20 November 2014: UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) Chair, Deborah Rugg, outlined the importance of evaluation in the post-2015 development agenda during a presentation at the 17th Network Meeting of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC). Rugg described evaluation as a bridge that can connect monitoring and accountability at global, regional, national and local levels, and highlighted a UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on national evaluation capacity development.

Post-2015 accountability, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms should be based on national systems because the post-2015 development agenda will be operationalized at the national level, Rugg said. She emphasized the need for strengthened capacity for monitoring and evaluation at national levels, including through civil society and private sector engagement in planning and monitoring. Rugg also highlighted the role of evaluation in establishing incentives for accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the post-2015 agenda, saying such evaluation is critical because of the non-binding nature of the framework.

Rugg described the UNGA resolution, ‘Building capacity for the evaluation of development activities at the country level’ (A/C.2/69/L.35), as “a powerful, stand-alone UN resolution” with “strong cross-regional support” from over 40 countries. The resolution, inter alia: reaffirms the importance of building national capacity to evaluate development activities; invites UN entities to support efforts to strengthen Member States’ capacity for evaluation, in accordance with national policies and priorities; and requests the UN Secretary-General to provide an update on progress in building capacity for evaluation to UNGA 71, based on inputs from UN Member States, UNEG and others.

Rugg also highlighted several events that will take place during the International Year of Evaluation in 2015, including the Global Parliamentarian Forum for Evaluation and the Fourth Conference on National Evaluation Capacities.

OECD-DAC’s 17th Network Meeting convened from 19-20 November 2014, at OECD Headquarters in Paris, France. [UNEG Chair Presentation] [A/C.2/69/L.35] [Previous Network Meetings] [UNEG Website]