New Delhi, India, 2005

Coordinator2005 Conference, Conferences

IDEAS 2005 Global Assembly was held in New Delhi, India, April 11-14, with the theme “Evaluation for Development – Beyond Aid”.  Through its choice of theme, IDEAS sought to recognize the crucial role that evaluation can play in contributing to poverty reduction, human security and in advancing the sustainable development agenda.

The conference  highlighted innovative evaluation thinking and practices that are emerging in response to the shifts in the way development is conceptualized and implemented. Over a three-day period, the Conference devoted time to:

  • examining the implications of the changing context and concepts of development for evaluation and the evaluation community
  • assessing new responses in methods, processes and outcomes shaping the practice of development evaluation
  • sharing innovative experiences in evaluation methods among practitioners, users and beneficiaries of development evaluation; and,
  • examining the new forms of partnerships and capacities needed to rethink, reshape and reform development evaluation in the future.

A complementary objective of the Conference was to enhance skills and capacities among young evaluators seeking entry into the field of development evaluation as well as to engage experienced evaluators who wished to share and update their skills to meet new evaluation challenges.  This was achieved through a series of skill-building Workshops and Roundtables on Day 3 led by respected evaluation trainers. Action-oriented partnership meetings between developing country evaluation organizations, parliaments and civil society leaders, as well as focused-workshops on partnership by development assistance organizations were also convened on Day 3 of the Conference with the objective of reaching agreement on the steps needed for collaborative work programs to re-shape development evaluation.