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Discussions on Approaches to Evaluations in the SDGs Era
-Thoughts on Participation in the 15th ODA Evaluation Workshop-

The role of evaluations is becoming more and more important in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through cooperation between developed countries and developing countries around the world. The ODA Evaluation Workshop has been held by MOFA since FY 2001 to improve the evaluation capacities of government officials and specialists in the Asia-Pacific region. This year, it was held for the 15th time under the theme “Evaluation Capacity Building in SDG Era” in Colombo, Sri Lanka on February 7 and 8, 2018, co-organized by MOFA and Sri Lanka’s Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs. Previously, the workshop has been held in Japan (Tokyo) or ASEAN countries, such as Malaysia and the Philippines, but this time it was held in South Asia for the first time. A total of 42 people from ODA evaluation institutions of 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific region including Japan and Sri Lanka.

This was the first time that I participated in the workshop. Most impressive to me was the fact that throughout the entire workshop the Sri Lankan government took the lead in proceedings by working with University of Colombo and the Sri Lanka Evaluation Association, while receiving assistance from MOFA. Also, the passionate discussions involving all participants left a considerable impression on me.

During Session 1 of the ODA Evaluation Workshop called “The Role and International Trend of ODA Evaluation,” the representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) each gave presentations on the importance of working toward the SDG indicators and monitoring evaluations. Following this, an official of Sri Lanka’s government made a presentation on Sri Lanka’s efforts in utility focused and participatory evaluations. During the discussions that followed, participants confirmed the importance of reinforcing international cooperation in evaluations.

In Session 2, which focused on “Efforts and Practices of Implementing SDGs”, I gave a presentation on the progress of the SDGs in Indonesia under the title “Findings from The Survey on Promoting Planning and Implementation of SDGs in the Republic of Indonesia.” I stated that The Government of Indonesia has established an action plan to achieve the SDGs and it is in the process of building a monitoring evaluation system, but future issues remain in terms of data aggregation systems at the local level and approaches to collaboration with the private sector. In response, I received valuable comments from a representative of the Government of Indonesia who said the country is focused on addressing regional disparities and is working on measures not to leave anyone behind. Moreover, a commentator from the Sri Lanka Evaluation Association who said, “I understand that Indonesia is one step ahead of other countries. We will need to have more open discussions when localizing indicators for gender and inequality.”

In Session 3 entitled “Each Country’s Efforts and Practices of Implementing SDGs in the Evaluation Context,” a presentation was made on the results of a MOFA questionnaire on responses to the SDGs and initiatives, which was answered by participants prior to the workshop. It was confirmed that data collection and management of SDG indicators is an issue. During Session 4 called “Diverse ODA Evaluations,” JICA gave a presentation on the benefits of process evaluation, while MOFA made a presentation on its efforts in evaluations from diplomatic viewpoints in policy level evaluation. Both presentations shared solutions and outcomes for making lesson learned from evaluations more substantial among aid organizations.

Thus, meaningful discussions were held throughout the workshop, and it was an excellent learning experience for me as well. At the same time, I strongly felt that past ODA Evaluation Workshops had fostered the sense of shared awareness for importance of collaboration in evaluation and efforts to improve the role of evaluation and trust among participating countries. One of the meaningful outcomes was that Sri Lanka demonstrated its leadership as a South Asian country and a host country, in addition to Japan and middle-income countries of ASEAN.

Yoko Ishida
Vice President, The Japan Evaluation Society
Professor, Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education,
Hiroshima University

Participants of the ODA Evaluation Workshop.

Workshop session.