United Nations

UNEG joins EvalPartners in declaring 2015 as International Year of Evaluation

UNEG has decided to join EvalPartners, together and in consultation with evaluation offices of international organizations (including UN agencies, the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), and OECD/DAC Evaluation Network), partners countries, private foundations and voluntary organizations for professional evaluation, in declaring 2015 as International Year of Evaluation (EvalYear).

The decision was taken by UNEG Heads at the 2013 UNEG Annual General Meeting, after Natalia Kosheleva, EvalPartners co-Chairs and IOCE President, presented the initiative, together with the UNEG Task Force on National Evaluation Capacity Development.

A letter from UNEG Chair Deborah Rugg to UNEG Heads in this regard is available here.

Ban Ki-moon: “All of us share a responsibility to strengthen the evaluation function”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, opening the High Level Meeting on “UN Results: Are we achieving them? How do we know?” on April 16, 2013 stated that “All of us share a responsibility to strengthen the evaluation function. We have to tackle the challenge at several levels”. Ban Ki-moon also shared that he is “very encouraged by the Member States’ support for rigorous evaluation.”

Addressing Ambassadors at the United Nations, the Heads of Evaluation Offices of 43 UN agencies and UNEG members, Ban Ki-moon also said that “Self-evaluation has to be part and parcel of our routine management work. Every good manager must make the effort to look ahead and look behind, and determine the effects, intended or unintended, of our work.”

Last but not least, Ban Ki-moon stated that “Evaluation is not easy. Nor is it popular. But it is essential. The current constrained budgetary climate makes it more important than ever.”

Click here to watch the entire speech.

Ban Ki-moon opened the High Level Panel organized by UNEG under the leadership of Deborah Rugg, UNEG Chair. The panel was part of UNEG 2013 Evaluation Week which includes evaluation practice exchange seminars and the Annual General Meeting of UN heads of evaluation. Panelist were Carman Lapointe, Under-Secretary-General, Office of Internal Oversight Services; Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS; Pius Bigirimana, Permanent Secretary, Office of Prime Minister of Uganda; Nick York, Director for Country, Corporate and Global Evaluations, World Bank. For additional information on the panel, click here.