20.02.2018

‘Knowing what works’: GIZ publishes its latest evaluation report

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has received good marks for its work, as shown by the current evaluation report, Knowing what works. The report critically examined 169 projects conducted by GIZ on behalf of the German Development Ministry, BMZ, in the period 2015-2016. These projects earned an average overall score of 1.9 – an improvement on the last evaluation report, when the overall score was 2.2 on average.

The evaluation was conducted according to the uniform global standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is based on five key criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, overall political impact, and sustainability. Of the 169 projects evaluated, 28 per cent were rated ‘very successful’, more than half (53 per cent) ‘successful’, 16 per cent ‘rather successful’ and two per cent ‘rather unsatisfactory’.

‘We want to learn, and part of that is openly and transparently assessing what works well and what doesn’t,’ states Christoph Beier, Vice-Chair of the GIZ Management Board. ‘That is the only way to move forward in our work, implement what’s good on a broader scale, and acknowledge and correct shortcomings.’

Besides evaluating the projects, GIZ also appraised the quality of its own evaluation work in 2015 and 2016. This showed that the evaluations are extremely beneficial in managing the projects down the line. Moreover, they were efficient: in other words, the effort and resources that went into them were appropriate in view of the high benefit they provide. Project evaluation quality was at an average level when measured by international standards. This fell below GIZ’s own targets, which is why it has fundamentally reformed its evaluation system. Since the middle of last year, project evaluation has been managed centrally by GIZ’s Evaluation Unit. This acts independently of the GIZ operational units and makes use of external evaluation experts who were not involved in planning and implementing the projects. The main aim is to improve the methodological quality of evaluations, such as statements on the results of project work. Another aim is to make evaluations more impartial.

The appraisal of GIZ’s in-house security and risk management system (SRMS) for foreign assignments also highlighted a need for improvements, which were rapidly implemented. Although the SRMS complied with international standards, it had no centralised steering body. Consequently, the new Corporate Security Unit was set up. As the central hub for all questions on security risk management outside Germany, it analyses the risks in individual countries and provides information, facts and figures, as well as advice on what specific protective and security measures personnel should take.

‘These examples show how important it is to deal openly and constructively with the findings of the evaluations,’ says Beier. ‘That is not just our objective, it is also our duty.’

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is a federal enterprise with worldwide operations. It supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. Through its work, GIZ helps people and societies shape their own future and improve their living conditions.

Please find the Evaluation Report 2017 ,Knowing what works.’ here https://www.giz.de/en/aboutgiz/516.html