The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the New Development Bank (NDB) actively participated in the 4th National Conference on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (NCMEL) 2026, organised by the Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog, Government of India, on 7–8 May 2026 in New Delhi.
During the opening session on 7 May, Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director General of IEO, was invited to speak at a high-level session chaired by Nidhi Chhibber, CEO, NITI Aayog and Director General of DMEO on “Advancing Evaluation Frameworks and Methods: Global Lessons on Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Evidence,” alongside international experts Dr. Emmanuel Jimenez from the Asian Development Bank, Shobhini Mukerji from J-PAL, Megan Grace Kennedy-Chouane from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and Ashley Wax from the United Nations Children’s Fund. Discussions focused on global experiences in integrating evaluation across the policy cycle, strengthening institutional evaluation systems, and combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to generate context-sensitive and actionable evidence.
On 8 May, NDB-IEO convened a dedicated high-level panel discussion titled “Bridging Borders through Evaluation: NDB and its Partners Advancing Cross-Country Learning and Collaboration.” Moderated by Fariha Ahmed from NDB-IEO, the session explored the role of evaluation in advancing cross-country learning, South–South cooperation, and institutional collaboration. The panel featured senior representatives from multilateral development banks and partner institutions, including Henrique Pissaia from NDB-IEO, Eskender Zeleke from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Edeshri Moodley from the Development Bank of Southern Africa, and Mona Fetouh from the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The discussion highlighted how evaluation evidence generated across countries and sectors can support policy adaptation, strengthen national evaluation systems, and facilitate the transfer of knowledge across institutional and regional contexts.
NDB-IEO’s participation in the conference also reflected the growing collaboration between the IEO and DMEO following the signing of the Statement of Intent in April 2025, aimed at strengthening evaluation capacity, promoting knowledge exchange, and advancing evidence-based learning. It further underscored NDB-IEO’s continued commitment to advancing international collaboration, enhancing evaluation capacity, and promoting knowledge sharing among development institutions and member countries.
For more information and links to the different sessions, please visit the official NCMEL 2026