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Session Title: International Efforts to Strengthen Evaluation as a Profession and Build Evaluation Capacity

Panel Session 805 to be held in International Ballroom C on Saturday, November 10, 1:50 PM to 3:20 PM

Sponsored by the International and Cross-cultural Evaluation TIG

Chair(s):

Arnold payday loan  Love payday loan ,  Independent Consultant,  ajlove1@attglobal.net

Discussant(s):

Arnold payday loan  Love payday loan ,  Independent Consultant,  ajlove1@attglobal.net

Abstract: Evaluation practice is spreading rapidly in many parts of the world, and along with it comes increasing need for professional evaluation expertise. However, professional evaluation expertise and know-how is not something that can be created over night. Building evaluation capacity and developing evaluation as a field of professional practice is a major challenge everywhere, but especially for developing countries. This panel draws on recent international experiences in United Nations family of agencies, Japan, and Latin America/Caribbean to address critical questions regarding the professionalization of evaluation: Who should be responsible for increasing evaluation capacity and promoting professionalization? Should governments and international bodies simply focus on creating the demand for evaluation or directly influence the development of the supply of evaluation expertise? What roles should professional evaluation associations and networks play? What are cost-effective and rapid ways to build high-quality evaluation expertise?

Strengthening Evaluation as a Profession in the United Nations System and Throughout Latin America and the Caribbean Ada payday loan  Ocampo payday loan ,  United Nations Children's Fund,  aocampo@unicef.org Ada Ocampo will discuss the strengthening of the evaluation function in the United Nations system, describing why there is a need for professional evaluators, the competencies profile for United Nations evaluators, the training strategy for building a professional cadre of evaluators, and its expected outcomes. She will also describe the latest developments in the professionalization of evaluation in Latin America, including the creation of a new Virtual Masters degree. Ocampo is currently a Programme Officer with the Evaluation Offices of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with over 20 years of evaluation experience. She has served with the United Nations Development Programme, as coordinator for Monitoring and Evaluation of the International Fund for Agricultural Development. She created the first Latin American network on evaluation, organized several regional e-conferences on evaluation, and published several books and multimedia CDs on evaluation.

Building the Evaluation Profession in Japan: Experience of the Japanese Evaluation Society (JES) Accreditation Program Masafumi payday loan  Nagao payday loan ,  Hiroshima University,  nagaom@hiroshima-u.ac.jp Masafumi Nagao will describe the Accreditation Program developed by the Japan Evaluation Society to build evaluation as a profession and increase evaluation capacity in Japan, including an update of the pilot-test of the program in the area of school evaluation and plans for creating evaluation training programs in development assistance and governmental administration. Nagao is a research professor at the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education at Hiroshima University where he conducts research relating to the evaluation of international aid programs and projects in the field of education. He is a member of the Board of the Japan Evaluation Society and has served with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation and with the Technology Division of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. He also leads an international network of foundations and organizations in 11 Asian countries and territories for the promotion of transnational civil society.

Innovative Approaches for Increasing the Evaluation Capacity of International Educators and School Evaluators Keiko payday loan  Kuji-Shikatani payday loan ,  Independent Consultant,  kujikeiko@aol.com Keiko Kuji-Shikatani will describe the development a new interactive on-line evaluation course for international education practitioners designed to help them build their competency in conducting, commissioning or using evaluations in keeping with their program and funding requirements. Kuji-Shikatani is a program evaluation and learning specialist, providing evaluation, research, and capacity development services to organizations with training, skills development, behavioral and attitudinal change programs, in Canada, Japan, and internationally. She has worked for over 20 years with various non-profit organizations to improve their programs serving children, youth, women, families, immigrants, and workers in challenging situations. She has served as chair of the Canadian Evaluation Society's Ontario Chapter, past chair of the CES Ontario Professional Development Committee, and represents the CES as a Quality Assurance Advisor for the Japan Evaluation Society, sharing Canadian expertise in training professionals in program evaluation and research methodologies.