PARIS21 held its Steering Committee meeting from 1–2 July 2003 at Les Salons de la Maison des Arts et Métiers in Paris. This meeting reviewed the results of the formal evaluation of PARIS21 which was carried out over the previous few months by a team of independent evaluators. The evaluation looked at the progress of the initiative against its objectives since its inception in November 1999. Many partners and other stakeholders in PARIS21 were interviewed worldwide, and the results were summarised in a report for the Steering Committee. As the evaluation is a vital milestone in the life of the Partnership, PARIS21 decided to devote a second day (2 July) to a discussion on how to move PARIS21 forward and shape its future with the results of the evaluation.