From Policy to Practice: Navigating Localization and Equitable Partnerships in Global Health Watch in French & English Listen in French Listen in English On Wednesday, June 26, 2024, D4I hosted the 4th webinar in a series on localization in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL). This webinar included a panel discussion about navigating localization and equitable partnerships in global health. The webinar was conducted in French and English and included interpretation. Localizing MERL helps ensure that local actors have the resources and capacity needed for equitable, evidence-informed decision making. Applications of this in MERL activities include local capacity strengthening, using a systems lens, engaging with diverse stakeholders, and implementing other good practices for locally led development. This webinar series will share tools and approaches for effective capacity action planning, monitoring sustainability including local actors’ roles in complex program systems, promoting local voices through social accountability methods, and more. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) published localization guidelines in 2022, plus guidance for ensuring equitable partnerships in 2023, which focus on increasing local power and decision making. This webinar examined the transition from localization policy to practice, showcasing a practical case from an evaluation of a USAID project not originally designed with localization in mind. The webinar included a panel discussion with the evaluators from D4I and CERA Group. D4I and CERA Group worked in collaboration to evaluate the Amplify Family Planning and Reproductive Health (AmplifyPF) project, USAID’s flagship family planning project in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Togo that aims to reduce unmet contraceptive need. Watch to understand the challenges and breakthroughs in constructing equitable partnerships for global health research, informed by firsthand experiences and reflections from the field. Watch the recording in French and English, listen to the webinar in French or English, and download the slide deck in French or English. Panelists Rebecca Ezouatchi is a sociologist and qualitative researcher with 14 years of experience conducting formative research and program evaluations in Côte d’Ivoire. Sethson Kassegne is a sociologist and demographer with over 20 years of experience in social science research in West and Central Africa and is the Executive Director of CERA Group, headquartered in Togo. Janna Wisniewski is a D4I Activity Lead and an Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of International Health and Sustainable Development. She specializes in health systems strengthening research and evaluation. Moderator Martha Silva, PhD, is a D4I Activity Lead and an Assistant Professor at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of International Health and Sustainable Development. She has over twenty years of experience in global health research and evaluation. Additional Resource: Evaluation of the AmplifyPF Regional Project
