It is widely acknowledged that there has been good amount of work done in the field of evaluation in South Asia with several evaluation practitioners/experts in the region, using a wide variety of approaches and techniques. Yet there is limited reflection, convergence and research on evaluation taking place in the region. Interaction and exchange of regional evaluators with international evaluation experts is also limited. When compared to international trends, there are not many exchange groups, platforms and evaluation associations in South Asia.

In view of this situation, ASK, an intermediary level NGO based in India, dedicated to the Mission of Capacity building, together with the support of International Development Research Center (IDRC), a Canadian Crown Corporation, that supports the creation of local research community, spearheaded the effort to create a regionally active platform of exchange and interaction among evaluation experts for knowledge building in the South Asian region. ASK, with the support of IDRC conceptualized a project titled "ADVANCING EVALUATION THEORY AND PRACTICES IN SOUTH ASIA - BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF EXPERT.”

This Project aims to facilitate a systematic and dynamic exchange amongst evaluation experts in the South Asian region expanding the knowledge and experience base of individuals and of the region as a whole and provide opportunities to share these experiences with the International Evaluation community.

As part of this Project, it is intended to bring together Evaluation Experts from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in form of a Community, who think it is important to contribute to the theory and practice of Evaluation in South Asia and beyond by engaging with each other in person and through electronic medium in seminars, trainings and discussions and exchanges through internet and emails.