Meetings and Events

The Asia Pacific continues to face significant challenges, such as income inequality, poverty, conflict, climate change, and food insecurity. To address these issues and accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the institutional development of robust monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) systems, along with capacity building, are critical. The Institutionalization and use of national M&E systems and Embedding robust MEL frameworks within institutions ensures transparency, enhances evidence-based decision-making, and fosters adaptive strategies that drive long-term, sustainable development. Strengthening partnerships at global, regional, and local levels is becoming increasingly important, as it enables the exchange of knowledge, the scaling of best practices, and the inclusive implementation of solutions.

In response to these pressing challenges, the Asia Pacific Regional Evaluation Strategy (APRES) was developed in December 2020 by the Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA), EvalYouth Asia, the Parliamentarians Forum for Development Evaluation – South Asia (PFDE- SA), and other key partners. APRES focuses on advancing the use of evaluation to positively contribute to national development goals and the SDGs across the Pacific region.

Building on the insights accumulated from past conferences and the progress made through APRES and thematic groups supporting the implementation of APRES, this year’s conference will delve into the driving and hindering forces affecting the institutionalization and use of evaluation across countries and continents. Inspired by the findings of the Center for Evaluation (CEval) Evaluation Globe project, the conference aims to generate discussions that will shape more effective strategies for institutionalizing evaluation practices globally.

Additionally, this conference will align with the goals of the Japan Evaluation Society (JES) to promote the strengthening of research and practice in evaluation and the development of human resources to realize and disseminate practical and useful evaluation.

By focusing on institutionalization and capacity building, the 5th APEA Conference aims to empower organizations across the Asia Pacific region with the skills and structures necessary to embed robust evaluation mechanisms within their operations.

The 5th APEA Conference will also be part of EvalVisionAsia 2025 to celebrate the Asia Pacific’s accomplishments in 2025 and to prepare and welcome 2026.

The UK Evaluation Society 2026 conference will bring together lively discussions, innovative ideas, cutting-edge research, and insights on the latest trends. Taking place as a hybrid event, it opens with online sessions on 18 May, followed by in-person sessions at Sheffield City Hall from the afternoon of 19 May until end of the day on 21 May.

How do we make sure evaluation leads to real-world change?
That’s the central question of our 2026 conference, Bridging the gap: evaluation to action. Across three themes, we’ll be exploring how evaluation can shape decisions, build cultures of learning, and communicate findings in ways that inspire action.