By Alok Srivastava Director, CMS Social India is estimated to have a population of around 1.4 billion, as per the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) State of World Population 2024 report, constituting about one-sixth of the world’s population. Around two-thirds of India is below 35 years of age. [1]   Relying on this demographic dividend, India can ensure a decisive role for the young minds in eliminating poverty and ensuring that no one is left behind in India’s journey from a developing to a developed economy.  Evaluation has a key role in assessing progress for development. Evaluation eco-system in the country must therefore aim to ensure active engagement of youth in different phases of an evaluation. Commissioners of evaluation, donors and consultancy organizations as major drivers of evaluation have an important responsibility towards ensuring youth-driven evaluation.  Youth can play diverse roles in the evaluation process- one, as a respondent or participant in the evaluation exercise, contribute by sharing information and their opinion about interventions, and two, as a young emerging evaluator, use their technical skill and knowledge in evaluating the outputs and outcomes of interventions. In fact, the participation of youth becomes even more critical during the dissemination and review of the evaluation findings at the stakeholders’ levels, as it shapes the intervention strategy for the future.  However, currently, the participation of youth is not encouraging. The ‘missing youth’ in most evaluations is primarily due to a collective failure of the consultancy organisations and to a large extent of commissioners and donors of the evaluation.  In the Indian context, some key contributing factors to this concern. Academic institutions mostly do not offer exclusive courses on evaluation, particularly at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This leaves the professional organizations in the evaluation sector with a dearth of young professionals willing to be part of this sector and build their careers. Due to a lack of a comprehensive academic course on evaluation, the evaluative knowledge and skills among young professionals are limited. As a result, it mainly falls on the organizations hiring these young professionals to familiarize them even with the basics of evaluation.  Terms of references (ToRs)/Request for proposals (RfPs), do not insist or give weightage to proposals having a core team with young and emerging evaluators in key roles. A very critical aspect but currently not in practice. In fact, ToRs and RfPs often prioritize technical proposals from teams with extensive experience across various sectors. However, these documents rarely encourage or require the inclusion of academically qualified young professionals with limited practical experience in evaluation. The participation of youth on both sides of the table, as an evaluator and as a contributor to the evaluation findings, is limited at present. Inclusion of youth as an important stakeholder at both the levels will ensure ownership of the evaluation results and better outcomes of the development interventions. Encouraging youth to be part of each evaluation assignment or at least in most of the evaluations will have three-fold benefits. One, encourages youth to take up evaluation as a profession; two, consultancy organizations will have a second line of evaluators readily available; and three, young professionals will provide a fresh perspective to the evaluation approach and findings.  Youth are often not considered as a key stakeholder while formulating, operationalizing or disseminating evaluation results. Views and opinions of experts matter more. The participation of youth on both sides of the table, as an evaluator and as a contributor to the evaluation findings, is limited at present. Inclusion of youth as an important stakeholder at both the levels will ensure ownership of the evaluation results and better outcomes of the development interventions. The Centre for Media Studies (CMS) is an independent, non-profit social research and evaluation think tank, since 1991. It is dedicated to multi-disciplinary research-driven initiatives that enable policymakers to take informed decisions on development and social change to improve quality of life. CMS is one of the few organizations in India to have an accredited Institutional Review Board (IRB) on ethics to review evaluation protocols for promoting ethical norms in evaluations undertaken by CMS as well as other organizations. To add to its credentials, CMS was recognized as a Super Champion  for upholding the Youth in Evaluation standards , during Youth in Evaluation week 2024 . CMS, since its initial years, has encouraged the participation of young professionals in evaluation. Young and emerging evaluators are like a free-flowing stream, which needs to be cuddled, guided and regulated to strive for high standards of evaluation practices.  As a standard operating protocol, evaluation assignments undertaken by CMS have always been guided by the following four cornerstones: A mixed team of experienced and emerging evaluation professionals.  Delegation of responsibilities to emerging evaluators. Ensuring capacity building and handholding of young professionals at different phases of the assignments. Opportunities for young evaluators in the core team to interact with clients and partners. CMS not only welcomes young graduates from universities to participate in primary data collection but also ensures that the core evaluation team comprises a mix of experienced and emerging evaluators. Along with youth, the focus is always on encouraging female evaluators in the team. Particularly during interaction with the community members and keeping the cultural context in mind, gender matching to the extent possible, among evaluators and participants from the community, is encouraged.  A young evaluator leads a session with the core group of evaluators during an evaluation assignment With the vision and belief that “research is not an end in itself but a means and an objective way of leading to advocacy, empowering and achieving social equity”, CMS encourages and empowers young evaluators cutting across gender and regional diversity in India. Aligning with the vision of CMS that research can enable change through informed decision-making about the programmes, policies and practices, we at CMS, engage young evaluators as active partners in the evaluation process. Evaluators from different regions of the country bring local knowledge and values, which are vital for sustainable change.   Making young evaluators a part of the decision-making starts with putting them in responsible roles in different phases of the evaluation, be it literature review, development of parameters and indicators, evaluation instruments, analysis plan and reporting. At CMS, the young evaluators get exposure to different phases of evaluation in multidisciplinary thematic areas and this broadens the horizon of analytical thinking. To CMS' advantage, young evaluators bring with them a new and fresh outlook. For the young professionals, access and exposure to various development issues have multiplied with the emergence of social media tools. Ease of access to these social media discussions and even participation sharpens their professional expertise. Organizations engaging the youth will definitely benefit from it! Making young evaluators a part of the decision-making starts with putting them in responsible roles in different phases of the evaluation. At the same time, constant encouragement for learning and providing sufficient time and space beyond their engagement in ongoing evaluation assignments is desirable. Short-term courses, attending workshops and seminars are some regular features, which is encouraged among young evaluators. This helps in improving efficiency of young evaluators in not only the ongoing assignments they are involved in but also adds valuable insights to the evaluation findings. Opportunities to interact with clients and partners helps young evaluators to streamline their thought process; uphold their emotional intelligence; and make better decisions. It helps the young evaluators to articulate their presentation of thoughts and analysis in a more professional manner. At CMS, we provide as much exposure as possible to at least a couple of young evaluators every year in key evaluation assignments. We aim to develop a second line of evaluators in leadership roles. Irrespective of young evaluators joining CMS, as interns (short-term) or as young professionals (long-term), we always aim to inculcate good evaluation behaviour in them. No doubt, some stay back and continue with CMS while others move on for better opportunities. The challenge continues and so does our efforts towards creating a team of emerging evaluators! Alok Srivastava is the Director of  CMS Social at the Centre for Media Studies,  with nearly three decades of experience in the development evaluation sector.   He is a regular resource person on evaluation and ethics, in particular. Alok is one of the founding members of the Evaluation Community of India (EC OI) and ex-convenor of the Inter-Regional Initiative for Professionalization of Evaluation (IRIPE). He has contributed papers and articles on evaluation-related issues in esteemed journals and publications. Connect with Alok on LinkedIn . [1] Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, 2011 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.

By Beeta Tahmassebi EnCompass At EnCompass , we are proud to foster an inclusive, empathetic, and responsive approach to leadership in the evaluation field. Over the years, our engagement with young leaders—through initiatives like the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the American Evaluation Association’s Graduate Education Diversity Internship (GEDI) programme, and scholarships to the EnCompass Learning Center (ELC)—has deepened our understanding of the value of engaging young and emerging professionals in evaluation and earned us a 2024 Youth in Evaluation super champion  designation from EvalYouth, under the framework of the Eval4Action campaign. Our practices have not only supported young professionals but have also enriched our organization, providing us with fresh insights that are driving innovation. Supporting youth through scholarships and training A key part of our commitment to youth engagement is providing scholarships through EvalYouth to the ELC , a practice we began upon launching the Center in 2020. These scholarships ensure that young evaluators from diverse backgrounds have access to high-quality learning opportunities, equipping them with the skills and tools they need to excel in the field. We have consistently received positive feedback from our EvalYouth participants, both about the engaged content and the well-designed, engaging training methods the ELC features. We have been thrilled to see the impact of this initiative, as it empowers young leaders to take on leadership roles in evaluation and actively contribute to building stronger, more equitable systems. Since its inception, the ELC has become a hub for knowledge sharing and professional development, offering courses that reflect the evolving needs of the evaluation community. Through our partnership with EvalYouth, we’ve been able to extend these resources to the next generation, ensuring that young evaluators are prepared to drive meaningful change in their communities. “Through the EnCompass Learning Center classes on Programme Monitoring and  Participatory Data Analysis, Integration, and Synthesis  that I participated in, I learned many of the elements of project design, something that I was really looking forward to. I am glad I will be going back home with insights on how I can turn my project ideas into activities that will bring meaningful impact in the communities.” Mandela Fellow, 2022   Expanding support through P2P+ and Eval4Action   In addition to our work with scholarships, EnCompass is proud to serve as a regional partner in the P2p+  effort. P2p+, founded by the World Bank Group, UNFPA, GEI, and other global leaders, is designed to address the technical and career advisory needs of young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) through a network of peer support. This initiative connects YEEs with mentors and peers who can provide them with the guidance and resources needed to advance in their careers. For EnCompass, this partnership reflects a continuation of our longstanding commitment to Eval4Action  and our support of the YEE community. By contributing to the P2P+ initiative, we are helping to build a robust network of young evaluators, ensuring that they have access to the technical knowledge, career guidance, and professional development opportunities required to thrive in the field. Through this effort, we are contributing to a global movement that empowers the next generation of evaluation leaders to take on leadership roles, shaping more equitable and impactful systems worldwide. Broadening horizons through youth leadership   Our work with Mandela Fellows , GEDI interns , ELC scholars, and YEEs more broadly has expanded our perspectives and deepened our understanding of how evaluation can better serve diverse communities. These young leaders bring fresh ideas and lived experiences that help us challenge traditional approaches, fostering innovation in how we design and implement evaluations and programmes. Their insights have enriched our work, providing new angles to address complex social issues.   Reinforcing inclusivity and empathy Through these partnerships, we are constantly reminded of the importance of creating inclusive and empathetic evaluation processes. The young professionals we engage with often raise important questions about equity, access, and representation, urging us to think more deeply about how we approach our work. Their voices help us to ensure that our evaluations are not only culturally responsive but also inclusive of marginalized communities. Supporting young leaders also allows us to reflect on our own organizational values, reinforcing our commitment to being a space where diverse perspectives are welcomed and youth are empowered to take on leadership roles. This aligns with EnCompass’ mission to create evaluations that are not just methodologically sound but also reflective of the communities we serve. Learning through engagement One of the most valuable lessons we’ve learned through these initiatives is the importance of mentorship and support. Whether it’s through our Mandela Fellows, GEDI interns, or EnCompass Learning Center scholarship recipients, we have found that investing in young leaders strengthens not only their professional development but also our organizational capacity. Their energy, innovative thinking, and commitment to social change keep us motivated to push the boundaries of what is possible in evaluation. Through these engagements we have learned quite a bit —about new trends in evaluation, the challenges facing emerging leaders, and innovative solutions to persistent social problems. By engaging in these intergenerational dialogues, we ensure that our work remains cutting-edge and responsive to the changing needs of the evaluation field. Looking forward: A future of inclusive leadership As we look to the future, we are excited to continue our work with the next generation of evaluators. The insights and leadership that young professionals bring to the table are critical to shaping a more inclusive, just, and equitable world. By continuing to provide scholarships, mentorship, and leadership opportunities, we hope to not only contribute to their growth but also ensure that the field of evaluation remains dynamic and responsive to global challenges. At EnCompass, we believe that youth engagement is essential to achieving our mission of fostering inclusive, high-impact evaluation practices. Through initiatives like the ELC, Mandela Washington Fellowship, and GEDI programme, we are proud to play a role in shaping the leaders who will drive the future of evaluation. These young professionals are powerful agents of change, and we look forward to continuing to support their journeys in leadership and social impact. For YEEs who are interested in learning more about opportunities with EnCompass, please visit EnCompass’s careers and consulting portal . Beeta Tahmassebi oversees EnCompass' knowledge management and communications teams, manages enterprise risk management, and is the Executive Director for the  EnCompass Learning Center (ELC) .  She has managed evaluation and development programs for a range of clients.  Beeta serves on the Board of Directors (2021 President) for  Washington Evaluators , the largest local affiliate of the American Evaluation Association. She is a champion for young and emerging evaluators, bringing a strong commitment to lifelong learning to EnCompass' clients. Connect with Beeta on LinkedIn . 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.

By Faith Nsanshya Chilupula and Karen Cadondon UNFPA Independent Evaluation Office Investing in young people in evaluation is not just the right thing to do; it is a strategic investment for a sustainable and equitable future. The UNFPA Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) recognizes this and is committed to empowering young people to participate meaningfully in evaluation. This commitment aligns with the global commitment to youth engagement in decision-making, as exemplified by the recent adoption of the Pact for the Future.  The engagement of youth in evaluation builds their agency, enabling them to realize their full potential. At UNFPA, we see young people as drivers of change, and not just those that benefit from development programmes. To truly engage young people in evaluation, we need to rethink old ways of doing things and recognize the fresh perspectives and ideas that young people bring to evaluation. This means working across generations, and with a wide range of partners and sectors, so that young people can have real engagement in evaluation. To truly engage young people in evaluation, we need to rethink old ways of doing things and recognize the fresh perspectives and ideas that young people bring to evaluation. At IEO, we have made youth engagement a core part of how we work. This commitment is captured in the UNFPA  Evaluation Policy 2024  and the UNFPA Evaluation Strategy 2022–2025 , which prioritize the capacity building of youth and enhancing their meaningful participation in evaluation. To bring this vision to life, IEO is taking a three-fold approach: Building an enabling environment for youth engagement in evaluation Strengthening institutional capacities for organizations to meaningfully engage youth in evaluation  Strengthening individual capacities of youth for professional evaluation work. Walking the talk by investing in an enabling environment IEO’s approach to youth engagement in evaluation isn’t just about providing opportunities, it’s about creating an ecosystem where young people from all backgrounds can truly influence and engage in evaluation. Reflecting on the journey so far, it’s clear that youth bring a fresh lens to evaluation tasks and issues, and these perspectives are crucial in making evaluations more adaptive and relevant to the challenges of today’s world.  In recognition, IEO  leadership has demonstrated a real commitment to creating spaces where youth voices are heard and valued in evaluation. As an example, in 2020, the IEO, the EvalYouth Global Network and the Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation launched the Decade of Evaluation for Action (Eval4Action) campaign. This was followed by the launch of the Youth in Evaluation initiative, a flagship advocacy stream of the campaign that is co-driven by young evaluators. This launch also marked the release of the Youth in Evaluation manifesto  and a follow up release of the Youth in Evaluation standards . IEO is a signatory to the Youth in Evaluation manifesto, and is upholding the Youth in Evaluation standards through various initiatives. In recognition of this effort, we are incredibly proud and honoured to be recognised as a Youth in Evaluation Super Champion  in 2024!  IEO has put the manifesto and the standards in action in several ways. One of the best examples of this is the involvement of young people throughout the evaluation of UNFPA support to adolescents and youth . In this evaluation young people took on key roles —not only as contributors and key informants, but as co-decision makers, co-managers, and evaluators. This shift meant that the IEO had to share power with young voices in a formal institutional setting– a groundbreaking move toward inclusivity that recognizes the invaluable perspectives of youth in evaluation! We compiled the lessons from this innovative and inclusive engagement of young people into a publication , accompanied by a short film , which was shared with the broader evaluation community.  Read more about the lessons from the UNFPA experience on meaningfully engaging youth in evaluation We are also at the forefront of providing youth-focused evidence to the UN system from various evidence synthesis exercises, helping advance the implementation of the UN Youth Strategy.   Investing in the capacity of institutions   Reflecting on the methodology of UNFPA evaluations, the IEO recently launched its new Evaluation Handbook 2024  which contains specific guidance on the engagement of young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) in the evaluation process. The handbook also offers guidance on how to involve youth at every stage of the evaluation process.  Complementing the handbook, this year we also released a new resource, A practical guide to meaningfully engaging youth in evaluation processes . This guide follows a key recommendation from the evaluation of UNFPA’s support to adolescents and youth. It's one of the few resources out there specifically focused on the involvement of youth in evaluation for evaluation managers, consultants and youth, making it an invaluable tool for fostering meaningful engagement.  Taking it a step further, IEO took the lead in advocating for the establishment of the first-ever United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) intergenerational working group on young and emerging evaluators (YEEs). This innovative group recently conducted a mapping exercise on the engagement of YEEs within UNEG agencies, revealing valuable insights into the current status, composition, conditions, challenges and lessons surrounding youth engagement in evaluation.  The UNEG working group also renewed a partnership with the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) to launch the young evaluators UNV programme. This initiative aims to deploy young evaluators within the UN system, showcasing a progressive approach to cultivating young talent and integrating them into real-world evaluation processes. We also supported the development of a toolkit for evaluation associations, on increasing engagement of young evaluators in their activities, governance structures, and leadership. Investing in the capacity of young evaluators   IEO invests purposefully in raising the professional competencies of YEEs. In partnership with the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), the IEO has developed a comprehensive training pack on career development in monitoring and evaluation. In 2022, the IEO supported the involvement of YEEs in the Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation (VOPE) governance through the VOPE Leadership Boot Camp, organized by the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation. This initiative was aimed at cultivating leadership and boosting evaluative skills of YEEs. The IEO also supports the EvalYouth Global Network's strategic priorities by implementing its global mentoring programme and offering funding to VOPEs and EvalYouth chapters through the provision of bursaries and scholarships for youth to attend conferences, trainings and winter schools.  Building on this momentum, the 2024 cross-regional evaluation capacity development workshop hosted by IEO welcomed five young evaluators from Kenya to collaborate with M&E staff from different countries, exchanging knowledge and fostering networking opportunities. Country offices were encouraged to consider bringing in young evaluators for their upcoming  country programme evaluations. During the UNFPA cross-regional evaluation workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, young African evaluators gained skills to manage complex evaluations.   In its own exercises, the IEO has made significant strides to ensure that YEEs and young people play vital roles throughout the evaluation process. As part of the evaluation of UNFPA support to adolescents and youth, a Youth Steering Committee, made up of six young professionals, was created to guide the evaluation alongside the IEO. Additionally, national young evaluators were recruited to work in intergenerational teams with senior evaluators to conduct the country case studies. This innovative approach integrated youth voices and perspectives throughout the evaluation, enriching and deepening the entire process. Looking ahead, IEO is dedicated to advancing the implementation of the Pact for the Future through active youth participation in evaluation. In this journey, we call upon the evaluation community to adopt the Youth in Evaluation manifesto and the standards. Let us commit to creating inclusive spaces and structures where young people can actively engage in the evaluation process, shaping a future that reflects their voices and aspirations.  Faith Nsanshya Chilupula is an evaluation analyst at the UNFPA IEO, where she supports the implementation of centralized evaluations and the strengthening of the decentralized evaluation function at UNFPA. She also serves as a co-convener of the UNEG Working Group on Young and Emerging Evaluators. Connect with Faith on Linkedin   and X . Karen Cadondon is an evaluation specialist at the UNFPA IEO. She manages centralized evaluations and other evaluative exercises around adolescents and youth, including the Formative Evaluation of UNFPA Support to Adolescents and Youth and a series of inter-agency syntheses on the thematic priorities of the UN Youth Strategy. Connect with Karen on Linkedin . 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.

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 Chere Gibson Caribbean Evaluators International, EvalYouth North America In the evaluation landscape, where diverse threads of experiences, cultures, and practices interweave, my journey began as a graduate student from Jamaica studying in the United States. My first professional evaluation experience back home allowed me to apply my academic knowledge in a familiar context. This provided unique insights into the transformative approaches of evaluation in addressing global challenges. Foremost, I credit mentorship with truly enriching my practice. Through the collaborative spirit that flourishes within the evaluation community, I was able to experience mentorship on a global scale. As a former mentee of EvalYouth Global, a proud member of Caribbean Evaluators International, a board member of EvalYouth North America, and a task force member for the Eval4Action Youth in Evaluation standards, I have gained invaluable insights and connections. This multifaceted involvement has given me profound appreciation for the power of collective effort and the importance of nurturing the next generation of evaluators. My mentorship story My first mentor in the field was a Colombian woman, just a few years older. Admittedly, when we were first matched, I had no idea what to expect and, with that, our adventure began. Determined, we navigated language and cultural barriers, time zones, and life changes in our time together. The fact that we both spoke “evaluation” seemed to transcend these bounds. This shared language created a bond that went beyond words, fostering deep connection and mutual understanding. The EvalYouth mentorship course design led us through soft skills, a heavily neglected portion of who we are as practitioners and the ‘secret sauce’ for truly carving out your evaluator arche-type. This vulnerability fostered trust-building in our mentor-mentee relationship. This led to mutual sharing, both professional and personal. She shared literature and resources that were not readily accessible to me. At times, for months, our communication was a series of one-liner emails, jam-packed with resources, insights, opportunities and discussions in the space. It is quite incredible how low-touch support had such an overwhelming impact. As the years went by, and I continued to build on the resources she shared, we witnessed our relationship morph into supportive roles for each other, creating a lasting professional and personal bond.   So, what is mentorship? To me, mentorship is an underutilized yet potentially vital strategy for advancing careers and developing evaluation capacity. It serves as a core support mechanism for individual evaluators, describing the “shared evaluation journey, ” which includes the key competencies of patience, care, good timing, and the important role of lessons learned. This shared journey is not merely about transferring knowledge but also about building a relationship that fosters growth, resilience, and mutual respect. I learned that mentorship is not bound by demographics or geography. It is a symbiotic relationship in which power and position are shared, even in the face of vulnerability. In fact, there is an emergent idea of ‘reverse mentorship’ where the junior evaluator reports back on innovations and discussions from the field. However, I support this author’s view that mentorship is not a unidirectional process and does not need 'wordsmithing'. To me, mentorship is an underutilized yet potentially vital strategy for advancing careers and developing evaluation capacity. I have also learned that it is not time-bound; one day you are seeking guidance, the next you are debating positions as colleagues. It values gatebreaking over gatekeeping, where a mentor recognizes the obstacles that prevent one from growing in their praxis and within their own capacity, and then elucidates those spaces and concepts by mere information or introductions. It is also not necessarily a one-to-one relationship but could be a ‘one-to-multiple’ for both mentors and mentees. After the mentorship programme, I sought out my own circle of influence, professionals from whom I could learn different aspects and sectors of the field. Mentorship is certainly not a nepotistic opportunity for the mentee or unpaid/cheap labour for the mentor, although individuals can embark on an effective partnership that can produce synergistic and energized interactions. The most rewarding part of the partnership is knowing that it can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those impacted by quality evaluations. If you are reading this and share these values, as a mentor, I encourage you to support and guide someone within your reach at a pace that suits you. As a mentee, strike up a conversation with potential mentors, seek guidance, and take the initiative in your learning journey. Consider mentorship as an ongoing perspective rather than a one-time event. Mobilizing the next generation of evaluators and mentors   Intentionality has been at the core of my efforts to share my professional experiences and highlight career entry points for new evaluators.   I was very interested in the invitation to contribute to the Youth in Evaluation standards taskforce for youth organizations since my first evaluation role was at a youth organization. Youth organizations provide an excellent environment for young people to learn about the field, which could transition them from programme recipients to junior evaluation staff. A workshop I led with youth community members on participatory Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) techniques The workbook entry of  a youth participant The development of standards underscored the importance of inclusive, youth-friendly evaluation practices and protocols that are responsive to the needs, aspirations, and unique perspectives of young evaluators. I contributed from personal experience to elevate approaches that address socio-economic challenges prevalent in our context. Also, elevated the responsibility of the commissioners of evaluations to include youth in the terms of reference.  Extensive consultations with youth leaders, community organizations, and regional evaluation bodies ensured that these standards were not only technically sound but also culturally relevant and accessible.   In my respective VOPEs, I observed the reflective practice of the standards self-assessment unfold, fostering frank conversations about power-sharing and intentional steps to move from words to action. This process highlighted the transformative power of collective action and the invaluable insights that emerge when diverse voices are included and valued. The development of standards underscored the importance of inclusive, youth-friendly evaluation practices and protocols that are responsive to the needs, aspirations, and unique perspectives of young evaluators.   A year later, I organized and hosted an event titled "Island Insights: An Exploration of Pathways and the Future of the Field" as part of Youth in Evaluation week 2024. This event sought to mobilize early career Caribbean professionals and foster a collaborative environment for discussing pathways and future directions in the field of evaluation. It was a full-circle moment for me, as the event provided the information I had sought when I first started out.   We learned that many M&E professionals across the English-speaking Caribbean began their careers in government roles, with public health being one of the more active sectors for evaluation work. This highlighted the need for diversification of sectors practicing evaluation. It was also shared that among our countries in the region, some had stronger evaluation practices, but all focused primarily on monitoring activities with external evaluations commissioned by multinational development institutions. The conversation also demonstrated why many often sought professionalization abroad, pointing out that outsourcing evaluators often resulted in the loss of skills and knowledge when these evaluators left. The session closed with calls from the panelists and audience for Caribbean evaluators to work through different pathways—academia, independent evaluation, government, and the private and public sectors—to better define our ecosystem and refine methods and approaches.   A call to action   Adopting   Youth in Evaluation standards   signifies a commitment to equitable, effective, and empathetic evaluation practices. It is a call to action for youth organizations, both within the Caribbean and globally, to embrace these standards and support the next generation of evaluators. By integrating these standards into their operations, organizations can foster a new generation of evaluators equipped to tackle the complex challenges of our time with creativity, empathy, and rigour.   In closing, my journey from mentorship to mobilization in the field of evaluation has been profoundly shaped by the support and guidance of mentors, the collaborative efforts within the evaluation community, and the unique perspectives from my perspective. Operationalizing the Youth in Evaluation standards is not only about fostering better evaluation practices; it is about building a more inclusive, equitable, and empowered future for all. Let us continue to champion the voices of youth in evaluation and work together towards a more just and sustainable world. Chere Gibson is a programme evaluator for social interventions with a specialization in youth development. She is an active leader of the EvalYouth movement in the Caribbean region and North America. As a member of the task force, she made a significant contribution to the development of Youth in Evaluation Standards for youth organizations. Connect with Chere via Twitter and LinkedIn . 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 Youth in Evaluation week 2024  (8-12 July 2024) was a resounding success, bringing together young and emerging evaluators (YEEs) and senior evaluation professionals to connect, learn, and celebrate their contributions to evaluation. Over five days, about 47 events from all over the world explored six dimensions of the Youth in Evaluation standards  - leadership and accountability, practice, advocacy and capacity building, knowledge management and communication, human resources and financial resources.  The week commenced on 8 July 2024, with a distinguished global inauguration  featuring Dr. Natalia Kanem, UNFPA Executive Director, and Felipe Paullier, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Youth Affairs. The event also recognized six Super Champions  and 13 Emerging Super Champions, acknowledging their outstanding contributions in advancing young people in evaluation.  The three globally-focused partner events showcased good practices from various sectors, including governments and academia , VOPEs and youth organizations  and international organizations and the private sector . The insightful X space  dialogue on 10 July 2024 facilitated a dynamic exchange between young and senior evaluators, exploring effective strategies for career advancement in evaluation. The EvalYouth-led closing event  on 12 July 2024 served as a powerful culmination, highlighting the remarkable achievements and progress made in promoting youth engagement in evaluation across diverse regions and sectors. The Youth in Evaluation week 2024 successfully promoted youth engagement in evaluation, as demonstrated by five progress markers. Organizers' reports and participant feedback were used to assess the progress and chart future directions for Youth in Evaluation advocacy. The five progress markers are as follows:  Widespread adoption of Youth in Evaluation advocacy: Nearly 90% of the organizers integrated Youth in Evaluation week events into their annual work plans, demonstrating a strong commitment to fostering youth participation in evaluation. Diverse and inclusive reach: The events spanned six regions, in addition to six global events. Half of the events were youth-led, and nearly 80% were held in the Global South. The Youth in Evaluation week 2024 was attended by about 2,750 participants, with young people comprising nearly half (42%) of the attendees. The events, held in 9 languages, fostered global engagement and inclusivity. Knowledge and skill development for youth: The week featured a variety of events, including webinars, workshops, panel discussions, and social gatherings. These events covered a wide range of topics relevant to YEEs, such as career development, evaluation methodologies, and the role of evaluation in social change. A remarkable 75% of participants found the events instrumental in expanding their knowledge or honing their evaluation skills. Increased interest in evaluation: The majority of the young participants expressed greater interest in evaluation as a career path after attending the events. Commitment to the Youth in Evaluation standards:  In lead up to the Youth in Evaluation week, 45 organizations representing 5 stakeholder groups self-reported on the uptake of the standards, which led to the selection of the 2024 Youth in Evaluation champions. What’s next? Interested to learn more about Youth in Evaluation champions 2024? Stay connected to #Eval4Action to discover their inspiring stories and good practices. Adopt the Youth in Evaluation standards and self-report to be recognized as a champion in 2025. Learn how to submit your self-assessment .

By Kyra Variyava UNICEF Evaluation Office Youth are the architects of our future, and UNICEF recognizes the importance of including them in its organizational blueprints. Committed to promoting participation and civic involvement, UNICEF has been making concerted efforts to ensure platforms for meaningful youth engagement in hopes of harnessing their creativity, innovation, and insight to drive change. In accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF strongly believes in the right of adolescents to participate in and influence decision-making processes. In 2019, UNICEF released the Guidance Note: Adolescent participation in UNICEF monitoring and evaluation to determine how best to involve the youth in the monitoring and evaluation process effectively, safely and meaningfully. But is that enough? Does having a seat at the table guarantee room for their opinions and suggestions to be incorporated into the evaluation processes and translated into tangible action? In line with the new UNICEF Evaluation Policy , it became imperative for the UNICEF Evaluation Office to rethink the design of the table for conducting evaluations of UNICEF policies, strategies and programmes- not merely to make space for the youth but to empower them to dominate the room. Creating the Youth Advisory Group In 2023, the UNICEF Evaluation Office called for expressions of interest from young individuals of diverse backgrounds, passionate about challenging gender inequalities and promoting positive and equitable behaviours in society, to join a Youth Advisory Group. This group would play a crucial role in the global evaluation of UNICEF Gender Policy   and the implementation of gender action plans . From a competitive pool of applicants, a cohort of 12 members were shortlisted whose responsibilities include: Providing unique insights and perspectives to the evaluation process to ensure inclusivity and youth-friendliness; Sense-checking key evaluation questions such that they resonate with the youth demographic; and Supporting the dissemination of results through youth networks and media. While their participation is voluntary, this opportunity allows them to gain hands-on experience in the evaluation profession, have access to training and widen their network with professionals and fellow youth advocates in the field. UNICEF also provides support to members of the Youth Advisory Group to cover access to data and the internet to ensure their participation in meetings and other activities.   Youth perspectives in action: Evaluation for transformative results As part of the second annual Youth in Evaluation week 2024 , hosted by Eval4Action, five members of the Youth Advisory Group participated in a stimulating event, “ Youth perspectives in action: Evaluation for transformative results ”, on 10 July 2024. Aligned with the UN Summit of the Future 2024, this event aimed to foster greater commitment and action towards meaningful youth engagement in evaluation. The event facilitated an engaging discussion among the Youth Advisory Group members and UNICEF staff Satvika Chalasani, Senior Gender Adviser, and Erica Mattellone, Senior Evaluation Specialist. Highlighting the importance of providing youth with the necessary tools and skills to advocate for themselves and the need for more significant opportunities for intergenerational collaboration, some of the key takeaways from the event were: A need for diversity in perspective: Panelists spoke about the value of bringing diverse voices to the forefront, emphasizing how perspectives from varied backgrounds can lead to richer understanding of the problem and advance greater effectiveness in evaluation.  “Diversity is something that unites us and brings value to our environments,” echoes Alliyah Logan, Education Advocate and Consultant at UNICEF The invisible advocate: “Not all engagement looks the same,” contends Satvika Chalasani, who explains that while opportunities like this event aim to spotlight the efforts of youth advocates explicitly, a lot happens through programmes at the community level that are not often as visible. Many critical efforts, such as championing LGBTQ+ rights or girls’ right to education, occur quietly and without amplification and deserve equal acknowledgement Capacity-building for youth-led initiatives: In fields such as evaluation which often have high barriers to entry for young people, it can be challenging to find spaces that embrace them as equal stakeholders rather than token representatives . It is critical for organizations to facilitate career development opportunities for the youth, honing their leadership and interpersonal skills. UNICEF was also grateful to receive the Super Champion Award during the global launch of Youth in Evaluation week 2024   which spotlights organizations making an active effort in advancing meaningful youth engagement in evaluation. The champion awards are based on self-reported progress against the Youth in Evaluation standards of which UNICEF scored in the Exceeding requirement category. UNICEF is committed to uphold the honour of this title by continuing to foster an environment where youth voices are not just heard, but made a priority. Reflecting on the essence of this stirring discussion, one of the panelists, Ana Cobano Cuesta, an International Affairs Graduate at Sciences Po University, poignantly captures the spirit of youth engagement by stating, “Our voices are meaningful and valuable in the policymaking process. We should have a seat at the table to engage substantially in these groups, not just as attendees but as actors and agents of change.” To conclude, if we genuinely want to give the youth a seat at the table, we should stop placing their suggestions, opinions and experiences on high chairs, away from the conversation and action. True youth engagement transcends the bounds of the table-it means actively valuing and incorporating their voice to enhance the monitoring and evaluation process. The establishment of groups like the Youth Advisory Group safeguards their ability to make these contributions in a fruitful and effective manner, uniting diverse perspectives towards achieving a common goal. Thus, it is our responsibility to redesign the table to make space for their insights, transforming their role from placeholders into active architects of change. This blog was co-published on the UNICEF website . Kyra Variyava is an intern for the Institutional Effectiveness Team of the Evaluative Office at UNICEF Headquarters where she supports the conduct of independent evaluations by strengthening internal capacity and standardizing procedures, along with enhancing the communication and dissemination of evaluations. Connect with Kyra via LinkedIn and email . 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.

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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 Oyundalai Odkhuu Mongolian Evaluation Association & Cognos International LLC The Mongolian Evaluation Association (MEA) was founded in 2021 to promote professional evaluation in Mongolia. The MEA is a registered, non-profit, non-political organization dedicated to professional evaluation and has been a member of the International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE) since 2022. Since its inception, MEA has been encouraging young people to get involved in evaluation through various activities. In this regard, we initiated the Young and Emerging Evaluators (YEE) internship programme with EvalYouth Mongolia and Youth Inc. under the initiative of the Youth in Evaluation week, which was launched in 2023. Mongolia is a country of young people, and youth aged 15–34 represent the largest demographic group in the country, constituting nearly 35  per cent of the population in 2019. However, youth engagement in evaluation is underrepresented, including in the design and delivery of programmes, strategies, policies, funding mechanisms, and in organizations at the national level. There is also a lack of understanding of youth’s voice and power in evaluation. The meaningful engagement of youth in evaluation is a term that encompasses a range of understandings, experiences, and techniques. According to the Global Consensus Statement on Meaningful Adolescent and Youth Engagement (2018), meaningful adolescent and youth engagement is a respectful partnership between youth and adults, where power is shared, and young people's ideas and skills are integrated into programmes and policies that affect their lives and communities. This blog focuses on how MEA has been supporting meaningful engagement of youth in evaluation in Mongolia through several activities such as advocacy, evaluation case competitions, advocacy to sign the Youth in Evaluation manifesto, and even capacity building of youth in evaluation. The Youth in Evaluation week has provided us with an invaluable opportunity to delve into the untapped potential of young people in evaluation. First, we advocated with the younger generation on the value and impact of evaluation, and its importance, inspiring them to consider careers in this field. So what does this mean in the context of advocacy for youth in evaluation? Youth advocacy involves making sure that young people's perspectives, needs, and interests are actively included and represented in evaluations. In this regard, we organized a 5-day Living Library session where over 200 students were provided a basic understanding of evaluation and who in turn expressed their observations and needs to teachers and specialists in evaluation. This campaign resonated with the students because it offered a unique pathway for young people to connect with global leaders and experts in their field. Youth advocacy involves making sure that young people's perspectives, needs, and interests are actively included and represented in evaluations. Second, the first Mongolian Evaluation Case Competition was organized and promoted across five major universities in Mongolia so that students learn more about programme evaluation and teamwork, and get inspired to pursue careers as evaluation professionals. We successfully engaged 200 students in this initiative, thanks to the support from Ernst & Young Mongolia. Moreover, we also conducted the summer evaluation boot camp, offering students invaluable hands-on experience in the field of evaluation, in partnership with American University. Third, we organized a 3-day online training on evaluation for YEEs in Mongolia, to strengthen their capacities in evaluation. The training provided participants with in-depth knowledge on various evaluation topics in partnership with American University. The capacity development training was conducted as part of a MOU between the MEA and American University. As this training was unique for YEEs, they actively engaged and asked questions related to the importance of evaluation in policy-making and the best experiences so far. Over 30 participants attended this training and gained essential knowledge and understanding of evaluation. Fourth, a call to action to sign the Youth in Evaluation manifesto and adopt the Youth in Evaluation standards was one of the key activities to foster meaningful youth engagement in evaluation in Mongolia.  In this regard, we translated the manifesto and standards into Mongolian, in order to enhance the understanding of youth engagement in evaluation among government agencies. We also produced two pitch videos for the public to explain how youth engagement in evaluation is crucial to identify new solutions that can secure the breakthroughs necessary for fast-tracking the delivery of the SDGs. As a result of this advocacy, eight local and international organizations and around 200 individuals signed the manifesto. The Youth in Evaluation week has provided us with an invaluable opportunity to delve into the untapped potential of young people in evaluation, through the implementation of the aforementioned four activities. In particular, it has allowed us to gain insights into how the youth in Mongolia perceive the evaluation sector. As this initiative was the first of its kind in Mongolia, certain aspects were not fully explored during the first Youth in Evaluation week 2023. However, we aim to incorporate these aspects in the upcoming Youth in Evaluation week 2024, to further enrich and expand opportunities for youth involvement and enhance stakeholder commitment to evaluation in Mongolia. The Youth in Evaluation week revealed many facets of the world of evaluation, especially for us the YEEs. To our great surprise, our first organization  of the Youth in Evaluation week in 2023, did not have many challenges. These could be due to two facts: the generous support of Ernst & Young, and the enormous power of our YEE interns. The only challenge we saw was a lack of interest from students to participate in the Mongolian Evaluation Case Competition as the evaluation field was so new to them and they had many other more promising competitions with higher monetary prices. As a way forward, we should budget for Youth in Evaluation week every year and seek funders of our activities. We should also form an organizing committee a few months in advance for smoother operation as all the activities are voluntary efforts carried out by people who have competing priorities. Overall, the Youth in Evaluation week revealed many facets of the world of evaluation, especially for us the YEEs, and stretched us to the extent that we could explore our potential within us and beyond us, so that, we are committed to contributing our best each year in the future for the development of the evaluation ecosystem in Mongolia and beyond. Oyundalai Odkhuu is a young and emerging evaluator at the Mongolian Evaluation Association and works as a researcher at Cognos International LLC. Connect with Oyundalai via LinkedIn.

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The Youth in Evaluation initiative is celebrating a significant milestone! Over 1,000 organizations and individuals have now signed the Youth in Evaluation manifesto, signifying a powerful global commitment to concrete actions towards long-term, sustainable and meaningful engagement of youth and young and emerging evaluators in evaluation. The signatories represent a diverse range of stakeholders, including governments, youth organizations, VOPEs, United Nations agencies, academia and the private sector. The journey so far The manifesto was launched in 2022 at the global inauguration of the Youth in Evaluation initiative. The manifesto quickly gained traction and led to the development of the Youth in Evaluation standards. The standards were unveiled during the first Youth in Evaluation week 2023. The momentum will continue at the upcoming Youth in Evaluation week 2024, which will cross fertilize practices that advance youth engagement in evaluation and uphold the standards. Join the movement If you haven’t done so already, sign the Youth in Evaluation manifesto (available in Arabic, English, French, Russian, Spanish and Swahili) and adopt and self-report on the standards.

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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.

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 Sarah Dickins Girlguiding UK Girlguiding is the UK’s largest youth organisation dedicated completely to girls, with around 370,000 members. We help girls know they can do anything, whether they’re 4 or 18 or in between. We show them a world of possibilities, big and small. We help them think big and be bold in a space where they can be themselves, get creative, explore, and have fun. We’re a powerful collective voice – with girls, led by girls – changing the world for the better. At Girlguiding, our commitment to amplifying girls’ voices shapes how we work. Our advocacy work is led by the advocates, a panel of young members aged 14 to 25 who act as spokespeople for Girlguiding, talking to UK Members of Parliament and other changemakers on issues that affect girls. Our youth steering group, Amplify, feeds back on internal work and processes, making sure girls’ experiences and preferences are heard at the highest levels of our organisation. But what are the implications for monitoring and evaluation? How can we understand meaningful participation in the context of girl voice? And how can girl voice enhance and innovate evaluation processes? What’s meaningful about participation? ‘Meaningful participation’ has become a widespread term since the popularisation of participatory evaluation approaches in the 1990s. Perhaps more than other types of evaluation, this term encompasses a range of understandings, experiences and techniques. Nuanced, context-sensitive and flexible by definition, there are almost as many definitions of meaningful participation as there are participatory evaluations themselves. UNICEF’s Methodological Brief on participatory approaches notes, for example, just a few of the areas in which meaningful participation can differ from context to context, including “a wide range of different types of participation, which differ in terms of what is understood by ‘participation’, whose participation is wanted, and what it is that those people are involved in and how”. For the purposes of this blog and Girlguiding’s work, however, it’s helpful to think of ‘meaningful participation’ as having two core parts: a commitment to stakeholder participation at one or more phases of an initiative or project, and a need for this participation to support the development, implementation and/or learning of an initiative or project in a genuine and purposeful way. Meaningful participation and girl voice Meaningful participation also has a particular history in the context of youth-centred projects. In his 1992 article, ‘Children’s Participation: From tokenism to citizenship’, Roger Hart applied Sherry Arnstein’s Ladder of Citizen Participation to children. The principle of this ladder is simple: if people have more opportunities to participate in processes that affect them, they are more empowered to make decisions and shape a more equal future for their communities. Hart takes this ladder metaphor further, suggesting there are increasing degrees of ‘true’ participation. As our programming and evaluation become more participatory, we see an increasing shift from adult to child leadership, direction and ownership in decision-making. Meaningful girl-centred evaluation involves investing in girls’ leadership in strategic planning and evaluation processes. So what does this mean in the context of girl and young women-centred initiatives? Whilst the principles of Hart’s framework are still relevant, there are additional considerations. Intersectional feminism argues that we interact with global power structures differently based on our unique combined experiences of gender, age, ethnicity, disability, class, religion and other factors. Using this lens, we can see that girls and young women face the overlapping challenges of being female and being young – as well as their many and varied experiences of discrimination based on ethnicity, disability and socioeconomic deprivation. And Girlguiding’s research suggests that girls’ experiences are getting worse. Our 2023 Girls’ Attitudes Survey reveals girls’ happiness levels have significantly declined over the past 15 years, with only 17% of girls aged 7-21 stating they feel very happy, compared to 40% in 2009. At Girlguiding, we try to make our girl-centred evaluations sensitive to this context. This includes evaluation practices, such as cross-disaggregating data by gender, age, ethnicity and disability; and promoting ‘brave spaces’ in focus groups, workshops and interviews, where girls are encouraged to challenge, innovate and co-create evaluation processes in a psychologically safe and confidential environment. Importantly, too, meaningful girl-centred evaluation involves investing in girls’ leadership in strategic planning and evaluation processes. One example of this work is in the development of our 2020+ Strategy, which consulted with over 50,000 girls, young women, volunteers, parents and carers, and staff. As part of this process, Girlguiding developed and delivered participatory workshops with over 1250 girls aged 5-18. Outcome mapping activities were ‘gamified’ in age-appropriate ways, for example, girls in the Rainbows section (ages 5-7) and the Brownies section (ages 7-10) were asked to help a fictitious ‘Cecil the snake’ find her colourful stripes, by identifying the things that make Girlguiding unique and special. Girls aged 10-18 in the older sections, Guides and Rangers, explored outcomes and areas of improvement by workshopping what the values and principles of a fantasy future Girlguiding might be. In both cases, data and lessons learnt from these participatory workshops has been used to shape Girlguiding’s subsequent evaluation agenda and frameworks, including our organisational theory of change and flagship 2023 impact report – which highlighted that Girlguiding girls are up to 23% more confident than UK girls not in guiding. The importance of empowering girls to lead and shape programmes was also highlighted in this consultation, contributing to the creation of Amplify, our youth steering group, who not only provide youth leadership in our organisational governance, but also deliver their own monitoring and evaluation of youth-led governance through self- and group reflection. Integrating girl voice into evaluation: task, timing and tone So, finally, how can girl voice be successfully integrated into participatory evaluation? At the end of 2022, we asked Amplify what made girls’ participation in focus groups more participatory and engaging. They gave a range of ideas, which can be summarised as the ‘task’, ‘timing’ and ‘tone’ of evaluation. First, meaningful girls’ participation in evaluation needs a suitable task. The key to meaningful participation is that it’s purposeful: you may need to hear from girls to make the evaluation more accurate, to empower girls further through evaluation, to build long-term relationships or to fulfil our strategic commitments. Whatever your reasoning, you need a clear idea of why you want to involve girls in your evaluations and, therefore, who it’s best to involve. This means being intentionally inclusive in inviting and enabling girls from a range of backgrounds, especially those who are most marginalised or those who are most affected by any issues your evaluation addresses. Second, meaningful girls’ participation needs to be well-timed. This principle is about working with girls to find appropriate moments for them to participate in evaluations. This means respecting that girls and young women often have many competing priorities for their time and energy, as well as thinking fully about the various and iterative stages of evaluation that girls can be meaningfully involved in, from design, to data collection, analysis and socialisation of findings. Thirdly, meaningful girls’ participation needs to be given an empowering tone. Adult facilitators should use respectful, non-patronising language throughout, both minimising jargon and explaining relevant technical concepts in age and context-appropriate ways. When reporting findings, relay the girls’ thoughts respectfully and, where appropriate, using the original terms and phrasing, as these may have been carefully chosen by the girl to convey their perspective. And finally, it’s always important to give credit where credit is due, acknowledging and celebrating where girls have contributed to your evaluation design, process and findings. In this way, meaningful girl participation benefits both evaluation and the girls themselves. It not only provides more accurate, creative and complete findings, it also builds long-term, respectful relationships and enables Girlguiding’s mission: to help girls know they can do anything. Sarah Dickins is a monitoring, evaluation and learning specialist who has spent the last decade working with girls and other young people around the world. She’s passionate about how participatory evaluation can empower communities. At Girlguiding UK, she delivers the Insight team’s longitudinal quasi-experimental impact study. Connect with Sarah via LinkedIn.

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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 Tom Ling European Evaluation Society Years ago, I was talking to an experienced development professional about integrated nutrition programmes. I observed that the approach taken by their organisation differed from the approach taken by another leading organisation. I was curious to understand why these approaches differed, and asked if evaluation could identify good (or even better) practice. The answer was polite enough but disturbing; ‘I think, Tom, after 30 years in international development, I know what works’. The logic was implicit but clear; ‘I don’t need evaluators to tell me how to do my job’. To be honest, I have sympathy for this view. I believe the evaluation community should be more helpful. Here I suggest two ways we might be more useful. First, by putting complex programmes much more clearly in their social context and, second, by co-producing responses alongside practitioners and other decision makers. Decision makers have not always been well served by what is produced by the evaluation ecosystem. [1] What help does this ecosystem offer our professionals from the previous paragraph? In the case of integrated nutrition programmes, she might think it is not at all helpful. Undernutrition contributes globally to 45 per cent of preventable deaths in children under 5 [2], but the evaluation community is a long way from providing coherent evidence to deliver better care for children. Some years after the conversation mentioned above, a systematic review reinforced the concerns of our practitioner: There is substantial evidence of positive nutrition outcomes resulting from integrating nutrition-specific interventions into nutrition specific programmes. However, there is paucity of knowledge on establishing and sustaining effective integration of nutrition intervention in fragile context. [3] ‘What works in what context’ is a helpful starting point, and developing middle-range theories based on understanding the programme theory of change and its context is an important part of evaluation practice. However, the application of this mantra, and its relevance to highly complex programmes in ‘rugged’ operating environments [4] has multiple problems. These problems start, I believe, from designing the evaluation based on a narrow theory of change while asking: ‘based on this individual evaluation, what can we say about what works in what context?’ This immediately sets us off on the wrong foot. The importance of context was highlighted in the important work of Pawson and Tilley. [5] However, it is not clear that evaluators have taken ‘context’ sufficiently seriously. Most often, a complex programme is a very small event in a very large system. Where the programme bears fruit and delivers benefits, it is because of how it lands in, and works with, this system. The primary causal driver is often not the programme but the social systems it is part of and contributes to. In these complex circumstances, programmes will often have the following characteristics (see Woolcock, 2022 [6]): Implementing practitioners have considerable discretion when delivering the programme; ‘Success’ depends upon multiple transactions and negotiations across different individuals and organisations; The aims, resources and imperatives of the programme are only part of what drives behaviours, including behaviours of the intended beneficiaries; and Intended beneficiaries are not defined by the programme but they have agency which they use in ways which may have nothing to do with the programme (and individual-level behavioural theory may be especially unhelpful in this context). Addressing this involves putting human agency more firmly at the centre of evaluation. It is people who make things happen and not programmes. But, although it is people that drive change, people do not choose their social circumstances. [7] These circumstances include (among other things) the unequal distribution of resources and power. [8] These circumstances are not immutable, but they account for the observed patterning of social life. We need to draw more heavily on social science (among other sciences) to bring this patterning into evaluations. So where does this leave our development professional who we met in the first paragraph?. To be helpful, evaluations should relate to practitioner experience in three ways: The theory of change should include a deep understanding of the social circumstances which led to the problems arising in the first place and thwarted previous efforts, The analysis should use social science and resist over-individualising behavioural explanations without ignoring the importance of human agency, and We should understand programmes as small events in large systems and attribute causality to social processes and not to programme logics. And would our practitioner be satisfied with this? Well, to some extent but perhaps not entirely. The next piece of the ‘what works in what context’ jigsaw should involve paying much more attention to building scientific knowledge over time. We should move away from only asking ‘did the programme work’ and towards also asking ’what have we learned about how better to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the other pressing challenges of our age?’ Development professionals should be part of a learning system that uses evaluation to help answer questions that they think are important, using evidence that contributes to better informed judgements and decisions. Finally, even if we engage more fully with understanding the complex environments of international development, evaluators should, I believe, take more responsibility for collaborating with practitioners. Over two decades ago, Ziman raised the question of how professionals from a scientific background could communicate better with decision makers in politics and law. I would extend this to include how evaluators (especially those seeking to draw more heavily on social science) should engage with practitioners in international development. Ziman [9] says: Scientists who are only accustomed to the scientific mode of disputation are not well prepared for the debating rituals of transcientific controversies. They bring into the proceedings the scientific expertise and presentational skills which have stood them well professionally and find that these do not work as usual. That is to say, their accustomed rhetorical style, shaped and refined in purely scientific arenas, just does not succeed … Our aim as evaluators should be to respond positively to the ‘different rhetorical styles’ of practitioners (including, I should add, a greater willingness to challenge some of these rhetorical styles) so that practitioners (and policy makers) have more confidence that evaluations can help them do their jobs better. For this to succeed we need to redesign the evaluation ecosystem, including reconsidering how we frame problems, design evaluations, include young and emerging evaluators and engage their energy and creativity, how we conduct evaluations, and how we communicate and make sense of our findings. Contributing to this is where Eval4Action and other leading parts of our evaluation community add great value. We need to reach out to the funders and users of our evaluations as part of this redesign. In this, we need to be less mesmerised by the need to be independent, and more concerned with how we contribute to turning around our stalled SDGs and build a just transition to a better future. Editor's note: This blog was written during Tom Ling’s tenure as the President of the European Evaluation Society. Tom Ling has over 30 years of experience in designing, managing, and delivering complex evaluations focused on innovation, impact and quality. His clients have included UK Government Departments and agencies, the European Commission, UNDP, OECD, the World Bank, and many others. He is a senior research leader at RAND Europe and head of evaluation. In addition to his current role at RAND Europe, Tom has worked as head of evaluation at Save the Children, a senior research fellow and the National Audit Office and held various academic posts including Professor Emeritus at Anglia Ruskin University. He is the former President of the European Evaluation Society and an advisor to the World Bank’s Global Evaluation Initiative. Tom can be reached via LinkedIn and email at tling@randeurope.org. _ [1] The term ‘evaluation eco-system refers to the inter-locking processes through which evaluation needs are identified, evaluations are commissioned, suitable evaluation providers identified, proposals submitted, evaluations conducted, and evaluation results published and used. [2]  Abdullahi, L.H., Rithaa, G.K., Muthomi, B. et al. ‘Best practices and opportunities for integrating nutrition specific into nutrition sensitive interventions in fragile contexts: a systematic review.’ BMC Nutr 7, 46 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-021-00443-1 [3] Ibid. [4] A ‘rugged’ environment is one which is highly variable, unpredictable, and means that we cannot easily transfer lessons about best practice from one context to another. See: Pritchett, L., Samji, S., and Hammer, J. (2012) ‘It’s all about MeE: Using structured experiential learning (‘e’) to crawl the design space.’ Helsinki: UNU-WIDER Working Paper No. 2012/104 [5] R. Pawson, N. Tilley Realistic Evaluation Sage, London (1997) [6] Woolcock, M. (2022). ‘Will It Work Here? Using Case Studies to Generate ‘Key Facts’ About Complex Development Programs.’ In J. Widner, M. Woolcock, & D. Ortega Nieto (Eds.), The Case for Case Studies: Methods and Applications in International Development (Strategies for Social Inquiry, pp. 87-116). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108688253.006 [7] Or as Marx noted in the 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte: "Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given and transmitted from the past.” [8] Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste. London, Routledge. [9] Ziman J. (2000) ‘Are debatable scientific questions debatable?’ Social Epistemology, 2000, vol. 14, nos. 2 3, 187–199.

The year-end newsletter showcases Eval4Action's progress and achievements in 2023. 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.