Opening Plenary Session: Bridging Evaluation and Foresight for Transformative Practice

In an era defined by complexity and uncertainty—often described as a polycrisis—evaluators are increasingly called upon not only to assess what has happened, but to anticipate what might come next. This keynote explores how integrating futures thinking and foresight into evaluation practice can expand our capacity to navigate change, inform long-term strategy, and strengthen resilience.

Through compelling cases and examples, participants will see how evaluators and futurists are bridging their disciplines to co-create new methods, perspectives, and tools that move beyond traditional evaluation frameworks. The session will also highlight emerging efforts to build foresight capacity within the evaluation field, offering practical insights into how evaluators can begin applying futures approaches in their own work.

Together, we will explore what it means to bridge foresight and evaluation—and why doing so is not just valuable, but necessary, in today’s rapidly evolving global context.