Panel Discussion: Shifting Power and the Need to Better Understand Locally Led Capacity Strengthening Efforts Watch Now On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, D4I hosted the third webinar in a series on localization in monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning (MERL). The webinar included a panel discussion about shifting power and the need to better understand locally led capacity strengthening efforts in MERL. 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. USAID’s vision around localization is ambitious, particularly in the ways success will depend on numerous shifts in power occurring. This panel discussion considered the local context and the ability to strengthen capacity from within, including some of the strategies local actors have developed to strengthen organizational capacities, individual competencies, and technical skills. Watch the webinar recording and download the presentation slides. Panelists Catherine Kahabuka, MD, PhD, is a research consultant in Tanzania and founder of the CREMES International that runs the CREMES Research Mentorship Program currently operating in six African countries. She and her team have supported 60+ research activities across 18 countries. Gwendolyn Morgan, DrPH, MPH, is a senior manager with more than 20 years of experience in health research and evaluation. Currently, she leads the capacity strengthening component for the Surveys for Monitoring in Resilience and Food Security (SMRFS) project. Joyanta Roy has a background in statistics as well as project monitoring. He has led over 40 evaluations and is the founder of the Capacity Building Service Group (CBSG) in Bangladesh. Moderator Susan Pietrzyk, PhD, is an anthropologist with over 30 years of global development experience in research, evaluation, and implementation. She currently serves as D4I partner lead for ICF.
