Participatory evaluation of sustainable development

One of the premises of sustainable development is an appropriate evaluation system that enables citizens and practitioners: to understand the situation in which they are operating; to figure out if and how they need to maintain or change that situation; to determine what questions to ask about their situation; and to find answers to those important questions. This requires giving people a leading voice in their destiny through participatory evaluation. This paper discusses how participatory evaluation can be used to ensure that all stakeholders work together to determine what is to be evaluated, the evaluation criteria or indicators to be used, the methods and instruments for measuring the chosen indicators and how to analyse, interpret and communicate findings.