IFAD’s evaluation function ranked top among multilateral development banks - IOE
Rome, 03 June 2021 – The quality of IFAD’s evaluation function is the highest among multilateral development banks, according to the highly regarded and influential Quality of Official Development Assistance Report (QuODA).
“I welcome the high rating, which attests decades of leadership and investment in the evaluation function”, stated Dr Indran Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) of IFAD.
IFAD’s evaluation function ranks second only behind the European Union in the full line-up of multilateral development organizations, and is fourth among all providers of official development assistance world-wide, ‘well ahead of other [multilateral organizations] on evaluation’, in a list otherwise ‘dominated by bilateral agencies’*. The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which is ‘the next-best multilateral agency’, and the World Health Organization (WHO), place 12th and 14th, respectively.
“I seek to sustain and even improve on this affirmation as I work closely with IFAD’s Executive Board, member States and IFAD management to implement a progressive new evaluation policy. The policy is the result of a joint effort between IOE and IFAD management, and seeks to improve evaluation culture through many joint and mandate-specific initiatives. The affirmation and new policy come at a time when IFAD expands its scope, as its role in building food security remains very clear, including in the context of the ongoing COVID crisis. Responsive evaluation is critical to ensure resources and initiatives are properly used and directed”, Dr Naidoo further underscored.
Evaluation is one of the four dimensions that determine the quality of official development assistance, as measured by the QuODA report. Specific indicators associated with this dimension include the quality of evaluation, institutional learning, and results-based management systems. The other dimensions of the report are prioritisation, ownership, and transparency and untying.
At the corporate level, based on these four dimensions, ‘IFAD ranks 1st on QuODA overall’. IFAD’s close partners, the African Development Fund and IDA, took second and third place respectively in the rankings.
“IFAD’s high ranking is a testament to the importance we place on ensuring that every dollar spent has a long-term impact on tackling the hunger and poverty experienced by the world’s most vulnerable people,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD. “It also highlights the transparency of our funding model, the alignment of our work with countries’ own development priorities, and the importance we attach to evaluating our work.”
Based on overall standings, multilateral agencies generally outperformed bilateral donors, and the report concludes that using the multilateral system can support development effectiveness and ensure funding reaches those who are in greatest need.
Issued by renowned Center for Global Development, the QuODA report evaluates the capacity of 49 countries and multilateral agencies to deliver impactful long-term assistance to countries in need. The report measures and compares providers of official development assistance (ODA) on quantitative indicators that matter most to development effectiveness and quality. It aims to encourage improvements to the quality of ODA by highlighting and assessing providers’ performance.
For further information, please contact Alexander Voccia at [email protected]
*Source: Mitchell, I., Calleja, R., and Huges, S. (2021). ‘The Quality of Official Development Assistance’. Center for Global Development. https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/QuODA-brief-2021.pdf
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