ReDeCA: Strengthening Evaluation in Development Banks across Latin America and the Caribbean
The Evaluation Capacity Development Network (ReDeCA) is advancing institutional capacities in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in development banks across Latin America and the Caribbean, recognizing their strategic role in driving regional development.
Established in August 2021 with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE/IDB), ReDeCA addresses the need to reinforce accountability, transparency, efficient use of public resources, and institutional learning. The network also seeks to close gaps in knowledge and technical capacities in M&E within development banks.
“ReDeCA supports the strengthening of organizational evaluation capacities by creating spaces for knowledge exchange and fostering peer learning to develop shared evaluation solutions to the challenges of development financing,” said Emil Salim, Coordinator of OVE/IDB’s Evaluation Capacity Development Program. “The challenge ahead is to reach more institutions, generate knowledge products, and carry out activities that reinforce sustainable evaluation practices within member institutions.”
Today, ReDeCA brings together 26 development institutions from 9 countries across the region, including Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, and Peru. The Latin American Association of Development Financing Institutions (ALIDE) is also a member and strategic partner.
Since 2025, the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Latin America and the Caribbean (CLEAR-LAC) has played a central role in ReDeCA. Under the leadership of its Development Director, Martha Kluttig, CLEAR-LAC provides technical support, coordinates the network, and promotes governance, sustainability, and regional outreach. CLEAR-LAC also contributes by reviewing knowledge products and leading initiatives such as the ReDeCA Notebook, which documents evaluation best practices; the peer-learning series ReDeCA Cafés, and events including thematic panels during Glocal Evaluation Week 2025 and ReDeCA’s annual meeting, to be held this year in Quito, Ecuador.
“Our goal is to create spaces that strengthen connections among members through knowledge exchange and experience sharing. Development banks face common challenges, though they may approach them differently. Sharing both successes and difficulties generates synergies that help identify more effective, contextualized solutions,” Kluttig noted. “In this way, it prevents each bank from facing similar problems in isolation, investing resources and time in solving challenges that may have already been addressed by others, or whose best solution may precisely arise from the collaborative work offered by a network.”
ReDeCA at Glocal Evaluation Week 2025
As a forum for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange, ReDeCA promotes a culture of evidence-based evaluation. In June 2025, the network participated in Glocal Evaluation Week with two sessions: “Connecting Capacities, Multiplying Impacts: ReDeCA and Evaluation in Development Banks” and the launch of the ReDeCA Notebook. On June 3, a panel on strengthening M&E capacities in development banks brought together leaders from across the region and beyond, including: Marialisa Motta, Director of OVE-IDB; Martha Kluttig, Development Director of CLEAR-LAC; José Cláudio Pires, Coordinator of ReDeCA; Romy Calderón, Head of Studies and Information at ALIDE; Carlos Rivera, General Manager of the Ecuador Development Bank; Leonardo Santos, Head of M&E at BNDES (Brazil), Daniel Fonseca, Senior Financial Operations Specialist at the IDB, and Elif Timur, Director of the Evaluation Office at the Council of Europe Development Bank.
The discussion emphasized successful experiences, ongoing challenges, and the contributions of ReDeCA, while reflecting on the relevance of development banks themselves. Panelists highlighted the role of M&E as a strategic tool to ensure institutions foster accountability, enable course correction, and promote continuous learning. Key challenges discussed included overcoming the perception of evaluation as punitive rather than as a learning tool, ensuring evaluations focus on the right aspects with user engagement, and applying rigorous methods to produce credible findings.
Launch of the ReDeCA Notebook
A milestone in consolidating the network is the publication of the ReDeCA Notebook, which compiles good practices and recommendations from member banks’ M&E units. Structured around three key areas identified by members—institutionalization of M&E functions, development of indicator systems tailored to development banking, and integration of sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—the Notebook provides practical guidance to strengthen M&E practices and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
The publication is the product of extensive collaboration. Across the network, 11 member organizations contributed to the indicators chapter, 12 agencies from 6 countries to the section on institutionalization, and 15 entities to the chapter on SDGs and sustainability. Coordination of the Notebook was led by José Cláudio Pires, ReDeCA Coordinator, and Martha Kluttig, Development Director at CLEAR-LAC.
“This Notebook is one of the network’s key tools for turning its purpose into tangible benefits,” said Kluttig. “It is the first in a series aimed at systematizing relevant experiences and evidence for development banks. Until now, many lessons were shared informally. Thanks to this Notebook, institutions now have a reliable source of verifiable information to support informed decision-making. We hope to continue advancing this effort and contribute to the dissemination of evidence generated by and for member banks.”
Recognizing the importance of this joint effort, the network is disseminating the Notebook among members and preparing new editions to explore additional M&E topics relevant to public banks in the region.
The ReDeCA Notebook is available on CLEAR-LAC’s website in Spanish and English. A recording of the launch event is available here.