Latin America and the Caribbean Host 124 Events at gLOCAL Evaluation Week 2024
This year, more than 80 organizers in Latin America and the Caribbean hosted 124 gLOCAL events – on-site, virtual and hybrid, and conducted in English and Spanish – attracting hundreds of participants interested in monitoring and evaluation (M&E). From June 3 to 7, organizations taking part shared their experiences and reflected on topics around the central theme of gLOCAL 2024, “Evaluation and Transformational Change: Balancing Ambition and Realism”.
During the week, collaborative work in the Latin American and Caribbean M&E ecosystem was showcased with creativity, reflection, and commitment. One unforgettable event was the INCE Show, organized by the National Evaluation Capacities Index (INCE), the German Institute for Development Evaluation, the World Food Programme, the Inter-American Development Bank Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE-IDB), UNICEF, UN Women, and the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Latin America and the Caribbean (CLEAR-LAC), an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI).
Participants at the event shared good practices and resources to strengthen national evaluation systems in Latin America in the form of a radio show, as an innovative and very interesting way to share information and disseminate knowledge in a live event. In addition, the new recently elected board members of the Red de Seguimiento, Evaluación y Sistematización de América Latina y el Caribe (ReLAC) held an event called Weaving Regional Ties: Towards the Celebration of 20 Years of ReLAC, where great historical milestones of this VOPE were presented, highlighting how much it has grown in recent years and sharing expectations of continuing to be a referent in M&E for the region. This was also an opportunity for different leaders of national voluntary organizations for professional evaluation to participate by sharing personal stories about ReLAC history and get to renew and strengthen their commitment to collaboration.
Another important topic discussed during the week was M&E capacity building, with events taking place in Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica, among others, and other sessions organized by global initiatives like EvalYouth and the Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR). This is the case for the webinar on Capacity Building in Monitoring and Evaluation in LAC: supply, demand and gaps organized by CLEAR-LAC together with the CLEAR Center in Lusophone Africa and Brazil and OVE-IDB. CLEAR-LAC participant presented an analysis about the supply and demand of formative programs in five Latin American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay and Dominican Republic). The webinar concluded that the region needs to design programs that take into account contents, themes, and sectoral foci that are more responsive to the needs of each country. Additionally, the panel highlighted the need to strengthen collaboration among various stakeholders.
Strengthening M&E systems was also discussed by organizers with sessions presenting both national and international cases. One of the more notable was the Co-constructing the Agenda for National Evaluation event (conducted in Spanish), carried out by the Academia Nacional de Evaluadores (ACEVAL) in Mexico. On the first day of gLOCAL Evaluation Week, the organization sent a survey to evaluation experts to assist in the construction of a national evaluation agenda.
Other topics discussed during the week include gender in evaluation, climate change, and artificial intelligence. For example, the Ecological Footprint Approach and the Case of Colombia event, organized by the National Planning Department of Colombia (DNP) and held in Spanish. During this event, the panel discussed the significance of integrating this approach into evaluations. Furthermore, it was showcased the ongoing work in Colombia to incorporate the footprint approach to the DNP standard process of evaluation in different types of interventions, not just those concerning environmental issues.
The Caribbean Evaluators International also organized three events focused on M&E and learning for the English-speaking Caribbean community.
"The enthusiasm generated by both the organizers and the experts who participated in the panels of the events was impressive, but also the great interest of the participants in generating an enriching conversation from which lessons could be learned. What we experienced during this week was a true celebration of evaluation and we thank all those who participated, as they are the soul of this great event," said Paula Mansilla, CLEAR-LAC communication coordinator and gLOCAL's focal point for Latin America and the Caribbean.