Evaluations contribute to addressing transformational change towards gender equality - IOE
Rome, 4 June 2024 – A forthcoming thematic evaluation (TE) conducted by the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) has found that some of the Fund’s interventions have contributed to promoting women’s involvement in activities traditionally reserved for men, while other practices have improved their ‘standing’ in the community and in their households. The TE assessed the development effectiveness and contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) of IFAD interventions. Dr Mònica Lomeña-Gelis, IOE Senior Evaluation Officer, presented some key analysis and preliminary findings of the report during a session of the 2024 gLOCAL Evaluation Week, on 4 June 2024.
The gLOCAL session focused on different approaches and methodologies that evaluations can use to help uncover factors that influence project gender performance and catalyse gender-transformative results. Dr Lomeña-Gelis was joined as a speaker by Svetlana Negroustoueva, Lead, Evaluation Function at CGIAR, while Justine Vanrooyen, Regional Gender Advisor at WFP, acted as the moderator. Renata Mirulla, facilitator of the EvalForward Community of Practice, introduced the session.
Building on the example of IOE’s thematic evaluation, and on the evaluation of the CGIAR GENDER Platform, the two speakers focused on how evaluations can serve as catalysts for transformation by informing future policies, strategies, and interventions. Discussions also addressed what gender transformative programming means in practice, and how to find the evidence of gender transformative changes; how feminist evaluation approaches can encourage reflective, empowering, collaborative and participatory processes that actively support social justice agendas; and how to ensure that the voices of different groups are heard in the evaluation process.
In her presentation, Dr Lomeña-Gelis explained that the evaluation assessed the contribution of gender transformative practices by considering differences in context and characteristics of projects. It also identified which conditions appear necessary or sufficient to achieve a high (or low) gender rating of IFAD interventions. These include the presence of women’s organisations as service providers as part of implementing partners, which is single-handedly sufficient for a high rating. The TE will generate lessons and recommendations to enhance IFAD’s future policies, strategies and interventions.
gLOCAL Evaluation Week is a knowledge-sharing event, connecting a global community of people across sectors and regions. From 3 to 7 June, more than 370 free knowledge-sharing events took place around the world as part of gLOCAL2024. Participants from all over the world joined global events to learn from each other on a vast number of topics and themes. Participants and hosts included international organizations, regional M&E bodies, (sub-) national governmental and non-governmental organizations, decision makers, commissioners, Voluntary Organizations for Professional Evaluation, academics, researchers and students.
The gLOCAL Evaluation Week is supported by the Global Evaluation Initiative.
For further information, please contact Dr Alexander Voccia [here]
RESOURCES
- For more information regarding Dr Lomeña-Gelis’ session at gLOCAL, please click here.
- For more information regarding the 2024 gLOCAL Evaluation Week, please click here.
- For the event recording, please click here.
IOE 20th ANNIVERSARY
- To access the brochure ‘More than a journey | 20 years of independence, please click here.
- To access Fabrizio Felloni’s interview on the evolution of independence of IOE, please click here.
- To access the latest edition of Independent Magazine, please click here.
- To learn why independent evaluation makes IFAD a more credible institution, please click here.
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