PC 91/6

Programme Committee

Ninety-first Session of the Programme Committee

Rome, May 2004

Appointment of the Chief, Evaluation Service

1. As part of the discussion on the Independence of the Evaluation Service, the Joint Meeting recorded the following:

16. The Committees also mentioned one further measure which could possibly increase the independence of the Evaluation Service and strengthen the ownership and confidence of the Governing Bodies in the evaluation process. In this regard, the Committees requested the Secretariat to make proposals to the Programme Committee, as the primary recipient of evaluation reports, as to how it could be involved in the appointment of the Chief of the Evaluation Service.

2. Coincidental with that request, the position in question fell vacant due to the retirement of Mr. M. Kato. The post was advertised with a closure date of 5 January and the selection process has been under way since that date.

3. However, while the form of involvement of the Programme Committee has not yet been addressed by the Committee and could not be before a decision needs to be made on this appointment, the Director-General felt that in the spirit of cooperation, the Committee should be consulted on his proposed selection.

4. Applying the practice followed with the Finance Committee for the Inspector-General, the Director-General wishes to advise the Programme Committee as follows:

a total of 64 applications were received;
these were shortlisted against criteria derived directly from the requirements of the Vacancy Announcement;
five candidates (two internal and three external) were selected for interview;
an interview panel was established reflecting the client orientation of this service:

Chair: Director, Office of Programme, Budget and Evaluation
Representatives at Service Chief level of AG, FI and TC Departments
Chief, Programme and Budget Service

the panel interviewed the five candidates personally or by video/telephone conference and reduced the shortlist to two candidates;
the panel then personally re-interviewed the two shortlisted candidates following which it reached a unanimous recommendation.

5. The Director-General considered the recommendation of the panel and now confirms to the Committee that he considers Mr. John Markie to be technically and professionally the best qualified candidate. In particular, he notes that Mr. Markie has demonstrated his capacity through his contribution to:

the design of the new programme model planning process as a basis for the improved evaluation of the Regular Programme;
the leadership of important thematic evaluations such as those on policy assistance¹ and FAO publications² both much appreciated by the Committees; and
the support, as Senior Evaluation Officer, for important externally led evaluations such as SPFS³ and Codex Alimentarius⁴, also lauded by the Committees.

6. Mr. Markie’s CV is attached for the information of the Committee.

7. The Director-General therefore wishes to consult the Programme Committee on this proposed appointment and seeks their views in this regard.

John Markie – SUMMARY CURRICULUM VITAE

1981 – Present: FAO – Senior Evaluation Officer⁵, Evaluation Service.

I have played a major role in the leadership and management of evaluations, including substantive inputs for the development of FAO’s evaluation approaches and methods in dialogue with the Governing Bodies, in particular the Programme Committee. I have been working for an evaluation regime which is focused at the strategic level on development effectiveness, while at the same time producing practical implementable recommendations for improvement, not losing site of the needs of the Governing Bodies or programme managers. Within such evaluation objectives: cost-effectiveness of the process; consultation of stakeholders at all levels (especially member countries); strengthened objectivity through the use of external expertise, more comprehensive use of data; and development of systematic indicators, have all been important. As well as the initial drafting of methodological and organizational papers for internal use and for the Governing Bodies, much of my evaluation work introduced methodological advances which have been appreciated by the Programme Committee. I have had a leading role in the development of increased independence in evaluation, greater focus at programme levels, and on cross-organizational strategic issues, including responsibility for:

some of the first thematic evaluations cutting across the departments of the Organization, including those of research (1985), extension (1987) and development of international trade (1993);
evaluations which addressed FAO methods of working and communication – for example evaluations of technical cooperation networks (1991), and publication activity (1997), the latter of which included for the first time an independent review of quality by a major university;
the evolution of evaluation to higher levels in the programme and goal structures, for example the programme evaluation – Agricultural Support Systems (1999), which was also the first to integrate an independent peer review panel in the process;
evaluation of FAO’s policy assistance (2001), which was the first of the regular programme of evaluations to utilise a fully integrated team of senior external and internal evaluators and was stated by the Programme Committee to provide a model for all future evaluations; and
evaluation of FAO’s work in southern Africa (2003), which was the first comprehensive field programme evaluation of FAO’s development and emergency assistance and the work of FAORs in a single geographical area; and
support to and management of the fully external evaluation of the Special Programme for Food Security (2002); the evaluation jointly with WHO of Codex and food standards work (2003); and now the evaluation of FAO’s decentralization.

In addition to preparation of evaluation reports and their presentation to the Programme Committee, my work with the Governing Bodies has included extensive support to an ad-hoc group of the Programme Committee on a review of statutory bodies.

I undertook the main leading role in the design, testing and introduction of the new programme model, which is fundamental to the Organization’s Results Based Programming and Budgeting system and provides the basis for improved evaluation. I also played a prominent supporting role in the development of the FAO Strategic Framework, particularly with regard to Departmental participation in the process.

In earlier years I was heavily involved in the development and delivery of evaluation training.

Management and leadership responsibilities have included, in addition to the above, extensive periods as officer-in-charge of the Evaluation Service and the design and implementation of the planning and monitoring system for the World Food Summit and the WFS:fyl. Both summits also required significant ad-hoc management intervention.

1973 - 81: FAO - Assistant Executive Secretary, Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives (COPAC) - a committee of governmental and non-governmental agencies dealing with cooperatives and similar organizations.

Duties included: preparation and conduct of research and evaluation studies and country reviews, including papers for international bodies such as UN-ECOSOC; project formulation; preparation and organization of international meetings, including donor conferences; and issue of newsletters and liaison with organizations interested in cooperative promotion.

1970 – 73: – Manager, Wambabya Development Scheme, Uganda.
Duties included responsibility for the movement and resettlement of 600 farm families who produced tea and a variety of other cash and food crops. This involved the supervision of surveying, feeder road construction, extension and small-scale trials, marketing and credit and ensuring the availability of basic school and medical facilities.

Academic Qualifications: University of Nottingham, U.K., Upper (2:1) B.Sc. Honours degree. Main subjects: agricultural economics, farm management, agronomy, animal husbandry. Written project in economics.

Personal Details: British citizen; Male, Born 13 October 1947; Married.

__________________________

¹ PC 85/4, CL 120/14 para 42 and CL 120/REP para 85

² C 97/4, CL 112/14 para 2.19 and CL 112/REP para 52

³ PC 87/4(a), CL 123/11 para 21 and CL 123/REP para 77

⁴ PC 89/5, CL 124/14 para 50 and CL 124/REP paras 83-84

⁵ Promoted to Senior Officer 1989