Insights, Innovation, Impact: Visions of M&E at gLOCAL 2024 in Central Asia

The annual gLOCAL Evaluation Week, run by the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) took place in June. During the week, the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Pakistan & Central Asia (CLEAR-PCA) conducted 16 webinars. More than 40 speakers, including 25 women, from Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, London, Kigali, Kabul, Chicago, Cape Town, Dushanbe, Ulaanbaatar, and Tashkent, convened to discuss some of the most pressing challenges in the region. Participants included public policy experts, bureaucrats, donors, and academics who shared insights on integrating their work within regional ecosystems and the broader global monitoring and evaluation (M&E) field. 

Topics under discussion included climate change, gender, public health, education, and artificial intelligence. The sessions sparked thoughtful discussions on designing programs to enhance, regulate, and approach M&E with a creative eye to meet today’s challenges.

Civil servants, from the Office of the President of Pakistan to the provincial health ministry, highlighted the importance of data-driven M&E and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing these practices. As Irum Bukhari, Additional Secretary to the President of Pakistan, stated, “The [social protection programs] that endure are those for which the data on its utility is undeniable.” 

Participants also gained insights on post-COVID education programs, adaptation strategies for climate change, and the potential and limitations of using AI. Progress on gender equality was interrogated into discussions on maternal health and gender-disaggregated data. Dr. Fauzia Viqar, the Federal Ombudsperson for Protection Against Harassment in the Workplace, reminded the audience to harness gender indicators to create a holistic understanding of the quality of life for women in Pakistan.  

Professors from the University of Chicago, London School of Economics, Lahore University of Management Sciences, and the University of Cape Town also formed the cohort of this year’s speakers, offering participants a chance to directly engage with their expertise and see what insights could inform their work. EvalYouth Pakistan also held a panel discussion. The varied questions asked during each gLOCAL webinar helped enhance CLEAR-PCA’s understanding of our target audience’s perception and expectations.  

By connecting stakeholders with each other, gLOCAL helps reduce fragmentation, duplication and working in silos. As Mukimova Khilola, Chief Inspector for the Agency for Strategic Reforms under the President of Uzbekistan said, “Knowledge brokering within civil society helps integrate evidence into broader systems, ensuring that both demand and supply are met effectively.” 

The knowledge sharing and collaboration fostered during gLOCAL week 2024 will help foster the evolution of M&E practices in Pakistan and Central Asia. CLEAR-PCA remains committed to promoting evidence-based decision-making to address global challenges. 

Watch the session recordings on CLEAR-PCA’s YouTube channel.