WB Trust Fund for Global Evaluation Capacity Initiative, GECI

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

To achieve the SDGs countries need strong Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems and capacities, encompassing i) an adequate enabling environment with high levels of awareness of the role of evaluation in evidence-based policy-making as well as the necessary regulatory environment in place to support the use of evidence in program design and decision-making; ii) institutional frameworks and practices for evaluative evidence to be generated and used in parliaments, ministries, government agencies and civil society organizations; iii) and individual capacities to generate high quality and relevant evaluative evidence. There is a growing demand from governments and other stakeholders in Emerging, Developing and Fragile Economies (EDFE) to strengthen their M&E systems and capacities. A recent study by the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) showed that, while 91 % of national development strategies referring to the Agenda2030 and the SDGs, only 35 % of them have data and systems to track implementation. The Global Evaluation Capacity Initiative (GECI) is an inclusive multi-stakeholder partnership aiming to create a bridge between evaluation capacity demand and supply by pooling technical and financial resources of several global actors through a multi-donor TF with the objective to increase the number of countries and institutions equipped with high quality M&E systems and capacities to improve their performance and progress towards the SDGs. Further GECI aims to equip governmental institutions (at national and sub-national levels), as well as local NGOs and (potentially) private sector organizations with strong M&E systems and capacities, anchored in local cultures and practices and informed by global, regional and local best practices. As a result, GECI's partner countries and institutions will become champions of accountability, evidence-based learning, and informed decision-making at country level. GECI collaborators include World Bank IEG, UNDP IEO, OECD_DAC EvalNet, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), bilateral donors such as Sweden, New Zealand, The Netherlands; Germany, Denmark and Norway (TBC). Finland's support at mobilization phase is of 250 000 euros for use in 2020-2021. Further funding will be considered on the basis of achieved results.