Thank you for your valuable contributions to this online discussion in the lead-up to the Global Impact Evaluation Forum 2025. Your reflections, and examples enriched the conversation on how the UN and its partners can better connect impact evaluation, decision-making and UN reform.
A few key messages stood out across the contributions:
Impact evaluations must be designed for decisions, not just for reports. Many of you stressed the importance of starting from concrete policy and programming questions, embedding learning loops, and ensuring that evidence is generated and communicated at the speed of operations, rather than arriving “too late” to inform real-time choices.
Localising evidence requires shifting power to local actors. Contributors highlighted that evaluations are most useful when questions, methods, data and interpretation are co-created with national institutions, local governments, civil society, and communities, and when evidence systems strengthen national capacities and data systems rather than bypass them.
Over the coming days, we will prepare and share a short discussion summary capturing the main insights, as well as a blog that will highlight key lessons and messages.
Thank you once again for your engagement and for advancing this important conversation.
RE: Global Impact Evaluation Forum 2025: Forging evidence partnerships for effective action
Zimbabwe
Chamisa Innocent
EvalforEarth CoP Facilitator/Coordinator
EvalforEarth CoP
Posted on 12/12/2025