This “closed door” session will allow for a lively exchange of experience and peer learning, exploring innovative approaches to synthesis and collaboration from the COVID-19 Global Evaluation Coalition. The Secretariat of the Global Coalition will present lessons from the innovative approach to evaluating complexity of the pandemic response, including new ways of working together (collaboration) and of synthesizing lessons across contexts. Government representatives from Burkina Faso, China, Germany, Mexico and South Africa (TBC) will present their own national assessments of their (international) humanitarian and development response to the health and secondary socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2022. Each of the presenters will explore the themes of solidarity and responsiveness in crisis, as well as elucidating process related lessons on how to conduct such complex evaluations (which had to deal with less-than perfect data, recall bias, long causal chains, etc.). The presenters will share process insights. The aim of this session is to allow for a frank and open sharing of lessons learned about how best to respond to global crises, and to enable and inspire further international collaboration in evaluation. It will provide substantive insights on the effectiveness and relevance of international aid, including south-south, triangular and other forms of co-operation. 

The session will be relevant to UNDP staff and national government officials – by invitation.