Capacity-building is understood as the systematic process of developing skills, knowledge, tools, and organizational structures to improve performance. In Evaluation, this strengthening is essential to ensure that the necessary competencies are in place to design, implement, and use evaluations that guide evidence-based decision-making. For PAHO, investing in capacity building not only promotes quality and transparency but also contributes to advancing the universal right to health and the well-being of all people across the Americas.
Evaluation Clinics and Peer Learning
In 2023, PAHO launched Evaluation Clinics within the Programme Management Network (PMN), creating practical spaces for peer exchange and applied learning. Country-led experiences, such as decentralized evaluations, demonstrate how evaluations can drive innovation, accountability, and adaptive management at country level.
Building a common results-oriented language
Responding to recommendations from the Evaluation of PAHO’s RBM Framework, PAHO developed the foundational course “Introduction to Planning, Budget, and Evaluation in PAHO.” This mandatory, Organization-wide training promotes a shared understanding of RBM concepts across all phases—planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning—and supports behavioral and organizational change.
Contribution to WHO and UN System learning
PAHO actively contributes to WHO and UN system-wide evaluation learning by:
- participating in multiple UNEG working groups;
- contributing to WHO corporate evaluations and quality assessments;
- supporting the design, piloting, and regional rollout of WHO’s global evaluation training and educational videos, adapted and translated for the Americas.
Evaluation repository and historical memory
PAHO has consolidated its institutional evaluation memory by reviewing and systematizing evaluations conducted since 2009. As of 2024:
- 47 evaluations qualifying under the PAHO Evaluation Policy were identified, reviewed, and summarized;
- all evaluations are accessible through the PAHO Evaluation Platform on the intranet;
- synthesis products covering 15 years of PAHO evaluations and gender equality in technical cooperation were completed to inform institutional learning.
This effort preserves institutional knowledge, leverages past investments, and strengthens organizational learning.