Country-led evaluations and the SDGs

Moderator

• Thomas Rossmueller, UNICEF, Partnerships and Capacity Development Officer

Panelists

• Ada Ocampo,International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS), President
• Bala Yusuf-Yunusa, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Nigeria, Senior Technical Adviser
• Nea-Mari Heinonen, Development Evaluation Unit, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland, Deputy Director and Lead Evaluation Specialist

Small Group Panelists

• Julio Olivo,  National Planning Secretariat, Ecuador, Director of Public Policy Evaluation
• Liping Xu, International Poverty Reduction Center in China, Director of Research Division
• Shao Chaofeng, Nankai University, China, Professor
• Timothy Lubanga, Office of the Prime Minister, Uganda Commissioner for Monitoring and Evaluation

Discussion Themes

• There is a pressing need to intensify efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030, as current progress is insufficient. The five-year window remaining requires immediate and focused action, with evaluations playing a pivotal role in redirecting and accelerating these efforts. The success of SDG implementation relies heavily on accurate, data-driven decision-making. 
• Country-led evaluations are indispensable for tracking SDG progress, ensuring accountability and understanding local challenges. Government ownership of evaluation processes is necessary to ensure that they are aligned with national priorities and contexts. This approach strengthens domestic capacities and reduces reliance on external assessments.
• Evaluations must be tailored to the unique circumstances of each country, taking into account their specific challenges, resources and socio-political contexts. Furthermore, inclusive evaluations that involve diverse stakeholders—especially marginalized groups, women and youth—ensure that all voices are heard and contribute to more effective and equitable policy decisions.
• Ongoing global crises, including climate change, conflict and displacement, exacerbate existing development challenges and affect the achievement of SDGs. Evaluations must account for these external factors and adjust strategies accordingly. Governments need to be proactive in addressing these crises while ensuring that the SDG agenda remains on track.
• The complexity of achieving the SDGs requires collaboration among governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector. Shared learning and cross-country exchanges of knowledge and best practices are essential for overcoming common challenges and enhancing the impact of development initiatives.
• Barriers to country-led evaluation include the existence of different frameworks, approaches and terminology. Additionally, there is the challenge of aligning incentives among different actors within a given system. To overcome these barriers, work is being undertaken to translate global and national norms to local contexts as a basis for exchange and learning. Joint country-led evaluation remains an opportunity for aligning capabilities and resources for effective evaluation.