CGIAR Independent Evaluation Arrangement

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!!!!Fund%Council%!11th%Meeting%(FC11)—Mexico%City,%Mexico%May%798,%2014%%!!!WORKING(DOCUMENT(%%%%!Independent!Evaluation!Arrangement!(IEA)!2013!Activity!Report!!%%%%%%%%%Submitted!by:!!Independent!Evaluation!Arrangement!(IEA)!! 2013 Activity and Financial Report  Independent  Evaluation Arrangement  iea.cgiar.org         Independent Evaluation Arrangement (IEA)  2013 Activity and Financial Report           April 2014       IEA 2013 Activity and Financial Report  Independent  Evaluation Arrangement  iea.cgiar.org   Section 1 - 2013 Activities Summary of Achievements  In 2013, the Independent Evaluation Arrangement (IEA) initiated work on its first projects in line with its program of work and budget approved by the Fund Council. Work concentrated on two main areas of IEA activities:  (1) Evaluation of CRPs; and  (2) development and strengthening of an Evaluation Community of Practice (ECOP).  The following highlight the main activities and achievements in 2013.  x Set up the IEA office in FAO, recruited staff and set up administrative processes. x Initiated three major evaluative efforts: o Governance and Management Review initiated with final draft report completed in December 2013 to provide a comprehensive review, and strategic recommendations for governance and management in the new reformed CGIAR; o initiated the first CRP evaluation, Forests, Trees and Agroforestry Evaluation  (CRP-FTA), which aims to improve the strategy of the CRP as well as serve as a test model for future CRP evaluations;  o Generation Challenge Program (GCP) review initiated. Developed in coordination with the European Union (EU) and funded by the GCP, the review aims to capture lessons learned and potential ways forward.  x Developed the ECOP in the CGIAR and launched the network at a workshop bringing together, for the first time, evaluators across the CGIAR to strengthen capacity and networking opportunities.  x Established strong relationships with the Consortium Office, CGIAR Centers and CRP leaders, the Fund Council and the Evaluation and Impact Assessment Committee (EIAC). x Established the Quality Assurance Advisory Panel (QAAP) to provide strategic advice on evaluation approaches, standards and procedures.  x Developed and began implementation of a communications strategy for IEA, and developed and launched the IEA website (iea.cgiar.org), which also provides a database for evaluation reports and guidelines, as well as a source for updated information on evaluations.    2     IEA 2013 Activity and Financial Report  Independent  Evaluation Arrangement  iea.cgiar.org  2013 Activity Report  Establishing IEA office  IEA was officially established in2013, which was its first year of operation. As such, significant time and effort was spent in setting up the office, developing operational and administrative procedures, acquiring office space in FAO, and procuring office equipment. In addition, and as approved by the Fund Council, one administrative support and one senior professional staff were recruited after transparent and competitive processes and following FAO rules and regulations. IEA also recruited the services of three consultants (two of which are evaluation research analysts) to provide support to the IEA core activities. Evaluations  The first priority of IEA is to undertake evaluations of CRPs. With a small team based in Rome, the IEA commissions external evaluations to external expert consultants, with IEA playing a central role in planning, designing, initiating, and managing the evaluations, ensuring consultation of stakeholders, quality control of evaluation processes and outputs, and dissemination of the results. External evaluation teams are supported by IEA staff and a research assistant involved in collection of data and information, development of methodological tools and preliminary analysis of data.  Governance and Management Review of CRPs  IEA was tasked with providing a comprehensive review of the governance and management of CRPs. The review aimed to assess to what extent the practices put in place for CRPs are contributing to the effective and efficient delivery of appropriate research and capacity development outputs, while meeting international good standards of practice, including fiduciary and risk minimization standards.  The review explored the relationships between CRP and Center Management and governance functions, and identified a set of principles for CRP governance, oversight and management that accommodate structural flexibility. In 2013, IEA completed the inception phase, and the review team started the inquiry phase, collecting and analysing additional data, conducting interviews, and surveys. A series of webinars with primary stakeholders took place in November 2013 to allow for an exchange on the preliminary findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Review. The final draft report was completed in December 2013 and was circulated to stakeholders for comments and feedback.    3      IEA 2013 Activity and Financial Report  Independent  Evaluation Arrangement  iea.cgiar.org  CRP on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry  The first evaluation to be undertaken by the IEA is the CRP-FTA. The evaluation results are expected to feed into the decision-making of CRP-FTA management in order to help improving the strategy and its implementation process, as well as in designing the second phase of FTA.  In consultation with CRP-FTA key stakeholders, IEA planned and designed the evaluation, selected and recruited the team and set up a Reference Group consisting of key stakeholders of the Program. During the inception phase an inception report (available online) was prepared by the Team Leader in close collaboration with IEA, which detailed the approach, methodology and schedule of the evaluation. The inquiry phase, including visits to Centers and research sites took place from September 2013 to January 2014, and the final draft of the report is expected in April 2014.  Review of the Generation Challenge Program  Responding to a request by the GCP, IEA accepted to commission and manage an independent external review of the Challenge Program (CP) one year prior the CP’s expected termination date. This review is entirely funded by the GCP. It was planned (including development of terms of reference and selection of the review team) in consultation with the EU, one of the GCP’s major donors, so as to satisfy the donor’s evaluation needs without having to conduct two separate reviews. In 2013, the evaluation team was recruited and began their work, including data collection and analysis.  The terms of reference for the evaluation are available online, and the final report is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2014.  Evaluation Community of Practice  As specified in the Evaluation Policy, the establishment of a CGIAR ECOP is one of the essential steps in strengthening evaluation across the CGIAR: through building a strong network of staff able to design, commission and manage evaluations, while also supporting evaluation staff with access to peer support and other resources, and by enhancing joint planning. The ECOP is open to membership by all those in the CGIAR having significant evaluation responsibilities as part of their job descriptions.  The ECOP was officially launched at the end of October 2013 at its first workshop in Rome. The workshop brought together evaluation staff from CRPs and Centers to discuss the new evaluation framework in the CGIAR, and its various components. Both the Consortium Office and the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) were also invited to present to the workshop participants on their role in monitoring and impact assessment, which relate to the evaluation process.  4      IEA 2013 Activity and Financial Report  Independent  Evaluation Arrangement  iea.cgiar.org  The Preparation for the workshop included contacting all CRPs and Centers to identify and establish a network of evaluation focal points, with approximately 50 members identified. In addition, a pilot site and forum for the ECOP was established to share information (https://sites.google.com/site/ieacgiarecop/home-1) through which the evaluation focal points are all connected. Workshop participants were also able to discuss CRP evaluation plans as well as identify potential activities for the ECOP community. Five ECOP members volunteered to be ECOP Stewards to assist in moving activities ahead and work with IEA on building the ECOP community. For more information, the workshop report can be found online.  Quality Assurance System  As envisaged in the Evaluation Policy, the IEA took measures to strengthen its quality assurance system. This involved both internal and external quality assurance mechanisms and processes.  Evaluation Standards and Guidelines  The evaluation policy, standards and good practices form the basis of the quality assurance system. The IEA standards outline the procedures for managing external evaluations and also delineate responsibilities of those who manage evaluations, evaluators and those being evaluated. The standards and their annexes underwent a slight revision process in 2013, with a more detailed and comprehensive revision planned for 2014. The current versions of the guidelines and standards can be found online through the IEA website. Establishment of a Quality Assurance Advisory Panel (QAAP)  The QAAP was established to support IEA management in delivering quality evaluations. The Advisory Panel is composed of four senior evaluators with considerable international experience of developing countries and knowledge of agricultural and natural resources research. The QAAP provides strategic advice to IEA on areas such as evaluation approaches, standards and procedures; rolling IEA workplan; development of the CGIAR evaluation network and community of practice; and effective follow-up to evaluation.  Communications Following the canvassing of proposals for the development of the IEA website, a company specialised on web design was selected to design and develop the IEA website to be hosted within the www.cgiar.com domain.  Towards the end of 2013, the IEA website was launched (iea.cgiar.org). The website provides the CGIAR community and its stakeholders a central point for all evaluation information, plans, publications and resources. The website includes a document database 5      IEA 2013 Activity and Financial Report  Independent  Evaluation Arrangement  iea.cgiar.org  (http://iea.cgiar.org/publications) which includes the IEA evaluation standards, guidelines and evaluation TORs, inception reports and evaluation final reports.  IEA also developed a newsletter focusing on IEA latest information and activities on evaluations (latest version available online). The newsletter is distributed biannually to stakeholders, while interested parties can subscribe online.   Liaising with other System Entities, Centers and CRPs and partners  IEA has been active in liaising with other system entities, Centers, and CRPs. In regards to CRPs, the involvement of evaluation staff in the ECOP has allowed for close interaction with members. IEA staff has also consulted closely and collaborated with the Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC) and SPIA on common activities and areas of common interest. In addition, IEA has engaged in dialogue with the ISPC/SPIA and the Consortium on the interrelationships between monitoring, impact assessment and evaluation and clarification in roles among those respective units. Two discussion papers are being prepared by the IEA jointly with SPIA and the Consortium on impact assessment and evaluation and monitoring and evaluation respectively.  This clarification in roles will be useful to all stakeholders in the CGIAR including the Fund Council Member (especially EIAC), the Consortium, CRPs, and Centers. It will also facilitate more effective collaboration (by delineating the when, where and how) between the various bodies engaged in the interlocked areas of evaluation, impact assessment and monitoring, i.e. IEA, SPIA, CGIAR Consortium, CRPs and Centers.  IEA has also been active in communicating and exchange of information with Center/CRP staff as well as participating in various meetings (ISPC meetings, Board Orientation Program, system-level workshops, Consortium Board meetings). The Head of the IEA has also been engaged in the Strengthening Impact Assessment in the CGIAR (SIAC) Steering Committee.  Other liaison activities have included exchange with the Fund Council members through the EIAC and information sharing and coordination of evaluation plan with donors, in particular the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the EU. Liaising with professional networks  Close relationships have been maintained with evaluation professional networks outside the CGIAR, in particular with the Rome-based agencies’ evaluation functions (FAO, World Food Programme (WFP) and IFAD). In addition, IEA requested and obtained observer status to the UNEG (United Nations Evaluation Group).    6     

IEA 2013 Activity Report

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IEA 2013 Activity Report

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