As a follow-up to the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) study on "Evaluation Use  in the UN System", the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) held a webinar discussions on:

What works for gender equality and women's empowerment – a conceptual framework for evaluating transformational change

The focus of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development is on transformative change. In its preamble, the "Outcome Document" calls for bold and transformative steps which are urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path, and it includes a number of goals that are of transformative nature. Transformative approaches aim to overcome the root causes of inequality and discrimination through promoting sustainable and far reaching change. But what does "transformative change" mean in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

IFAD has prepared an evaluation synthesis on "What Works for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment" based on a systematic review of 57 reports prepared by IOE since 2011. The report provides a working definition and a conceptual framework for identifying gender transformative practices that address root causes of gender equality and discrimination and promote sustainable, inclusive and far reaching social change. A common characteristic of transformative approaches is that they challenge existing social norms and the distribution of power and resources.

Objectives of this webinar were  to clarify the concept of 'gender-transformative change' through the conceptual framework and theory of change used for this evaluation synthesis report; present the synthesis methodology and its challenges; identify examples of transformative change processes and how they are captured in evaluation in the context of specific SDGs.

The webinar was moderated by Mr Oscar Garcia, Director, IOE, Ms Johanna Pennarz, Lead Evaluation Officer, IOE  and Catrina Perch, Evaluation Officer, IOE. Over  41 people were connected through the webEx.