PARLIAMENT

Fifty (50) parliamentarians and parliament research staff from around 20 countries across Asia Pacific are visiting the Parliament of Sri Lanka on 30 March 2023 for an exchange session and dialogue on the importance of evidence-based policy making through evaluations. This event marks the culmination of the 4-day ‘Better Policy Making Through Evaluations’ training happening on 27-30 March 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka – the first on-site international training on evaluation for parliamentarians and parliament research staff in the Asia Pacific region.

The exchange session aims to showcase the Parliament of Sri Lanka’s achievements in institutionalising evaluations and in developing robust national evaluation capacities. Among Sri Lanka’s accomplishments include being the first country in South Asia to have officially endorsed a National Evaluation Policy. Aside from this, Sri Lanka’s successful institutionalisation of evaluation within the parliament, marked by the appointment of a Parliament Select Committee (PSC), is a first-of-its kind for any parliament. A National Evaluation Bill has been prepared by the PSC and is currently awaiting approval. Once passed into law, it will enable public institutions in Sri Lanka to deliver sustainable results effectively and efficiently, thereby contributing to the country’s economic empowerment and leaving no one behind.

Joining the Parliament session to welcome the participants are Hon. Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, Hon. Susil Premajayantha, Leader of the House, Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Kabir Hashim, Chair of the GPFE, Mr. Dhammika Dasanayake, Secretary General of the Parliament of Sri Lanka, and Dr. Asela Kalugampitiya, President of APEA and SLEvA.

The session also features presentations by Mr. Tikiri Jayathilake, Assistant Secretary General of Parliament of Sri Lanka, Senior Prof. Nilanthi De Silva, Vice Chancellor, University of Kelaniya, Prof. Reinhard Stockmann, Founder and Director for the Center of Evaluation, Saarland University/Germany, and Mr. Marco Segone, Director of UNFPA Evaluation Office.

The ‘Better Policy Making Through Evaluations’ training is organised by the International Program for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET), in partnership with Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA), Global Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation (GPFE), and Asia Pacific Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation (APPFE) with support from the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI) and further sponsorship from the UNFPA Evaluation Office, UNFPA Asia and the Pacific and Philippines Offices, Asian Population and Development Association (APDA), UN Women, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).