The importance of holding the line on independence, for full accountability - IOE
Rome, 30 January 2025 – “The evaluand may not like what you say, but you must hold the line and say it, no matter the consequences. History has shown time and time again that independent assessments on performance that were not addressed have proved to be true over time”, affirmed Dr Indran A. Naidoo, Director of the Independent Office of Evaluation (IOE) of IFAD in his keynote address during the Food & Sustainability Certificate Programme on-site experience, on 30 January 2025.
IFAD and the European Institute of Innovation for Sustainability (EIIS) jointly organize the certificate programme, which counts with a community of 500 alumni from over 110 countries. The course is designed to provide students from around the world with practical strategies for integrating climate-smart agriculture, sustainable nutrition, and innovative policy frameworks into actionable solutions.
“We are the only evaluation office that evaluates and gives scores to both the organization and to governments. Taxpayers’ money is at stake, and the lives and livelihoods of millions of poor rural people across the world are on the line. My clients are the citizens on the ground. For this reason, I always instruct my team to get the voices of the people who are the intended beneficiaries at the grassroots level first, and then take care of interviewing the officials. This is because, many times, what a project document says and what we see on the ground are two very different things. However, no matter the divergence, we report when things work and when they do not, as I have indicated to IFAD’s Executive Board on multiple occasions. It’s a matter of accountability”, affirmed the IOE Director.
Coordinated by Gladys Herminia Morales Guevara, Senior Officer and Global Head of Innovation at IFAD, the on-site experience welcomed to the Fund’s headquarters over 35 students from different countries to give them an opportunity to learn more about IFAD’s work and interact with some of their favourite faculty members.
“How we produce, generate and assimilate work has completely changed”. – Further explained Dr Naidoo – “The attention span of human beings has decreased significantly over time. The human brain is overloaded with too much information at a conscious and subconscious level. Nowadays, people are more interested in getting the sound bites than doing a deep read. For this reason, we have sharpened how we segment messages so that we are delivering content in the best possible way in terms of language, pitch and focus”.
Dr Naidoo was joined by a group of distinguished experts who constituted a panel on ‘enhancing results in nutrition and climate through innovation and behavioural design’. The panel featured Jahan-Zeb Chowdhury, Lead Technical Specialist, environment and Climate Cluster Coordinator, IFAD; Beatrice Ekesa-Onyango, Lead Technical Specialist in nutrition, IFAD; and Cortney Price, Lead Behavioural Scientist, Office of Innovation, FAO. Sara Savastano, Chief, Impact Assessment, Knowledge Management and Innovation, delivered welcome remarks.
In their discussions, panellists explained that addressing the complex challenges of climate, nutrition, and behaviour requires a multidisciplinary approach that fosters innovation and empowers individuals and communities. Working at the nexus of these areas, allows to create food systems that are not only resilient to climate change but also conducive to improved nutrition and healthier lifestyles. Moreover, by understanding the interplay of these areas, we can identify opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration and develop scalable solutions to tackle global food insecurity, promote sustainable consumption, and mitigate climate change.
The event provided participants with the unique opportunity to deep-dive into the interconnectedness of climate, nutrition, behavioural design, and innovation. This experience, combined with the academic and practical training provided by the course and the innovation challenge, will be instrumental in developing feasible, viable, sustainable, and equitable solutions to the pressing global issues at this nexus.
For further information, please contact Dr Alexander Voccia, Senior Evaluation Communication & KM Specialist [here].
RESOURCES
- For more information about the Food & Sustainability Certificate Programme, please click here.
FURTHER READING
- To access the brochure ‘More than a journey | 20 years of independence, 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.
CONTACTS
