Enhancing National Evaluation Capabilities through Solid Engagement with Ministry of Finance and Treasury to Inform National Budgeting
Panel Discussion | Online
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Organized by:
EvalSDG Net work of Eval partner
- In partnership with: Evalsdg
About the Event
Scope: This panel will examine why ministries of finance should view evaluation as a strategic investment in strengthening national governance systems. While short-term fiscal constraints often discourage investment in evaluation, evidence shows that building strong national evaluation capabilities enhances transparency, accountability, and the effectiveness of public spending. When integrated into fiscal tools such as expenditure reviews and fiscal space analyses, evaluation becomes a core driver of performance-based budgeting and policy reform. By grounding budget decisions in evidence and promoting more consultative and inclusive processes, countries can achieve better development outcomes. Drawing on examples from countries such as Canada and Mexico, and other countries this panel will explore how finance ministries and national governments have embedded evaluation into budgeting frameworks. It will highlight how investing in evaluation capabilities can help governments manage public resources more efficiently, respond to citizen priorities, and institutionalize learning within the machinery of government.
Speakers
| Name | Title | Biography |
|---|---|---|
| Denis Jobin | Senior Evaluation Specialist Co chair evals sdg | Denis Jobin (Djobin@unicef.org) has established a track record over the past 24 years, demonstrating expertise in program planning, monitoring, and evaluation at national (Canada) and international levels. Since 2018, Denis has worked as a Senior Evaluation Specialist within the Evaluation Office, leading the education, equity, and poverty portfolio of the 2022-2025 strategic plan. This role has seen him at the forefront of UNICEF’s initiatives in Social Protection, Unicef work in Urban and Slums settings, and Poverty Reduction, in addition to spearheading the review of EO QA/QC processes and the development of quality assurance procedures. Denis held the role of Chief of PME and Field Coordination (2010-18) for UNICEF Nigeria, where his contributions spanned a broad spectrum of sectors of UNICEF program areas and settings, including leading impact evaluation studies in emergency context. |
| Gonzalo Hernandez Licona | Director of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network | Gonzalo Hernández Licona (ghlicona@gmail.com) : He is a Mexican economist. He is currently Director of the Multidimensional Poverty Network (MPPN), belonging to the University of Oxford, through the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI). The MPPN brings together more than 60 countries and more than 20 international institutions to understand and promote the generation of multidimensional poverty measurements at the national level. Dr. Hernández Licona has been a member of the Board of Governors of El Colegio de México since 2016; He is also a Senior Research Fellow of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie). |
| Edoé Djimitri AGBODJAN | Director Clear Evaluation Francophone Dakar Senegal | Dr. Edoe Djimitri Agbodjan détient un PhD en études du développement de l’Institut des hautes études internationales et de développement de Genève (The Graduate Institute) et une maitrise en économie de l’Université de Lomé. Il cumule une quinzaine d’année d’expérience. Enseignant-chercheur au CESAG, il a exercé des fonctions de gestion de projet et de parcours de formation académique. Avant de rejoindre le CESAG, il a enseigné à l’Université d’Ottawa. Il a par ailleurs travaillé pour le compte du cabinet PGF Consultant Inc (Canada) sur des mandats de renforcement de capacités institutionnelles. Il a en outre travaillé dans la fonction publique canadienne, notamment au Conseil de recherche en sciences humaines (CRSH) du Canada. Son domaine d’expertise et de recherche est la planification, le suivi et évaluation des politiques et projets de développement, la budgétisation axée sur les résultats et l’efficacité des instruments de financement du développement. Depuis fin novembre 2020, Dr Agbodjan est le Coordonnateur du CLEAR FA pour l’Afrique francophone |
| Rick Cummings | Emeritus Professor Murdoch University Australia | TBC |
| Guillermo Lagarda | Economist Inter American Development Bank | Guillermo Lagarda is an economist with a strong background in economic policy, public finance, and applied research. He currently serves as Knowledge Coordinator within the Division for Institutional Capacity of the State, pursuing a recent research agenda on M&E systems in the Americas. Previously, Guillermo worked as Country Economist for several countries in Central America and Mexico at the IDB, supporting economic analysis and regional policy dialogue. He also contributed to the Latin America and Caribbean Economic Policy division at the World Bank. Before joining the multilateral sector, he held senior leadership roles at Mexico’s Ministry of Finance, including concurrently serving as Chief of Staff and Economic Adviser to the Minister of Finance. He also held technical roles such as Deputy Director of Public Debt Research and Director of Public Debt. In addition, he served as Deputy Research Director at Mexico’s National Pension Funds Commission (CONSAR). His academic and policy research experience includes positions at the Center for Economic Analysis and Research (Centro de Análisis e Investigación Económica) at ITAM and as a Research Scholar at the Global Development Policy Center at Boston University. Guillermo’s work spans a broad range of topics, including illicit financial flows, the effectiveness of anti-money laundering frameworks, fiscal policy, public debt, and global economic transitions. He has collaborated on high-profile research with institutions such as the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and leading academic journals. He holds a B.A. in Financial Economics from ITAM (Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México) and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Boston University. |