Full Agenda

In Evidence Talks, Dean Karlan will discuss the transformative role of rigorous, evidence-based evaluation in enabling governments to make smarter, more impactful decisions—especially in resource-constrained environments.

This session will share ADB’s latest evaluation review on support for regional cooperation and integration and regional public goods, and explore new ideas and thoughts on evaluation of international development cooperations.

Participants will take away a clearer understanding that evaluation systems and practices are much more pervasive than often recognized by the community of self-identifying evaluators. The session will also highlight diversity of effective forms of institutionalization and common challenges, drawing on best practices from selected governments in Asia and national evaluation capacity building efforts by UN agencies.

This session will offer a dynamic and practical platform for stakeholders to exchange experience, real-world examples, and case studies, and advance the global conversation on the role of evidence in promoting climate-resilient and sustainable infrastructure development. Participants will: Gain insights from real-world evaluations on climate-related infrastructure and energy projects; Deepen understanding of the role of evaluation in driving resilient and sustainable infrastructure outcomes; Learn about innovative methodologies for evaluating environmental sustainability, resilience, and socio-economic impacts; Strengthen their capacity to integrate evaluation findings into the design, monitoring, and adaptation of infrastructure projects.

Discover how evaluation transforms private sector resilience during pandemics, climate shocks, financial disruptions, and conflict. Drawing from EBRD, EIB, AIIB, and OECD expertise, this session reveals how multilateral banks harness evaluation to sharpen decision-making and accelerate recovery. Explore agile strategies, real-time evaluation innovations, bold collaborative approaches, and engage in audience-led reflection to strengthen crisis response capabilities.

Participants are invited to wear a touch of their national costume to celebrate the rich diversity of the AEW community—a vibrant accessory, a traditional fabric, or a symbolic piece—the cultural flair will add to the joyful spirit of the AEW.

This session will provide a dynamic platform for stakeholders to share experiences, perspectives, and innovative approaches to advancing urban livability, with a particular focus on infrastructure, climate resilience, and social inclusion. Participants will engage in discussions that explore evidence-based pathways for building resilient, sustainable, and equitable urban environments, which will include drawing on the findings from the latest evaluations of ADB’s support for livable cities and climate interventions from a livability perspective. Through this session, participants will be better equipped to address real-world urban challenges, foster resilient and inclusive urban communities, and contribute to the ongoing dialogue on making cities more livable in the face of climate change and other crises.

This session will share China’s experience and practices of performance management and evaluation for "livable city" projects.

This panel will explore how robust, context-sensitive Theories of Change (ToCs) can strengthen the design and effectiveness of evaluations. Speakers from research, government, and international financial institutions will discuss the role of ToCs in clarifying outcomes, embedding monitoring and learning, anticipating risks and unintended consequences, and enabling course corrections in policy and program implementation. The session will emphasize cross-sectoral collaboration and institutional incentives as critical for making ToCs both technically rigorous and operationally relevant.

Participants will deepen their understanding of how global norms can strengthen evaluation practices, deepen inclusion of impacted populations, and enable collaboration across diverse stakeholders in evaluating and improving results.

Participants will gain practical insights on how FI operations can advance climate finance, with a focus on evaluating impact, aligning with the Paris Agreement, and fostering cross-MDB collaboration for enhanced learning and effectiveness.

Participants will understand that while evaluation is independent, IFAD, ADB, NDB, CABEI and EBRD have increased the points of intersection between the evaluand and the evaluator through a longer journey that deepens the dialogue and conversation. This enables the evaluand to view the process as empowering, and to develop new insights and skills. For this to happen, evaluators need to be trained to engage with empathy, recognizing that tensions are necessary to surface issues. Organizational governance structures also need to be in place, to guarantee operational and intellectual independence of evaluation offices. It is through this process of inclusion that independent evaluation offices are able to improve the mandate of their respective organizations.

This session will showcase how evidence reviews, evaluability studies, and quality assessments strengthen learning in climate evaluation, particularly in contexts where prior evidence is limited. Presenters from the IEU will highlight what we know from evidence reviews, how evaluability studies, including work on theories of change and alignment with the RMF, can build readiness for impact evaluations, and lessons from quality assessments of project evaluations. Together with fellow panelists from other evaluation offices, the discussion will explore how these approaches inform project design, improve accountability, and contribute to building a stronger climate evaluation culture.

This event launches two timely books on how the evidence ecosystem works and why it matters for better decision-making. Co-hosted by Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and Center for Evidence-based Social Science of Lanzhou University.

Evaluation Torch represents the presence of the global evaluation community. At this event, the current holder of the torch, Lanzhou University–co-host of the Third Summer Evaluation Bootcamp–will hand the torch to representatives of the hosts of AEW.

Participants in the panel discussion will gain insights into how crisis response can be leveraged as a springboard for long-term, resilient development. By examining MDB’s evolving approach—including the application of Build Back Better (BBB) principles and integration of policy innovations and risk reduction—attendees will hear lessons on how MDBs align emergency interventions with sustainable development goals.

This engaging session will spark collaborative dialogue and diverse thinking around national evaluation systems. This structured discussion format promotes open knowledge sharing and actionable insights through face-to-face conversations at themed tables. Each discussion table will feature a printed poster to anchor the conversation, guiding participants through key questions and perspectives, encouraging dynamic exchanges and cross-pollination of ideas among evaluation professionals. This session offers a unique opportunity to explore the future of evaluation systems in a participatory and inclusive environment.

The session will provide AEW participants with a practical understanding of how development projects evolve from concept to impact highlighting the “One ADB” approach—where operations, evaluation, and knowledge work together to support sustainable development.

The site visit will immerse AEW participants in the real-world evolution of a development project—by engaging directly with the project on-site.

This session explores the intersection of intergenerational collaboration and governance reforms in strengthening national evaluation systems in the Asia Pacific region. It highlights the dual imperative of empowering youth in evaluation (YEEs) and institutionalizing evaluation within governance frameworks. Participants will: learn how youth engagement can be meaningfully integrated into these processes through structured programs and partnerships; be exposed to successful models of collaboration between evaluation associations, governments, and young and emerging evaluators (YEEs); be invited to reflect on and commit to advancing intergenerational partnerships within their own evaluation ecosystems; and gain insight into practical strategies for institutionalizing evaluation within national governance systems.

This panel will highlight how environmental evaluations drive development outcomes, featuring case studies and innovations from GCF and GEF evaluations. It will present findings on climate interventions in health, food, and water security, and challenges in measuring integrated, locally grounded programs. Evidence from nature-based solutions, chemicals and waste management, and technological innovation—like machine learning—will demonstrate how ecological infrastructure and regulatory reforms enhance resilience and livelihoods. Participants will gain practical insights on integrating environmental considerations into planning, improving project design, and informing policy for low-carbon, climate-resilient, and inclusive development.

Evaluation Headlines Live is a series where heads of independent evaluation from major multilateral development banks (MDBs) discuss pressing issues shaping the world of evaluation. In this session, some of the best in evaluation reflect on how fast-paced global shifts, from geopolitics to technology, are reshaping evaluation practice. They’ll share how their teams are rethinking strategies, embracing digital tools, and leading through uncertainty. This conversation is a must for anyone looking to stay relevant, responsive, and impactful in today’s complex development landscape.

Self-funded tour

A workshop co-hosted by the Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) of the New Development Bank (NDB), the Center for Evidence-based Social Science (CEBSS) of Lanzhou University, and Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI). Crisis settings pose challenges for evaluations. Practitioners often dismiss evaluation as a luxury which cannot be afforded at times of crisis. This is a mistake. The need to learn from experience—what works, what doesn’t, where and for who, and why—is every bit as important in a crisis setting.