Randika De MelManager of Asia Pacific Evaluation Association Through the generous support of EvalIndigenous, I was able to attend the Indigenous Evaluation Gathering organized by EvalIndigenous, the Canadian Evaluation Society and the Atlantic Indigenous Evaluation Stewardship Circle and I was able to attend the Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) Conference at Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada from May 3rd 2024 to May 9th, 2024. This post outlines the key learnings and highlights from my participation at the Indigenous Evaluation Gathering. Day 1. 4 May 2024Personally, for me to take part in the sweat lodge ceremony with the First Nations people was a rewarding experience. This experience helped me learn about the cultural practices of the First Nations people and the importance of the sweat lodge ceremony is for them. Furthermore, during the sweat lodge ceremony, I learnt about the importance of conserving the environment is for the First Nations people in Canada. Overall, the sweat lodge ceremony taught me to be patient during the extreme heart, to be mindful, and to focus on myself in my daily life. During the Indigenous gathering for dinner and stories, I learnt about the different cultural rituals and practices of the Indigenous people in Canada and also the problems they face. The problems the Indigenous people in Canada face are somewhat similar to the problems that the Indigenous people face in Sri Lanka such as land displacement, discrimination and marginalization, climate change and environmental degradation etc. Also, it was shocking and heart breaking for me to learn about the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada. Further, during this gathering, I was able to share the work done by APEA and EvalIndigenous in the Asia Pacific Region in order to promote Indigenous evaluation practices. Day 3. 5 May 2024During the keynote speech, Fiona Cram, Co-Chair of EvalIndigenous highlighted the work undertaken by EvalIndigenous in Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. I was able to learn about the work been carried out by my peers in Africa and Latin America. And the areas where APEA might be able to collaborate for learning opportunities with other regions in relation to Indigenous evaluation.
Additionally, I was able to share with other participants on the work that was conducted by APEA for the EvalIndigenous Ford Foundation grant. Especially, the participants were interested to learn about the Indigenous Evaluation toolkit developed by APEA. Moreover, I took part in the “Red Dress Day” in order to support the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and their families. For the “Red Dress Day,” we walked from the legislature to the Old Burial grounds at Fredericton. During this ceremony, it was sad to learn about the recently murdered Indigenous chief sister. Taking part in this march taught me that more steps and initiatives are needed to be taken to protect the lives of Indigenous women and girls in Canada.
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The 11th African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) International Conference opened its doors on Monday, 18 March 2024 in the beautiful City of Kigali, in Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills. The EvalIndigenous Global Network was ably represented by the Co-Chairs, Dr. Fiona Cram and Eric Serge Yakeu-Djiam. The others who represented their various regions were: Jhank Narayan Shrestha, the President of the Nepal Evaluation Society (NES) and the Vice-President of the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA), Arnoux Mouafo Nopi, the Vice President of the Cameroun Development Evaluation Association (CaDEA), and Corine Rosanne Njomo also from Cameroun; Solomon Gitau Waiyego, an Indigenous YEE from Kenya, Dr. Florence Etta, the President of AGDEN and the two AfrEA Co-Convenors for EvalIndigenous namely: John Tembo Njovu and Dr. Awuor Ponge. It is good to note that EvalIndigenous was able to provide support to participants to attend the Conference, including some YEEs who took part in the Ford Foundation funded study. It was a pleasure receiving representation of EvalIndigenous from Latin America represented by Celeste Ghiano of ReLAC and her Team. On Wednesday, 20 March 2024, the main Conference opened its doors and brought together over 650 registered participants far exceeding our expectation of a maximum 500 participants. So far, in the History of AfrEA, this is touted as the most well-attended conference. The welcome plenary was hosted jointly by AfrEA and the Rwanda Monitoring and Evaluation Organisation (RMEO). The key speakers included: the AfrEA President, Rosetti Nabbumba Nayenga; the RMEO President, Eugene Nyirigira Gatari; and a representative of the Rwanda Minister for Finance. The Special Address was delivered by Dr. Omotade Akin-Aina, the Chief, Impact and Research Officer at The Mastercard Foundation, which was the Platinum Sponsor for the Conference. The session was chaired by AfrEA President, Madam Rosetti Nabbumba Nayenga; while the Master-of-the-Ceremony was the ever-smiling President of the Uganda Evaluation Association (UEA), Matthew Lubuulwa. On this fourth day of the conference, I made a presentation under Strand 7 under the Sub-theme:“Indigenous Evaluation and Ethics: Recalibrating the Made in Africa Evaluation in the Context of the Decolonization Debate”. The session was chaired by Veteran Indigenous Evaluator from Zambia, who is also the Africa Co-Chair of the EvalIndigenous Global Network, John Tembo Njovu. My presentation was on: “Navigating the Intersection of Indigenous Evaluation and Ethics in Africa.” It highlighted the similarities between the African Evaluation Principles (AEP) developed between 2019 and 2021 and the Indigenous African Ethical Protocol for Evaluations, which I developed for the EvalIndigenous Global Network in 2021. The key similarities revolved around the issues of cultural sensitivity and contextual relevance; community engagement and participation; decolonisation and empowerment. I highlighted the ethical considerations and the stress on the importance of ethical conduct in evaluations, acknowledging the value of local knowledge and indigenous wisdom; emphasising the importance of effective communication that respects local languages, modes of expression, and communication channels; and lastly on the idea that evaluations should contribute to the long-term sustainability and development of African communities. In terms of differences, the main areas of concern were on focus and scope; cultural emphasis; indigenous knowledge and participation; decolonisation and empowerment; spiritual and sacred aspects; community protocols and consent; local languages and communication and universal applicability of the principles vis-à-vis the ethical protocol. The other presenters during this session were EvalIndigenous Co-Chair, Eric Serge Yakeu-Djiam: “The Local is Indigenous: EvalIndigenous advocacy for Indigenous evaluation”; Ronald Kimambo:“Reimagining Beneficiary Metrics: Perspectives from Global South Practitioners in Community Development”; and Kevin Obura: “Community ethics review: Reflections from a study on early childhood development and women’s agency.” Thank you, Africa… Thank you AfrEA… We will keep the promise… Amplifying Indigenous Voices: Advancing Equity and Inclusion in Evaluation PracticesBhuban Bajracharya, Dulmina Chamathkara, Prabin Chitrakar, Eroni Wavu, Ana Erika Lareza, Randika De Mel, and Madhuka Liyanagamage present at the CES conference. Three in-person and four video presentations were delivered by the team from the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association. Abstract For evaluation to be part of a pathway to wellbeing for Indigenous people, it is essential that evaluators recognize and are responsive to Indigenous cultural contexts. Recognizing the importance of promoting culturally responsive evaluations in Asia Pacific - one of the most culturally diverse regions in the world, Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) and EvalIndigenous worked collaboratively to document and amplify indigenous evaluation practices and curate the experiences and voices of Indigenous knowledge holders and evaluators in the region. This session includes presentations on grant projects supported by EvalIndigenous and the toolkit for Indigenous Evaluation developed by Asia Pacific Evaluation Association. To capture the key learnings from these activities, a toolkit on Indigenous evaluations specifically for the Asia Pacific region was developed to serve as a practical guide that consolidates the existing knowledge and experiences of selected Indigenous communities and evaluators working with Indigenous communities in Asia Pacific and an advocacy tool that seeks to promote culturally responsive evaluations in the region. The main aim of this session is to amplify Indigenous evaluation project practices by bringing together Indigenous knowledge holders and Indigenous evaluators and global national evaluation systems and policies to increasingly recognize and support Indigenous. Short clips from the in-person presentations are included below. The video clips are on our Reports page, along with the written reports from the seeding grant projects being described.
Reflecting on AfrEA International Conference 2024: Advancing Evaluation Practices in Africa4/2/2024 The AfrEA International Conference 2024 held in Kigali, Rwanda, showcased a vibrant exchange of ideas and insights aimed at advancing evaluation practices across Africa. With a focus on decolonizing evaluation and embracing culturally responsive methodologies, the conference brought together a diverse range of stakeholders committed to evidence-based decision-making for development interventions on the continent. Key themes such as "Evaluation Entrepreneurship in Africa" and "Decolonizing Evaluation" highlighted the importance of transformative change and underscored the pivotal role evaluations play in shaping impactful policies and programs for sustainable development. The conference provided invaluable networking opportunities, fostering connections with professionals from various sectors and regions. These interactions laid the groundwork for potential collaborations and knowledge exchanges that hold promise for future endeavors. Gender diversity and inclusiveness were commendable aspects of the conference, with women's participation matching or even surpassing that of men—a reflection of the event's inclusive ethos. In conclusion, the AfrEA International Conference 2024 was an enlightening and enriching experience. The insights gained and connections forged will inform and inspire efforts to foster robust evaluation practices and drive positive change, not only in Africa but also globally.
While we cannot endorse anyone in this directory, we are excited that finding one another is now a little easier. Our thanks go to the Ford Foundation for supporting this project.
The final day of the APEA Conference was spent at the Philippines' House of Representatives. The objectives of this day were to:
The Manila Declaration was launched and we were invited to sign it. You can see video clips of the speeches from the day, and also sign the Declaration here. This panel, moderated by Oyuntsetseg Chuluundorj (Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor, UN Population Fund Asia and Pacific Office), consisted of Fiona (see my presentation below), Rituu Nanda (Participatory Evaluation Advisor), Elene Cloete (Director of Research and Advocacy, Outreach International), Svetlana Negroustoueva (Led, Evaluation at Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service, CGIAR), Melissa Burgess (Director of Research and Evaluation, Save the Children International), and Henk Van Beers (Global Child Participation Lead, Save the Children International). It was an honour to sit among these wonderful people who are so committed to inclusive evaluation practice. Here are some of the messages the panel shared (with a disclaimer that these are largely in my own words):
APEA Conference. Session 2: Evaluation and national evaluation policies for evidence based policy making, 5 December 2023In the second session of the Conference, Henrique Pissaia de Souza (New Development Bank) and Marco Segone (United Nations Population Fund) gave keynote addresses. Takeaways included:
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