GEI captures and curates innovative monitoring and evaluation (M&E) knowledge as well as practical on-the-ground experience - sharing it globally and locally. We facilitate knowledge transfer across geographic and cultural boundaries, especially focusing on South-South exchange and how to adapt global lessons and best practices to local contexts. GEI seeks to become a global resource for local and global M&E knowledge.
Access to relevant knowledge on monitoring, evaluation and evidence use is a crucial component of a supportive environment for improving M&E systems. Facilitating this access – and stakeholder awareness and understanding of the role of M&E and evidence - is a vital part of GEI’s efforts in each country where we work. In addition, GEI captures knowledge on successful and innovative approaches and amplifies it among Network partners and within the broader M&E community.
GEI partners capture, develop and share knowledge with M&E audiences through a variety of approaches, products and channels. For example, GEI Network members regularly convene M&E stakeholders to facilitate knowledge transfer, foster collaboration, and stimulate innovation through in-person and on-line events. GEI’s annual gLOCAL Evaluation Week, in which organizations across the globe host hundreds of M&E knowledge-sharing events that are attended by tens of thousands of participants, is the largest M&E convening in the world.
The GEI Network also has an impressive online knowledge base. For example, GEI hosts the Better Evaluation platform, which provides free access to information on more than 450 evaluation approaches, tasks, methods and processes, with over 4,000 specific resources. Currently, the platform has 1.29 million annual users. The GEI Global Team is also developing a public Knowledge Platform (expected late 2022) that will provide guidance and best practices on how to develop, enhance and operate country M&E systems. It will also provide access to a snapshot analysis of the state of national M&E systems in countries that are of priority to the Network. In addition, podcasts, blogs, publications, videos, webinars, and social media, allow GEI partners to share their impressive knowledge base with local, regional and global audiences in several languages.
In addition, internal knowledge sharing, collaboration and coordination is a guiding principle for the GEI Network. Through participation in the Network, partners are able to amplify the reach of their individual experiences; explore each other’s best practices; and, collaborate on ways to tailor successful approaches to their own country contexts or create new ones. This collaboration allows GEI to scale what is working - not only within the Network, but across the broader M&E community.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
gLocal Evaluation Week
Many developing countries are actively improving their M&E systems and capacities, while others are just getting started. Fostering an exchange of knowledge and best practices is an important way to foster collaboration and inspire innovation. gLOCAL is a dedicated week for global knowledge sharing events related to monitoring and evaluation topics. It is organized by the GEI in partnership with local, regional, and global organizations and experts – including public and non-governmental institutions, private sector, and academia. gLOCAL is a way to bring global knowledge to the local context, share local knowledge and challenges with a global audience, raise awareness on evidence-informed decision-making, and allow local participants to network and collaborate. In the three years since it began, gLOCAL has grown to become one of the largest evaluation events in the world. In 2021, gLOCAL took place in 63 countries with 346 events and over 20,000 participants.
