An effective way to build evaluation capacity and culture at the highest levels, is to engage with key managers and directors while conducting evaluations. The now well-established practice of Evaluation Reference Groups (ERG) does not only add value by experienced leaders in PAHO advising on evaluations, but is also an opportunity to increase their capacity in evaluations, and to reveal "champions" that can support the fostering of an evaluation culture in PAHO, at both regional and country levels.
PAHO is constantly working to further develop in-house capacities to conduct, manage and implement independent evaluations. In this interview to PAHO TV on September 2023, Roberto la Rovere, PAHO's Senior Evaluation Advisor, and Lara Daibert, Evaluation and Research Specialist talk about strengthening the evaluation culture within the Organization.
PAHO has been investing significantly in building capacity on evaluation. In 2023, two training sessions on evaluation were delivered during the Program Management Network (PMN) meeting held in Guatemala in June. This workshop was a platform for sharing crucial insights on the difficulties faced in decentralized evaluations, facilitating learning among peers. A follow-up training session was held in September and four Evaluation Clinics are planned for 2024, to delve into the fundamental principlees of evaluation and application of evaluation methodologies within the Organization, including the role staff play in evaluation use and follow-up.