In the blink of an eye: the crisis of international program evaluation amidst the impact of US foreign assistance terminations

The overnight freeze and subsequent termination of $75+ billion of foreign assistance because of a change in U.S. Administrations devastated the international development sector, its beneficiaries, and its evaluators. The impact on life, safety, livelihood, health, and opportunity, among others, was devastating in days: the long-term impact is hard to fathom. There are many lessons to be drawn, and even more questions that evaluators should ask. What is our role and responsibility in a system where funding could end overnight? How should we design monitoring and evaluation systems to prepare for such a scenario? How do we evaluate a program's success when its pause or termination potentially leads to as much harm as the good that was generated? This roundtable is co-sponsored by the International Working Group and the ICCE, DRG, and TIGs, and invites participants to generate lessons and recommendations for moving forward that will be shared.
Click to fill survey.