Rome, 29 May 2017– The Independent Office of Evaluation of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is organizing an international conference on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Evaluation. It will be held on 6 and 7 June at IFAD headquarters in Rome, Italy. IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations with a mandate to reduce rural poverty through investments in agriculture and rural development.

The conference will review the latest advances in using Information and Communication Technologies to evaluate the results of development projects. It will share global best practices and key findings from development organizations and the private sector. Data collection, data analysis and data dissemination will be the three topics guiding the discussion.

In parallel to the conference, a Tech Fair will be held on 7 June at IFAD headquarters. The fair will provide participants an opportunity to get a closer look at the technologies and services reviewed at the conference.

Participants will include representatives from the United Nations Evaluation Group, the evaluation network of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee, and the Evaluation Cooperation Group of the multilateral development banks. A wide range of experts and partners that have technical expertise in evaluating development will also be attending.

WHAT: Information and Communication Technologies for Evaluation - International Conference
WHEN: Tuesday, 6 June 2017, 8:00 - 18:00
Wednesday, 7 June 2017, 9:00 - 17:30

WHERE: IFAD headquarters, Via Paolo di Dono, 44, Rome, Italy

MORE INFORMATION: visit the event page 

Follow us on Twitter: @IFADeval

Live tweeting: #ICT4Eval

Follow us via webcast: https://webcasting.ifad.org/it_evaluation

Media Alert No: IFAD/09/2017

IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided US$18.5 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects that have reached about 464 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) 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.