The Evaluation Manual contains the core methodology that the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) uses to conduct its evaluations. It has been developed based on the principles set out in the IFAD Evaluation Policy, building on international good evaluation standards and practice.

The second edition of the Evaluation Manual, released in 2015, incorporates new international evaluative trends and draws from IOE's experience in implementing the 2009 first edition. It also takes into account IFAD's new strategic priorities and operating model – which have clear implications for evaluation methods and processes – and adopts more rigorous methodological approaches, for example by promoting better impact assessment techniques and by designing and using theories of change.

The Evaluation Manual's primary function is to ensure consistency, rigour and transparency across independent evaluations, and enhance IOE's effectiveness and quality of work. It serves to guide staff and consultants engaged in evaluation work at IOE and it is a reference document for other IFAD staff and development partners, (such as project management staff and executing agencies of IFAD-supported operations), especially in recipient countries, on how evaluation of development programmes in the agriculture and rural development sector is conducted in IFAD.

The revision of this Manual was undertaken in recognition of the dynamic environment in which IFAD operates, and in response to the evolution in the approaches and methodologies of international development evaluation. It will help ensure that IFAD's methodological practice remains at the cutting edge.

The Manual has been prepared through a process of engagement with multiple internal and external feedback opportunities from various stakeholders, including peer institutions (African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Institute of Development Studies [University of Sussex], Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the World Bank). It was also reviewed by a high-level panel of experts.

Additionally, this second edition contains the core methodology for evaluations that were not contemplated in the first edition, such as corporate-level evaluations, impact evaluations and evaluation synthesis reports.

The manual is available in Arabic, English, French and Spanish to facilitate its use in all regions where IFAD has operations.