Rome, 9 September 2021 – “To support transformational interventions, organizations need first to transform themselves”. This succinct, yet incisive observation was the cornerstone of the presentation that Fabrizio Felloni, Deputy Director of IFAD’s Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) delivered alongside Girma Kumbi, Principal Evaluation Officer of the Independent Development Evaluation of the African Development Bank, during the Wilton Park dialogue series.  

Held on 8 September 2021, the Wilton Park dialogue was the first, in a series of three, scheduled two months before COP26 in Glasgow. Rob D. van den Berg, member of IOE’s Evaluation Advisory Panel, and Professor at King’s College London, delivered welcoming remarks together with Robin Hart, Senior Programme Director at Wilton Park. ‘Pathways towards transformational climate action: connecting the worlds of research, evaluation and policy for action’ was the theme of this first dialogue, which moved from the notion that while transformational climate action requires collective action, many practical, political and structural barriers exist to improved collaboration and aligned networks across the worlds of research, evaluation and policy.

This was the backdrop against which Felloni and Kumbi carved their presentation. Drawing on lessons from evaluating support to pro-poor rural value chains, the presentation emphasized the importance of exploring conceptually the system that we wish to transform, in order to plan for transformational changes. Development organizations may not be able to continue with the status quo ante. Focusing on sub-systems might prove an effective first step, in this regard, especially in those instances in which we may not need or be able to act on an entire system.

The dialogue brought together about 50 participants from the worlds of policy, evaluation and research, with the aim of clarifying the dimensions of transformational climate action in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has revealed and exacerbated inequality, poverty, unemployment, and vulnerability. Partnering institutions and entities included, in addition to IOE, the International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS), Climate Investment Funds (CIF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Green Climate Fund (GCF), University of Sussex, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), United Nations Development Programme Independent Evaluation Office (UNDP IEO), and the International Evaluation Academy.

For further information, please contact Alexander Voccia at [email protected]

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