- Date
- 24 Sep 2026
- Location
- Online
- Organisation
- BEAM Exchange & the DCED
DCED - BEAM webinar
Date: 24 September 2026
Time: 8am (NY/DC) / 1pm (UK) / 2pm (CEST) / 3pm (Kenya/EAT) / 6pm (Bangladesh) [time converter]
The webinar will run for 1hr 15 minutes
Speakers:
Elina Scheja, Chief Economist at Sida
Elisabet Montgomery, Lead Policy Specialist Job creation and Trade, Sida
Anirban Bhowmik, Regional Director, Central and East Africa at Swisscontact
Steve Hartrich, Project Manager - Systems Change Initiative, ILO
We have growing evidence on what makes MSD programmes effective - so how do we use it to make better programme decisions?
This question sat at the heart of the DCED Global Seminar in Nairobi in June 2026, where the ILO presented findings from a value for money analysis of 135 MSD programmes, examining performance against cost, and compared these with reflections from experienced team leaders and implementers.
BEAM has tracked related evidence since 2016; its 2024 Evidence Review synthesised 72 documents, pointing to successful systemic changes and long-term impacts alongside ongoing challenges in reporting results.
Building on the DCED Seminar, BEAM and the DCED are jointly hosting this webinar to unpack how existing evidence can translate into more realistic targets and stronger programme delivery.
The speakers will:
- Look at why evidence matters for donor funding decisions, how donors assess value for money, and what it takes to secure internal approval for MSD funding.
- Using concrete examples, explore why programme targets may not be informed by evidence, and the consequences of this.
- Introduce the new ILO Value for Money Calculator, demonstrating how benchmarking against past programmes can inform target-setting and adaptive management.
- Close with implementer and donor reflections on making the best use of evidence across programme design, delivery and reporting and on areas where more investment towards MSD evidence is needed.
30 minutes will be set aside for audience Q&A