From October 15th to 18th, 2024, Brasília, Brazil, was the venue for the Seminar-Workshop “Evaluation in South-South Cooperation: Co-creation of Tools and Institutional Strengthening in Ibero-America,” organized jointly by the PIFCSS and the Brazilian Agency for Cooperation (ABC).
The event took place at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) and brought together technicians from governing cooperation institutions, as well as prominent representatives of organizations in the field.
The main objectives of the seminar were:
- Strengthening capacities for the evaluation of South-South Cooperation (SSC) projects.
- Establishing common criteria and defining indicators for evaluating South-South Cooperation.
Over the four days of the seminar, sessions were held with expert presentations, experiences shared from different countries, and practical workshops on criteria and indicators for evaluating SSC in Ibero-America. This exchange aimed not only to strengthen participants’ capacities but also to foster dialogue on normative and institutional frameworks for monitoring and evaluating SSC.
As a result, four key criteria were defined for evaluating SSC:
- Capacity building
- Horizontality
- Effectiveness
- Sustainability
Additionally, work was done on developing indicators associated with each of these criteria, and others were identified to be gradually incorporated into future instruments.
The event was attended by key institutions, including ENAP, EMBRAPA, JICA from Japan, SEGIB, the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Latin America and the Caribbean (CLEAR LAC), UN Women, the organization Lente Negra Evaluation and Racial Equity, the Ministry of Racial Equality of Brazil, the Ministry of Planning and Budget of Brazil, and the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL) of Mexico.
This multisectoral and multi-stakeholder approach enriched the discussion on evaluation, bringing diverse perspectives essential for the construction of indicators and tools useful in South-South Cooperation.
This initiative represents a significant step toward the objectives outlined in the PIFCSS 2024-2030 Strategy.
