1. Study on Collaborative Partner-Donor Evaluation Work
EVALNET
Paris
Study on Collaborative Partner-Donor Evaluation Work
Claude Leroy-Themeze, Ministry of Economy and Finance, France
Jacques Toulemonde, Eureval

2. Rationale in the present context2
Rationale in the present context
Partners play an increasing role
Joint programmatic approaches
Alignment on country strategies
Donors committed to using country systems
Results information and mutual accountability
Increase partner ownership of result information
Satisfy accountability needs in a balanced manner
Collaboration on PDE 2 to be continued
ODA delivery modalities are evolving toward more programmatic approaches aligned with partner country strategies and more use of country systems through e.g. budget support operations (general and sectoral). This calls for partner countries to play a stronger role in ODA evaluations.
In the Paris Declaration, donors committed themselves to use partner country systems as the default approach and to justify the exceptions. This commitment has been reiterated in the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation and it deserves to be applied in the area of evaluations.
The “Results and Mutual Accountability” Agenda is supported by a coalition of donors and partner countries on a voluntary basis within the framework of the Global Partnership (Busan). The Agenda addresses two problems: (1) donors have set up separate information systems that undermine partner countries’ own capacity to define, monitor and evaluate their results and (2) accountability for development co-operation tends to satisfy donors’ needs in an unbalanced manner.
Lessons from PDE 2: strong interest in joint evaluations on both donor and partner sides, … need to promote learning by doing

3. How to strengthen evaluation systems?
Rationale 3
How to strengthen evaluation systems?
Learning by training
Technical support
to practicizing evaluation
to setting an enabling environment
Advocacy
Learning by doing
Country-led evaluation
Collaborative partner-donor evaluation work
Collaborative partner-donor evaluation is just one among many ways to building evaluation capacity
Learning by doing is one of the approches towards strengthening partner country evaluation systems
Partner-donor evaluation is one of the learning-by-doing approaches
The relevant mix of evaluation capacity building approaches depends on the country, on the sector, on the involved donors
Why collaborative and not ‘joint’? Because joint evaluation has been discussed and tested in a recent past = donor cooperation mainly with an aim to lighten the evaluation pressure on partners
The project is about something else Collaborative evaluation = partner-donor cooperation with an aim to use and strengthen country evaluation systems
Why evaluation work and not just ‘evaluation’? Because the study might also cover joint evaluation plans, joint financing, joint quality assurance, joint knowledge syntheses.
What are we speaking of? An evaluation related work in which one or several institutions of the partner country cooperate with one or several donors. If evaluation services are contracted out, then organizations from both the partner and donor country cooperate. Moreover, the evaluation network and mechanisms of the partner country are used as far as possible. Donors cooperate with a capacity building intention. Donors may cooperate at either central or decentralized level

4. Project 4
Objectives
• Understanding the capacity-building potential of collaborative evaluation work • Drawing new lessons about capacity building strategies • Paving the way to a multi-annual collaboration
Understanding how collaborative partner-donor evaluation work may best strengthen country evaluation systems
By looking at past experiences
= retrospective part of the study
No joint evaluation to be launched in the framework of the project
Drawing lessons about capacity building strategies
Also by looking at past experiences, especially on how learning-by doing may add value in a mix of ECD instruments, e.g. by increasing the return on training investments
= again retrospective
Paving the way to an international partner donor collaboration
Exploratory phase – only informal collaboration during the project
= prospective part of the study

5. Pioneering experiences
Project 5
Roadmap
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Pioneering experiences 2 1
PDE
Project
The study = 12 months June 2013-June 2014
Looking backwards
PDE Phase 2 – Review of the process in terms of its contribution to building evaluation capacity (Component 1);
Pioneering joint experiences (e.g. Ghana, Benin) not necessarily aimed at building capacity - Collection of positive stories of partner-donor evaluation works (Component 2)
Looking forwards
international collaboration for a rolling multi-annual program on collaborative evaluation works / focusing on pilots / aimed at learqning / on a voluntary basis – The study will only explore future opportunities and formulate a proposal for the program (Component 3)
Stop-or-go decision in June 2014 – after an international workshop (Component 4)
At some point in the future – phasing out and increased donor use of country-led evaluations
Rolling multiannual program 3

6. Organization Project 6 EvalNet ECD Task Team Management group
Project coordinator(s)
Donor represen-tatives in countries
Country actors
To day: mandate for the study, under the condition that sufficient support is rapidly confirmed on partner and donor sides – Expression of interest for in-kind and/or financial contributions on donor side
June – September:
- Setting up management group (2 partners, 2 donors)
Finding project coordinators (1 on partners’ side, 1 on donors’ side)
Contacting the 21 PDE coordinators or the best alternative => need at least 10 volunteers
Confirming donor contributions
September - March:
- Confirmation with ECD TF
- Country studies relying on donor representatives in the country as advocates, information providers, in-kind / financial support
March – June:
Preparation and gathering of international workshop
Proposals for the next steps
June
Stop or go decision at EvalNet
June-September
- Finalizing synthesis papers
Country co-ordinators

7. Next steps 7
Issues to be discussed
• Mandate for launching the project under the condition that at least ten partner countries volunteer • Expression of interest for in-kind and/or financial contributions on donor side