1.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
1
Author name
Date
Stefano D’Errico
Evaluation
and voluntary
national teviews
Joint webinar: EVALSDGs - Unicef
Stefano D’Errico
Thursday, 13 July 2017, 9-10.30am EST

2.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
2
VNRs and evaluation
 The 6th IIED briefing paper on
evaluation and VNRs has been
co-authored by 11 evaluation
experts and led by Benoit Simon
 The paper has analysed all 22
reviews submitted to the HLPF in
2016
 The full series can be
downloaded at:
https://www.iied.org/effective-evaluation-
for-sustainable-development-goals
The 6th EVALSDGs paper: an international collaboration

3.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
3
Voluntary national
reviews
 Every country has to present
a voluntary national review
once every four years to
the High Level Political
 However the VNR to the
HLPF is only one piece of
the jigsaw
 Agenda 2030 encourages all
countries to conduct regular
reviews, assessments and
evaluations to accelerate
implementation of the SDGs
Voluntary national reviews, one piece of the jigsaw

4.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
4
Voluntary national
reviews
 The real change will happen only
when reviews will be used locally
to accelerate the implementation of
the SDGs
 Eventually, this means
understanding national politics as
much as fuelling movements for
social and environmental action
 Ultimately for evaluators this means
brokering the values, views and
needs of different stakeholders
while new knowledge is generated Source: https://grassrootsfund.org/groups/gala-global-
awareness-local-action
Voluntary national reviews, the other pieces of the jigsaw

5.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
5
Evaluators and VNRs
As evaluators, we can serve
Agenda 2030 by facilitating the
co-generation of judgements of
value. These must be based on
varied sources of rigorous
evidence. Equally, they must be
based on processes that enable
different stakeholders to interpret
data and unpack the complexity
of the real world
The role of evaluators in VNRs

6.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
6
Evaluators have a responsibility to
challenge monopolies of problem
definition, of issue formulation, of data
control, of information utilisation. For
example, the interaction of the SDGs
often implies clashes between
conservation policies and economic
growth. Evaluators must mediate
different interests in the processes
of value definition
The role of evaluators in VNRs
Evaluators and VNRs

7.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
7
Agenda 2030 and
complexity
Agenda 2030 is a massive step
forward because it recognises the
inter-relationships between
human, economic development
and the environment. However,
in its complexity, it can become a
huge burden for national
governments
Digesting complexity

8.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
8
Digesting complexity
We need to find ways to digest the
agenda by developing simple
messages around its key
principles:
- Country ownership
- Universality
- Sustainability
- Partnerships, and
- No one left behind
Agenda 2030 and
complexity

9.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
9
Findings of EVALSDGs – IIED
Briefing paper
Evaluation: a missed
opportunity in the first set of
voluntary national reviews

10.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
10
Country ownership
 22 pioneer countries presented
reports on their respective VNR at
the High-Level Political Forum
(HLPF), and a further 44 countries
are presenting their VNRs this year
 16 of the first 22 countries have
already established a governance
system for M&E at a government
level. In 8 countries, inter-
ministerial agencies coordinate
exchanges between ministries
A few countries are taking ownership

11.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
11
Universality
 However, some important states,
including Australia, Canada,
Russia, South Africa, UK and the
USA, have not yet announced any
plans for reporting on their VNRs
 Some developed countries see
Agenda 2030 mostly as related to
their overseas development
assistance
Agenda 2030 is everybody’s concern! Though not yet…

12.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
12
Sustainability
Very few of the 22 reporting countries
are considering developing a specific
M&E system for SDGs. Many are
relying on systems already put in
place for the MDGs. Three situations:
 Countries adapting the framework
of the MDGs
 Countries with advanced
frameworks on sustainable
development, and
 Countries starting from scratch
Adapting M&E systems without forgetting sustainability

13.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
13
Partnerships
Partnerships to oversee the agenda at national level
Many of the 22 countries have
implemented Special
Committees to consult, guide
or oversee their SDGs national
processes. These institutions
often include civil society
organisations and people from
the private sector

14.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
14
No one left behind
 Many countries noted that they lack
data and need to improve their
statistical system
 The more data get disaggregated
the more it becomes unreliable
 Only 2 countries reported use of
qualitative data
 The answer to understand
progresses on equity and equality,
cannot come only from numbers
and survey data
Which data to understand equity and equality?
Made by Andrew, a Facebook user in Canada

15.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
15
Use of evaluation and
M&E in VNRs
Most of the reviews lack detail about how evaluation could
be used to inform the reporting processes
In almost all national reports, it was not entirely clear how the
proposed M&E system would support implementation of the
2030 agenda.
There appears to be very little awareness about just what
evaluation is and how it could be used to support the 2030
agenda

16.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
16
Recommendations
1. The evaluation community should convince senior politicians
that evaluation is useful, and thus that national evaluation
policies for the 2030 Agenda should be designed
2. VNRs should make clear that macro indicators have limits.
VNRs should also be clear on evaluation’s role as an
essential complement to indicators when judging the effects of
policies and attributing these to implemented measures
3. VNRs should complement the focus on quantitative
indicators with more qualitative methodologies. This is an
opportunity to include different data sources and tools for
analysing and reporting progress

17.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
17
Recommendations
4. Countries should organise evaluation processes using a
four-year pattern that fits the HLPF’s thematic cycle and
focusing on three main aspects:
a) Assessing causes and effects in complex and
interdependent systems by looking at what has changed, for
whom, how and why
b) Paying attention to vulnerable populations and
environments
c) Assessing the roles and responsibilities of different
stakeholders through a ‘co-responsibility lens’, i.e. taking
an approach that expects sustainable development
strategies to be co-designed and co-implemented by all
stakeholders (public, private, NGOs and citizens)

18.
Stefano D’Errico
July 2017
18
Recommendations
5. There should be a standard requirement for all countries to
explain in their VNR what role their M&E system plays in
reviewing progress towards the SDGs. UNEG could help
develop this.
6. As the SDGS are strongly interlinked, it is crucial to both avoid
counterproductive interactions between different objectives
and targets (ie ensure internal coherence), and to reinforce
synergies between stakeholders (external coherence). VNRs
should strongly focus on building an interlinked picture at
national and local levels..