Rome, 25 June 2024 – “If results do not translate into the changes that we want to see, then we need to shift the production, generation and assimilation of evaluation modalities”, affirmed Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) of IFAD during the Food & Sustainability Certificate Programme ‘on-site experience’, on 25 June 2024.

IFAD and the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability (EIIS) jointly organize the certificate programme, which counts with a community of 500 alumni from over 110 countries, and is designed to provide students from around the world with a comprehensive understanding of food sustainability issues.

Coordinated by Gladys Herminia Morales Guevara, Senior Officer and Global Head of Innovation at IFAD, the on-site experience welcomed to the Fund’s headquarters approximately 50 students from 30 different countries to give them an opportunity to learn more about IFAD’s work, and interact with some of their favourite faculty members. Dr Naidoo was joined by a group of distinguished experts who constituted a panel on ‘Innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of climate change on the rural poor’. Carmela Lopez, Innovation and Outreach Analyst at IFAD, moderated the panel, which featured Ms Morales, Sheila Codamus-Platel, Head of Investment Management at IFAD, and Cortney Price, Lead for Behavioural Science at FAO. Lucas Lindfors, Programme Officer in the Food Systems Coordination at IFAD provided closing remarks.

In his opening keynote address, Dr Naidoo cut to the chase and tackled head on the lack of positive development change resulting from evaluative work across the world.

“The question I would ask is, if hundreds of evaluators are producing thousands of reports around the world, then why has the world not changed. Clearly, we know what the problem is, but the question remains as per how we move to have better evaluations. IOE’s approach results from a dynamic and engaging process of triangulation that is based on independence, credibility and utility”, he stated.

In this context, the IOE Director explained that reality is not linear. In real life, there are multiple factors that are simultaneously moving and affecting each other. For this reason, it is important to enhance engagement to course correct – which is what IOE has done over the past three years. The Office engages through presentations at international events, through country learning workshops, corporate learning events and coffee talk seminars, as well as through the publishing of books and articles in peer reviewed journals. Engagement also means understanding that, first and foremost, field presence matters.

“IOE is on the ground, working to make a tangible difference in peoples’ lives. The field must talk. That is where the evidence is. Evidence is not in the statements that are couched in Rome, based on the assumptions of what is going to happen. IOE looks at the discrepancy between what is promised and what actually happens. Based on our recommendations, IFAD’s projects and programmes are course corrected for the betterment of livelihoods at the grassroots level”, Dr Naidoo underscored.

The recommendations that IOE makes are both impactful and context specific. The Office takes into account that projects unfold in geo-political and climatic contexts, and understands that it can be challenging to always achieve the desired results, because there are multiple external variabilities.

The EIIS is an academic company that designs innovative solutions for companies, academia, institutions and entrepreneurs to facilitate and foster innovation for sustainability. In EIIS, people connect to reach environmental, social and economic sustainability, through education, research and continuous experimentation.

For further information, please contact Dr Alexander Voccia [here]

• To access the presentation delivered by Dr Indran A. Naidoo, IOE Director, please click here.
• For more information on the post-graduate certificate programme on ‘Food and Sustainability’, please click here.

• To access the brochure ‘More than a journey | 20 years of independence, please click here.
• To access Fabrizio Felloni’s interview on the evolution of independence of IOE, please click here.
• To access the latest edition of Independent Magazine, please click here.
• To learn why independent evaluation makes IFAD a more credible institution, please click here.