IEU at Glocal Evaluation Week 2026

The Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) contributed to Glocal Evaluation Week 2026 through virtual participation in three sessions held between 1–5 June 2026.

Glocal Evaluation Week is a global knowledge-sharing initiative that brings together a diverse community of practitioners across sectors and regions. Over the course of the week, participants engage in events hosted worldwide (both locally and virtually) to exchange insights on a wide range of topics related to monitoring and evaluation (M&E). The initiative fosters a deeper understanding of how individual efforts align with regional and global M&E ecosystems, while reinforcing a shared commitment to using evidence to improve lives.

During the week, the IEU engaged in the following sessions:

From Evidence to Insight: Using AI to Strengthen Synthesis, Trust, and Learning in Climate Adaptation Evaluation

Organized by: Adaptation Fund – Technical Evaluation Reference Group (AF-TERG) 
In partnership with: Climate Investment Funds, Global Environment Facility Independent Evaluation Office (IEO-GEF), Green Climate Fund: Independent Evaluation Unit
Time: June 2, 2026 - 09:00 AM America/New York

As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms how evidence is generated, analyzed, and communicated, the evaluation community faces a critical challenge: how to harness AI’s potential while safeguarding rigor, credibility, and trust.

This session presents insights from a pilot application of AI in synthesis evaluation of forestry interventions across major climate funds, analyzing over 11,000 findings from 191 reports. It demonstrates how AI can expand evaluators’ ability to identify patterns and generate actionable insights at scale.

The session combines practical demonstration, methodological reflection, and interactive discussion, offering participants concrete use cases and a structured framework for responsible AI adoption.

Speakers

• Yeonji Kim, Evaluation Uptake Specialist
• Vladislav Arnaoudov, AF-TERG Secretariat Coordinator
• Anupam Anand, Senior Evaluation Officer, GEF IEO
• Michael Ward, Senior Sustainability Specialist, CIF

Moderator: Aneesh Kotru, Evaluation Analyst, AF-TERG

Doing More with Less while Not Losing Trust: How Should Evaluation Standards Evolve in an AI Augmented World?

Organized by: EvalforEarth
Time: June 3, 2026 - 15:00 PM Europe/Rome

AI has the potential to rapidly reshaping how evaluations are planned, conducted, synthesised, and communicated particularly in low resource and humanitarian contexts, where pressure to “do more with less” is acute. However, it simultaneously introduces significant ethical, methodological, and governance risks that directly challenge the profession’s credibility, independence, and trustworthiness.

AI adds the greatest value when it reduces duplication, lowers transaction costs, and frees human expertise for judgment, ethics, and contextual interpretation, not when it substitutes core evaluative functions or obscures accountability. This creates an urgent need for professional standards to evolve, not by endorsing AI wholesale but defining where it is appropriate, where it is not, and what competencies and safeguards are required.

Looking at their own use case, this roundtable will explore questions around how evaluation standards, competencies, and institutional frameworks adapt to ensure AI strengthen rather than undermine ethical practice, methodological rigor, and public trust. It will be particularly relevant for evaluators and commissioners wrestling with how to translate high-level AI ethics and governance principles into concrete evaluation standards and professional practice.

Speakers

• Aiko Ward, Principal Evaluation Officer
• Alexandra Priebe, PhD, Evaluation Officer, OEV WFP
• Steven Jonckheere, Senior Evaluation Officer, IOE IFAD
• Fabrizio Felloni, Deputy Director, Independent Evaluation Office of the GEF
• Anupam Anand, PhD, Senior Evaluation Officer, GEF IEO
• Thanicha Ruangmas,PhD, Data Scientist, GEF IEO
• Carlos Tarazona, Senior Evaluation Officer, Food and Agricultural Organization.
• Zhiqi Xu, Evaluation Specialist, Food and Agricultural Organization

Moderators

• Anoop Sharma, Evaluation and AI Specialist
• Innocent Chamisa, EvalforEarth CoP Coordinator

Use and Influence of Evaluations: Strengthening the Uptake of Evaluation in Complex Times

Organized by: Global Environment Facility Independent Evaluation Office 
In partnership with: World Bank Group Independent Evaluation Group, Green Climate Fund Independent Evaluation Unit, International Development Evaluation Association
Time: June 5, 2026 - 10:00 AM America/New York

This session explores how evaluation can remain credible, relevant, and influential in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Drawing on experience from Climate funds and MDBs, the session focuses on the use and influence of evaluation, highlighting the role of independence, systems thinking, adaptive methodologies, and timely evidence in supporting decision-making. It will also reflect on the responsibilities of evaluators in current times—where demands for accountability are high and resources are constrained.

Speakers

• Andreas Reumann, Head, Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU), Green Climate Fund (GCF)
• Geeta Batra, Director, Independent Evaluation Office (IEO), Global Environment Facility (GEF)
• Juha Uitto, President, International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS)
• Jos Vaessen, Senior Adviser, Independent Evaluation Group (IEG), World Bank Group