Caribbean Evaluation Space 2026 Conference

Tuesday

September

01 - 03

2026

Time

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Time zone

AST

Location

Barbados

EVENT SITE

Events

Institutions

Mar 31, 2026

From September 1-3, 2026, the Caribbean Development Bank's Office of Independent Evaluation (OIE) welcomes you to the inaugural Caribbean Evaluation Space (CEvalSpace), a regional platform dedicated to advancing evaluation, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and evidence-informed decision-making across the Caribbean.

CEvalSpace was created to amplify Caribbean voices, showcase regional knowledge and expertise, and strengthen the use of evidence to improve policies, programmes, and development outcomes. More than a conference, it is an inclusive and evolving space where people come together to connect, learn, collaborate, and shape the future of evaluation in the region.

As Caribbean countries continue to navigate complex development challenges, strong evaluation systems and a culture of learning are essential to ensuring that resources, programmes, and policies deliver meaningful results. CEvalSpace responds to this need by providing a dedicated forum that prioritises Caribbean perspectives, lived experiences, knowledge systems, and socio-political realities while fostering dialogue with the global evaluation community.

Held biennially and rotating across Caribbean countries, CEvalSpace is designed to become the region's flagship platform for knowledge exchange, professional networking, and capacity development in evaluation and M&E. It also marks the beginning of an enduring Caribbean Community of Practice that will support collaboration, innovation, and professional growth between conferences.

Guided by the vision to "cultivate a generation of Caribbean leaders in evaluation," CEvalSpace 2026 brings together evaluation professionals, government representatives, policymakers, development practitioners, multilateral development banks, United Nations organisations, academia, civil society, the private sector, and young and emerging evaluators from across the Caribbean and beyond.

Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, technical sessions, and practical knowledge-sharing opportunities, participants will explore innovative approaches to evaluation, strengthen regional networks, and advance the use of evidence to support more effective development decision-making.

Watch CEvalSpace 2026 Live

Join us online as we livestream selected sessions from CEvalSpace 2026. Explore the livestream agenda below and watch presentations and discussions featuring regional and international experts who are helping to advance evaluation and development effectiveness across the Caribbean.

This is our space. Built by the Caribbean. For the Caribbean. Together, we are shaping the future of evaluation.

Tuesday, September 1

8:45 a.m. -9:45 a.m.

Opening Session

This session sets the stage for three days of dialogue on evaluation, evidence and leadership across the Caribbean.

Keynote Speaker

The Hon. Marsha Caddle, Minister of Economic Affairs & Planning, Office of the Prime Minister, Barbados

Speakers

Daniel M. Best, President, Caribbean Development Bank
Roberto La Rovere, Head, Office of Independent Evaluation, Caribbean Development Bank

9:45 a.m. –10:45 a.m.

Building a Caribbean Evaluation Space: Why It Matters Now

This plenary explores why the Caribbean needs its own evaluation space and what it will take to build country-led, regionally owned evaluation systems.

Speakers

Daniel M. Best, President, Caribbean Development Bank
Jozef Vassen, Chief Evaluation Officer and Senior Advisor, World Bank Independent Evaluation Group
Camille Spencer, Programme Director, Monitoring & Evaluation, Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, Trinidad and Tobago
Roberto La Rovere, Head, Office of Independent Evaluation, Caribbean Development Bank (Moderator)

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

From Voice to Influence: Positioning the Caribbean in Global Evaluation

This plenary reflects on the Caribbean's current position in global evaluation, highlighting emerging priorities, unresolved tensions and key gaps in the regional evaluation ecosystem.

Speaker

Thania de la Garza, Evaluation Specialist Consultant, Office of Independent Evaluation, Caribbean Development Bank

Wednesday, September 2

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

AI, Data, and Power: Shaping the Future of Evaluation in the Caribbean

This plenary explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping data and evaluation systems, examining AI as a strategic and governance issue rather than simply a set of tools.

Speakers

Lloyd Waller, Director, Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies, UWI Mona Campus
Craig Ramlal, Executive Director, Artificial Intelligence Innovation Centre, UWI St. Augustine Campus
Jozef Vaessen, Chief Evaluation Officer and Senior Advisor, World Bank Independent Evaluation Group
Indran Naidoo, Director, Independent Office of Evaluation, International Fund for Agricultural Development
Roxanne Beckles White, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Independent (Moderator)

3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

From Data to Action: Unlocking Evidence Use in the Caribbean

This plenary reflects on how evidence is generated, used and acted upon in Caribbean contexts, identifying the key non-technical barriers that prevent evidence from informing decisions.

Speakers

Peisha Bryan-Lee, Programme Director, Vision 2030 Jamaica, Planning Institute of Jamaica
Kira Deane, Data Management and Results Monitoring Officer, United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean
Cristian Crespo, Executive Director, Center for Learning in Evaluation and Results for Latin America and the Caribbean (Moderator)

Thursday, September 3

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Evaluation Leadership for Development Results in the Caribbean

This plenary examines how evaluation can more effectively shape development outcomes and institutional performance in the Caribbean.

Speakers

Darran Newman, Advisor to the Vice President (Operations), Caribbean Development Bank
Pablo Lopez, Director, Development Contributions and Impact Measurement Department, CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean
Lisa Goonai-Nanan, Independent Consultant
José Efraín Deras, Chief of Evaluation, Independent Evaluation Office, Central American Bank for Economic Integration (Moderator)

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Building a Culture of Evaluation in the Caribbean

This session looks beyond systems and capacity to the cultural and institutional shifts needed to embed evaluation in Caribbean decision-making.

Speakers

Camille Spencer, Programme Director, Monitoring & Evaluation, Ministry of Planning, Economic Affairs and Development, Trinidad and Tobago
Claudia Nicholson, Founding Member, Caribbean Evaluators International
Susan Branker Greene, Vice President, Caribbean Evaluators International
Tashana Providence-Forde, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer, UNICEF Eastern Caribbean MCO
Kimberley Wilson, Evaluation Officer, Caribbean Development Bank (Moderator)

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Towards the Caribbean Evaluation Community of Practice (CoP): A Regional Townhall

This regional townhall brings together key insights from the Community of Practice co-creation workshop, reflecting on the shared vision, guiding principles and priorities identified by participants.

Featuring representatives of: