NO ONE LEFT BEHIND

TECHNICAL WORKSHOP
Thematic discussions
The technical workshop was held on 16 and 17 March
at UNICEF and addressed technical aspects essential
to take into consideration when evaluating the SDGs,
including: the relevance of the new metrics and agreed
indicators, the complexity of SDGs and the power of
partnerships, strategies to strengthen gender-responsiveness
of national evaluation systems, and the
demand for and use of evaluation with an equityfocused
and gender-responsive lens in policymaking.
The first panel on “How to ensure the Sustainable
Development Goals will be evaluated with a focus on
leaving no one behind” was chaired by Dr. Colin Kirk,
Director of the UNICEF Evaluation Office and Co-chair
of EvalPartners. Keynote speakers were:
••
Marco Segone, UNEG Chair; Director, UN Women
Independent Evaluation Office; Co-chair, EvalGender+
••
David Nabarro, UN Secretary General’s Adviser for
the SDGs
••
Maithree Wickramasinghe, Professor at the
University of Kelaniya, Gender and Evaluation
Advocate, Sri Lanka
••
Hon. Olfa Cherif, Member of Parliament, Tunisia
and Middle East and North Africa Representative
to Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation
Steering Committee
“Evaluation is an agent for change for the
world we want!”
—Marco Segone
Segone presented on the importance of equitable development
in the context of SDGs. There are two goals
that directly ensure equality—Goal 5, Gender equality
and Goal 10, Reduce inequities—although many other
goals address equity aspects. These need a robust, effective,
inclusive and transparent follow-up and review
framework, operating at the national, regional and
global levels.
Segone explained how equity is different from equality,
using examples that affect equity in society. He also
highlighted key principles of the SDGs, including:
••
Voluntary and country-owned
••
Open, inclusive and transparent, and support the
participation of all people and all stakeholders
••
Build on existing platforms and processes, avoid duplication,
respond to national circumstances
••
Rigorous and based on evidence; informed by data
that is timely, reliable and disaggregated
••
Capacity-building support to developing countries
will be necessary
The stronger demand for evaluation is an opportunity,
although capacity in equity-focused and
gender-responsive evaluation is a challenge. Segone
also highlighted the paradigm shift of stronger evaluation
leadership from global North to global South, as
exemplified by the existence of more VOPEs and parliamentarians’
forums in the global South.
Wickramasinghe in her presentation framed examples
of equity and equality in terms of: women as a uniform
collective; economic activity and the field of higher
education; discrimination as generalized and fixed;
and women’s gender rights as coherent, independent
and tangible. To be gender-responsive, one needs to
acknowledge that women, like any other category,
are not a homogenous group. While policymakers,
practitioners and evaluators may choose to emphasize
a collective or group identity, an individual may
subscribe to multiple, intersecting identities or have
identities imposed on him or her based on social
Evaluating the Sustainable Development Goals with
an Equity-focused and Gender-responsive Lens 13