It gives me great pleasure to present the proceedings of the 2022 National Evaluation Capacities Conference, which marks a significant milestone in evolution of the conference series since it began in 2009.

Today we are living in uncertain and challenging times. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent crises have changed how countries face the challenge of strengthening national monitoring and evaluation systems. Evaluating the effectiveness of public policies has become not just a necessity but an imperative.

I hope that these proceedings will provide inspiration and insight for strengthening national evaluation systems in support of collective efforts to get back on track toward the achievement of the SDGs. There are new challenges in the post-pandemic era, but there is also a renewed commitment to foster a more inclusive and sustainable development pathway, to which these proceedings stand testament.