EVALUATION NETWORKING AND

LAUNCHING UKRAINIAN EVALUATION SOCIETY

IN UKRAINE Iryna Kravchuk

National Academy of Public Administration

Office of the President of Ukraine

irene_kravchuk@yahoo.co.uk

Aim of the presentation

• to receive feedback and advice from participants of the conference

• to check the feasibility of the idea and concept

• to identify key factors of success and possible challenges

• to find supporters, allies and partners for cooperation

Vision: Desirable Role of Evaluation in Ukraine

• Easily understood by civil servants, experts and NGOs

• Flourishing evaluation culture

• Established at all levels of government

• Public programs has special budget item for evaluation

activities

• A lot of trainings are offered

• Strong influential evaluation network

Dream: Ukrainian Evaluation Society

• Legally registered association

• 20-30 people at the beginning, up to 40-50 after several years

• Friendly climate for professional development via exchange

of experience and workshops

• Society develops terminology and methodology, provides

trainings

• Society stimulates evaluation demand

Groups potentially interested in evaluation:

• Donors, foundations and international organizations commissioning evaluation of their projects and programs

• CSO’s conducting monitoring and evaluation of public policy and their own projects

• Civil servants who are responsible for evaluation activities in public sector, in particular in the area of policy analyses, strategic planning, program budgeting and law-making

• Researchers who has academic interest towards evaluation as a analytical tool, tool of good governance or part of public policy analyses

Step 1. FB Group “Ukrainian Evaluation Society” (04.07.2011)

• 21 people interested in evaluation: representatives of

consultancies, foundations, NGOs and academia

• Important at the beginning: informal networking and

consolidating expert community in order to develop

common vision on the future

• When mature enough network may become the basis for

Ukrainian Evaluation Society

• http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?

id=100001892507244#!/groups/Ukr.evaluationsociety/

The tasks of informal network:

cooperation of persons, interested in development of

evaluation sharing information, ideas and experience in the

evaluation domain development of evaluation theory, methodology and

practice in Ukraine support of use of evaluation in public and private sector development of evaluation as a good governance tool

supporting transparency, accountability, effectiveness and efficiency of public administration

cooperation with international expert networks and associations of other states

Experience of Slovakia, Romania and Poland

Interviews of 3 heads of evaluation societies

• Dagmar Gombitova (Slovak Evaluation Society, Slovakia)

• Roxana Michalache (EvalRom, Romania)

• Maciej Szalaj (Polish Evaluation Society)

Lessons from 3 countries:

Challenges:

• Lack of understanding what “evaluation” is and what it is good for

• Human and financial resources

Success factors:

Evaluation demand from public sector

Strong championship from the top politics supporting evaluation culture

Professional, active and honest members

Suggested types of activities of informal network in Ukraine:

• Sharing information and publications • Conducting evaluations• Workshops, seminars, trainings, round tables

and conferences• Sharing experience and cooperation with

experts, institutions and organizations• Research, expertise and consulting• Advocacy activity on enhancing evaluation

capacity of government and non-governmental organizations

Why it should be interesting for potential members ?

• Access to updated information in Ukraine and in the

world at one place (it would be desirable in the future to

develop the web-page)

Access to the larger data-base of evaluators in Ukraine

Chance to develop common vision on certain issues

Opportunity to learn from each other

Stronger position in advocacy activities and evaluation

culture development in public sector

Potential Resources for UES

• People are the most important

• Information (FB group, web-page in the future)

• Financial resources (membership fees in the future, and

projects supporting community development)

Next steps To identify all interested experts, continue networking and

form professional community

On-line and live brainstorming on vision, mission and activities

IDEA: joint training or study visit for the members of network. It would facilitate networking and start of cooperation between members.

Involve key stakeholders supporting evaluation culture in Ukraine (donors, international organizations, civil society, government)

Thank you for attention !

EVALUATION NETWORKING AND

LAUNCHING UKRAINIAN EVALUATION SOCIETY IN UKRAINE

Iryna Kravchuk

National Academy of Public Administration

Office of the President of Ukraine

irene_kravchuk@yahoo.co.uk