Working on sustainable results: Evaluation at GTZ

Hardly any other area of policy involves so much evaluation as development cooperation. At GTZ, too, systematically reviewing the success of our operations is an integral part of our work. This is how we account to our clients and the public generally for the use of tax money. Our clients, partners and the target groups in the partner countries place great trust in us. By continuously examining the results and success of our work and making these transparent, we aim to fulfil this responsibility and be credible partners in international cooperation.

Evaluation helps us to improve our work continuously, providing important information for managing projects and programmes and promoting learning by individuals and the company as a whole.

We use two different instruments for evaluating projects and programmes: decentralised evaluations and independent evaluations. Partner institutions and local evaluators are regularly included in these evaluations. Joint evaluations conducted with German and international cooperation partners are becoming increasingly important.

Evaluations examine the following questions:
• Are we doing the right thing? (relevance).
• Are we achieving the project and programme objectives? (effectiveness).
• Are we contributing to the achievement of overarching development objectives and results? (impact).
• Is our action cost-effective? (efficiency).
• Are the results durable? (sustainability).

GTZ’s evaluation system follows the internationally recognised criteria and principles of the OECD Development Assistance Committee. In accordance with the principle of independence, the GTZ Evaluation Unit is clearly separated from the operative departments, and reports directly to the Office of the Managing Directors.

The term external evaluations is used for measures conducted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) within its Central Evaluation Programme. These measures are not covered by GTZ’s evaluation system, and the quality assurance of projects and programmes is handled by independent auditors. 

More on the OECD/DAC evaluation criteria:

www.oecd.org/

Evaluation System

Further information for download

• Evaluations at the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH
  The article, written by Marianne Reuber and Oliver Haas provides information on the evaluation practice at GTZ. Updated in February 2009.
  en-evaluations-at-gtz-reuber-haas-2009.pdf, 0,12 MB (English)
• Results Monitoring 2007
  Evaluation Report on the work of GTZ and its partners. 10th cross-section analysis 2006-2007.
  Evaluierungsbericht-Engl-0801.pdf, 0,37 MB (English)
• Measuring Development
  by Annette Schmid, GTZ, published in "Entwicklung & ländlicher Raum", 1/2007
  ELR-en-30-31.pdf, 0,04 MB (English)
• Working for sustainable results.
  Evaluation at GTZ, brochure September 2006
  RZ-Flyer-eVAL-en.pdf, 0,25 MB (English)
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