Building Community-Based Evaluation Capacity to Advance Sustainable Development Goals
Why Community-Based Evaluation?
Community-based evaluation actively involves stakeholders in all elements of evaluation, from planning to implementation. Community-based evaluation is:
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Stakeholder driven: Ensure that the evaluation is practically relevant to stakeholders and is driven by the program’s unique theory of change
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Participatory: Program stakeholders and researchers equitably share control of the evaluation agenda through active and reciprocal involvement in the evaluation design, implementation and dissemination
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Action-oriented: The evaluation process and results are useful to stakeholders in making improvements to the program and contribute to communities where everyone is supported and belongs
As an approach, community-based evaluation can help localize the SDGS by:
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Building relationships, and sparking conversations about collective impacts locally and globally
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Supporting community-organizations and relevant stakeholders in identifying concrete steps and tools that reflect local priorities
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Encouraging reflection on how local actions fit into broader global goals
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Localizing targets and indicators by starting with community-driven (rather than expert-led) evaluation efforts
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Engaging community members to take an active role in the evaluation, mobilize key allies, and lead to community-owned and governed initiatives
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Amplifying the voices of those most impacted by the social and environmental issues connected with the 17 SDGs