The International Development Evaluation Association – IDEAS was created in 2002 to meet the need for a global professional association for international development evaluators. While we see a very welcome increase in national evaluation associations and networks, and regional associations playing a stronger role, IDEAS remains the only home for evaluators working globally or on global issues. Given the worldwide ambitions of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, sustainable development and evaluation for the Sustainable Development Goals are the main focus of IDEAS’ work.

To promote this, we aim to effectively stimulate and favor exchanges of experiences, knowledge and learning among members of the global evaluation community.

IDEAS is a democratic voluntary organization governed by an elected 10-member Board, consisting of an Executive Committee, with President, Vice-President, Secretary General and Treasurer, and 6 members from the regions of the world. Its foundational documents include a Constitution, Election By-Laws and the Code of Ethics, which are approved by members and implemented by the governing Board.

Membership fees and grants from donors support all activities of the Association, including administrative support, publications, and conferences.

IDEAS strategic objectives include:

• To  contribute to professional knowledge, ethics, conceptual thinking and standards in international development evaluation.
• To enhance the capacity of its members and international development evaluators in general.
• To provide a platform for exchange of experiences and knowledge amongst its members and in general for the profession.
• To promote governance, learning from evidence and accountability for development.
• To foster partnerships for the evaluation of sustainability of development.
• To strengthen IDEAS global nature through partnerships and close collaboration with regional and national associations.

IDEAS is proud to have:

• Organized a number of high-quality international conferences, which resulted in publications widely appreciated by the community of evaluators;
• Designed and approved in a widely participatory process with its members a competencies framework for evaluators, managers and commissioners of evaluations;
• Formulated, approved and adopted its core Code of Ethics, following a highly participatory process with its members;
• Participated in the conception and approval of relevant international documents meant to guide the development of the profession and of the field of evaluation itself.

Since its inception, IDEAS has held six global assemblies:   New Delhi, India (2005);  Johannesburg, South Africa, (2009);  Amman, Jordan, (2011); Bridgetown, Barbados (2013); Bangkok, Thailand (2015) and Guanajuato, Mexico (2017).