Annual Report on Japanʼs ODA Evaluation 202122MOFA has organized ODA Evaluation Workshops sixteen times since 2001 in the aims of facilitating understanding of ODA and ODA evaluation in the Asia-Pacific region, enhancing the evaluation capacities of developing countries in the region, improving ownership and transparency on the side of developing countries, and increasing development efficiency.During this period, most countries have started implementing some form of evaluation of national development plans including ODA. As exemplified by the launch of the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) in 2012, awareness of the importance of evaluation is also growing, and evaluation practices are spreading in the region as well. Furthermore, reflecting changes in global policy agendas such as the 2030 Agenda, the environment and needs surrounding evaluation are shifting, and other countries and agencies are beginning to host similar evaluation-related seminars and meetings. Under these circumstances, twenty years since the launch of the workshops, MOFA reviewed the significance and role of past ODA Evaluation Workshops through surveys such as questionnaire surveys of government officials from participating countries, evaluation experts from Japan, and other donors and organizations.The survey results indicated that the workshops are held in effective coordination with relevant Japanese and overseas organizations, which have a wealth of experience in evaluation practices, and that the themes and agenda covered in the workshops are practical and applicable for participants, as they were properly set taking into account international trends and interests as well as the needs of participating countries. The findings also revealed that Japan’s pioneering efforts and continuous support at a time when interest in evaluation was not very high have greatly contributed to fostering a culture of evaluation and evaluation capacities in Asia-Pacific countries. The workshops organized by Japan on a regular basis are now recognized as an evaluation platform for the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, the establishment of APEA in this region, where the building of an evaluation network was somewhat slow compared to other regions of the world, is regarded as an impact of the ODA Evaluation Workshops through continuous indirect support even before their foundation.The diplomatic role of the workshops was also reviewed. As a country in Asia, Japan’s initiative in fostering a culture of evaluation while advocating the importance of evaluation as well as its impacts on the building of evaluation frameworks and systems in Asia-Pacific countries were regarded as having contributed to the elevation of Japan’s diplomatic leadership in the region. The clear demonstration by the Government of Japan to partner countries and the international community of its emphasis on evaluation, willingness to support partner countries in enhancing their capacities, and responsible attitude toward cooperation that goes beyond merely providing ODA was also regarded as significant.On the other hand, some future challenges were identified. There is room to make information on Japan’s ODA Workshops more accessible and appealing to the general public. In addition, participation by Pacific Island countries, which have a great need to improve their evaluation capacities, remains limited.The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to maintain the previous in-person modality of the workshops. Nonetheless, MOFA will examine how to hold the workshops going forward in light of the findings and challenges identified from this review.ColumnTwenty Years of ODA Evaluation Workshops
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