September 2021 
                         Synthesis of 
                         Independent 
                         Dialogues 
                          
                         REPORT 3 
                         Part 2, Section 1 
       This supplemental report provides in-depth documentation in support of the third 
       Independent Dialogues Synthesis Report. Specifically, the report covers Themes 1-3. 
          
                    
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         Acknowledgements 
         We gratefully acknowledge support for the Synthesis of the Independent Dialogues 
         from the McKnight Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, IKEA Foundation, the Global 
         Alliance for the Future of Food, and the Blue Marble Evaluation Network.  
         We wish to express our gratitude, respect, and appreciation for the hundreds of 
         volunteers who convened Independent Dialogues and reported the results as well as 
         the thousands who participated in the Dialogues and shared their reflections, hopes, 
         insights, and concerns on which this synthesis report is based. 
         The 4SD team that designed the standardized method and supported Convenors, 
         Curators and Facilitators of Independent Dialogues deserves special recognition for the 
         Herculean labour involved that has led to more than 1350 Member State, 
         Independent, and Global Dialogues. Our synthesis work has flowed from and been 
         dependent on the process they initiated and supported. Our thanks to Florence 
         Lasbennes, David Nabarro, John Atkinson, Noemi Blazquez Benito, Charlotte Dufour, 
         Will Fihn-Ramsay, Magali Madi, Saber Mouimen, William Nabarro, Thuy Nguyen, Arne 
         O’Donoghue, Samia Ouraïed, Laura Ovies, Marlen Schuepbach, Paola Victoria.  
         The Blue Marble Evaluation team wishes to express special thanks to United Nations 
         Summit Secretariat staff Zachary Bleicher and Sarah Hutton for their support, advice, 
         and collaboration throughout this synthesis process. 
         We also wish to acknowledge and express appreciation for the contributions of the 
         Dialogues coding team, Ms. Nozipho Ngwabi, Dr. Marlene Roefs, Ms. Tikwiza 
         Silubonde, and Dr. Lauren Wildschut and Blue Marble Evaluation Network members 
         who contributed to the synthesis process and four Deep Dive reports: Gabriela Reneria 
         Flores and Taruna Gupta (Youth), Charmagne Campbell-Patton and Donna Podems 
         (Gender), Mutizw Mukute and Claire Nicklin (Smallholder Farmers) and Andrealisa 
         Belzer and Serge Eric Yakeu Djiam (Indigenous Peoples). Our Claremont Graduate 
         University special issues coding team expanded our capacity to code and synthesize 
         the large influx of Dialogue reports in July: Ann Marie Castleman, Minji Cho, Sarah 
         Gaal, Deborah Kaddu-Serwadda, and Theodore Theoharis.  Marlene Roefs and Bob 
         Williams provided independent peer reviews of the report which helped identify both 
         the strengths and limitations of the synthesis.  
         Finally, we wish to recognize and celebrate the leadership of the United Nations 
         Secretary-General and the entire UN Summit Secretariat for their vision and 
         commitment in conceiving of the Summit and making it a reality.    
         We would be remiss in not recognizing and thanking our families for the disruptions in 
         family life sometimes brought on by our engagement with this endeavor – and our 
         deepest appreciation for their support and understanding.  
          
          
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         This report was prepared by the Blue Marble Evaluation Network  
         Blue Marble Evaluation (BME) is an approach to evaluating global initiatives aimed at 
         transforming systems towards a more sustainable world.  Blue Marble Evaluators 
         constitute a global network of evaluators who work in the space of global systems 
         transformation. For this assignment, our BME team brings together evaluators from 
         around the globe who offer an interdisciplinary approach to research and evaluation. 
         As a team, we bring various standpoints yet at the same time we have a shared view 
         seeing the world as a global system of ecological and human interdependence. 
          
         Blue Marble Evaluation Lead Team 
         Dr. Michael Quinn Patton. Team Lead. Dr. Patton is the founder of BME. He has 50 
         years’ experience conducting applied research and program evaluations and is a 
         former president of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). He was on the faculty 
         of the University of Minnesota for 18 years, including 5 years as director of the 
         Minnesota Centre for Social Research, has authored multiple research and evaluation 
         books, including Blue Marble Evaluation, and won numerous prestigious evaluation 
         awards. He has hand-picked the core multidisciplinary evaluation team, which he 
         oversees.  
         Dr. Donna Podems. Lead Researcher and program manager.  Dr Donna Podems is a 
         researcher and evaluator with nearly 25 years of experience in Latin America, Eastern 
         Europe, Asia and Africa. She facilitates evaluative processes for non-profits, 
         foundations, governments, UN agencies and the private sector, in various sectors 
         including agriculture, education, environment, finance, gender, and others. She is a 
         former National Board member of the American Evaluation Association (AEA) and the 
         South African M&E Association (SAMEA). She is a Board member for the International 
         Evaluation Academy and AEA’s current representative to a global evaluation forum. 
         She has written numerous articles and books chapters and is the author of Being an 
         Evaluator. She is based in Cape Town, South Africa.  
         Dr. Lauren Wildschut.  Lead ATLAS.ti methodologist. Dr. Wildschut is currently the 
         Director of the Evaluation Studies Programme at CREST, Stellenbosch University where 
         she is responsible for the postgraduate diploma, Masters and PhD in Evaluation 
         Studies. She is also the director of the Evaluation Management Solutions (EMS) which 
         has conducted evaluation studies in several African countries in the fields of Education, 
         Higher Education and Health. She is the Director of the African Institute for ATLAS.ti 
         (AIA) which aims to build a cadre of qualitative researchers across Africa who produce 
         rigorous research utilising ATLAS.ti.  She is the former Chairperson of the South African 
         Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA). She is based in Stellenbosch, South 
         Africa. 
         Ms. Tikwiza Silubonde.  Data researcher. Tikwiza is a lecturer at the Centre for 
         Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology Studies (CREST). Tikwiza has over five 
         years of professional practice in conducting research and conducting evaluations for a 
         range of clients including government, non-governmental organisations, and 
         international development agencies. She has a multi-disciplinary background in social 
         development, international development, higher education, and community 
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