LocationsNEDA, UNDP underscore M&E for national development
December 8, 2022
The opening of the 9th M&E Network Forum was led by (from left) NEDA Undersecretary Joseph Capuno, DBM Undesecretary Joselito Basilio, and UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran.
Metro Manila – In a bid to fortify the M&E practices in the country, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), held the 9th Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Network Forum on 28 November 2022.
With the theme “Laying the M&E Foundations for the 8-point Socio-Economic Agenda”, the forum was led by broach on reflections and discourses in the M&E field and its juxtaposition in the current timeline where the country is at the cusp of drafting and finalizing the Philippine Development Plan that will inform the country’s programs for the next six years.
“Today, we continue our dialogue on how M&E initiatives in the country can be improved, scaled up, and be made more effective to inform and support policy decisions. While we recognize the challenges of creating a vibrant culture of evaluation in public policy, it is our firm belief that our persistent efforts to strengthen and invest in our M&E systems will ultimately result in smarter and more effective actions and initiatives that benefit the Filipino people,” said NEDA Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan during his opening message.
In turn, UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran noted that “UNDP commits to its continuing partnership with NEDA to deepen and strengthen the use of evaluation findings to offer options to address recurring and new development challenges.”
The Forum brought together stakeholders from the government and non-government sectors to share experiences in monitoring and evaluation, and to encourage evaluative thinking in delving into the efforts undertaken to meet data demands of the pandemic and current plans towards recovery.
The panelists were (from left) CPBRD Deputy Secretary General Romulo Miral, DAP President Engelbert Caronan, Jr., ADB Secretary General Emmanuel Jimenez, Australian Embassy Manila Counsellor Thanh Le, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) M&E Working Group Chair Dr. Klaus Schmitt, APEA Board Member Ana Erika Lareza, UNDP Philippines Johanna Erroba, and chaired by NEDA Undersecretary Joseph Capuno.
During the morning plenary session, Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo expressed her satisfaction to learn about NEDA’s plans to intensify its M&E efforts and encouraged the integration of M&E in the whole of government. “Panahon na para maging bahagi ang M&E sa kultura, pag-iisip, at pananalita sa gobyerno (It’s time to make M&E a part of the culture, thinking, and dialogues in the government),” she said.
This call was supported by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Undersecretary Joselito Basilio in his speech where he emphasized the need to monitor performance and strengthen accountability in all levels of government agencies to improve effectiveness in attaining targets and avoid vested interests from influencing public policies.
The M&E Forum is an annual initiative of the M&E Network Philippines, a platform established to strengthen M&E practice and capacity through dialogue among practitioners. Learn about its activities and past evaluations here. (30)
The 9th M&E Network Forum recording may be accessed through Facebook.
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