Events

This is an intermediate level workshop. It is intended for evaluators and commissioners who aim to expand their foundational understanding of evaluation of both climate change mitigation and adaptation interventions or development evaluations in context of increasing vulnerability or climate-related risks. More

Drawing on IEG’s evaluation Biodiversity for a Livable Planet (FY2010–24), the session shares a methodological journey that combines geospatial analysis against the World Database on Protected Areas, spatial overlays using the LandMark platform and the Garnett et al. dataset to map protected areas in relation to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLC) lands, and systematic review of the Bank’s application of its Indigenous Peoples safeguards. More

Climate-induced losses and damages disproportionately burden vulnerable communities, yet existing financial mechanisms under the UNFCCC remain inadequate for addressing these impacts at the grassroots level. Women's potential for driving climate adaptation and resilience-building remains largely untapped, despite evidence of their crucial role in disaster recovery. This presentation examines an innovative financing model piloted in flood-prone Kurigram district, Bangladesh, which combines blended finance with women-centered capacity building to address these gaps. More

Norway pledged at COP26 in Glasgow to treble climate adaptation aid from NOK 1 billion in 2020 to NOK 3 billion annually by 2026. Would rapid scaling through bilateral and multilateral channels come at the cost of knowledge about results? In a performance audit by the National Audit Office of Norway, we examined whether the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Norad managed aid for climate change adaptation in line with parliamentary expectations and the overarching goal under the Paris agreement of strengthening developing countries' resilience to climate change. More

Measuring climate adaptation effectiveness is essential yet complex. Without robust Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL), it is difficult to assess whether investments in adaptation action genuinely reduces vulnerability and enhance resilience. Yet, tracking performance in terms of outcomes is hindered by robustness of outcome and impact pathways over long time horizons, physio-socio-cultural context dependencies, and fragmented governance scales. MEL is much more than an arbitrary selection of indicators, and accountability for adaptation is inherently political: it implicitly shapes how progress is defined, by whom, and whether the purpose is limited to compliance or oriented towards genuine learning. More

This session will present findings from a 30-year evaluation of the Biodiverse Challenge Fund (BCF). The evaluation is focused on three interrelated issues: sustainability – whether outcomes and impacts persisted beyond project funding and the mechanisms underpinning continued action; scale – how project approaches were replicated geographically or influenced policy at higher levels; and transformational change – whether projects contributed to deeper, cross-sectoral shifts linking biodiversity with livelihoods, rights, and climate resilience. More

For many funders directing capital in climate and gender investment, evidence synthesis is not a shortcut — it is the only option. Primary data collection in these contexts is slow, expensive, and structurally impossible at the pace decisions require. The question is therefore not whether to build investment cases on synthesised evidence, but how to do so responsibly: how to be transparent about what the evidence does and does not warrant, how to communicate uncertainty without undermining use, and critically when to say the evidence might not yet be sufficient to support the claim being made. More

The growing urgency of climate change and environmental degradation has intensified the demand for evaluation systems that can effectively assess not only development outcomes but also environmental sustainability and climate resilience. Within this context, the proposed session contributes to the broader discourse on integrating climate considerations in evaluation by examining how evaluative practice can better capture and inform climate mitigation, adaptation, and environmental sustainability efforts across the United Nations system. More

Forest conservation attracts substantial global investment, yet deforestation continues even within protected areas, raising critical concerns about the effectiveness and accountability of conservation efforts. A central challenge is to determine whether these interventions truly generate environmental and socio-economic benefits, and to estimate what would have occurred in their absence. More

Climate change and environmental degradation continue to pose threats of varied severity across regions. In complex environments, traditional evaluation frameworks often fall short of capturing the dynamic, systemic changes required for effective climate mitigation, adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. To generate actionable evidence, evaluation practices must evolve to integrate methodological innovations across all levels of intervention. This panel will explore how methodological advances, ranging from global evidence synthesis to national digital architectures and grassroots participatory tools, can enhance evaluation’s contribution to climate and environmental policy and climate financing. The discussion will integrate evidence from Asia and Pacific (Pakistan, China, Philippines, East Timor, Vanuatu, Jordan); Africa (Kenya, Madagascar, Somalia, Cameroon, South Africa); Europe (Greece, Turkey); Latin America and Caribbean (Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Guyana, and Honduras); and Global scenarios. More