IPDET On-Site 2024: A Celebration of Learning and Global Collaboration
From July 15 to 26, the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET) held its highly anticipated on-site training program at the University of Bern, Switzerland. This year marks the 24th anniversary of IPDET and the 5th IPDET on-site program to be held in the Swiss capital.
Mission and Participation
IPDET, an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), aims to promote evaluation capacity development worldwide. This year, the program welcomed 166 participants from 71 countries. Thanks to the generous support of GEI’s funding partners, 80 participants were scholarship recipients from the Global South, including low-income economies such as Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Uganda, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen.
As a globally trusted brand in evaluation training, IPDET 2024 saw the participation of government delegations striving to advance national institutionalization of evaluation, including those from Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago.
Empowering Female Evaluators
This year saw an influx of applications from women, resulting in a cohort where 70% of the participants were women. “IPDET is contributing to building the capacity of women through this training,” said Vida Opaku, a participant from Uganda. “Which helps in placing more women in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) roles and shaping the policymaking process worldwide. Kudos to IPDET and its sponsors.” This focus on female empowerment underscores IPDET's commitment to fostering gender equality in M&E.
Bridging Theory and Practice
The first week of the program featured the core course, which combined theoretical foundations with hands-on practical applications.
Participants were placed in groups to design evaluations for real case study scenarios, sparking discussions on balancing credibility and feasibility, effectiveness, and empowerment. IPDET participants are not just geographically diverse but also organizationally diverse, hailing from government ministries, parliaments, United Nations and World Bank agencies, multilateral development organizations, non-governmental organizations, private consultancies, and foundations, among others.
Group exercises helped participants exchange roles, remove blind spots through discussion, and apply theoretical concepts to real-life scenarios. This approach ensured that participants not only learned the principles of evaluation but also understood how to implement them effectively in their respective fields.
Specialized Skills for Diverse Challenges
After gaining foundational knowledge, the second week saw most participants, and new arrivals, hone specialized skill sets on various topics including impact evaluation and integrating machine learning into evaluations.
Practitioners from climate-vulnerable countries, such as the Maldives, attended workshops focused on using evaluation to improve climate change projects. While frontline practitioners from conflict regions like Yemen learned how to use evaluation to enhance humanitarian actions. These sessions exemplify the essence of IPDET—providing tools and knowledge that drive meaningful change worldwide.
Beyond the Classroom
Beyond the classroom, IPDET offered spaces to facilitate networking, seeking and offering advice, and exchanging ideas. Many participants enjoyed a city tour of Bern, learning about the history of the city and Switzerland’s democracy. They connected through music and dance from various cultures, exchanged souvenirs at the World Exhibition, joined football and volleyball games, and climbed the Alps together. These activities fostered connections aimed at supporting participants in promoting better evaluation practices globally.
A Remarkable Journey
At the closing ceremony of the course, Dr. Stefanie Krapp, head of the program, expressed gratitude for the enthusiasm and dedication of the training participants and their instructors. “I am so thankful to our dedicated and professional international faculty and to all participants for trusting us and coming to Bern to learn about evaluation,” she said. “I am looking forward to seeing how they adapt what they have learned here when they return home and make the world a little better through evaluation.”