The Tokyo Call for Action, issued at the 5th APEA Conference in November 2025, reaffirms the Asia Pacific evaluation community’s commitment to institutionalizing evaluation as a foundation for evidence-based, democratic, and accountable governance. Building on the Colombo Declaration on Evaluation and the Manila Declaration on the Institutionalization of Evaluation, as well as global commitments such as the Global Evaluation Agenda 2.0 and CEval findings, it underscores the need for strong political will, comprehensive regulations, participatory evaluation, and robust M&E systems across sectors. The Call urges governments, parliaments, VOPEs, academia, civil society, and development partners to strengthen legal and institutional frameworks, promote transparency, enhance citizen engagement, professionalize the evaluation workforce, and expand competency-based academic programmes, creating a coordinated, sustainable ecosystem where evaluation informs policy, strengthens democracy, and advances sustainable development.
Tokyo Call for Action
for the Institutionalization of Evaluation
We, the participants of the 5th Asia Pacific Evaluation Association (APEA) Conference, gathered in Tokyo, Japan, on 14 November 2025, commit to collective and sustained action to institutionalize evaluation as a cornerstone of good governance, democracy, and sustainable development.
We resolve to:
- Champion evidence-based policymaking through laws, policies, and institutions that embed M&E in all stages of decision-making.
- Strengthen national evaluation systems through coherent frameworks, resources, and accountabilities that ensure continuity across administrations.
- Promote inclusivity by empowering citizens, civil society, and marginalized groups to engage in and use evaluations.
- Advance professionalization and capacity development through academic programmes, credentialing systems, and peer learning platforms.
- Foster collaboration and knowledge exchange among governments, VOPEs, parliaments, academia, development partners, the private sector, media, and communities to cultivate a culture of evaluation.
- Uphold transparency, integrity, and accountability as guiding principles in the generation and use of evaluative evidence.
We call upon all national and regional stakeholders to translate this Call for Action into concrete measures—including the adoption of National Evaluation Policies, establishment of institutional mechanisms, and sustained resource allocation for implementation.
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Together, let us affirm our shared vision of a region where evaluation informs decisions, empowers people, strengthens democracy, and accelerates progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Agreed and signed at the United Nations University
Tokyo, Japan
14 November 2025
The Signatories of the Tokyo Call for Action
| Name | Organization |
|---|---|
| Asela Kalugampitiya | UNFPA |
| Qudrat Jahid | Asia Pacific Evaluation Association |
| Yatin Diwakar | Evaluation Community of India |
| Randika De Mel | Asia Pacific Evaluation Association |
| Ahmad Rijal | Asia Pacific Evaluation Association |