The Program of Social Policy and Evaluation Research (PROSPER) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Public Policy (CPP) organized EvalSouth Conference 2023 from November 14 to 15, 2023, to promote and advance the state of the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) sector in the Global South.

Held under the theme Driving Progress: Evaluation in the Global South, EvalSouth Conference 2023 sought to strengthen the integration of M&E in the political, social, and professional systems of the Global South by fostering a vibrant knowledge exchange among professionals, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers from around the world. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), New Development Bank, and Qatar Charity served as partners, supporting PROSPER in organizing the conference.

The conference began with a high-level panel discussion on the pivotal role of a culture of evaluation in driving the adoption of evaluation practices within policy-making in the Global South. Participants included Halimé Kaakour, Member of Parliament, Republic of Lebanon; Kabir Hashim, Member of Parliament, Sri Lanka, and Chair, Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation; Marco Segone, Director of the Evaluation Office, United Nations Population Fund; Ashwani K. Muthoo, Director General of the Independent Evaluation Office, New Development Bank (NDB); and Zenda Offir, South African Representative, NDB High-Level International Evaluation Advisory Committee. 

Commenting on EvalSouth Conference 2023’s value as a hub of M&E expertise, Dr. Anis Ben Brik, Associate Professor, CPP, and Founding Director, PROSPER, said: “Developing the M&E sector throughout the Global South supports the development of more effective public policies that meet the unique demands of communities throughout these countries. Our successful hosting of EvalSouth Conference 2023 demonstrates HBKU’s and CPP’s commitment to transcend borders and build capacity in Qatar and beyond.”

Participants gathered to explore existing evaluation policy frameworks and the culture of evaluation throughout the Global South. They also discussed contemporary topics in the field, including the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in M&E, evaluation-informed policymaking, evaluation advocacy, youth engagement and capacity development.

Practitioners from Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation, Asia-Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA), Evaluation Association of Bhutan, Bolivian Monitoring and Evaluation Network, Brazilian Monitoring and Evaluation Network (BMEN), Costa Rica Evaluation Network, Latin American and Caribbean Monitoring, Evaluation, and Systematization Network (ReLAC), Middle East and North Africa Evaluation Network (EvalMENA), Moroccan Evaluation Association, Pakistan Evaluation Association, Paraguayan Evaluation Network, and EvalYemen attended the event. They were joined by experts from UNFPA, the Centre for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA), EvalYouth Global Network, International Evaluation Academy, Islamic Development Bank, and National School of Public Administration (ENAP).

HBKU’s CPP aims to become one of the leading public policy schools in the region and the world and a center for teaching and researching responses to policy questions of local and global relevance. The College actively leverages local and transnational synergies and collaborations with distinguished international partners to facilitate expertise and build capacity in Qatar and beyond.