Evaluation theories and practice used in South Asia are heavily dependent on North-based worldviews, values and paradigms. Despite the impressive growth in knowledge assets, evaluation capacities and democratic engagement in South Asia – what, how and for whom evaluation takes place largely ignores local knowledge, philosophies and realities.

The Community of Evaluators-South Asia, with support from EvalPartners, the global partnership to strengthen national evaluation capacities, and funding from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the United States Department for State for 2018-2019, implemented the Project, Mobilising South Asian Local Knowledge to Democratise Evaluation Theory and Practice. Studies of local knowledge from South Asian countries were presented at a workshop held in Sri Lanka in July, 2019. The workshop discussed the ‘local wisdom’ in relation to evaluation theory and practice. The workshop noted that when we move into our communities as people-centered evaluators we are open to local wisdom, to understanding context and culture, and being able – through our evaluations – to represent people’s realities well. This is at the core of humanizing evaluation.

The webinar, facilitated by Dr. Sonal Zaveri (Vice President, Community of Evaluators-South Asia) will present the key findings from the studies conducted in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. The presenters will be Prof. Hafiza Khatun and Prof. Md. Humayun Kabir (Bangladesh), Dr. Chandra Bhadra (Nepal), Dr. Phuntsho Choden (Bhutan), Dr. Keerthi Mohotti (Sri Lanka), Dr. Shyam Singh (India) and Dr. Dev Pathak (India). The pressentations will be followed by discussions.

Please register to join: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6621721221178123787