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.

Sri Lanka Evaluation Association, an Eval4Action partner and the Institute for Participatory Interaction in Development have jointly initiated a mentorship and career development programme for young and emerging evaluators in Sri Lanka. As part of this programme, senior professionals in the private sector will mentor emerging monitoring and evaluation professionals for three months. This initiative expands career opportunities for emerging evaluators and creates a platform for them to network with other senior monitoring and evaluation professionals. This effort is part of Sri Lanka Evaluation Association’s efforts to professionalize the evaluation function in the country by developing a cadre of evaluation professionals that can deliver high quality evaluation. These efforts are critical to build stronger evaluation capacities to support the acceleration of the SDGs in Sri Lanka. To register for this opportunity, fill this form For details contact, sleva.coordinator@gmail.com

The Eval4Action MENA Consultation was held on 10 July 2020 with approximately 100 participants from across the region and beyond. The consultation was organized in collaboration between the EvalMENA Network, EvalYouth MENA chapter, and UNFPA Arab States Regional Office (ASRO). The three regional partners are working together on developing the Eval4Action MENA Action Plan for the SDGs, building on the discussions and priority areas identified by leaders and participants representing multiple stakeholder groups (evaluators, VOPEs, lawmakers, policymakers, private sector, and NGOs) during the consultation. Check this space for updates on the finalization and implementation of the Action Plan. Follow @Eval_MENA, @EvalYouthMENA, and @UNFPA_Arabic (UNFPA ASRO) on Twitter! Read more about Eval4Action regional consultations here.

Get ready for the official High Level launch of the Eval4Action campaign by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem and United Nations Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Ms. Jayathma Wickramanayake. Learn directly from the campaign co-leaders about the design, intent and next steps of the campaign. Join the Eval4Action global, regional and national partners in making a motivational statement to engage with the campaign. The interactive event will be moderated by Tessie Catsambas, Past President, American Evaluation Association. Join the Marathon today. Click here for free registration. If you are an Eval4Action partner or supporter, please help us spread the word about the event. Share this web page with your network and promote the event on your social channels. Social media assets are available here.

European Evaluation Society (ESS) releases an article highlighting the relevance of Eval4Action to EES's agenda. As the regional Voluntary Organization for Professional Evaluation (VOPE) in Europe, EES is an official partner of the campaign and is at the forefront of leading Eval4Action initiatives in Europe.

The Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation (GPFE) joins UNFPA Evaluation Office and EvalYouth Global Network to co-lead the Eval4Action campaign. As key stakeholders in demanding for and using evaluations to inform national decision-making, parliamentarians are strategic actors in advocating for evaluation. Parliaments can allocate resources for evaluation from national budgets, establish strong national evaluation policy directions, and debate, shape and enforce evaluation-focused laws and policies that ensure the fulfillment  of citizens' human rights. This makes parliamentarians a strong leader in the campaign, that can provide strategic direction to Eval4Action to bolster its advocacy for influential evaluation towards accelerating progress toward SDGs, especially in the context of the COVID19 pandemic. About GPFE GPFE was launched in 2015 at the Parliament of Nepal. It seeks to advance the enabling environment for evaluation by promoting national evaluation policies and systems. GPFE is committed to the delivery of the Colombo Declaration on Evaluation signed at the EvalColombo2018, global evaluation event for parliamentarians.

Everyone can join the Twitter Chat and participate in this first global and inclusive conversation on evaluation, COVID-19 pandemic and SDGs. Whether you are an individual evaluator, a VOPE member, parliamentarian, academic, or just curious about evaluation, you are welcome to join the Twitter Chat. Together lets create a buzz on social media, to put a spotlight on evaluation during the COVID-19 pandemic and ways in which evaluation can be made even stronger during this global crisis to achieve the SDGs. The panellists leading the Twitter Chat include parliamentarians, all Eval4Action international and regional partners (VOPEs and EvalYouth chapters) and the campaign co-leaders. Anyone can respond to the Chat questions that will be posted and moderated by UNFPA Evaluation Office (@unfpa_eval). You can participate in the Chat in your language. Be sure to use the hashtag #Eval4Action in your tweets during the Chat. If you are an Eval4Action partner or supporter, help us spread the word about the Twitter Chat on social media. You can use these social media assets to announce the Chat on your channels.