When:       17-18 November 2015 
Where:     Italian Room, IFAD Headquarters, Via Paolo di Dono 44, Rome

Rome, 10 November 2015 - The evaluation offices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the CGIAR will hold a technical seminar to understand how the second Sustainable Development Goal (SDG2), which proposes to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030, can be assessed and evaluated. And, more specifically, which actions will be needed to ensure evaluations take place through the United Nations system, other international organizations or national evaluation systems. Results from the workshop will contribute to a broader understanding of whether or not the implementation of the global goals, launched in September by the United Nations General Assembly, can be monitored and evaluated over the long term.

The event will gather a wide range of partners with technical expertise and/or a pivotal role in the evaluation of SDG2. These include experts or technical staff from multilateral and bilateral development and humanitarian organizations; academic institutions, including specialized research centres; foundations; think tanks; the private sector; national-level counterparts from evaluation and policy institutions; voluntary organizations of professional evaluators from regions and countries; and delegates from Member States accredited in Rome.

Keynote speakers:

• Kanayo F. Nwanze, President, IFAD
• Frank Rijsberman, Chief Executive Officer, CGIAR
• Daniel Gustafson, Deputy Director General, FAO
• Jim Harvey, Chief of Staff, WFP
• David Nabarro, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Ebola and Special Representative for Food Security and Nutrition

• Sunita Narain, Director-General, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi

Available for interviews:

IFAD: Oscar A. Garcia, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation
FAO: Masahiro Igarashi, Director of the Office of Evaluation
WFP: Helen Wedgwood, Director of the Office of Evaluation
CGIAR: Rachel Bedouin, Head of the Independent Evaluation Arrangement

Journalists interested in attending the event must accredit no later than Monday 16 November COB. For accreditation, contact Melba Alvarez-Pagella, Evaluation Communication and Knowledge Management Officer, Tel. 06 5459-2432 or 366-562-0998.

Media alert No: IFAD/10/2015

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided nearly US$17 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached about 453 million people. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency based in Rome – the UN's food and agriculture hub.

The Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE). IOE conducts evaluations of IFAD-financed policies, strategies and operations to promote accountability and learning. The main purpose is to contribute to improving IFAD's and its partners' performance in reducing rural poverty in recipient countries. IOE's independent evaluations assess the impact of IFAD-funded activities and give an analysis of successes and shortcomings – to tell it the way it is – as well as identify factors affecting performance. Based on the key insights and recommendations drawn from evaluation findings, IOE also communicates and shares IFAD's knowledge and experience in agriculture and rural development with a wider audience.