The Programme of Social Policy and Evaluation Research (PROSPER) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU)’s College of Public Policy (CPP) organised the EvalSouth Conference 2023 recently to promote and advance the state of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) sector in the Global South.
Held under the theme *Driving Progress: Evaluation in the Global South, EvalSouth Conference 2023 sought to strengthen the integration of M&E in the political, social, and professional systems of the Global South by fostering a vibrant knowledge exchange among professionals, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers from around the world.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNPF), New Development Bank (NDB), and Qatar Charity (QC) served as partners, supporting PROSPER in organising the conference.
The conference began with a panel discussion on the pivotal role of a culture of evaluation in driving the adoption of evaluation practices within policy-making in the Global South.
Participants included Lebanon member of parliament Halimé Kaakour, Sri Lanka member of parliament and chair of the Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation Kabir Hashim, UNPF Evaluation Office director Marco Segone, NDB Independent Evaluation Office director-general Ashwani K Muthoo, and Zenda Offir, the South African representative at the NDB High-Level International Evaluation Advisery Committee.
CPP associate professor and PROPSPER founding director Dr Anis Ben Brik said: “Developing the M&E sector throughout the Global South supports the development of more effective public policies that meet the unique demands of communities throughout these countries.”
“Our successful hosting of EvalSouth Conference 2023 demonstrates the HBKU’s and CPP’s commitment to transcend borders and build capacity in Qatar and beyond,” he said.
Participants gathered to explore existing evaluation policy frameworks and the culture of evaluation throughout the Global South.
They also discussed contemporary topics in the field, including the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in M&E, evaluation-informed policymaking, evaluation advocacy, youth engagement and capacity development.
Participants at the conference.
