ODA Evaluation in Visegrad Four region

The Pontis Foundation presented the publication "ODA Evaluation in the Visegrad Four", a landmark study into the evaluation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) within the Visegrad four region.

Despite some good intentions and tentative steps, none of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries undertake full and independent evaluations of their Official Development Assistance (ODA) policies, programmes or themes. This important study, funded by the International Visegrad Fund, maintains that the main challenges to progress comprise budgetary constraints, the lack of personnel capacity and limited policy leadership on the issue from V4 Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

Using the Western Balkans as a case study, Pontis Foundation estimates that the V4 countries have collectively spent over 40 million Euro in aid to the Western Balkans since 2003. This significant sum has been spent without knowing the impact or outcomes of its use. Evaluation is the basis on which programming adjustments are made. Without evaluation, ODA funds from the V4 countries will continue to be spent without regard to value for money, policy priorities, or impact on development in the recipient or partner countries.

Non-V4 ODA agencies freely provide a spectrum of tools and mechanisms from which V4 countries can learn best practises. The V4 should use these lessons learnt as a basis for constituting their own evaluation policies. But moving forwards can only come from arriving at the final decision to make evaluation a central component of ODA policy.

The Pontis Foundation welcomes comments on the study and is looking forward to taking the next steps, to enable the issue of evaluation to be discussed at the V4 level and beyond.

Download the study from: http://www.nadaciapontis.sk/tmp/asset_cache/link/0000023707/091201_V4ODAEvaluation.pdf
Information provided by Pontis Foundation, http://www.nadaciapontis.sk/en/14521