Opening plenary (Chair: Professor Kehu Yang, Lanzhou University)

Speakers: Yongzhong Sha, Vice President of Lanzhou University;
Kerry Albright, Deputy director/Principal Adviser, Evaluation, UNICEF;
Erdenechimeg (Chimgee) Ulzisuren, Founder of Mongolian Evaluation Association

Table introductions & Intervention selection

What is evaluation and why is it important?

Presenter: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Types of evaluation

Presenter: Chao Sun, New Development Bank (NDB)

Break

Exercise

Facilitator: Chao Sun, NDB

Lunch

Exercise

Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Evaluation Competency Framework, Code of Ethics and Standards

Presenter: Erdenechimeg (Chimgee) Ulziisuren, MEA

Break

Exercise

Facilitators: Erdenechimeg (Chimgee) Ulziisuren, MEA
Howard White, Lanzhou University

Evaluability assessment

Presenters: Xin Xin Yang, UNICEF

Q & A

Presenters: Xin Xin Yang, UNICEF

End of day quiz

Presenter: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Recap and questions from Day 1

Facilitator: Howard white, Lanzhou University

Theory of change and logic models for monitoring and evaluation design

Presenters: Cheng Wang, UNDP China

Exercise

Facilitator: Cheng Wang, UNDP China

Break

Using results frameworks and the log frame to design and use a monitoring system

Presenter: Jeremy Starr, American University

Exercise

Presenter: Jeremy Starr, American University

Lunch

Setting evaluation questions: the DAC criteria

Presenter: Sabine Palmreuther, DEval

Break

The role of formative evaluation in intervention design

Presenters: Howard White, Lanzhou University; Sven Harten, DEval

Exercise

Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

End of day quiz

Recap and questions from Day 2

Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Evaluation questions: targeting, implementation, fidelity and compliance

Presenter: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Exercise

Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Break

Presentation of two process evaluations

Presenters: Qian Sun, UNDP China; Eskender Alemayehu Zeleke, AII

Lunch

Large-N impact evaluation

Presenter: Hugh Sharma Waddington, LSHTM

Exercise

Facilitator: Hugh Sharma Waddington, LSHTM

Break

Presentation of two Large-N impact evaluations

Presenters: Hugh Sharma Waddington, LSHTM; Xuping Song, Lanzhou University

Evaluation management

Presenter: Sabine Palmreuther, DEval

Writing an evaluation report

Presenter: Uugantsetseg (Uugaa) Gonchigdorj, MEA

Exercise

Facilitator: Uugantsetseg (Uugaa) Gonchigdorj, MEA

End of day quiz

Recap and questions from Day 3

Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Presentation of a small-N impact evaluation

Presenter: Jeremy Starr, American University

Exercise

Facilitator: Jeremy Starr, American University

Break

Evaluation in humanitarian aid

Presenter: Jane Mwangi, UNICEF

Q & A

Presenter: Jane Mwangi, UNICEF

Stakeholder engagement to promote use of findings

Presenter: Chao Sun, NDB

Lunch

Exercise

Facilitator: Chao Sun, NDB

Building Bridges: Global and Regional Initiatives for Young and Emerging Evaluators

Presenters: Dugan Fraser, GEI; Xin Xin Yang, UNICEF; Uugantsetseg (Uugaa) Gonchigdorj, MEA

Break

How to accredited as a professional evaluator?

Presenter: Dugan Fraser, GEI

Career pathways into evaluation

Presenter: Chao Sun, New Development Bank; Uugantsetseg (Uugaa) Gonchigdorj MEA; Cheng Wang, UNDP China

Facilitator: Dugan Fraser, GEI

End of course quiz

Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Award of course certificates

Course appreciation by participant representatives
Facilitator: Howard White, Lanzhou University

Final remark
Speaker：Xuejun Wang, Lanzhou University

Welcome reception

Opening plenary

Speakers:
Yongping Yang, President of Lanzhou University
Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China
Amanda Bissex, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in China

Vice president of Lanzhou University

Plenary Session

Presentation One: The evaluation capacity in global view
Presenter:Dugan Fraser, Program Manager, GEI

Presentation Two. The evaluation capacity in Asia view
Presenter: Emmanuel Manny Jimenez, Director General of Independent Evaluation Department

Presentation Three: Findings of survey of Evaluation Capacity Development in China
Presenter: Zhipeng Wei, Professor of the Center for Evidence-based Social Science of Lanzhou University

Prof. Howard White Lanzhou University

Tea break

Panel Session One: The Evaluation Capacity Development of Global Perspectives

Speakers:
Dugan Fraser, Programme Manager, GEI
Emmanuel Manny Jimenez, General Director of Independent Evaluation
Sven Harten, Deputy Director, Deval
Jane Mwangi, Regional Evaluation Advisor, UNICEF
David Ameyaw, President and CEo of International Center forEvaluation and Development

Mrs. Xin Xin Yang

Multi-Country Evaluation Specialist, UNICEF

Panel Session Two: The Evaluation Capacity Development for Young and Emerging Evaluator

Speakers:
Eskender zeleke, Head of Independent Evaluation Office, AIIB
Cheng Wang, co-leader of EvalYouth China
Khaliunaa Batjargal, co-leader of EvalYouth Asia and EvalYouth Mongolia
Liping Guo, Ph.D., Lanzhou University, Co-lead of EvalYouth Asia
Qi Wang, Post-doctoral fellow, The University of Hong Kong
SEB representative (TBC)

Mrs Erdenechimeg (Chimgee) Ulziisuren

Mongolian Evaluation Association

Closing

EvalTorch
Xin Xin Yang, UNICEF

Launch of EvalYouth China
Cheng Wang, EvalYouth China

Youth in Evaluation manifesto
Xin Xin Yang, UNICEF

Final remarks
Howard White, Lanzhou University

Mr. Gang Chi

Lanzhou University

Yongping Yang

President of Lanzhou University

Yongzhong Sha

Vice President of Lanzhou University

Wei Wang

Vice President of Lanzhou University

Gang Chi

Director of Office of International Cooperation and Exchange

Xuejun Wang

Director of Social Sciences Administration,Lanzhou University

Rongrong Chen

Member of the Leading Party Group and Deputy Director-General, Gansu Provincial Department of Finance

Kerry Albright

Kerry Albright is a Social & Political Scientist with over 25 years of experience in international development and evidence informed decision-making. In September 2022, she took up a position as Deputy Director /Principal Adviser-Evaluation for UNICEF's global evaluation function. Prior to this, she was Deputy Director a.i. and Chief of Research Facilitation and KnowledgeManagement of UNICEF's Global Office of Research & Foresight, based in Florence, ltaly, whereshe was responsible for research oversight and capacity-building across UNICEF's 190+ officesworldwide, including designing various global capacity-strengthening products and trainings tohelp build evidence literacy, critical thinking skills and uptake and impact pathways acrossUNICEF and partners.

Amanda Bissex

Amanda Bissex is the UNICEF Deputy Representative (Programme) to China. She is Responsible for leading programmes in UNICEF China country office, including development of CO policies and strategies; and coordinating and managing all phases of the Country Office Programme, from formulation to delivery of results. Ms. Bissex is professional with more than 20 years of expertise in policy development, strategic planning and leading and managing teams in the field of international development, human rights and humanitarian affairs with focus on Asia.

Dugan Fraser

Dugan Fraser is the Program Manager of the Global Evaluation Initiative (in the World Bank’s Independent Evaluation Group), based in Brussels. GEI’s efforts to strengthen country level monitoring and evaluation systems are based on a partnership model that prioritizes country leadership and ownership of improvement efforts. He manages strategy development and implementation, stakeholder relations and advocacy, and oversees the program’s business processes. He ensures the direction provided by the program’s oversight structures, especially its Partnership Council, is followed.

Emmanuel Jimenez

Emmanuel Jimenez is Director General, Independent Evaluation Department of the Asian Development Bank. Reporting to ADB’s Board of Directors, his responsibilities include assessing ADB’s development effectiveness, as well as providing lessons to inform ADB operations. He was the Executive Director and CEO of 3ie. He led and conducted impact evaluations and evidence reviews and provided strategic direction to the organization as it championed the generation and use of evidence to guide decisions regarding policies and programs that improve lives in low and middle-income countries.

Sven Harten

Sven Harten is an Evaluation-Expert and Political Scientist, PhD at London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE); He has more than 20 years experience in design and implementation of evaluations in the field of development cooperation; Areas of expertise are among others Evaluation Capacity Development (ECD), Climate Change, Private sector development and financial inclusion.

David Sarfo Ameyaw

David Sarfo Ameyaw is an accomplished international development leader with over 30 years of experience in strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, research, and policy analysis. He currently serves as CEO of the International Center for Evaluation and Development (ICED), where he leads multi-million-dollar, continent-wide initiatives in collaboration with institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID. Dr. Ameyaw is a leading voice in Africa on evidence generation, synthesis, translation, and the promotion of evidence uptake for policy and practice. He has previously held senior roles at AGRA and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), directing high-impact programs across more than 85 countries.

Erdenechimeg Ulziisuren

Erdenechimeg (Chimgee) Ulziisuren is a Founder Mongolian Evaluation Association (MEA) as well as CEO and Founder of Cognos International LLC – an evaluation and research firm specialized in the fields of of socio-economy, market, agriculture, environment and health in Mongolia. Ms. Erdenechimeg has 15 years of professional experience working as a researcher and evaluator for many of the UN agencies, World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the European Union, among others, as well as government agencies including the National Statistics Office, and the private sector.

Xin Xin Yang

Xin Xin Yang is a Multi-Country Evaluation Specialist at UNICEF, responsible for the evaluation work for the China, DPRK, and Mongolia Country Offices. She is an international development practitioner with over 20 years of experience. Before joining UNICEF, Xin Xin conducted complex evaluations, often in a leadership role, commissioned by various U.N. agencies, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and bilateral donors. In the early stages of her career, Xin Xin worked in the Legal Vice Presidency of the World Bank in Washington, D.C. She is fluent in English and Chinese, and has working knowledge of French.

Eskender Zeleke

Eskender Zeleke is a globally recognized leader in evaluation, sustainable finance, and private sector operations, with over 25 years of experience spanning operational, strategic, and institutional roles. He held senior positions at the World Bank Group, including the International Finance Corporation, where he led complex infrastructure and financial transactions and ESG engagements.

Chao Sun

Chao Sun (NDB) is a Senior Professional in evaluation methods, and he has led the NDB’s first corporate level evaluation on NDB’s Policy Framework, the Bank’s first evaluation synthesis report on its Regional Offices (On-the-ground Presence), and also NDB’s first project performance evaluation in South Africa. Before joining NDB, he was a Senior Manager in Pricewaterhouse Coopers with around ten years of risk assurance and audit experience in both China and the United Kingdom.

Qian Sun

is the Team Leader of the Strategic Planning, Risk Management, Monitoring and Evaluation (SPRIMME) Team at UNDP China. As the overall Evaluation Manager, he oversees and manages 10+ evaluations annually. He brings extensive experience from previous roles as Evaluation Manager at UNDP offices in Malaysia, Cambodia, and at the UNDP Headquarters in New York.

Jane Mwangi

Jane Mwangi is the Regional Evaluation Advisor for UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Region (EAPR), based in Bangkok, Thailand. She has 20 years’ experience in managing humanitarian and development operations, including in planning, monitoring, research and evaluations, policy, and advocacy. In her current role, she oversees the planning, implementation, dissemination and utilization of quality evaluative evidence at regional and country levels. She also contributes to the development of approaches, guidance and overall strategic direction of evaluations within UNICEF.

Sabine Palmreuthe

Sabine Palmreuther (DEval) works at DEval as part of the Evaluation Capacity Development (ECD) project. She brings extensive experience in international development cooperation, with a focus on strengthening governance and evaluation systems in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Europe, and Asia. At the World Bank, she led cross-sectoral programs on local governance, decentralization, institutional strengthening, and MEL. Her expertise includes strengthening evaluation capacities to further localization of the SDGs through evidence-based policy design and implementation.

Uugantsetseg Gonchigdorj

Uugantsetseg (Uugaa) Gonchigdorj is the President of the Mongolian Evaluation Association (MEA) and an independent evaluator. She served as a Board Member of MEA, Co-Leader of the EvalYouth Asia Chapter, and Co-Founder of EvalYouth Mongolia from 2023 to 2025. Uugantsetseg holds a Bachelor degree in Sociology and an MBA in Non-profit Organizational Management. She has over 10 years of experience working as a researcher and consultant and has been providing independent consultancy services since 2020, specializing in evaluation.

Hugh Sharma Waddington

Hugh Sharma Waddington is an Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), UK, and organizes the annual short course on impact evaluation offered by the London International Development Centre (LIDC). As an economist and environmental health specialist, he specializes in impact evaluations of global development and health programs, employing randomized, quasi-experimental, and mixed-methods designs, alongside systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Professor Waddington serves as Co-Chair of the Campbell Collaboration Climate Solutions Coordinating Group and is a Methods Editor for Campbell Systematic Reviews and the Journal of Development Effectiveness.

Jeremy Starr

Jeremy Starr (AU) is a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) specialist with extensive experience designing and implementing evaluations and MEL systems for complex, donor-funded programs worldwide. He has led programming for initiatives spanning governance, market systems, resilience, and food security, with a focus on adaptive learning and systems change. Currently, he is a MEL Specialist at DAI Global, a leading international development firm implementing multi-million-dollar projects funded by donors such as USAID and the EU.

Cheng Wang

Cheng Wang is the Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) Specialist at the Strategic Planning, Risk Management, and M&E (SPRIMME) team at UNDP China. His work contributes to the design and quality assurance of projects, fostering a robust evaluation culture at the country office and enhancing the effectiveness of UNDP's development initiatives.

Khaliunaa Batjarga

Khaliunaa Batjargal is a Young and Emerging Evaluator with experience supporting research, communications, and capacity-building initiatives across national and regional levels. She currently serves as Communications Chair and Board Member of the Mongolian Evaluation Association and Co-Leader of EvalYouth Asia and EvalYouth Mongolia. She has contributed to organizing evaluation-focused events, facilitating knowledge exchange, and coordinating communications for multi-stakeholder platforms. Khaliunaa has also taken part in the World Evaluation Case Competition as part of team Progresso and has been named Asia Champion twice. With a strong interest in social equity, mental health, and sustainable development, Khaliunaa approaches her work with curiosity, dedication and a commitment to learning from peers and mentors across the global evaluation community.

Qi Wang

Qi Wang< is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. She serves as the Secretariat Head of the RIGHT Collaboration, the GRADE Working Group member, and a Cochrane member. Dr. Wang holds a Ph.D. in Health Policy, along with a Master of Medicine and a Bachelor of Medicine. Her research focuses on health policy and evidence-based medicine, with primary research interests in evidence-informed decision-making in health systems, evidence synthesis methodology, and the development and implementation of health guidelines.

Kehu Yang

Kehu Yang is Professor of Lanzhou University, Second-Class Cuiying Scholar, and Guest Professor under the Gansu Provincial Feitian Scholars Program. Recipient of the State Council Special Government Allowance, "Longji Distinguished Teaching Professor" of Lanzhou University, Baosteel Outstanding Teacher Special Prize, Guohua Leading Talent Award for Distinguished Scholars, and Chief Expert of Major Projects under the National Social Science Fund, he has led over 20 research projects, including the National Social Science Fund Major Project, General Projects of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, sub-projects of the National 863 Program, and international collaborative initiatives. With more than 200 published papers, his honors include the Gansu Provincial Special Prize for Medical Science and Technology, and First Prize of Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award

Howard White

Howard White is Professor or Evidence-Base Public Policy at LZU. He is also the co-founder of the Research and Evaluation Centre (REC) and was the founding Executive Director of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), CEO of the Campbell Collaboration, Research Director of the UK-government funded Centre of Excellence for Development Impact and Learning (CEDIL) and led the impact evaluation programme of the World Bank Independent Evaluation Group. He has been involved in the evaluation of development interventions for over thirty years and has published many papers in international journals on evaluation methods.

Xiuxia Li

Xiuxia Li is a Professor at the School of Public Health,Lanzhou University,China,and a Ph.D. supervisor. She has over 15 years of work experience in evidence-based health policy and evidence translation.As the Director of the Health Technology Assessment Center and Deputy Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Social Sciences Research at Lanzhou University,she has led multiple national and international research projects and published extensively.She has also contributed to several books on evidence-based research methods.

Zhipeng Wei

Zhipeng Wei is Professor at the Center for Evidence-Based Social Sciences Research, Lanzhou University, and the Executive Associate Editor-in-Chief of the CSSCI-indexed journal Library and Information Service. He has been recognized as a National High-Level Talent, a Leading Talent of Gansu Province, and a recipient of the Gansu May Fourth Youth Medal. His accolades include the China Publishing Government Award (the highest national honor in China’s publishing industry) and multiple Gansu Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Outstanding Achievement Awards. Professor Wei has presided over numerous research projects, including those funded by the National Social Science Fund of China.

Xuping Song

Xuping Song, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the School of Public Health, a member of the Center for Evidence-Based Social Science at Lanzhou University, and serves as a Master's Supervisor. Xuping was a Visiting Scholar at the McMaster Health Forum in Canada in 2022 to 2023. She is secretary-general of the Medical Meteorology Committee of the China Meteorological Society, a member of the GRADE Working Group, an editor for the Campbell Collaboration Methods Working Group, and a member of the Rapid Evidence-Support System Assessment (RESSA) Country Leads Group initiated by the Global Evidence Commission.

Liping Guo

Liping Guo, a researcher and PhD candidate at the Center for Evidence-Based Social Science at Lanzhou University, serves as a co-lead of EvalYouth Asia. She leads the EYA’s mentorship program and champions the adoption of evidence-based methodologies among early-career evaluators. Her research specializes in evidence synthesis (including evidence gap mapping, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses) and impact evaluation, with a focus on strengthening data-informed decision-making in public health, mental health, education, and social development sectors.