Annual Report on Japan's ODA Evaluation 2021

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Annual Report on Japanʼs ODA Evaluation 202128Engaging in ODA evaluation forces us to consider on a daily basis how to accomplish its two objectives, namely, improving ODA management and fulfilling public accountability. However, finding a balance between the two is “easier said than done.”Evaluations conducted by the ODA Evaluation Division of MOFA are external third-party evaluations. If we focus solely on the improvement of ODA management through evaluation results, internal evaluations by the parties who actually implement policies and projects can better serve this objective. That is because relevant parties familiar with the content of those policies and projects can determine what kinds of evaluations should be conducted in terms of practical utilization. Furthermore, internal evaluations have easy access to necessary information. On the other hand, internal evaluations may be viewed as too self-serving. Independent third-party evaluations are considered desirable from the perspective of accountability due to the perception of greater reliability. Another advantage is that external experts and professional evaluators can be expected to produce high-quality evaluations.With external third-party evaluations, the issue becomes how to obtain the information necessary for evaluation, objectively verify relevance, effectiveness, and processes, and thereby derive useful recommendations and lessons to be used by those involved in ODA policies and projects despite limited access to internal information. The ODA Evaluation Division accordingly functions as a mediator between third-party evaluation teams and concerned divisions to facilitate the smooth implementation of evaluations.The issue of the balance between the independence and utility of evaluations was also raised at the recent meeting of the OECD-DAC Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet). The title of the session was “Balancing independence and utility of evaluations: Walking an evaluation tightrope,” which succinctly captured the challenges encountered by those engaged in evaluation. Although each evaluation division faces a different situation and there are no simple solutions, I felt somewhat relieved to learn that even leading countries in the field of evaluation face the same problem. At the meeting, multiple countries also mentioned that it is important to fully communicate with those engaged in the evaluation target during the evaluation process, because this leads to the utilization of evaluation results. These are the very issues that we always keep in mind. Thus, this experience renewed my determination to continue promoting understanding and utilization of evaluations through dialogue with the divisions in charge of ODA policies and projects.NISHINO YasukoDirector, ODA Evaluation Division, Minister’s SecretariatMinistry of Foreign Affairs of JapanPostscript