Working Paper: Navigating AI & Digitalization in M&E - A Three-Lens Framework for M&E and Evaluation Professionals and Institutions (by the Global Evaluation Initiative)

📣Your input is needed!

GEI is circulating a working paper that proposes a 3-lens framework for assessing the use of #AI in monitoring & evaluation (M&E):

🔎Evidence needs
🔎Workflow
🔎Capability

🗨️ We welcome feedback from the M&E community. Please read the paper & share your thoughts: bit.ly/4tea4GW

Running until 25 April! #AI #Evaluation #AItools

The #hackathon is open to anyone
[No membership of AEA or the NLP CoP is required]

"This resource is intended for researchers who are interested in collecting cost data & conducting comparative cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) for their #evaluation. It provides an overview of CEA, outlines the basic calculations& ... provides 2...examples" www.povertyactionlab.org/resource/con...

"Null results - when a study does not find significant impacts on chosen outcomes - can provide valuable insights for research & policies ... we highlight randomized #evaluations that yielded null results in order to ... inform future research" www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/11-8-24...

Interested in answering the question: "How can evaluation go beyond metrics to capture climate & sustainability impact?" Then this #EvalforEarth & #APEA webinar is for you!

Find out more and register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

#MandE #Evaluation #ClimateEvaluation

📣 Mark your calendar

🙌 Join the upcoming #EvalVoices session on 'Evaluating Efficiency and Effectiveness: Why and How', featuring Megan Kennedy-Chouane, Head of Evaluation at @oecd-ocde.bsky.social.

🗓️ 28 April, 14:00–15:00 CET

👉 Register now: link.europa.eu/6cr336

Glocal Evaluation Week Call for Proposals Now Open

📣 Calling everyone passionate about evidence-based decision-making!

You're invited to host a knowledge-sharing session for Glocal Evaluation Week 2026, happening June 1–5.

This year's theme: Evaluation, Evidence & Trust in the Age of #AI 🤖

📅 Send your proposal by March 26: glocalevalweek.org

DIY Program #Evaluation Kit www.betterevaluation.org/tools-resour... "This plain-English guide is designed to help government & public sector teams plan & conduct programme evaluations. The kit is aimed at those with limited evaluation experience" #M&E #Eval

What Is an Evaluation Synthesis? A Simple Explanation YouTube video by UNICEF Evaluation

#UNICEF runs 100+ evaluations a year. An Evaluation Synthesis connects the dots—turning scattered findings into one big-picture overview of what works for children.
Think: one photo → photomosaic.
➡ Watch our new video to see how #evaluation synthesis speeds up smarter decisions youtu.be/pstNbUvx9hw

#AI in #evaluation: Good practice guidelines ⬇️
www.betterevaluation.org/tools-resour...

Interested in #OutcomeHarvesting? Sign up for this session on Outcome Harvesting & the Emerging Intersections with #AI capacity4dev.europa.eu/events/sessi...

Webinar | Overview of Initiatives to Strengthen National Monitoring and Evaluation Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Enhancing Our Synergies January 27, 9:00 AM Mexico–Costa Rica / 10:00 AM Panama / 12:00 PM Chile / 4:00 PM Germany Opening Remarks: Francisco Gallego - Vice Provost for Institutional Management, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Moderators: * Emil Salim - OVE-IDB * Claudia Maldonado - INEGI Mexico Speakers: * Cristian Crespo - CLEAR LAC * Juan Carlos Sanz - DEval * Ketevan Nozadze - GEI * Natalia Acosta - World Food Programme * Michael Francis Craft - UNICEF * Nataly Salas-Rodríguez - EvalConnect * Violeta Leiva - UN Women LAC

📣 Upcoming webinar

What initiatives are shaping stronger monitoring & #evaluation systems (M&E) in Latin America & the Caribbean? How can collaboration be strengthened to further advance M&E in the region?

📅 Jan. 27, 3 PM (UTC)
🌐 Interpretation available: ES, EN, FR, PT
👉 Sign up: bit.ly/45Gb6SH

Want to share your #evaluation knowledge & resources? => Contribute content to BetterEvaluation: "whether you'd like to suggest a resource or event, write a blog, have feedback you'd like to share or would like to be more involved in a content area" www.betterevaluation.org/community/co...

Guided by the Compass: Navigating Impact through Evaluation at UNICEF How evaluation serves as UNICEF’s compass—shaping decisions, fostering accountability, and driving impact through lessons from the 2022–2025 Strategic Plan.

"As I move forward in my career, I will carry the lessons of #evaluation with me: triangulate perspectives & evidence, listen with empathy, & engage with purpose. In a world full of uncertainty, having a compass that points toward utility & credibility is essential" www.unicef.org/evaluation/b...

Our new downloadable infographic, #Accessibility in Reporting, highlights 7 practical ways to improve clarity, inclusivity, and usability in your #evaluation reports.

✨ Accessible reporting isn’t an add-on—it’s good evaluation practice.
👉 Download the free infographic: https://loom.ly/-ITl_mY

"AI evolve constantly. A new “must-use” app appears almost daily. Chasing tools is a losing game. For evaluators, the real task is understanding the forces behind #AI outputs and the implications for #evaluation practice — whether we use AI or not." aea365.org/blog/ai-in-e... #MandE

"Theories of change are theories – of change. They may be illustrated using a diagram, but there needs to be an explanation, usually using prose, describing how the resources, entities (e.g., people, organisations, laws, etc.), & activities carried out lead to outputs and outcomes." #Evaluation #ToC

"whether you're cautiously experimenting, enthusiastically over-adopting, or somewhere in the productive disillusionment that precedes genuine integration" you are not alone in your #AI adoption in #evaluation journey!👇
www.betterevaluation.org/blog/five-st...

🌍 On December 10, #HumanRightsDay, we spotlight #UNICEF’s #evaluation of Croatia’s Child Rights Monitoring System: progress made, but gaps remain—better data, coordination & child participation needed. Child rights = human rights. Learn more: www.unicef.org/evaluation/r... 👈

Qute from Billy Campbell, “This evaluation adds to the evidence base demonstrating the importance of support staff continuity, having sufficient time for appointments, and tailoring the support offer to individual needs within employment support for marginalised young people.”

In a new blog, Billy Campbell reflects on the recently published evaluation of the Cumbria Youth Alliance's Forging Futures Programme, which aims to support 16–24-year-olds into sustained employment, and identifies the key take-away lessons from this research: bit.ly/48DAOI9
Report: bit.ly/4iD98r9

Evaluating the Camden Core Model: How a research partnership between the Camden Coalition and J-PAL North America was built Researchers from J-PAL’s network partnered with the Camden Coalition of Health Care Providers (the Camden Coalition) on a rigorous evaluation of their Camden Core Model. The Camden Core Model has rece...

"Our work has been focused on breaking .. silos .. Even though our program was still evolving, our health systems&community partners were willing to test our theory of change alongside us, so it was a “right time” opportunity" www.povertyactionlab.org/blog/1-8-20/... #Evaluation #Partnerships

Join our webinar on Dec 3 (8:30am EST): “From Evidence to Action—Leveraging Evaluation for Effective GBV Responses.” Co-hosted by #UN #evaluation offices during #16Days. Explore strategies to strengthen GBV programming. Register now! reg.webinarbase.com/s3/GBVevalua... #UNFPA #UNHCR #UNICEF #UNWomen

#ProcessTracing: "in-depth theory-based case study method that helps evaluators empirically trace the process through which an intervention produces a contribution. It looks not just at results, but at..mechanisms, interactions, & contextual factors that bring about those results" #Evaluation #MandE

📣 Webinar recording now available

Last week, we explored what constitutes transformational leadership in #evaluation.

Panelists discussed what kind of #leadership drives innovation, collaboration & meaningful change in evaluation practice.

Missed it? Catch up on all the insights: bit.ly/3X9LlFx

Free course => Essentials of building effective national #monitoring and #evaluation systems: "The self-paced, interactive course is available for free in six languages on the World Bank Group Open Learning Campus"
#M&E #MandE #evaluationcourses #onlinelearning

"This is a unique, international effort to gather a comprehensive view of the #evaluation profession. ... Your insights, cutting across different regions and roles, are essential for advancing the global evaluation agenda."

Deadline: November 9, 2025

#MandE

WECC

#Evaluation Case Competition: "Teams of students are presented with a case about the evaluation of a program or policy. They prepare an analysis of the case & develop recommendations for action"
www.worldcasecomp.net
Registration of teams closes on 24 October
#MEL #MandE #EvaluationCases

Call for Expressions of Interest: Co-Create a Feminist Evaluation Toolkit for Crisis Settings | send your expression of interest by: October 11, 2025

📢 Calling evaluators & researchers working in women’s rights & women-led organizations! We invite you to co-design a toolkit for feminist #evaluation in crisis settings.

💡 Learn more about the project & how to participate: bit.ly/4nexubL

In Part 2 of our #Triangulation in #Evaluation series, we shift from theory to practice: How do you present triangulated data in a way that’s clear & credible?

If you’re writing #evaluationreports & want to strengthen how you present your evidence, this article is for you 👉 https://loom.ly/ej9QX8M

Join us: Evaluation Learning Network workshop on health economics in public health evaluation.
🗓 Wednesday, 8 October 2025 🕛 12:00–13:30 💻 Online
#FreeToAttend – 👉 Register: www.arc-nwl.nihr.ac.uk/events#h.9wx...
@nihrarcs.bsky.social #PublicHealth #Evaluation #HealthEconomics #ARCNWL#BrunelUni