In the midst of war, Ukrainian women are not only holding the fabric of society together – they are building the future of its economy. The webinar “Female Entrepreneurship in Times of War,” hosted on December 3, 2025, by the Secretariat of the Platform for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and Germany Trade and Invest GmbH, … Read more
Global Gateway: The EU launches new regional initiatives in Africa to boost youth mobility and skills, including the unique Africa-Europe Youth Academy Today at the Global Gateway High-Level Event on Education in Brussels, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen launched new regional programmes boosting youth mobility and skills in Africa. The Team Europe Initiative on Opportunity-driven Skills … Read more
We had a discussion today among colleagues of INTRAC and other leading organisations on decolonising consultancy. Here are some thoughts about it. Please follow INTRAC and join the discussion: https://www.intrac.org/tag/decolonising-consultancy/ Is international development consulting colonial? In certain ways, international development consulting can be characterised as colonial, however it is crucial to emphasize that this definition … Read more
Speaking evidence to power Reporting evaluation results and communicating them effectively to policymakers and program managers is critical for improving uptake at the policy level and programming. By following the recommendations outlined in this article, evaluators can safeguard that their evaluation results are clear, concise, and actionable, and that they are communicated in a way … Read more
Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Context The report “External Evaluation of Sida‑Funded ISO Capacity‑Building Activities” reviews two closely linked interventions implemented by the International Organization for Standardization’s Capacity Building Unit and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. The first is the ISO Action Plan for Developing Countries 2016–2020, which provides … Read more
Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming Evaluation Synthesis: STDF/PG/350 — Global Phytosanitary Manuals, Standard Operating Procedures and Training Kits Project Context Phytosanitary capacity is foundational to agricultural trade. Countries that lack documented regulatory procedures, trained inspection staff, and functioning plant health systems face higher trade costs, increased consignment rejections, and reduced market access. This … Read more
Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming The TRAQUE programme in Ghana was a relevant and partially effective but operationally constrained Aid for Trade intervention that strengthened elements of national trade and quality systems, while falling short on more ambitious institutional reforms such as a national accreditation body and warehouse receipt system within the available … Read more
What’s s happening in development evaluation? How often do development projects include evaluation – and what kinds? How are evaluators chosen? How big are their budgets? How satisfactory are their results? To provide a snapshot of development evaluation today, the Society for International Development’s Washington Chapter partnered with Charney Research to survey development professionals, including … Read more
What matters to me more than who is right or wrong, is that we need to draw on each and every method to deepen our understanding of what happened, how and why. More: Embrace all evaluation methods – can we end the debate? | Independent Evaluation Group.
Berlin – Today German federal development minister Dirk Niebel and his State Secretary Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz have opened the new independent evaluation institute of the German developing cooperation with the name “DEval”. The independent evaluation institute DEval is owned by the Federal Government and has 38 staff based in Bonn. It is headed by the renowned … Read more
Series Evaluation Insights for Policy and Programming The evaluation finds that the SRRP in Jordan substantially strengthened key regulatory institutions and the PPP framework, but achieved only partial results on competition, pricing, and pro poor impact, mainly because of weak political backing, limited coordination, and design flaws in governance and monitoring. Overall sustainability is mixed, … Read more
How can donors and partner countries assess the intended and unintended consequences of donor interventions? The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) explores ex ante Poverty Impact Assessment (PIA), which can assist in modifying the design of interventions to improve pro-poor impacts by identifying key areas for monitoring and evaluation (M&E). It can be … Read more
