by Andrea Meneses Rojas
In Chapter 13 of the book Evaluation, Democracy, and Transformation, I invite you to explore how, over ten years of international cooperation, diverse intentions and shared learning have come together so that participatory evaluation has moved from being a mere ideal to becoming a transformative practice in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Throughout this decade, cooperation between the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) and Costa Rica’s Ministry of National Planning and Economic Policy (Mideplan) has established participatory evaluation as a strategic commitment in actions carried out in the region. Between 2014 and 2024, this joint effort was channeled through two projects (Foceval and Focelac) with a common purpose: to strengthen evaluation capacities and contribute to evidence-based decision making.
With the enforcement of Mongolia’s Law on Special Protected Area 
The chapter we present in the book 
Dear friends of EvalParticipativa,
The EvalParticipativa Podcast is a platform for exchange and collaboration within the Community of Practice and Learning on Participatory Evaluation in Latin America. Each episode seeks to explore and share the knowledge and experiences of key figures in participatory evaluation across the region, where the professional intersects with the personal, and evaluative practice is closely linked to the lived experiences and stories of the interviewees.
Over the past two decades, the movement aimed at achieving evidence-based policies has gained importance and prominence. It holds that policymakers should base their decisions on the best available evidence regarding “what works,” rather than on ideologies or in response to particular interests.
When I wrote 
DEVICES FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH, ITINERANT COLLECTIVE MAPPING, CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHIES AND PEDAGOGICAL RESOURCES FOR COMMUNITY USE
The EvalParticipativa podcast continues to serve as a platform for the exchange and dissemination of knowledge and experiences among specialists and key figures in participatory evaluation, both from Latin America and other international contexts. Its purpose is to offer an integrative perspective, in which evaluative practice is interwoven with professional trajectories, personal experiences, and the territorial specificities of the interviewees.
Recognising the political nature of evaluation opens a transformative door: the possibility of turning it into a tool for democratisation. When we recognise that evaluation has a political role, we acknowledge its capacity to challenge narratives and make realities visible. It is about expanding our understanding of what constitutes valid evidence and who has the right to produce it.