Measuring results: an open and independent evaluation of the EITI

Following a decision by the EITI Board, the EITI International Secretariat has commissioned an Independent Evaluation of the EITI, to be conducted in the first half of 2022.  

The evaluation will build on efforts to strengthen the EITI’s approach to documenting, communicating and learning from the results of implementation, in line with recommendations from the 2020 review of international best practice in results measurement and impact evaluation.  Assessing the difference that the EITI makes in governance outcomes in implementing countries is one of the six shifts envisaged in the EITI’s strategic priorities.  

The independent evaluation will seek to assess relevance and effectiveness of the EITI work in EITI implementing countries, taking into account the diversity of national circumstances, objectives and diverse stakeholder perspectives and expectations. It will also consider the EITI’s role in establishing and promoting global norms in relation to transparency and accountability in the oil, gas and mining sectors. 

Following the award of the tender for the evaluation in October 2021 to a consortium composed of Voconiq and Square Circle, a collaborative design phase has been undertaken to finalise the evaluation methodology, which will focus on questions of effectiveness, relevance, sustainability, and impact.  

The project is guided by the principle of “open evaluation”. This implies both inclusiveness in the design and implementation of the evaluation, as well as an effort to openly share evaluation data and outputs in a way that are useful to EITI stakeholders and interested parties. A multi-stakeholder project steering group will provide input into the design of the evaluation and advise the EITI Secretariat and the consultant team on issues of project scope and method. The steering group will also seek to anticipate and support measures to put into practice the evaluation’s key learnings, so that evaluation processes and deliverables directly support EITI country implementation, global outreach and advocacy.  

“An independent evaluation of the EITI is timely, as the EITI nears two decades of implementation,” said Mark Robinson, Executive Director of the EITI. “I’m excited to see how innovative and open methodology used by the evaluation team will be put into practice and look forward to identifying how the insights and lessons from the evaluation can be applied at a local, national and global level to guide EITI’s work in its third decade.” 

Resources 

Voconiq and Square Circle are Australia-based consulting and data science companies with extensive experience working with the EITI at the global and country level.  

Terms of reference for the evaluation.  

Independent report: Results measurement and impact assessment in EITI: a review of best and current practice