Transformational Change

Moderator

• Heather Bryant, Evaluation Advisor, GEI/UNDP IEO

Panellists

• David Marchesseault, Evaluation Manager, Global Affairs Canada
• Dr. Angelina Mattijo- Bazugba, Associate Professor of Social Policy, and Dean/Director of National Transformational Leadership Institute, University of Juba, South Sudan
• Dr. Shabnum Sarfraz, Senior Advisor Social Sector and Development, Served as Member Planning Commission, Government of Pakistan
• Daniella Jacques, President of the Board of Directors, Chamber of Commerce for Women Entrepreneurs of Haiti

Integrating human rights-based, gender-sensitive and feminist approaches in National Evaluation Systems for transformational change.

• This session builds on two foundational ideas. First, that the vision of the 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved without achieving gender equality and social inclusion. Second, that strong monitoring and evaluation systems are critical to transformational change. Thus, it follows that governments and institutions need M&E systems and practices that ensure all evaluations and evidence systems are gender- and inclusion-responsive. The session sought to answer the question, what will it take to get to that point?
• Changing M&E systems require changing narratives. Data can be used to illustrate development challenges from new perspectives and influence policymakers. For example in Pakistan, the emphasis used to be on gender-based violence as a reason to promote gender parity, but recently, experts have changed the narrative to emphasize economic arguments, e.g., that the returns on education are higher for women than for men, so there is a strong economic incentive for women to acquire more education.Using disaggregated data and presenting it in persuasive ways helps to change minds even in a traditional, male-dominated world.
• Canada has been at the forefront of integrating gender-sensitive approaches to evaluation and is now advancing feminist evaluation. At its core, a feminist evaluation is an evaluation that subscribes to and tries to embody three core feminist beliefs: (i) there should be equity amongst humans; (ii) gender inequity leads to social injustice; and (iii) gender-based inequalities are systemic and intersect with other causes of discrimination.
• Experience from South Sudan shows that strengthening government M&E systems and integrating gender-transformative approaches requires political will and legal and policy frameworks that address gendered norms. The National Development Plan can be a starting point. Strengthening capacities and voices to express what is needed, and to question, is also important.
• Lessons from projects in Haiti point to the need for innovative tools for data collection, for regular data collection and adequate funding for field monitoring to capture the diverse experiences of women, to plan for M&E from the outset, and to link M&E to communication.

Conclusion

Establishing gender-responsive evaluation systems is a challenging task that will take time, effort and nuance. And yet, it is essential. As evaluators and technocrats, we all have a responsibility to continually bring the subject of gender equality and social inclusion to the table.