S hort T raining I nitiative
‘Strengthening National Monitoring and
Evaluation Capacities and Use’
From 17-28 October 2016, IOB organised the second
edition of the Short Training Initiative ‘Strengthening
National Monitoring and Evaluation Capacities and
Use’. The training programme set out to bring together
leading members of National Evaluation Societies
(NES) in developing countries to strengthen those
societies in taking up the role of developing national
M&E capacities and use. Therefore, the selection of
the scholarship participants was based on NES country
teams. Two members from the same NES – preferably
working in a different sector (e.g. government,
civil society, academia, parliament, international
organisations) – were selected jointly to form a
country team. Also taking into account a regional
balance, the programme welcomed country teams
from Ecuador, Georgia, Ghana, India, Nepal, Palestine,
Paraguay, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka
and Tanzania. The Ecuadorian country team was even
composed of two IOB-DEM alumni, Silvia Gonzales
and Paola Suntaxi.
The training started with a SWOT (strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of
the national/sectoral M&E system and a SWOT and
network analysis of the Evaluation Society itself.
Drawing upon a range of different didactical tools,
sessions were organised to strengthen the participants’
methodological, analytical and organisational insights
and skills in evaluation processes. During a one-day
educational visit to Brussels, experiences and good
practices were exchanged with staff from the Belgian
Audit Office, the Directorate General for Development
Cooperation and the Office of the Special Evaluator.
Throughout the programme, participants worked on
a poster presenting the SWOT findings, as well as
concrete suggestions for improving the Evaluating
Society and its contribution to national evaluation
capacities and use. All country teams were given the
opportunity to present the results of their work to
the Evaluation Society’s members at home during a
livestream presentation and a poster reception.
In addition, all participants from the first edition of the
training programme were invited to participate in a
follow-up survey and interview so that the programme
organisers could assess the programme’s effect and
the progress of the different evaluation societies over
a one-year period. Based on the information gathered,
the programme organisers awarded one of the country
teams the NES Impact Award. Ms Janett Salvador
from Mexico was selected to come and present the
progress made by the Mexican evaluation society
(ACEVAL) during a livestream presentation for the 12
NES country teams and IOB staff and students.
Annual report 2015 • 27