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Pakistan Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation
 This evaluation, conducted by the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, covers seven projects over the period 2009-2020.
The evaluation found that IFAD support has been aligned with the Government’s development strategies, with a strong focus on poverty. In Pakistan, IFAD has been expanding its investments on productive asset transfer and skills training to poor households, improving the income opportunities and resilience of beneficiaries (many of whom were women). IFAD investments in infrastructure, such as drinking water schemes and access roads, have also had mostly positive impacts on human capital and, to a varied extent, household incomes. The portfolio made important achievements in women’s social and economic empowerment, in light of the challenging gender context in Pakistan.
Although positive results have been achieved, limited consideration of how best to leverage changes in the local economy around agriculture and food systems to benefit the rural poor population has been a main shortcoming. The lending portfolio became skewed towards asset transfer and skill training, leading to reduced focus on addressing structural constraints. Project efforts have mostly concentrated on delivering goods and services according to targets, rather than improving and influencing institutions, policies and systems to create enabling conditions for sustainable pro-poor solutions. Also, the portfolio could have more deliberately integrated issues related to natural resources management and climate change adaptation.
For the future, the evaluation’s recommendations include adoption of a more flexible approach in targeting and programming, as well as articulation of a strategy to promote innovations and scaling up in order to have a greater impact on rural poverty. To enhance the likelihood of intervention sustainability, further emphasis should be placed on strengthening and linking with institutions, policies and systems.
More here
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Director’s Column
It is a pleasure to connect with our readers, and this edition comes as we launch our first ever IOE website. We are certain that this will facilitate your work as you use evaluation to improve the performance of your agencies. Our commitment in the website is to ensure free access, and we trust the resources will be shared widely.
Our team has been active in publishing and presenting their work globally. I bring attention to the evaluations of IFAD programmes at the country level, and as shown by the two Country Strategy and Programme Evaluations undertaken in Uzbekistan and Eswatini, the results of which were discussed at learning workshops, impacts are being generated and measured, and joined efforts made to improve future programmes. IOE has generated almost 600 evaluation reports to date, and these can be accessed here.
We are also happy to report that IOE contributed to an important publication on “Transformational Change for People and the Planet”, a book edited by Juha Uitto and Geeta Batra.
Happy reading!
INDRAN NAIDOO, PhD
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 Latest evaluation
reports
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Project Performance Evaluations
Indonesia Village Development Programme
The Village Development Programme in Indonesia worked closely with policymakers and development partners and dovetailed public structures, enabling IFAD to help scale up interventions. However, the disruptions brought about by policy changes and the lack of robust facilitation led to certain target groups not being included in the VDP’s community-based activities.
More here.
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Country Strategy and Programme Evaluations
Kingdom of Morocco
IFAD’s portfolio contributed to enhancing economic resilience, environmental sustainability and resilience to climate change among rural poor people, by providing trainings and fostering the emergence of several farmers’ organizations. However, the portfolio achieved insufficient results in terms of inclusive rural finance, and mixed results in relation to producers’ ability to access reliable and remunerative markets.
More here.
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Republic of Niger
IFAD-supported programmes helped build climate resilience among households and communities. A high proportion of budgets was allocated to the infrastructure required to create economic development hubs. However, the projects did not always fully grasp the different procedures available to provide financial support to enterprises.
More here.
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 Events, partnerships and capacity building
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IOE Coffee Talk – Transformational change for people and the planet
On 2 March, a special “meet the editors” session of the IOE Coffee Talk series took place online. Juha Ilari Uitto and Geeta Batra, respectively Director and Chief Evaluation Officer at the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility, discussed the recently published volume entitled “Transformational Change for People and the Planet”. Indran Naidoo, Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan and Prashanth Kotturi contributed chapters to the book, which seeks to provide an interdisciplinary perspective on innovative and emerging evaluation knowledge related to the environment, natural resources management, climate change, and development.
More here.
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Uzbekistan Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation – Virtual National Workshop
On 24 February, IOE and the Government of Uzbekistan, in collaboration with IFAD’s Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia Division, organized a virtual national workshop for the Uzbekistan Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), as a final step in the evaluation process. During the event, the main findings, recommendations and issues emerging from the CSPE were discussed. The workshop was also an occasion to reflect on opportunities and challenges in the IFAD-Government partnership and strategic priorities for IFAD's next country strategic opportunities programme.
More here.
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3rd APEA Conference and EvalFest 2022
The Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) and the Evaluation Community of India (ECOI) jointly organized the 3rd APEA Conference and EvalFest 2022, which took place virtually from 21 to 25 February 2022. The theme of the event was “Towards a Vibrant Evaluation Ecosystem: Creativity, Collaboration and Convergence”. On 23 February, Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan, participated as a panellist in the session entitled “Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change: Lessons from Evaluations”, organized by the Independent Evaluation Office of the Global Environment Facility.
More here.
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IOE Seminar: Insights from recent studies on targeting of the poor and the ultra-poor
On 4 February, IOE organized a virtual presentation and discussion on the topic of “Targeting of the Poor and Ultra-Poor”, conducted by Professor Tauhidur Rahman, University of Arizona. The objective of the seminar was to share the findings of the literature review conducted by Professor Rahman, in order to stimulate discussion within IFAD on targeting performance, methods and issues. The seminar initiated the Evaluation Synthesis Note on Targeting, which IOE is conducting in 2022 to contribute to IFAD’s forthcoming new Targeting Policy.
More here.
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Making transformational change for climate action post COP26 – How?
On 1 February, the Wilton Park dialogue on “Making transformational change for climate action post COP26 – How?” took place virtually. The event was the second in a series of three following COP26, bringing together participants from sectors across the worlds of policy, evaluation and research, to examine some of the evidence and research that is building up about how transformational climate action can take place. Indran Naidoo and Fabrizio Felloni took part in the dialogue.
More here.
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Eswatini Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation – Virtual National Workshop
On 28 January, IOE and the Government of Eswatini, in collaboration with IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division (ESA), organized a virtual national workshop for the Eswatini Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation (CSPE), to present its main findings, conclusions and recommendations, as a final step in the evaluation process. The virtual event entailed the participation of representatives of the Government, development partners, civil society organization, private sector partners, and IFAD senior management and staff.
More here.
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Post COP26 event: The role of evaluation in addressing climate change
On 9 December, Indran Naidoo and Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan led the parallel session on “The role of evaluators/evaluation in decision making” during the virtual event on “The role of evaluation in addressing climate change – a post-COP26 dialogue on how evaluative evidence can help deliver the Paris Agreement”. The event was hosted by CGIAR and the UN Rome-based agencies, serving to build on the outcomes of COP26 and discuss the role of evaluation for learning and bringing solutions towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC.
More here.
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Independent Magazine - Issue n.2 2021. More here.
Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3
IOE Coffee Talk - Transformational Change for People and the Planet. More here.
IOE Evaluation Advisory Panel
Seminar 1 | Seminar 2 I Seminar 3
IOE Website Promotional Video. More here.
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IFAD Evaluation @IFADeval · Jan 20 – 19 Jan:@Indran_Eval & @FabrizioFelloni, #IFADeval Director & Deputy Director, discuss #IFADeval vision & direction w/the Ambassador of India Dr Neena Malhotra, new Chair of IFAD's Evaluation Committee & @Rajenderb1995, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
https://twitter.com/IFADeval/status/1484191376954720256
IFAD Evaluation @IFADeval · Jan 18 – #NewBook! In the chapter “Evaluation for Transformational Change: Learning from Practice”, #IFADeval Director @Indran_Eval discusses how evaluation should respond to the changes brought by COVID-19, while preserving its principles, norms & standards: https://bit.ly/3rpKfoR
https://twitter.com/IFADeval/status/1483378924163842048
On Thursday 24 February 2022, the Government of Uzbekistan and the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), in collaboration with IFAD’s Near East, North Africa and Europe Division, co-hosted a Virtual National Workshop on the #Uzbekistan Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation.
Read more
On Friday 28 January, the Government of #Eswatini and the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), in collaboration with IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division, co-hosted a Virtual National Workshop on the first Eswatini Country Strategy and Programme Evaluation.
Read more
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 Staff publications and interesting readings
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Transformational Change for People and the Planet: Evaluating Environment and Development
IOE announces the publication of three scientific contributions written by its members in the newly published “Transformational Change for People and the Planet: Evaluating Environment and Development”, by Juha Uitto and Geeta Batra. The contributions are: “Evaluation for Transformational Change: Learning from Practice”, by Dr Indran Naidoo; “Evaluating for Resilient and Sustainable Livelihoods: Applying a Normative Framework to Emerging Realities”, by Prashanth Kotturi; “Evaluating Transformational Adaptation in Smallholder Farming: Insights from an Evidence Review”, by Nanthi Nanthikesan.
More here.
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Evaluation Capacities to Advance Sustainable Development for All
Indran Naidoo, has authored an article titled “Evaluation Capacities to Advance Sustainable Development for All”, published in the Japanese Journal of Evaluation Studies, vol. 21, no. 2 (September 2021). The contribution provides an overview of the evaluation activities of the United Nations Development Programme's Independent Evaluation Office of which Dr Naidoo was the Director from 2012 to 2020. The article also describes IEO's mandate and approach in supporting accountability within UNDP and in building countries’ national evaluation capacities.
More here.
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About IOE
The Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) conducts evaluations of IFAD-financed policies, strategies and operations to promote accountability and learning.
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About IFAD
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience.
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