This conference is about measuring what matters in a post-truth society and seeks to get clarity and learn about how to measure what matters, when we are aiming for SDGs yet we seem to live in a ‘post-truth’ society.

“Partnership and collaboration across every sector and at every level is vital if we are to meet the 2030 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. We need to find ways to measure progress in ways that have meaning to individuals from local to global, and across every sector. The range of organizations and stakeholders present and the range of initiatives being developed show how the Goals can be used to develop a shared framework.” – Jessica Fries , Executive Chairman, A4S. In: Measure What Matters: a Framework for Action (2016).

How do we get to the core of what matters to be evaluated? And for who? How can we generate evidence that has meaning for society at large, not just the key players in society?

How do we contribute to this as evaluators, program officers, policy makers, when facts seem to become less influential than emotions and personal beliefs?

According to the Oxford Dictionaries ‘post-truth’ is defined as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief”. We can see what happened in the UK (Brexit) and USA (Trump). Evaluators are not the only ones that advocate for evidence-based decision making: ‘An American government that ignores science to pursue ideological agendas endangers the world’ (Common Dreams, January 25, 2017).

Aim is to also launch the new guide ‘Managing for Sustainable Development Impact. An Integrated Approach to Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation’ at the end of the conference!

For more information on the speakers and detailed programme, please visit the conference website.