New York City, 4 December 2024 – Ethical concerns and discussions are at the heart of rigorous evidence generation in humanitarian contexts. In this regard, it is important to recognize that evaluators are increasingly being asked to provide positionality statements, which can have many implications, including from an ethical perspective. Positionality refers to the ways that differences in social position and power shape identities and access in society. In the context of an impact evaluation, this means recognizing that evaluators bring their own perspectives and worldviews to an investigation. Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE), put these issues on the table whilst moderating a panel discussion titled ‘Ethics in Impact Evaluation’, during the UNICEF and WFP Global Impact Evaluation Forum.

The session took place on the 4^th of December 2024. Moderated by Dr Naidoo, the panel featured presentations by Monica Lambon-Quayefio, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics, University of Ghana; Douglas MacKay, Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Amber Peterman, Research Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and consultant, UNICEF Evaluation Office; and Ana Garcia Hernandez, Associate Director of Policy, J-PAL Europe. Over 200 people followed the event.

The session was framed as an interactive discussion on ethics in impact evaluation, including the evolution of best practices in social science research from different viewpoints. Discussions focused on the fact that impact evaluation in fragile settings poses a host of ethical challenges. For example, there may be a concern that evaluation design will compromise humanitarian principles which dictate who and when individuals receive benefits. In addition, protection risks for both research teams and study participants are amplified, necessitating specialized safety protocols during data collection. Even without this layer of additional risk in fragile settings, impact evaluation stakeholders continue to grapple with issues around research transparency, reproducibility and ethics as technology and methodology evolves.

From a communications standpoint, discussants emphasized the importance of developing diverse communication materials, such as reports, summaries, infographics and videos, and collaborating with community members to determine appropriate dissemination methods. Moreover, using different communication tools acknowledges participants and community members as a non-homogeneous group that have different needs, understanding and communication styles. Furthermore, it also helps to ensure equitable access to information and inclusion and reduces the risk of over simplifying research findings which may lead to misinterpretation.

Hosted by UNICEF in partnership with WFP, the Forum took place in New York City, from the 2^nd to the 5^th of December 2024. The event brought together participants from United Nations (UN) agencies, governments, donors, non-governmental organizations, philanthropies and academia, who had the opportunity to showcase impact evidence from climate-prone and poly-crisis environments, learn from each other’s experiences and identify concrete areas of potential collaboration on impact evaluation.

Over the course of three days, the Forum stimulated work on rigorous impact evaluation among the wider UN community and its partners across sectors, regions and Global North and South; fostered innovation, exchange and excellence for impact evaluation in fragile and multi-crisis settings; and helped to bridge the gap between rigorous evidence generation and policy and programme uptake.   

For further information, please contact Dr Alexander Voccia, Senior Evaluation Communication & KM Specialist [here].

• To access the presentation delivered at the event, please click here.
• To access more information about the Forum, please click here.

• To access the brochure ‘More than a journey | 20 years of independence, 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.

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