Jeddah, KSA, September 25 2024 – The Independent Evaluation Department (IEvD) hosted an insightful pre-symposium webinar on the role of International Financial Institutions (IFIs) in promoting accountability and fostering a culture of learning through evaluation. The session attracted more than 250 participants and featured a distinguished panel, moderated by Br. Nur Abdi, with opening remarks from Br. Ahmed Ag Aboubacrine, Acting Director of IEvD. The discussion centered on how evaluations drive transparency, efficiency, and continuous improvement in global development efforts.
Panel discussant Dr. Daouda Sembene, CEO of AfriCatalyst, emphasized the critical role of independent evaluation departments in IFIs to ensure accountability and learning. He advocated for stronger stakeholder engagement and highlighted that "evaluation is too important to be left to evaluators only" stressing the need for broader involvement of all stakeholders in the evaluation process. Another Panel member, Dr. Dirk-Jan Koch, from Radboud University, addressed three boundaries to learning within IFIs—ideological, technical, and institutional—encouraging organizations to continuously challenge assumptions and adapt policies accordingly.
The panelists collectively underscored the importance of making project documents accessible and improving public disclosure policies to promote accountability. They discussed how such measures can enhance trust among stakeholders and support the development of better evaluation practices across institutions. “…regularly updating the public (both tax payers and people who are supposed to benefit from the projects) about the status of projects, including successes and challenges, would allow stakeholders to better assess the bank’s effectiveness and ensure accountability.” said Dr. Dirk-Jan Koch.
Closing the session, Dr. Areef Suleman, Group Chief Economist of IsDB, emphasized that cultivating a culture of learning is key to addressing global challenges. He called for IFIs to prioritize sharing and implementing evaluation findings. “As we look towards the future, we should continue to cultivate a culture of learning within our institutions. This means not only conducting evaluations but actively utilizing their findings to inform policy and practice.”
Panel discussant Dr. Daouda Sembene, CEO of AfriCatalyst, emphasized the critical role of independent evaluation departments in IFIs to ensure accountability and learning. He advocated for stronger stakeholder engagement and highlighted that "evaluation is too important to be left to evaluators only" stressing the need for broader involvement of all stakeholders in the evaluation process. Another Panel member, Dr. Dirk-Jan Koch, from Radboud University, addressed three boundaries to learning within IFIs—ideological, technical, and institutional—encouraging organizations to continuously challenge assumptions and adapt policies accordingly.
The panelists collectively underscored the importance of making project documents accessible and improving public disclosure policies to promote accountability. They discussed how such measures can enhance trust among stakeholders and support the development of better evaluation practices across institutions. “…regularly updating the public (both tax payers and people who are supposed to benefit from the projects) about the status of projects, including successes and challenges, would allow stakeholders to better assess the bank’s effectiveness and ensure accountability.” said Dr. Dirk-Jan Koch.
Closing the session, Dr. Areef Suleman, Group Chief Economist of IsDB, emphasized that cultivating a culture of learning is key to addressing global challenges. He called for IFIs to prioritize sharing and implementing evaluation findings. “As we look towards the future, we should continue to cultivate a culture of learning within our institutions. This means not only conducting evaluations but actively utilizing their findings to inform policy and practice.”