On September 24 – 26, 2009 there was the Ninth Annual Conference of the International Program Evaluation Network (IPEN) performed in Kyiv and devoted to the topic “Methodology of Program Evaluation and Monitoring”.

The part of the organizers of the Conference was taken by the International Program Evaluation Network (IPEN), CCC Creative Center and the CCC Research Laboratory.

The Conference has involved 125 participants from 12 countries of the world. Among the participants there were representatives of non-governmental organizations, international organizations, business companies; research workers of scientific institutions, representatives of power authorities and independent consultants.

Specially invited guests of the Conference included: Nicoletta Stame, the Head of the European Evaluation Society (Italy); Volodymyr Paniotto, the Director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (Ukraine); Jean Serge Quesnel, the Carleton and Quebec Universities Professor (Canada); and Valeriy Tertychka, the National Academy of Public Administration, the President of Ukraine (NAPA) Professor (Ukraine).

During the Conference the participants discussed the following problems:

• methodology and instruments of state programs evaluation;
• methodology and instruments of technical aid programs evaluation;
• methodology and instruments of business social programs evaluation;
• methodology and instruments of non-commercial organizations' programs evaluation;
• methodology and instruments of self-evaluation;
• general matters of evaluation methodology;
• general matters of program and project monitoring methodology;
• concepts and criteria of the European Union in the field of program and project evaluation.

The results of the discussion have demonstrated that in these latter days public structures, international organizations, business companies and NGOs have been paying more and more attention to evaluation and monitoring of programs and projects. It is evaluation that helps to raise effectiveness of the organizations' activities, and to make administrative decisions and to trace their implementation. The number of specialists engaged in evaluation is growing, their professional level is rising, and the range of works they implement is widening.

All interested people can get acquainted with the Conference materials at the IPEN Web-site