In collaboration with the Government of Nepal and APR, the Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) organized a National Roundtable Workshop for the Nepal Country Programme Evaluation (CPE) on 23 January 2013 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The objectives of the Nepal CPE national roundtable workshop were to:

• discuss the main issues emerging from the Nepal CPE;
• provide inputs for the preparation of the evaluation's agreement at completion point (ACP); and
• provide an opportunity for reflecting on key issues for the forthcoming Nepal country strategic opportunities programme (COSOP).

The workshop was attended by close to seventy participants, including representatives from the government agencies, provincial authorities, project staff, international development organizations, local NGOs, research organizations and the private sector.

IFAD delegation included Ms Lakshmi Menon, Head CSD, Director APR, Acting Director IOE, and staff members of APR and IOE. Honourable Barsha Man Pun, Minister of Finance of Nepal, delivered the opening statement on behalf of the Nepali authorities.

Prior to the workshop, on 20-21 January 2013, the IFAD delegation visited several sites and met with the beneficiaries of IFAD-funded Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Programme (LFLP), in Chitwan District in the Central Southern part of Nepal. This also offered the IFAD delegation an opportunity to directly hold discussions with beneficiaries and their groups, project staff, district-level government authorities and others, as well as see the project activities on the ground.