2025 , International Day of Peace How can evaluation be a force for peace and resilience amidst global instability? Catch up 23 October 2025 , UN Day (80th anniversary) How can evaluation shape a future-fit United Nations? Catch up 25 November 2025 , International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women Is evaluation our compass to a future free from gender-based violence? Catch up 10 December 2025 , Human Rights Day Is evaluation key to realizing universal human rights? Catch up 22 January 2026 , International Day of Education Are we educating evaluators of every generation, for the future? Catch up 19 February 2026 , World Day of Social Justice Is evaluation fulfilling its potential to advance global social justice? Catch up 10 March 2026 , International Women's Day How can evaluation accelerate rights, justice, action, for all women and girls? Learn more 21 April 2026 , World Creativity and Innovation Day Will evaluation's future be shaped by its creativity and innovation in facing emergent challenges? Register More information on each session will be available shortly.

The Youth in Evaluation Forum 2026 is a three-day digital convening at global and regional levels that will amplify young voices and influence how evaluation responds to today’s evolving world. Concept note Guide for organizers Expression of Interest The Youth in Evaluation Forum 2026 is a three-day digital convening at global and regional levels that will amplify young voices and influence how evaluation responds to today’s evolving world. Join young and experienced evaluators from across the globe to celebrate innovation and build a future-fit evaluation community through inclusive, intergenerational dialogue. Mark your calendars May 19: Global Inauguration and Champion Awards A high-level opening session to spotlight youth leadership and officially announce the 2026 Youth in Evaluation Champions. May 20–21: Regional Events Two days of interactive, partner-led sessions tailored to regional priorities. Get involved Host a regional event Submit your Expression of Interest by 21 March 2026 Join the conversation Sign up for the #Eval4Action Newsletter to receive updates on the regional events Commit to action Sign the Youth in Evaluation Manifesto to support meaningful engagement of youth in evaluation, available in 21 languages. For more details, reach out to contact@eval4action.org .