International Year of Evaluation finally launches
JOBURG – Minister Jeff Radebe and the chairperson of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA), Richard Levin, officially launched the International Year of Evaluation in South Africa.
South Africans are encouraged to participate in the 2015 Evaluation Year programme of activities.
Minister Jeff Radebe and Richard Levin, chairperson of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association, officially launched the International Year of Evaluation on 19 March at the University of the Witswatersrand.
According to Levin, 2015 was declared the International Year of Evaluation (EvalYear), during the third International Conference on National Evaluation Capacities in São Paulo, Brazil.
“Evaluations help to improve learning and provide an opportunity for people who are often excluded from participating in important decision-making and they strengthen institutions and initiatives. Good evaluations also build trust and help to hold government bodies and other role players accountable for their performance,” said Levin.
“The aim of EvaluationYear is to advocate and promote evaluation and evidence-based policy making at international, regional, national and local levels,” said Levin.
Minister Radebe added that Evaluation Year will improve performance of government and also accountability. “We want to know where public spending is going, and whether government spending is making a difference.”
He also noted that another objective would be to, “Generate knowledge of what works and what does not with regard to our public policies, or programmes, which allow government to build an evidence base for future policy development, and to make decisions on the worth of our programmes and policies and whether to continue or replace them.”
The Evaluation Year conference will be held in October and the theme will be Using evaluation to improve people’s lives. The event will also be used as a platform of debate.
