The conference was attended by some 60 participants, including distinguished guests from the region, from international organizations that work in the region (EBRD, World Bank) as well as participants from evaluation societies in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria among others. Conference was organized by Evaluation Society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHeval) as a member of Western Balkan Evaluation Network (WBEN).

The conference was organized as one of 70 registered global events that are marking ‘Year of Evaluation’ as declared by global evaluation community represented by the EvalPartners and United Nations. Regionally, the conference took place as an important milestone on the path toward achievement of strategic goals of evaluators’ community to enhance new evaluative culture and professionalization of evaluation in Western Balkan.

Programme committee of the Conference selected more than 30 papers for presentation. Beside three plenary sessions and two sections, the conference also brought forward a round table on evaluation in WB region, and two working groups (on project evaluation and on professionalization in evaluation with the special emphasis on certification of evaluators). Each of them formed conclusions on both specific topics. Conference also adopted a joint evaluation statement to be disseminated to national and regional stakeholders about importance of strengthening national evaluation capacities in Western Balkan region (»For enhanced evaluation of development in the Western Balkan countries«). The signatories of the statement shall endeavour for the support and promotion of the development of evaluations systems  in the Western Balkans. The objectives are as follows:

• Improvement of the quality of public management in preparation of policies, plans, projects and projects. 
• Contribution to the integrated information to efficiently harmonise the mutual interests.
• Contribution to the transparency and democratic management of public interests and the involvement of the civili society and private sector into the processes of evaluations,.
• Contribution to the equal treatment of all stakeholders, especially of vulnerable social groups for equity-focused  and  gender-responsive evaluation.
• Contribution to the protection of the environment and to the protection of natural and cultural heritage
• Contribution to the integrated solutions of the detected challenges.

The Western Balkans Evaluation Network shall endeavour for the fulfilment of these goals by::

• Developing national evaluation capacity
  • Collaboration of evaluators with the relevant regional and international organisations in the field of evaluation to improve the design, monitoring and upgrading of national policy evaluation systems.
  • Managing the knowledge in the field of evaluation (publications, magazines, online web portals) to improve the evaluation capacities.

• Building institutional capacity of VOPE (Voluntary Organization of Professional Evaluation)
  • Expanding the network of evaluators in the region to enhance exchange of information and to accumulate the knowledge.
  • Supporting the certifications of evaluators and supervision of the quality of evaluation deliverables.

• Building individual evaluation capacity
  • Continuously incorporating new methods and practices in their work plans.
  • Enhancing the professionalization of the evaluation as an occupation, which is limited by the professional ethics and professional standards.

The statement will be sent to all relevant governmental institutions and international organisations' regional offices in the Western Balkans.

The conference was preceded by the regular regional meeting of national representatives to WBEN. Representatives first reviewed accomplished work and discussed activity plans for future. WBEN also adopted new logo and confirmed new regional coordinator for 2016-2017, Mr. Rijad Kovač from BHeval.

Bojan Radej, SiES, Programme Committee of the Conference

Conference programme: http://www.sdeval.si/2-uncategorised