Top 5 M&E Networks, Groups, Associations and Agencies

When working in Monitoring and Evaluation, particularly in a consultancy role, being part of associations and ensuring that you are aware of important affiliations is important. There is a long overdue, strong drive to professionalize M&E practice and to ensure that practitioners around the world adhere to quality standards. This is not just networking but is an important part of staying ahead of the M&E news, keeping track of opportunities for work, and ensuring that you continue to learn. Registering with professional bodies will show that you have taken the necessary steps to ensure that your practice meets international standards and that you respect the required levels of professional conduct in evaluation practice. This article includes some of the top groups, associations, and affiliations.

The International Organisation for Cooperation in Evaluation

The IOCE is a global, representative body which represents Voluntary Organisations for Professional Evaluation (VOPE) across the globe. They are a membership driven organisation, and provide critical resources, and a space for practitioners to share information on evaluation across the globe. Their work is in improving capacity and leadership skills for evaluation associations in order to professionalise M&E practice, ensure good governance, and excellent quality. Through this, they hope to improve development practice, and ensure greater social outcomes. The IOCE includes a full directory of their members which is helpful if you are looking to network with local associations or those who may have experience, knowledge and resources in places you are conducting work. The IOCE formed EvalPartners, an innovative global advocacy group in partnership with the UN.

Country and regional M&E Associations

Local Evaluation societies and organisations are important partners in development practice. They may be connected to important country-level partners and will ensure that your work meets professional standards for the region. But apart from this, these organisations are important for shared learning, innovation and for disseminating new ideas to grow the global best practice in monitoring and evaluation.

The International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS)

IDEAS is the only global, professional evaluation association, and aims to build and improve evaluation practice globally. Their mission is to improve development evaluation practice through building and refining knowledge, strengthening capacity and building networks. The organisation is hosting a conference and summit in September of 2022.

The GEI

The GEI runs a series of sector building activities, and their newsletter is a great way to receive key updates for global development practice. GEI support developing countries in building Monitoring and Evaluation capabilities and competencies in the public sector and beyond. As such, they are a very well-connected international initiative. They build M&E ecosystems are keep up to date resources which keep evidence-based approaches as the forefront.

The DAC Network on Development Evaluation

The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD aims to increase effectiveness of programmes in international development by supporting evaluation processes and practices. The network convenes leaders in the evaluation space for cooperation between agencies and multilateral development institutions.

The UN Evaluation group

The UN Evaluation Groups (UNEG) is a group which coordinates Evaluation activities across the functions and departments of the UN. The group includes a forum where important issues around global evaluation practice is discussed. The organisation aims to simplify evaluation practice across complexity to create a refined practice and to enhance the accuracy and specificity, by creating certain global standards for development practice.