Independent Evaluation Stakeholders’ Seminar

IEO organized a stakeholders’ seminar to discuss the recently completed evaluation of NDB’s COVID-19 emergency response loans provided to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The Seminar was held in New Delhi on 7th November 2023 and brought together a diverse group of over 100 participants, including government officials, development partners, NDB member country representatives including the Chair of the Bank’s Board, academic institutions, civil society organizations, private sector entities, NDB staff, among others.

The central focus of the event was two-fold. Firstly, it aimed to shed light on the findings of the evaluation conducted by IEO on NDB’s COVID-19 emergency response loans, offering valuable insights into the effectiveness of these initiatives. Expert remarks on the evaluation and proposed future directions provided a roadmap for further improvements. Secondly, the seminar initiated a consultation on Evaluation Capacity Development (ECD) in India, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning and growth in this field.

The seminar provided an invaluable opportunity to engage in real-world experiences shared by key representatives from evaluation capacity development initiatives in Bangladesh and Brazil. In addition, three parallel Working Group Sessions addressed ongoing initiatives, partnerships, and the use of data for monitoring and evaluation, emphasizing the collaborative nature of tackling global challenges.

While broadly agreeing with the recommendations in the IEO evaluation report, some key takeaways from the expert presentations included how to ensure operational effectiveness, how to address systemic shocks through a system-level approach, and how to ensure accountability and learning, which are the key purposes of an evaluation.

Another interesting takeaway was the need to balance the financial sustainability of each multilateral development bank with the scale and size of intervention and innovation.

There was also a discussion about managing risk and subsequent trade-offs. It touched upon maintaining the social safety net and deliberated on walking the tightrope between maintaining the well-being of the general public and ensuring economic growth.

Above all, the discussions highlighted the growing significance of effective communication and transparency in developing capacity and safeguards.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the participants for their active engagement and enriching the seminar with their valuable insights and experiences. The IEO Stakeholder Seminar served as a valuable platform to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities in evaluation and global development.

DOWNLOAD:

Agenda | Concept Note | Evaluation Lens

Further information on the session is available here.