We are excited to invite you to the Sixth IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium 2024, under the theme: “Cherishing Learning and Charting out the Future: Strategic Value of Evaluation in Decision-Making.” This highly anticipated event will take place in person on October 8-9, 2024, at the IsDB Tent Hall.

The symposium will gather evaluation experts, practitioners, and leaders from Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) and the global evaluation community. It’s an exceptional opportunity to explore the latest innovations in development evaluation and how they can accelerate development effectiveness—both within our institutions and across member countries.

Join us for inspiring discussions, real-world examples, and best practices that showcase how evaluation can  help us shape strategic decisions and foster organizational success.

Mark your calendars—we look forward to your participation in this important event!

Symposium Program

Pre-Symposium Seminar Series: 25 September-01 October 2024

Symposium 8-9 October 2024

October 08, 2024 (Day 1)

Country Operation Day

Sub-theme: Enhancing Efficiency, Strategic Programming, and Impact

October 09, 2024 (Day 2)

Private Sector Day.

Sub-theme: Adaptive Evaluation: Meeting the Demands of a Transformative Era

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IsDB's Independent Evaluations Department Participates in 31st EvalNet Meeting

​Paris, June 19, 2024 — The Independent Evaluations Department of the IsDB participated in the 31st Meeting of the Development Assistance Committee Network on Development Evaluation (EvalNet) held from 18 to 19 June 2024 at the OECD Secretariat Paris, France. The department was represented by Br. Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine and Br. Ehtisham Ul Hassan. The OECD-DAC EvalNet contributes to better development results using evaluation to build a strong evidence base for policy-making and learning.

The EvalNet meetings, provide a forum for discussion on, i) Strengthening evaluation systems and building capacity, ii) Improving the quality of evaluations, and iii) Cultivating and communicating lessons and evidence to policy communities to improve impacts.

The meeting convened EvalNet's permanent members, observer members, and new observers, including representatives from the Council of Europe Bank (CEB), New Development Bank (NDB), GAVI, WHO, and other notable organizations. The gathering provided a unique platform for participants to acquaint themselves with the new members and foster collaborative efforts in the field of Development Evaluation. During the meeting, members shared updates on various initiatives, including the launch of new evaluation strategies and innovative approaches to strengthen the independence of evaluation functions in their organizations. These discussions underscored the importance of continuous improvement and adaptation in evaluation practices.

A highlight of the event was a series of engaging sessions, notably, one focused on System-wide Evaluation. This session delved into the methodologies and practices for evaluating development programs across multiple systems, offering valuable insights for participants.

Looking ahead, the 32nd EvalNet meeting will take place on February 26-27, 2025, providing another opportunity for members to converge, share knowledge, and advance the field of Development Evaluation.

 For further details, please check out the brief introduction of EvalNet and the meeting Agenda.

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IEvD Organizes a Successful Technical Session with the Arab Coordination Group Addressing the Need for the Institutionalization of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning within Development Financiers

​Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 10 May 2023 – The Islamic Development Bank Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) organized a technical session with the Heads of Operations and representatives from the Arab Coordination Group (ACG) member institutions at the margins of the IsDB Group 2023 Annual Meetings. During this event, the speakers stressed the need for the institutionalization of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) systems in their development interventions. Having strong MEL functions in place would provide the evidence needed to support decision-making during the implementation of projects, they argued. 

In welcoming the participants, H.E. Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser, IsDB President, stated, "Development organizations need to account for the use of resources and demonstrate both results and the added value of their work as they are operating in an environment that calls for impartial, valid and credible evidence on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability of their policies, programs, and activities". H.E. Dr. Al Jasser assured that IsDB is committed to securing greater cooperation and synergy with its development partners and pooling more resources and smarter solutions to edge closer to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The opening remarks of this technical meeting were delivered by Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa, Director General & CEO of the OPEC Fund for International Development, who underscored that "Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) are vital for effective development project implementation and resource utilization. Institutionalizing MEL functions into development financiers' DNA is essential for accountability, transparency, and achieving positive impacts. At the OPEC Fund, we're committed to implementing effective MEL practices, as demonstrated by our forthcoming Development Effectiveness Report."

The keynote presentation was delivered by Mr. Dugan Fraser, Head of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) of the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group, focusing on how to build M&E systems, the benefits of strong M&E systems at the country level, and how the GEI can contribute to bridging the knowledge gaps and building capacity in the MENA region and beyond.

The panel members also included Honorable Abdoul Salam Bello, Executive Director of the Africa Group II at the World Bank Group Board, who shed light on balancing global and regional perspectives on evidence building, and Eng. Mohammad Jamal Alsaati, Special Advisor to the IsDB President, discusses IsDB's perspective on the utilization of evidence as a powerful compass to shape well-targeted public policies, correct course and ultimately deliver better outcomes and development results. 

Other key discussants included the Heads of Operations and prominent executive-level representatives from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the OPEC Fund for International Development, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGPD), and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED). 

About the Partner Organization

The Arab Coordination Group comprises 10 regional, and international organizations amongst them the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development; the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa; the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development; the Arab Gulf Programme for Development; the Arab Monetary Fund; the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) which is the AAA-rated multilateral development bank (MDB) of the Global South; the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development; the OPEC Fund for International Development; the Qatar Development Fund; and the Saudi Fund for Development. The Group pools resources and coordinates initiatives with the goal of providing effective and impactful development support through projects and operations.

About the IsDB

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) is a multilateral development bank that has been working for over 40 years to improve the lives of the communities it serves by delivering impact at scale. We bring together 57 member countries across four continents, touching the lives of 1 in 5 of the world's population. The IsDB is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Our mission is to equip people to drive their own economic and social progress at scale, putting the infrastructure in place to enable them to fulfill their potential.

For more information about the IsDB,

• Please visit: www.isdb.org
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/isdb_group                                                                               
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/isdbgroup     
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/isdb_stories

https://isdb.sharepoint.com/sites/KMI/CorporateKnowledge/Functional/OED/PublishingImages/Annual%20Meetings%20-%202023

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5th IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium 2023

The Future of Development Evaluation: Adapting to a Changing Landscape Dates: 2nd & 3rd of October 2023

The Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group) is pleased to announce the 5th IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium 2023 to be held in person on 02-03 October 2023 at the Tent Hall, IsDB headquarters – Jeddah.

Background

Today’s world faces multiple intersecting crises, from the impact of the COVID-19 crisis to climate change, rising conflicts, and exacerbated social inequalities. These rising challenges often exacerbate existing development challenges, such as food insecurity, failing health infrastructure, and gender-based violence, in new and unanticipated ways. While every crisis brings unique challenges, lessons learned from past crisis responses can help inform future interventions and enhance the impact of these efforts. This makes the generation and use of evidence even more important in today’s world. Evaluation has a critical role to play in improving crisis responses by ensuring that available evidence is timely and relevant. However, for evaluation to rise to the needs of today, the practice of evaluation must learn from current challenges and embrace forward-looking, innovative, adaptation, and inclusive practices to stimulate transformation in a meaningful way. Part of this work is learning from the recent experiences of partner organizations, countries, and contexts where strategic planning mechanisms have efficiently aided pandemic management and recovery; another key aspect is leveraging innovative methods and technologies to enhance evidence generation from evaluation.

Symposium Objectives & Expected Outcomes

The theme of the 5^th Evaluation Symposium is “The Future of Development Evaluation: Adapting to a Changing Landscape”. The overall goal of this Symposium is to leverage future innovations in development evaluation that will contribute towards accelerating development effectiveness within institutions and at country levels. The Symposium will enable the dissemination of evidence-based best practices that promote development effectiveness and assimilation of innovations in key functions (data analytics, corporate performance, country strategy, operations efficiency, results management, etc.).

The specific objectives of the Symposium are as follows:

• Enhance the learning culture within the evaluation community and within the IsDB Group,
• Boost the quality and speed of the Realigned IsDB Strategy 2023 - 2025
• Support institutional readiness and governance oversight.
• Strengthen the IsDB Group’s external credibility.

The expected outcomes of the symposium are as follows:

• Creating conducive spaces for debates and enlightenment on evaluation.
• Advancing knowledge and understanding of what works, and what does not, in evaluation practices.
• Sharing insights on the future of innovation and adaptive evaluation
• Strengthening future operations design, delivery, and efficiency through incorporating best practices
• Sharing corporate-level knowledge to guide continuous improvements, organizational change, and learning
• Keeping abreast of the latest advancements in evaluation practices and ensuring their use in addressing the development challenges and opportunities presented by a rapidly changing world.
• Promoting collaboration via networking and collaboration among evaluation professionals other business units and key decision makers.

Expected Participants

The primary targeted audience is all IsDB Group staff, including those in regional hubs. Then, some in-depth technical sessions will target mainly staff working in self-monitoring, quality assurance, results measurement, and evaluation functions within IsDB Group. Evaluation practitioners from other peer MDBs will be also invited as well as Saudi-based partners.

For more details please click here

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2022 IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium: Reshaping Evaluation Through the Lens of Recovery

The Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) Operations Evaluation Department (OED), in close collaboration with the evaluation functions of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (ICD), and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), organized the 2022 IsDB Group Evaluation Symposium under the theme "Evaluation Through the Lens of Recovery"  from 29 to 30 March virtually and in person on March 31st at the Tent Hall in IsDB headquarters. The main objectives of the symposium consisted in shedding light on promoting evaluative thinking to enhance development interventions, informing decision-making processes, and more notably, leveraging partnerships to accelerate recovery in the context of the post global pandemic.

Evidence from Monitoring and Evaluation will be a powerful compass for the future to shape well-targeted public policies, correct course and ultimately deliver better outcomes. Thus, reshaping evaluation through stronger M&E capacities and systems is instrumental for charting a path to national development goals, effective crisis response, and sustainable recovery. To this end, it will require sustained efforts, at scale, across the world. Doing this as quickly as possible can only be achieved through collaboration and cooperation amongst a wide range of actors.

The symposium brought together prominent speakers from the multilateral development banks (MDBs), King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, the Saudi Fund for Development, the Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results from Anglophone Africa and South Asia, the Global Evaluation Initiative, and academia. The event was well received as it provided a forum for evaluation practitioners from Saudi based institutions to emphasize the apparent shift in the dialogue on the role organizations can play in making the world a better, more sustainable place.

Please click on the following links to watch the fascinating discussions held on the in-person day of the symposium. 

Day 3 Sessions recordings: YouTube Links 1 & 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RInr1pVw_KM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R8diP0_bpM

https://idbgbf-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Keosg46dSCS8O7rklInuXQ