EvalGender+ Successes and Challenges: Presentation at the AEA 2016 Conference

[Svetlana Negroustoueva]

FullSizeRender_2.jpgEvalGender+ present at AEA 2016 Conference

During the recent AEA conference 2016 in Atlanta, several members of the Management Group of EvalGender+ presented a panel on “Challenges and Successes of Operationalizing EvalGender+ Globally”. In a rich exchange with the audience, we discussed achievements to-date in the different regions, as well as challenges and opportunities to support countries to strengthen national evaluation systems to achieve equitable and sustainable development.

Among the accomplishments reported, the group highlighted the production of the guidance to evaluate SDGs with an Equity-Focused and Gender-Responsive (EFGR) evaluation; the creation of Task Forces with ample participation of evaluation people from all over the world; the promotion of South-South exchange of tools, methods and practices among evaluators. Among other specific achievements, we underlined:

• Global effort by EvalGender+ and Gender Eval CoP members to conduct an e-consultation on what it really means to “Leave No One Behind” in the context of monitoring and evaluation of SDGs in preparations for a high level panel in NYC in March 2016 in five languages;

• Development of criteria and selection of countries for technical assistance to build capacities in EFGR evaluation;

• Creation of a Community of Practice in Spanish, and active French-speaking community on GenderEval CoP;

• Links with other EvalPartners groups (EvalYouth-LAC, EvalSDG, Parliamentarians Forum)

• Compilation and Dissemination of knowledge and opportunities;

• Promotion of exchange of global South-South knowledge and practices among EG+ members (P2P grant applications)

Together with the audience, several topics were raised as challenges that EvalGender+ has already faced or is likely to face ahead:

• Produce high quality data and evidence that will support gender and feminist analysis in development policies, programs and projects;

• Mainstreaming gender & feminist approaches to evaluation into the whole project/program cycle, from bottom up and at the project onset, rather than evaluation at the final stage;

• Use of advocacy tools and experiences to create a culture of evaluation with EFGR approach in our countries and among donors;

• Significant level of volunteering required until donors and commissioners make an effort or agree to officially using EFGR lens in evaluations and evaluation of SDGs in particular;

• Need for continued engagement with national and regional VOPEs, and building on ongoing efforts, including in capacity building efforts;

• Mainstreaming the gender issues of the SDGs into country plans and evaluation system should be contextualized.

The presenters also explored with the audience what will be the way forward for EvalGender+ to support EFGR practices in SDGs approach in monitoring and evaluating SDGs. Through the creation of global, national and regional alliances and working groups, EvalGender+ will need to continue with current actions to advance in its three areas of work:

 Mobilize and advocate:

• Use of existing tools and methods on EFGR to achieve our goals:  Establish and strengthen links with CSOs and women’s organizations;

• Gender equality advocates need to develop convincing rationale for policy makers concerned with broad development policies and the promotion of economic growth;

• Need  to advocate for systematic reflection of gender responsive and gender equality in key elements of the NEPs.

• Include and recommend in-country EG+ members for EFGR policy and programs.

 Innovate:

• Advances in technology will allow synergies to impact through innovation in practice – e.g., with universities, international and national evaluation and advocacy platforms.

• Need for collaborative and innovative ways to collect monitoring data and build evidence for EFGR evaluation

Share:

• Task Forces as a mechanism to share knowledge, learning and experiences among members of EvalGender+ and other groups of EvalPartners, and beyond.

• Make efficient use of existing platforms to share information and build evaluative capacitie

Our “take home” message was based on the “No one left behind” slogan that is guiding our work and the need to continue to work collaboratively to advance in our purpose of contributing to achieve social equity and gender equality through evaluation.

Contributors: 

Svetlana Negrousoueva - [e-mail] 

Fabiola Amariles – [e-mail]

Sonal Zaveri - [e-mail]

Adeline Sibanda – [e-mail]