Rising to the challenge: How can humanitarian evaluation better support system-wide learning?

How can we make better use of evaluation evidence to foster positive change and support system-wide learning? While thousands of humanitarian evaluations are conducted across the world, most remain focused at the project level, with relatively few synthesis studies and joint evaluations and almost no evaluations that address system-wide issues. These gaps are particularly visible when the humanitarian sector grapples with large challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Join ALNAP for a lively discussion on the current value and role of evaluation in supporting system-wide learning. We will discuss how evaluation practice can better inform decisions on building back better during COVID-19 and what needs to be done to overcome current obstacles to system-wide learning. Is the lack of system-wide learning due to how evaluations are conducted, or to how evaluations are commissioned and utilised after completion? How can the sector as a whole become more strategic in identifying evidence gaps and areas where evaluative evidence is abundant, but not fully utilised?