Who we are | The CLEAR Initiative

Our Global Network

Across the developing world, there has been an increasing demand for evidence-informed decision-making by governments, development practitioners, donors, and program funders. Through both harmonized and tailored products and services, the CLEAR Centers aim to build sustainable in-country monitoring and evaluation systems and frameworks.

CLEAR Centers have a unique way of building capacity through in-country collaboration with local partners, including government agencies, academic institutions, and civil society organizations. We work with civil society to help generate awareness and demand for M&E services.

We also partner with local academic institutions and VOPEs to share experiences and to enhance our collective capacity to provide evaluation capacity development (ECD) support at the local, national, and regional level.

CLEAR’s six regional Centers and two Affiliate Centers are based on South-South collaboration and are backed by prestigious academic institutions recognized for their excellence in the evaluation field. The Centers are coordinated through the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), which manages donor funding, offers strategic guidance, and promotes learning and collaboration at a global level.

Our mission and vision

Boy looking at the aerial view of a city from a viewpoint

CLEAR's mission is to improve policy, planning, and implementation through strengthening M&E systems and capacities. We innovate and learn locally and regionally and share and inspire globally.

We do that with a shared vision: to promote better development outcomes through increased evaluation capacity, learning, and use of evidence.

Regional centers

Latin America and the Caribbean Center

Mexico City, Mexico – hosted by the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE) from 2012 to 2022.

Team Photo of CLEAR Latin America and the Caribbean

At CLEAR LAC we work to improve the quality of life in Latin America and the Caribbean. We carry out evaluations to learn from what works and use evidence to transform public policy. CLEAR LAC finds innovative solutions to public problems and believes evidence will contribute to a generation of reliable social change in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Regional strategy: CLEAR LAC strengthens evidence through the dissemination of good practices in Latin America and the Caribbean by building and fostering strategic partnerships to raise awareness on the uses and purposes of M&E.

Contact: Carretera México-Toluca 3655, Lomas de Santa Fe, Álvaro Obregón, 01210, Mexico City, Mexico. clear [dot] la [at] cide [dot] edu

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Lusophone Africa and Brazil Center

São Paulo, Brazil – hosted by the São Paulo School of Economics at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV EESP)

Team Photo of CLEAR Lusophone Africa and Brazil

By promoting and strengthening monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacities and systems across Lusophone African countries and Brazil, CLEAR LAB aims to improve the culture of evidence use in policy decision-making.

Regional strategy: Clear LAB focuses on strategic relationship building with M&E stakeholders in Lusophone Africa and Brazil in order to strengthen M&E practices and the use of evidence by governments in the region by providing training and technical assistance. The center also contributes to raising awareness of M&E through applied research and knowledge dissemination.

Contact: Rua Itapeva, 286 - 10º andar - Bela Vista - São Paulo/SP, Brasil. clear [dot] fgv [at] fgv [dot] br

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Anglophone Africa Center

Johannesburg, South Africa – hosted by the University of Witwatersrand

CLEAR-AA works to develop and promote the use of evaluation in evidence-based policymaking to accelerate equitable development and deepen democracy across Anglophone Africa. At CLEAR-AA, we apply a “whole-systems” approach, working with all stakeholders to strengthen national systems and generate knowledge on “what works” and “how-to” of M&E capacity development within the region.

Regional strategy: CLEAR-AA’s value proposition is country-led, country-focused, and country-owned. In working towards the change we want to see, we collaborate with strategic partners at country and regional levels. For example, CLEAR-AA is the implementing agency for Twende Mbele, a multicountry program led by government counterparts from Benin, South Africa, and Uganda, and through a partnership with CLEAR-GIMPA in Ghana, we are extending our footprint into West Africa.

Contact: University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. CLEAR [dot] AnglophoneAfrica [at] wits [dot] ac [dot] za

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Francophone Africa Center

Dakar, Senegal - hosted by the CESAG Boulevard du Général De Gaulle 3802

CLEAR-FA strengthens national monitoring and evaluation and performance management capacities and systems through four (4) areas of intervention: (1) Developing a culture of evidence-based decision making by supporting the development of national evaluation systems, (2) Strengthening the capacity of monitoring and evaluation managers and specialists through individual capacity building through training, (3) Generating knowledge through applied research and knowledge development, and (4) Sharing knowledge through the promotion of evaluation and the dissemination of knowledge.

Regional strategy: Clear FA focuses on supporting multi-country programs, a regulatory framework for M&E in collaboration with regional institutions as well as developing and implementing national strategy at the institutional, organizational, and individual levels. The objective is to empower and transform the human resources of Francophone Africa into human capital for development in a spirit of integration, solidarity, and sharing.

Contact: CESAG Boulevard du Général De Gaulle 3802 DAKAR Sénégal. clear [at] cesag [dot] edu [dot] sn

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South Asia Center

New Delhi, India - hosted by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab

CLEAR SA strengthens monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems across South Asia by building the capacity for better monitoring, data collection, and evaluation to foster development anchored in rigorous evidence.

Regional strategy: We achieve our mission through long-term partnerships with governments, technical advisory services, training workshops, programs for students and researchers, and knowledge sharing through reports and events.

Contact: Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, AADI Building, Ground Floor, 2 Balbir Saxena Marg, Hauz Khas New Delhi, DL 110016, India. clearsateam [at] clearsouthasia [dot] org

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East Asia Center

Shanghai, China - hosted by Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Institute

CLEAR EA is hosted by the Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Institute at the Shanghai National Accounting Institute, a public service institution affiliated with the Ministry of Finance that aims to promote capacity building in finance and development among Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies.

Regional strategy: CLEAR EA is proud to consistently partner with local and regional stakeholders, enhancing evaluation awareness and capacity in China while also promoting South-South knowledge sharing in the region.

Contact: Asia-Pacific Finance and Development Institute, No.200, Panlong Road, Qingpu District, 201702, Shanghai, China. clear-shipdet [at] afdi [dot] org [dot] cn