Global Evidence Commitment reaches its 11th signatory as ADB joins at first Asia convening
Global Evidence Commitment reaches its 11th signatory as ADB joins at first Asia convening
This week marks a defining milestone for the Global Evidence Commitment (GEC). We are delighted to welcome the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as its 11th signatory. ADB President Masato Kanda signed the pledge on 1 October 2026 at the GEC's third annual convening in Manila, and the first one to be held in Asia.
Why this moment matters
ADB's signing marks the GEC's expansion into Asia, extending a movement that began in the Americas and grew through Europe into the region that is home to some of the world's largest and fastest-growing development portfolios.
Each signatory commits to strengthening how they generate, invest in, and use evidence — through the TRIPS framework of training, resources, incentives, processes, and signals from institutional leadership.
Today, our greatest challenge is not generating evidence or accessing it. It is whether institutions build the habits and systems to use what exists effectively. For that reason, ADB joining the Global Evidence Commitment as the eleventh signatory marks an important milestone. It expands the regional footprint of the GEC community and continues a momentum toward greater focus on evidence use and impact in our most important institutions. We look forward to making concrete impact together.
Marie GaarderExecutive Director3ie
It began three years ago with a handful of institutions. And now, it is a global community. Commitments like this take hold only when the institution stands behind them. We are proud to join. Signing is the easy part. The harder work happens inside ADB. And it depends on all of us.
Masato KandaPresidentAsian Development Bank
A commitment that keeps growing
Launched in October 2023 during IDB Knowledge Week, the GEC began as a pledge by a group of development institutions to ground their decisions in rigorous evidence, data, and continuous learning. Its founding signatories were the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), KfW Development Bank, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
At the GEC's second annual convening in Oslo in November 2025, hosted by Norad, the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) signed on, while the German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval) joined as an observer.
With ADB's signature, the GEC now counts 11 members:
- Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)
- IDB Invest
- KfW Development Bank
- Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)
- Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad)
- Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
- Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
- German Institute for Development Evaluation (DEval)
- International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) – secretariat
- Asian Development Bank (ADB) - newest signatory
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3ie, which convenes the GEC, will continue coordinating mutual learning among signatories and welcomes further institutions, including donors, low- and middle-income country governments, and philanthropies, including to join.
About ADB
ADB is a leading multilateral development bank supporting inclusive, resilient, and sustainable growth across Asia and the Pacific. Working with its members and partners to solve complex challenges together, ADB harnesses innovative financial tools and strategic partnerships to transform lives, build quality infrastructure, and safeguard our planet. Founded in 1966, ADB is owned by 69 members—50 from the region.
Contact: information@adb.org
About 3ie
The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie) is a mission-driven non-profit organization dedicated to using evidence to transform people’s lives in low- and middle-income countries. We collaborate with decision-makers in governments, foundations, NGOs, development and research organizations globally to meet their evidence needs and facilitate the use of evidence in their work.
Contact: info@3ieimpact.org