1. 1 Development Communication, Advocacy and Education: Tips and Tools for Improving Evaluation Informal Expert Workshop Bonn 19 March 2007 Introduction Henri-Bernard Solignac Lecomte

2. 2 Why are we here? 2005 annual meeting of Network DAC Development Communicators: 2 priorities –Communicating about aid effectiveness –Evaluation Context –Mostly polls –Evaluation still recent –Weak demand within Ministries Yet, new aid paradigm, more pressure to evaluate

3. 3 The Aid Effectiveness Paradigm Development Results Managing for Results 4 Ownership (Partner countries) Partners set the agenda 1 Aligning with partners’ agenda Using partners’ systems Alignment (Donors - Partner) 2 Harmonisation (Donors - Partner) Establishing common arrangements Simplifying procedures Sharing information 3

4. 4 Evaluation today (survey of DAC members) 95% evaluate own activities either as ‘continuous self-evaluation’ or ‘once-off external evaluations’, while 16/19 DAC donors require partner organisations to evaluate certain activities. Function of investment, accountability: ad hoc approach rather than culture of learning? A variety of methodologies: –8/10 / Communications Theory and Methodologies for evaluation –5/10 / DAC Evaluation Guidelines –4/10 / Project Cycle –3/10 donors / Educational Methodologies

5. 5 Tools & Indicators used for monitoring performance and evaluation Source: Questionnaire administered to DAC Heads of Information 2005/06

6. 6 Donors: top challenges in evaluating their own Public Awareness/Development Education activities Measuring impact: how to Attribution: causal link between observed change and specific activity Resources available Indicators: process indicators, outcome indicators, short-term, long- term and indicators comparable between different activities … Culture of evaluation: how to change behaviour? Awareness-raising not treated as seriously as ‘development cooperation programmes’ by agencies/ministries; so less managerial demand for results

7. 7 Donors: Top challenges in evaluating Public Awareness and Development Education through CSOs As above: resources available, how to measure impact, lack of culture of evaluation and comparable indicators … Plus NGO-specific challenges  lack of interest in evaluating long-term reach, especially when funded for short-term activities  diversity of NGO activities and targets  difficulty in having standard indicators  no established methodologies  few trainers  no expertise in evaluation  ‘trust’ to report negative conclusions from evaluation

8. 8Today How to evaluate? Evaluating what? How not to do it? Concrete steps and tools in evaluation Break out Plenary Tomorrow Getting Evaluation right A closer look at good examples Specific challenges: values, involving recipients, … Break out Plenary: Qs & As with expert panel Conclusions And then?

9. 9 House Rules Informal Frank Language

10. 10 Thank you! www.oecd.org/dev/opinion