The emerging Blue Marble Evaluation Network invites you to join us to learn more about how to evaluate large scale systems change and transformation and to build a community of practice so we can collectively contribute to its ongoing development. We have created a survey to help grow our network and invite you to complete and share it! Click here to access the survey.
By completing this survey, you will be joining this global network at its earliest stages, informed of events such as webinars and training opportunities and invited to participate in a wide range of activities. This invitation is being sent to over 400 leaders in the field of evaluation, large scale systems change and transformation. The name "Blue Marble" refers to the iconic image of the Earth as seen from space. Blue Marble Evaluation, then, treats the whole Earth as its focus, people and planet. This means evaluating the well-being of humanity and the health and sustainability of our the Earth globally, holistically, and systemically.
The practice is rooted in three basic principles: rigorously apply Blue Marble thinking to all aspects of global systems change design, implementation, and evaluation; embed understanding of global sustainability in all systems change initiatives and their evaluation; and, ensure that what is called transformational is transformational. The first principle addresses how to conceptualize evaluation at a global level. The second principle asserts that there are core competencies regarding the evaluation of large scale systems change and transformation. The third principle addresses the scope and scale of systems change needed for global sustainability and the role of evaluators in contributing to the transformations needed. These three principles encompass the thinking, knowing, and doing of Blue Marble Evaluation. Your participation in the global network will help to transform the field of evaluation and apply, further develop, and evolve these core principles in both theory and practice.
The development of Blue Marble Evaluation has benefited from the contributions, insights and experiences of many individuals and will require a far wider global network to better "see" together the challenges and opportunities in transforming evaluation to better contribute to the wellbeing of people and planet. Networks such as the SDG Transformations Forum and the Global Alliance for the Future of Food are serving as early adopters of this concept and have contributed significantly to the development of Blue Marble Evaluation. This global community of practice will serve to spotlight and help accelerate those efforts and contribute to wider uptake of this rapidly evolving theory and practice.