Learning from Nine Examples of Peacebuilding Evaluation

• More than one presentation raised the fundamental question of where evaluation
begins and program implementation ends. Discussion, for instance,
of formal and informal monitoring and evaluation strategies, and building
a culture of inquiry and reflection within projects, challenged the idea that
evaluation is necessarily an external process that is done to projects. This is
in line with a broader trend in the field of evaluation. Evaluation practice is
now seen not just as conducting evaluations but also as an ongoing effort to
improve evaluative thinking and reflective practice.
Concluding Thoughts
There is little doubt that the pressure will continue to mount on organizations
to demonstrate impact and to learn from and improve their peacebuilding
practice. In response, across the peacebuilding field, donors, implementers,
researchers, and evaluation specialists are finding innovative, scalable, and
conflict-appropriate ways to demonstrate impact and learn from programming
successes and failures at the project, program, and country levels. It
is unlikely that more advanced evaluation methodologies alone will improve
peacebuilding interventions, but as a community we can evolve our practice
based on evidence and work to change the peacebuilding evaluation environment
in a way that enables that evolution. The nine case studies below are
a reflection of these efforts. Combined, these cases bring into sharp relief
what is now possible in peacebuilding evaluation as well as the field-wide
challenges that must be overcome if we are to continue to make progress.
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