BOARD ADOPTS EVALUATION STRATEGY
Author:
David Garmaise
Article Type:Article Number: 6
ABSTRACT The Global Fund's new five-year Evaluation Strategy is built around three types of evaluations: programme evaluations to assess performance, efficiency and quality; thematic evaluations to assess the success of key initiatives; and impact evaluations at country and global levels.
As reported in our Board decisions article in GFO 167, the Global Fund Board has approved a five-year Evaluation Strategy. This article provides additional information.
The objectives of the Evaluation Strategy are (1) to assess the effectiveness and impact of Global Fund initiatives and investments; (2) to assess the implementation progress and success of the Global Fund Strategy 2012-2016; (3) to assess the implementation progress and success of the recommendations of the High-Level Panel; and (4) to estimate the contribution of Global Fund investments to Millennium Development Goals 4, 5 and 6.
The Strategy is built around three types of evaluations: (1) programme evaluations to assess performance, efficiency and quality; (2) thematic evaluations to assess the success of key initiatives; and (3) impact evaluations at country and global levels.
With respect to programme evaluations, the Global Fund will support, and participate in, multi-partner national programme reviews conducted by national disease programmes. In addition, the Global Fund will conduct 10-12 programme evaluations each year which the Fund says incorporate “more robust methodology” than the national programme reviews.
Thematic evaluations will examine specific thematic areas, such as gender equality and harm reduction, across the entire grant portfolio.
Concerning impact evaluations, the Global Fund will develop mechanisms to better attribute the impact of its investments. In addition, the Fund will collaborate with partners to undertake joint evaluations of impact at both country and portfolio levels.
The Technical Evaluation Reference Group (TERG) will coordinate an evaluation of the Global Fund at the end of its 12th year. That evaluation will be on a smaller scale than the five-year evaluation completed in 2008. There will be a systematic review and synthesis of evaluations conducted to date and over the next few years; and TERG will commission additional studies to fill critical knowledge gaps.
Although approved by the Board at its meeting in Accra, the Evaluation Strategy is not contained in any of the Board documents from this meeting.
