7 Lessons We Learned About Strengthening National M&E Systems in 2024

As 2024 winds down, I can’t help but feel intensely grateful as I reflect on what a year it has been for the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) and all the lessons we learned along the way. 

So much happened in the space of one year: we launched a new CLEAR Center in Latin America and the Caribbean, our International Program for Development Evaluation (IPDET) concluded another successful on-site summer training program in Switzerland, GEI supported a country-led evaluation in Malawi, more than 25,000 participants joined GEI’s gLOCAL Evaluation Week, the National Evaluation Capacities (NEC) Conference in Beijing was a triumph, among many other highlights! 
 

But what I will remember the most about 2024 is that it marks four of an originally envisaged five years planned for GEI's work in supporting the development of national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems in developing countries.  

We have taken the opportunity to pause and reflect on our journey—to look at what we’ve achieved over the past four years and, more importantly, what more we still need to do to make an even greater impact.

In that intense period of stocktaking, we unearthed lessons, both familiar and new. As we celebrate the season of giving and sharing, I’d like to take a moment to share some of those important lessons with you.
 

1. Building capacity isn’t just about doing more—it’s about doing it right.
 

In the last four years, the GEI network has trained nearly 18,000 individuals worldwide. But moving forward, we’re reminding ourselves that capacity building isn’t just about the numbers—it’s about quality. It’s not just about reach—it’s about impact. We need to ask ourselves: What knowledge, skills, and tools do different actors in evaluation really need?  

Evaluators require a diverse set of competencies. Whether it's technical skills like data analysis or softer skills like how to work with diverse stakeholders, our approach needs to be more intentional and targeted if we want to create a real, lasting impact. This begins with understanding the unique learning needs of the people and organizations we aim to support. 

One of GEI’s big tasks for 2025 is the improvement and expansion of IPDET, GEI’s executive training program for development and evaluation practitioners. We will be reviewing and updating the IPDET curriculum, pedagogy, delivery methods, and overall quality to make sure that they meet the needs in the field. We’re also aiming to make training even more accessible by adding regional training programs—in Kenya and Morocco—to complement the annual on-site summer program at the University of Bern in Switzerland.  

The Centers for Learning on Evaluation and Results (CLEAR Centers), our implementing partners in the regions, are also redesigning their capacity-building activities based on a competency framework we developed to help GEI deliver training that not only enhances the effectiveness of evaluators but also strengthens the credibility and impact of evaluations.
 

2. Collaboration needs to be strategic and intentional.
 

We often talk about collaboration like it’s a kind of party where everyone’s welcome. That’s a great vibe for holiday celebrations, but in the world of evaluation, more collaboration isn’t always better. What we need is mindful, thoughtful, and intentional inclusion. We have to ask ourselves: Who does this evaluation matter to? Whose participation do we need? And how do we get them to participate? 

This year, we celebrated the successful conclusion of a country-led evaluation in Malawi that GEI proudly supported. The evaluation was launched in 2022, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, to examine the unintended consequences of Malawi’s COVID-19 Urban Cash Intervention (CUCI). It was a challenging and resource-intensive process, but it was a huge success because of the strategic partnerships behind it. 

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s COVID-19 Global Evaluation Coalition launched an initiative to help governments assess their pandemic responses, inviting GEI to provide technical and financial support to the Government of Malawi. In response, GEI partnered with Malawi’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs to form an evaluation team and secure funding for the effort. The evaluation drew on the technical expertise of the Center for Learning and Evaluation and Results for Anglophone Africa (CLEAR-AA) and received financial and technical support from the World Bank in Malawi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. 

Each brought something vital to the table: Malawi’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs led the quantitative data collection and analysis, while the CLEAR-AA team focused on the qualitative side of the evaluation. Further technical support was provided by the GEI team in Brussels. This approach—a mix of strategic inclusion and country leadership—demonstrated that effective collaboration isn’t about involving everyone; it’s about involving the right people in the right way.
 

3. More evaluation isn’t necessarily better—better evaluation is better.
 

Evaluation, when done badly, can deepen inequality, exacerbate tensions, foster injustice, or simply make things worse. If it ignores gender equality, excludes people, overlooks environmental and climate impacts, neglects cultural contexts, or fails to leverage technology, then it’s simply bad evaluation. 

Good evaluation, on the other hand, is known by its traits: inclusive, gender-transformative, culturally responsive, participatory, environmentally considerate, climate responsible, and a champion of human rights. 

It’s no surprise that these traits became the gist of discussion during gLOCAL Evaluation Week, GEI’s annual knowledge-sharing event. In 2024, gLOCAL featured 368 events across the globe, and nearly all of them focused on one or several traits of good or better evaluation. It made perfect sense considering this year’s gLOCAL theme: evaluation’s role in driving transformative change. 

Some may argue that the word 'transformative' has become a buzzword—too big and abstract to hold any real meaning. But gLOCAL showed us that transformative evaluation isn’t so hard to define. At its core, it’s about adhering to the traits of good evaluation and doing so with fierce consistency. If we keep it up, evaluation can become a powerful driver of change, capable of transforming systems, outcomes, and lives.
 

4. Institutionalizing M&E is still the best safeguard.
 

Institutionalizing M&E is the best way to ensure that countries can sustain their M&E activities whatever political situation they may face. Just look at Brazil. Despite undergoing major political transitions over the past five years, the country managed to keep its M&E system running smoothly. Why? Because steps had been taken to institutionalize it. When an M&E system is embedded in governance structures, it can withstand the waxing and waning of political support.  

Creating an enabling environment for M&E is one of the core pillars of GEI’s strategy for capacity development. This goes beyond setting up systems. It’s about laying strong and lasting foundations, establishing robust legislative frameworks, defining clear M&E policies, and fostering a sense of ownership among diverse stakeholders.
 

5. Effective communication can bridge the gap between evidence and action.
 

Effective communication is the cornerstone of every strong relationship, collaboration, or partnership. Projects start with conversations, and progress happens when people reach common ground. The same holds true for evaluation. 

This year, GEI spearheaded and joined several knowledge-sharing sessions on the role of communications and knowledge management in evaluation. We talked about the value of communicating evaluation findings clearly, effectively, and strategically. Decision-makers are far more likely to use evidence from evaluations when the messages are clear, relevant, and presented in a way that speaks to their priorities. If they don’t grasp what the evaluation is about or why it matters, what would motivate them to use its findings to inform their decisions? 

Most importantly, we learned that communication can be a potent means for building trust and engagement with stakeholders, whether they are policy makers, practitioners, or communities affected by the evaluation. By communicating in ways that are transparent, accessible, and inclusive, evaluators can help stakeholders feel heard and valued throughout the process. This trust, in turn, creates an environment where evaluation findings are not only accepted but also embraced as tools for learning, growth, and improvement.
 

6. Convening people, knowledge, and ideas opens the door to more meaningful learning.
 

When people, knowledge, and ideas come together, incredible things happen. It’s in the intersection—and sometimes collision—of diverse viewpoints that breakthroughs can emerge. These moments of connection and challenge lead us to creative solutions we might never have found on our own. 

We witnessed this at every conference we organized or attended this year: the AfrEA Conference in Kigali, the Global Environment Facility’s Conference on Evaluating Environment and Development in Washington, D.C., the European Evaluation Biennial Conference in Rimini, and most of all, the 2024 NEC Conference in Beijing. Time and again, it was inspiring to see diverse groups of people engaging meaningfully, connecting over shared experiences, and embracing new perspectives. 

In these spaces of intentional collaboration, we draw on each other's wisdom and build the collective resolve to strengthen M&E systems and improve evaluation practices. The Turin Agenda was a collective commitment that emerged from the 2022 NEC Conference in Turin. And this year, the NEC participants in China forged the Beijing Action Plan, a roadmap for building more responsive evaluation systems.  

I’m grateful that GEI is seen as a trusted convenor of people, knowledge, and ideas. Over the last four years, the network has organized or supported the organization of 1,564 knowledge-sharing events—both online and in person—reaching over 100,000 participants.

Moving forward, we’re committed to becoming an even stronger convenor: enabling partnerships, fostering knowledge exchange, and driving action. As a convening force, we can help create the connections that lead to better solutions, stronger partnerships, and more effective development strategies.
 

7. Celebrate the wins.
 

If you've been in the business of building and strengthening national M&E systems for a long time, then you know that no win is ever too small in this line of work. Not when you consider that every step forward is the fruit of the collective effort, energy, and resources invested by various partners. Wins may not come often, but when they do, they deserve to be acknowledged. 

In countries like Côte d’Ivoire and Uzbekistan, national evaluation policies and strategies have taken shape—a critical foundation for long-term progress. In Cabo Verde and Tanzania, government representatives have shared how our work has helped them prepare for future challenges. Across many countries, we’ve seen how embracing monitoring and evaluation has enabled governments to prioritize resources effectively, often inspired by our training and engagement. Young and emerging evaluators have drawn inspiration from programs like IPDET, and policy changes, such as those in Tamil Nadu, reflect the transformative potential of collaboration. 

This year, GEI celebrated an addition to our network of implementing partners, the renewed Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Latin America and the Caribbean (CLEAR-LAC), which began operations at the Universidad Católica in Santiago, Chile. This is especially significant because it re-establishes GEI’s presence in a region with a very strong interest in M&E and a clear demand for capacity building. In its first weeks, the new CLEAR-LAC hit the ground running, training civil society organizations and forming strategic partnerships in the region. 

Yes, there’s still much work to do, but let’s not lose sight of the progress we’ve made. Wins like these don’t come easy, and they carry valuable lessons of their own. So, let’s remember to celebrate!

The lessons we’ve learned this year remind us that progress requires intention, mindfulness, direction, funding commitment, and above all, unwavering dedication. I wish you all a joyful holiday season. Here's to another year of growth, collaboration, and even stronger M&E systems.

Let's make 2025 much better!