RAPID Programme Events

Events such as meetings, seminars and workshops are an important part of RAPID's communication work. Click on the links below for more information about particular recent and forthcoming events.

Recent events

ODI's Third Annual CSPP Partners Meeting ODI's Third Annual CSPP Partners Meeting will be held from 26-28 November 2007 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and will be held in conjunction with CEPA's 8th Annual Symposium on Poverty Research in Sri Lanka (29-30 November 2007). The event will provide the opportunity for dialogue and networking between partners in which progress of the programme so far and its future direction will be discussed. The participants are expected to share experience of communicating for influencing policy processes in general but especially on projects supported by the programme.

Second Meeting, Impact and Insight Workshop Series, October 2007 At the first meeting in the Impact and Insight Workshop Series, participants suggested that a focus on more practical examples and tools of evidence-based policy making would be helpful. Therefore, the aim of this second meeting, held on 25 October 2007 at King's College, London, UK, was to present on and gain experience using two specific tools: lines of argument and outcome mapping. Louise Shaxson (Delta/DEFRA) introduced lines of argument while Enrique Mendizabal (ODI) led a discussion on outcome mapping.

Japan G8 Consultations and Workshops, October 2007 As part of the Japan G8 Global Project that ODI is currently undertaking, we are hosting various consultations and workshops building up to the Japan G8 Summit in 2008. The first workshop, the Japan G8 Global Project Inception Workshop, was held in Accra, Ghana from 8-10 October 2007 and was designed to help lay the groundwork for the project. The main aims of the workshop were to: agree on two or three policy areas on which to focus to influence G8 Japan outcomes; Develop a methodology for gathering and synthesizing research-based evidence; Develop a communication and lobbying strategy.

South Asia Training of Trainers Workshop, September 2007 This workshop held from the 17th to the 21st September 2007 in Shimla, India was targeted at senior/middle-level representatives from select Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of South Asia. Participants were familiarised with certain tools and techniques for bridging the gap between research (evidence gathering) and policy (process influencing) – and sensitised on how such tools would be applicable in specific cases (examples) that were cited by the participants. It was resolved that the tools elucidated in the workshop would be contextualised (with appropriate illustrations) and collated into a ‘Training Manual’ – to be used for furthering the agenda in each of the counties more extensively.

CSO-Parliamentarian Engagement in East Africa Inception Workshop, Uganda, August 2007 This two-day workshop held just outside of Kampala, Uganda from 24-35 August 2007 was facilitated by Nicola Jones (ODI) as part of the CSO-Parliamentarian Engagement in East Africa Project. This project aims to better understand how civil society engages with parliaments in East Africa, both the enabling and inhibiting factors and to explore how parliamentarians view such engagement and ways in which CSO-parliamentarian engagement could be fostered in order to develop more pro-poor policies.

CSOs and Policy Entrepreneurship Workshop, Vietnam, July 2007 This workshop series was held as part of a CSPP funded project which aims to provide an understanding of the role of research institutes and think-tanks in policymaking in Vietnam. The workshop enabled discussion and validation of preliminary results from project case study work and provided training and dissemination of the wider results from the CSSP. The workshop also provided an opportunity to share the learning on bridging research and policy with the Vietnamese research community.

CIVICUS 7th World Assembly, May 2007 RAPID facilitated and participated in several sessions at the 7th CIVICUS World Assembly, held in Glasgow in May 2007. This year’s focus theme was ‘Accountability’. CIVICUS is widely acknowledged as a representative of global civil society with solid access to global institutions and influential policy makers, thus the Assembly is the global convening point for civil society and the key stakeholders of civil society, to enable them to act together for a just world.

Civil Society Leadership and Policy Engagement Process Training, April 2007 This five-day workshop held in Nairobi, Kenya for Nile Discourse Forums’ (NDFs) representatives of the ten riparian countries that share the Nile basin. It was designed to improve the capacity of key Nile Basin Discourse Actors to develop and implement strategies for policy engagement at both the National and Regional level. By the end of the workshop participants had a better understanding of, and new tools to: Understand the policy environment for the NBD; influence the policy environment; and assess and progress.

Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy Capacity Building Workshop for SARPN, April 2007 This two-day workshop held in Johannesburg, South Africa in partnership with SARPN had as a main objective to share knowledge and information for civil society in southern Africa to better link its advocacy activities to research. To this end, selected participants presented their experiences in policy related work. The presentations articulated the policy issues that each are engage in and the tools been used in the processes. Tools shared ranged from targeted lobbying, media, public discussions, community based campaigns and marches among others.

Exploring Practical Approaches to Enhancing CSOs Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy Skills in Southern Africa, April 2007 This one-day workshop held in Midrand, South Africa in partnership with the Southern Africa Trust (SAT) provided a useful platform for sharing experiences about the CSO policy context in Southern Africa, and how they have used different approaches to policy influence. It also contributed to a deeper understanding of how to bridge the gap between policy and research. By the end of the two-day workshop participants were expected to have: A clear understanding of the RAPID framework and how it can enhance SAT and its Southern African partners objectives; and a general understanding of the practical tools that could be used to enhance policy influencing in different contexts and around different policy themes.

Policy Dialogue Workshop: Capacity Development, March 2007 This four-day workshop held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, in partnership with Fundación Carolina, was for AECI country coordinators in Latin America and the Caribbean. The workshop helped introduce some key issues around policy engagement and the new aid mechanisms available for international cooperation. ODI’s RAPID and PPPG groups delivered the workshop together combining group work facilitation and expert input. In addition, local practitioners from civil society, the public sector and donors participated with their own perspectives on the issues. Full workshop details are available in Spanish only currently.

Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy: A workshop for Transparency International Bangladesh, Bangladesh, February 2007 The Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy Workshop was held in Dhaka in February 2007. The workshop focused on strengthening TIB’s capacity to engage with government, policymakers and others involved in the legislative process and at a policy level for ensuring good governance. The key objectives of workshop were to: Share experiences about CSOs policy context in different countries; Learn about the latest worldwide research and practice in this area; Share experiences about approaches to influence policy and what works; Start to develop strategies to improve policy impact.

Policy Influence Capacity Building, Argentina, February 2007 The Policy Influence Capacity Building Workshop was held in Buenos Aires in February 2007. Through a participative, multi-disciplinary and theoretical-practical approach it enabled participants to exchange knowledge, practical experiences, tools and methodologies about evidence based policy influence; develop possible regional and national strategies to facilitate the application and sharing of this knowledge on and with other public policy oriented organisations; and strengthen the development of a network of organisations that wish to carry out and support the development of skills for more effective evidence based policy influence.

Making Knowledge Count, MoFA Seminar and Workshop, Sweden, January 2007 This seminar, held at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Stockholm, was designed for researchers, consultants, the private sector, policy makers and development practitioners and focused on practical strategies for bridging research and policy, for all stakeholders. The seminar was followed by a smaller workshop which focused on specific tools and approaches which can be used to improve ability to capitalize on commissioned research.

Bridging Research, Policy and Practice, Australia, December 2006 This one-day workshop on Bridging Research, Policy and Practice was held at ANU, Canberra in December 2006, co-facilitated by RAPID and SMERU, Indonesia. The workshop was designed for researchers, consultants, the private sector, policy makers and development practitioners, and focused on practical strategies for bridging research and policy, taking into consideration the development of economic policy that focuses on the very poor.

Research-Policy Symposium, Oxford, November 16th/17th 2006 This symposium brought together 60 network members from INASP and ODI together with northern and southern partners from Oxfam, INTRAC, IIED, IDS and others, and the development and evidence-based policy community in Oxford to share experiences on how information professionals, scientists and policy makers can work together to promote evidence-informed policy, and learn new skills.

Civil Society Partnerships Programme Advisory Group Meeting 2006 The second CSPP Advisory Group Meeting was held in London in November 2006, overlapping with the Annual Partners Meeting. The key objectives of the meeting were to review progress over the last year, to provide advice for the remaining second year of the Phase 2 plan developed at the last meeting, and to discuss longer term issues for Phase 3 of the programme, which will start in April 2008.

Civil Society Partnerships Programme Partners Meeting, 13th-15th November 2006 The second CSPP Partners Meeting was held at ODI from the 13th-15th November 2006. This meeting provided an opportunity for 20 CSPP partners from around the world to discuss progress and the future of the programme. The Partners Meeting overlapped with a meeting for high-level Programme Advisors who include the heads of three of the partner organisations, and was followed by a two day research-policy symposium in Oxford organised in collaboration with INASP (see above).

Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy - Concern Worldwide Workshop This three day workshop for Concern Worldwide, held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 7-9 August 2006 covered the topic Policy Analysis, Engagement and Advocacy. The objective of the workshop was for participants to: share experiences about CSO-policy context in Asia; learn about the latest worldwide research and practice in this area; share experiences about approaches to influence policy and what works; and start to develop strategies to improve policy impact.

CSOs in Policy Processes - RAPID/CEF Workshops CSOs play an important role in influencing policies and practices to make them pro-poor. These two Commonwealth Education Fund (CEF) / RAPID workshops in Mozambique and Bangladesh focused on how CEF and its partners in Africa and Asia can better use evidence to promote pro-poor policies. Active participation was the cornerstone of the approach in the workshops, with emphasis placed on participants' own knowledge and experience.

Civil Society as a Development Partner: Lessons learned and ways forward for donor engagement This roundtable event, hosted by DFID Policy and Asia Divisions, and the CSPP in June 2006, brought together practitioners working to strengthen civic engagement in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Discussants tabled and compared alternative instruments for support to civic engagement with the state and drawing on the models presented, a number of lessons essential to the design and delivery of civil society support were identified.

CIVICUS World Assembly 2006 The CIVICUS World Assembly is a forum for international civil society representatives to get together, exchange ideas, experiences and build strategies for a just world. This event held in Glasgow, Scotland, in June 2006 followed the overall theme of 'Acting Together for a Just World'. The RAPID team facilitated two workshops during the Assembly, 'Enhancing CSO Influence on Development Policies' and 'Working Together for Accountable Government: CSOs and parliaments'.

Knowledge Translation: Using research to inform health-care policy and practice This seminar on Knowledge Transfer was held in June 2006 in Canada for the CHSRF/CIHR Research Internship. The seminar examined ways in which development research can be executed more effectively to maximise its influence on policy, through highlighting both the researcher's and policymaker's views, RAPID's analytical and practical framework, different types of evidence and relevant case studies, as well as provide some useful tools.

The Research-Policy Connection: Using Research-Based Evidence to Improve Development Policy, Programs, and Practice These Progressive Policymakers Workshops for the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, in Toronto, Canada, in June 2006, provided an opportunity for researchers, policy makers and practitioners to learn how to improve the use of research in development policy and practice. The series of three modular workshops covered Effective Research for Development Policy; Evidence and the Policy Making Process; and Action Research for Maximum Impact.

Making the Policy-Research Connection for Development: Using Research-Based Evidence to Improve Policy, Programs and Practice This workshop on the policy-research nexus for Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Policy Analysts, held in June 2006 in Ottawa, Canada, provided some underpinning theory and practical guidance on how to use research more effectively for policy and practice, including the latest research, some analytical and practical tools, pratical exercises and specific examples of evidence-based policymaking in the UK and Canada.

International Forum on the Social Science-Policy Nexus RAPID, in conjunction with CIPPEC, Argentina, held a half day workshop on bridging research and policy at the four-day forum in February 2006 in Argentina and Uruguay by UNESCO's Management of Social Transformations Programme. The forum broke new ground in connecting social science research to policy and was an opportunity for ODI to strengthen links to regional institutions and practitioners as well as to share its work and efforts to inform and inspire pro-poor policy processes around the world.

Policy Entrepreneurship and Advocacy Workshop for Education CSOs in Zambia This two day session on Policy Entrepreneurship facilitated by RAPID formed part of a five day workshop on Advocacy and Policy Entrepreneurship organised in November 2005 to expose Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) partners to the current theory and practice of evidence-based policymaking. The workshop aimed to enhance participant's knowledge and skills in advocacy, lobbying and policy entrepreneurship.

Policy Entrepreneurship Workshop for Child Workers in Asia This training workshop on Policy Entrepreneurship was held in Bangladesh in October 2005 as part of the capacity development support provided to southern CSOs by the Civil Society Partnerships Programme. It aimed to expose Child Workers in Asia (CWA) partners to current theory and practice of evidence-based policymaking and to assist them in developing a strategy to strengthen work towards eliminating bonded child labour in Asia. Participants were from South and South East Asia, mainly from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

DFID-Trocaire-ODI Workshop for Policy Entrepreneurs This DFID-Trocaire-ODI workshop for Policy Entrepreneurs was held in Nairobi, Kenya in October and November 2005 and focused on how CSOs can use evidence to promote pro-poor policies. The workshop was designed for staff of DFID and Trocaire partners in Kenya who wanted to know more about how to influence policy and provided a forum for participants to discuss the opportunities and challenges for CSOs to inform policy; learn about the latest worldwide research and practice in this area; share experiences about ongoing activities and what works; and identify gaps for future work.

Impact and Insight: The Policy, Research and Practice Interface This workshop series brings together researchers, practitioners and policy makers who have been studying these issues in both developed and developing countries to explore the interactions between research and policy across a range of fields and policy issues. The meetings cover a number of different fields, aim to identify common lessons and approaches to strengthen evidence-based policy, and build a community of practice in this area, centred upon, but not limited to the UK. First meeting in the series was held on 17th October 2005.

Outcome Mapping Workshop for IFRTD, Cuba, September 2005 RAPID facilitated this workshop organised by the Cuban National Forum of the International Forum for Rural Transport and Development - Latin America, held in Cuba in September 2005. The aim of the workshop was to introduce participants to the Outcome Mapping methodology, to enable them to develop a strategy and business plan for the network and to identify methods to monitor the strategy.

Civil Society Organizations: Promoting Pro-Poor Policy and Social Inclusion - CEU SUN, Budapest July 2005 This one week course aimed to help CSOs make their engagement with policy processes and policy actors more effective and legitimate by cultivating improved understanding of policy entrepreneurship and policy making at local, national and international levels. The central objective was to improve the quality, and utilization, of policy research produced by experts in CSOs to help ensure that their analysis is provided to policymakers at the time important issues are under deliberation.

CSOs, Evidence and Policy Workshop with Mexican and Central American Researchers, June 2005 A one-day workshop on the roles of CSOs, evidence and policy was held with a group of Mexican and Central American researchers in June 2005. The workshop was designed to allow participants to present case studies, discuss their own experiences in trying to influence policy as well as to learn new strategies or techniques that might be useful to them.

Knowledge and Information Management for NGOs A one-day training workshop held on 9th June 2005 for BOND member organiations, aimed at providing tools and techniques to use knowledge management tools in ongoing work programmes. The workshop was geared around the information management end of the KM spectrum and was a mixture of practical tools and presentations.

G8, UK Aid Policies and Implications for Japan - ODI Japan Visit Report A team of four from ODI visited Tokyo during the week of June 6 2005 as part of the JICA-funded work on UK-Japan aid issues and the implications for Japan of the UK's focus on African development in 2005. The trip was also an opportunity to learn about Japan's development community, particularly its views about East Asia's development experience and how Japan's aid may have accelerated it.

The Research / Practice Interface for 2005: Actions for the Year and Beyond, A Stakeholder Conference from the DSA and BOND in association with NR International and ODI A one day conference held on 3rd June 2005 to explore the reality of the links between research and practice. It aimed to identify problems at the interface between the two and propose action points. It was an opportunity both to develop ideas and action points as well as to take part in strategic networking. RAPID held a workshop session on Turning Insight into Impact: Approaches and Tools.

Euforic Annual Meeting 2005, Information Strategies and Policy Influence, London On the threshold of the UK Presidency of the EU, the G8 and the MDG Summit, this one day seminar organised by EUFORIC and ODI, was held at the beginning of June 2005 to explore the importance and opportunities of networking and Internet information for development policy. What are the strategies to follow and mechanisms to use for being really effective in influencing development policy? Which information foraging strategies are used by politicians, researchers or lobbyist? What could the Internet information landscape look like in ten years from now and how could development organisations prepare themselves?

SMEPOL Evidence-based Policy Making Workshop, Egypt This three day workshop for the SMEPOL Project was held to expose project stakeholders to current theory and practice of evidence-based policy making. The objectives were to: re-enforce the need for evidence-based policy reform decision making; introduce some of the latest theories about evidence-based policy making; outline some of the best international approaches and practice to ensure sustainable evidence-based policy making; provide practical tools; and help staff to develop strategies to influence policy in the SME sector in Egypt.

Process and Partnership for Pro-Poor Policy Change Project Initiation Workshops, February 2005, Kenya Two project initiation workshops held to launch the project as a whole, and to assemble preliminary information for the SDP Case Study. The Methodology workshop aimed to familiarise SDP evaluation team members with the general approach and specific methods to be used. The Policy Impact Workshop was designed to collect information from project staff and other stakeholders about the evolution of policy and practice in the dairy sector in Kenya and the project itself, and to explore the influence of specific project activities.

GDN Annual Conference 2005 and Bridging Research and Policy Workshop, Senegal, January 2005 The second GDN Bridging Research and Policy Project Workshop was held on January 21-23rd in Dakar, Senegal immediately before the Sixth GDN Annual Global Development Conference. Julius Court and Enrique Mendizabal helped to facilitate the BRP workshop, and Julius stayed on afterwards for the Conference where he participated in two of the parallel sessions.

CSOs, Evidence and Policy Influence - Regional Workshop, Kenya This workshop, held with AFREPREN in Nairobi in December 2004, focused on how CSOs can use evidence to promote pro-poor policies. It was a forum for CSOs in Kenya to discuss the opportunities and challenges they face when they try to inform policy and share experiences about what works and doesn't work, learn about the latest worldwide research and practice in this area, and identify gaps for future work.

Development Studies Association Annual Conference 2004 - London The 2004 Annual Development Studies Association one day Conference, held in November in London, was on the theme of Bridging Research and Policy. There were workshops to focus discussion, plenary sessions featuring speakers with experience across the research and policy spectrum, as well as a knowledge fair of development research publishers and other organisations.

Promoting Evidence-based Development Policy Workshop - DSA Conference, London This workshop session, held at the DSA Conference, provided a synthesis of the latest research on evidence-based policy in developing countries; an analytical and practical framework; policy perspectives from DFID and the south; and the latest on effective research communication. The workshop was attended by around fifty participants of the DSA conference. Discussions focused on gathering experience from participants and what should we do to improve the impact of our work on development outcomes.

Bridging Research and Policy - EADN Workshop, Jakarta A one day workshop to publicise the GDN Bridging research and policy project among researchers associated with the GDN East Asia Network. It was held alongside a regional workshop for researchers involved in research projects on Political Transition and Development, and Labour Migration in the Asia Pacific Region. The workshop was held at the Centre of Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta on the 10th July 2004.

Policy Entrepreneurship Workshop - Moldova A one day workshop for the directors of senior staff of policy research centers in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The purpose was to improve participants' ability to analyze the context within which they work and develop strategies to improve the policy impact of their work. The workshop was hosted by the Institute for Public Policy (IPP) in Chisinau, Moldova on 17 June 2004.

CSOs, Evidence and Pro-poor policy - CIVICUS Workshop A morning workshop on how CSOs can use evidence to promote pro-poor policy and practice, held at the CIVICUS World Assembly, March 2004, Gaborone, Botswana. Active participation was the cornerstone of the approach in the workshop, with emphasis placed on participants' own knowledge and experience. The workshop enabled participants to discuss the opportunities and challenges for CSOs to inform policy; learn about relevant approaches in this area; and share experiences about ongoing activities and what works.

HIV/AIDS: Bridging Research and Policy A one-day project workshop in March 2004 for the Bridging the Gap between Research and Policy in Combating HIV/AIDS in Developing Countries project. The objectives of the workshop were to share experiences about research-policy interactions in the HIV/AIDS field; discuss the Context: Evidence: Links framework along with the preliminary findings of the project; discuss other HIV/AIDS-related work relevant to the project; and to develop a strategy for further work in this area.

Policy Entrepreneurs - UK A one-day workshop for UK-based donors, practitioners, advocates and researchers to share experiences and learn about evidence-based policy and practice in the UK and Developing Countries; try out some simple tools for policy analysis and action; learn about other tools and approaches which have been used elsewhere, and about where to access further information and resources; and develop a personal action-plan to improve the impact of your own work.

Bridging Research and Policy - Delhi A seminar and workshop for researchers, policy makers and practitioners involved in the FRP R8171 project to consider how to improve the policy impact of the project. The project is focused on the intersection between water, watershed and forestry policies in India and faces the challenge of generating and using evidence to overturn the prevalent narrative that planting trees is enough to protect water resources.

Bridging Research and Policy - Marrakesh A one-day workshop on how to improve policy impact for researchers attending the ERF 10th Annual Conference in Marrakesh in December 2003. The workshop provided an opportunity for researchers to discuss research-policy links in the Northern Africa and Middle East Region, learn about the emerging findings from GDN and ODI work so far, and consider how they might be improved.

Bridging Research and Policy Project Seminar (October 2003) ODI’s Bridging Research and Policy project has been researching how research-based evidence contributes to policy processes in developing countries. The project included a literature review, the development of a new framework for analyzing and strengthening research-policy links and four in-depth case studies. This seminar provided an opportunity to learn about and discuss the results.

Meeting Series: Does Evidence Matter (Spring 2003) This lunch-time meeting series provided an opportunity for researchers, policy makers and intermediaries in the UK to discuss how and why evidence informs policy. Speakers included politicians, bureaucrats, researchers, NGO activists and practitioners from UK government and non-government organisations. They talked about how the political and institutional context influences development policy makers, what sort of evidence they want and need, how research institutes can manage and use their knowledge more effectively, how NGO campaigns and Think Tanks achieve policy influence, and what makes a good policy entrepreneur.