From left to right: Prof. Dr. Reinhard Stockmann, Dr. Rashmi Agrawal (Board Member, Evaluation Community of India), Ms. Tseveengerel Amgalan (Independent Evaluator and Researcher), Prof. Yoko Ishida (President, APEA), Ms. Ana Erika Lareza (Chair, EvalYouth Global), and Mr. Khalil Bitar (President, IOCE and panel moderator), during the panel discussion on “Diversity of NEPs in the Asia-Pacific Region.”
The conference of the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) entitled “Multi-dimensional Evaluation for Influence and Transformation“, held in the eternal city of Rome, took place at the FAO headquarters from 4 to 6 March 2025. The event focused on the pivotal role of evaluation in fostering transformational change amidst today’s multifaceted global challenges. The conference emphasized the need for a systems approach to evaluation, one that recognizes the complexity and interdependencies among human, economic, and natural systems and upholds the right and aspirations of all individuals.
CEval was invited to two panels. During the panel “Developing Capacity for Evaluation“, Professor Stockmann addressed the present and future challenges for evaluation, to which evaluation capacity building must prepare. Based on the central results of the CEval Evaluation Globe Project, the requirements for training and further education were formulated. An increasingly complex world also requires complex, more comprehensive training units. For this – according to Stockmann – a new generation of evaluators with a solid, comprehensive and in-depth academic education is needed.
The second panel included a discussion on the “Diversity of NEPs in the Asian-Pacific Region“. India, Japan, the Philippines and Mongolia were considered when comparing countries; in particular, the results from the CEval Evaluation Globe project were presented. Reinhard Stockmann summarized the country analyses in a synoptic review and highlighted future evaluation challenges.
Overall, the conference was characterized by valuable and exciting contributions. However, all participants were concerned about the effects of the budget cuts triggered by the Trump administration, which are likely to pose major challenges for international development cooperation and its evaluation.
