Global Development

How Can Evaluation Improve Sustainable Development? Understanding the Nexus of Natural and Human Systems 

Monday March 2nd – 2:15 –3:30 pm
Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health
Cook Campus
Rm. 101

Dr. Juha I. Uitto, Director
Independent Evaluation Office, Global Environment Facility 

Evaluating environmental programs and projects in developing countries.
Drawing on over two decades of global evaluation experience, Dr. Uitto highlights the strategic role evaluators play in understanding and enhancing the impact of environmental programs and projects in developing countries. Understanding the differing geographic and time scales of natural and human systems is crucial to assessing the complex dynamic systems in which the interventions operate and interact. This is a needed corrective to the usual approach to evaluation, as in policymaking generally, in which the environmental foundation has received relatively less attention. Dr. Uitto will also discuss the use of geospatial data and analysis for improving international development evaluations.

The GEF (http://www.thegef.org/) has provided close to $20 billion in grant funding and mobilized an additional $107 billion in co-financing to more than 4,700 projects in 170 countries. Following his talk, Dr. Uitto will be available to discuss international internships and project work opportunities with interested graduate students and faculty.

Contacts: Prof. Hal Salzman HSalzman@Rutgers.edu or Dr. Marjorie Kaplan mbk65@envsci.rutgers.edu
Sponsored by: Rutgers Global, Rutgers EJ Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers Climate Institute, International Development Interest Group and offered as part of E.J. Bloustein School’s “International Development” course.