Evidence for every child: UNICEF and Brazil join forces to put equity at the heart of evaluation

BRASÍLIA, 29 May 2026.- As part of the Semana da Avaliação 2026 (Evaluation Week 2026) held over 25-28 May, the Government of Brazil and UNICEF set out a shared agenda through several activities to make evaluation a powerful driver of equity for every child.

Brazil: A hub for evaluation 

UNICEF Director of Evaluation Robert McCouch joined Government of Brazil leaders, evaluation experts and partners at the annual Semana da Avaliação co-organized with eight federal institutions, including the National School of Public Administration (ENAP). 

Mr. McCouch met with ENAP Executive Director Danyelle Barreto and other team members to discuss strategic priorities of mutual interest. The visit reaffirmed Brazil’s role as a global hub for evaluation excellence, building on its recent launch of the Executive Course for Evaluation Leaders (ExCEL) with UNICEF in late 2025. Both parties will continue to deepen efforts to strengthen evaluation capacity in Brazil and internationally, including through joint generation of equity-focused evaluation tools. 

Such efforts are integral to realizing the vision of UNICEF’s strategy for strengthening national evaluation capacity in Latin America and the Caribbean. This strategy sets a clear ambition: by 2030, governments, academia and civil society across the region sustain inclusive, nationally owned evaluation systems that inform public policy and advance children’s rights so that no one is left behind. The leadership of the Government of Brazil partnership demonstrates this strategy in action: country-led, equity-centred, and powered by South-South exchange.

Putting the most disadvantaged children first

In his keynote, “Evidence for those farthest behind,” Mr. McCouch argued that evaluation must do more than measure results: it must reshape who is seen, whose knowledge counts, and whose voices shape decisions. Children facing intersecting disadvantages of poverty, race, territory, disability, gender and other characteristics are too often left out of the picture. Evaluation is not only about measuring what works; it is about making sure policies work for those who need them most, turning evidence into a force for equity and social justice for every child.

Director of Evaluation Robert McCouch delivers keynote address at the Evaluation Week 2026. (Video: ENAP). See video here

Joined by Michael Craft (UNICEF Regional Evaluation Adviser) and Mariia Matsepa (UNICEF Brazil Monitoring & Evaluation Chief), Mr. McCouch also led a hands-on workshop, “From insight to influence: Equity-focused evaluations that improve children’s lives”. The workshop worked with government participants on exploring frameworks and applications that reinforce policy uptake, which drew on the conclusions regarding determinants of evaluation influence from a recent global UNICEF study. By embedding an equity lens with the lived experience of communities, evidence can be both more relevant and more likely to drive social change.

MULTIMEDIA 

📺 Full keynote on YouTube