Let’s get the conversation started! Satellite sessions at EVIDENCE 2018

With under three months to go until EVIDENCE 2018 opens to explode the divide between evidence producers and users, we have finalised the satellite sessions being offered before the official opening of the event. The themes of the EVIDENCE conferences remain Engage, Understand, Impact and this year’s satellites all aim to do just that. There are eight sessions planned, all happening on Tuesday 25 September 2018, and hosted by some of the most innovative and exciting organisations on the frontlines of evidence-informed decision-making in Africa. Expect a full day of engagement with the sessions starting at 09:00 and closing at 17:00, with plenty of time to network between and after sessions. Keep a lookout for our next EVIDENCE 2018 blog post for an overview of the full programme to get the details of specific venues for each session. In the meantime, use the table below as a quick overview of the running times of each session.

SATELLITE SESSION 1: Evidence value chain: showcasing the dimensions of evidence from projects undertaken by the Research Use and Impact Assessment (RIA) unit of the Human Sciences Research Council (Human Sciences Research Council)

Based in South Africa, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) aim to share the experiences of and mechanisms for interacting with the evidence value chain of their Research Use and Impact Assessment unit. The session will detail the ten different approaches used by the RIA to support the evidence value chain in Africa, with examples from their work shared with session attendees. An additional objective of this session is to establish collaborative links with other research organisations and individuals interested in the work the RIA undertakes.

SATELLITE SESSION 2: Strengthening evidence use in Uganda: what’s working and what’s next (International Initiative for Impact Evaluation)

If you are hoping for an interactive satellite session, make sure you attend the International Initiative for Impact Evaluations’ (3ie) talk show style session. The speakers in this satellite will share their experiences of evidence needs and uses in Uganda, and what has – and what has not – worked in getting that evidence used. Come and join a conversation with speakers that is contextualised in terms of the importance of promoting evidence-use at a country level.

SATELLITE SESSION 3: Citizen evidence and evidence-informed policy-making: whose knowledge counts? (International Development Research Centre)

Do citizens’ voices have a place in evidence-informed decision-making? And if so, what is the best way to ensure they are heard? This innovative session by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) will explore current practices for incorporating citizens’ voices into evidence-informed decision-making in the hopes of identifying potential collaboration for future action. In addition to exploring stories of successful integration of citizens’ voices, this session aims to support attendees with how to navigate the power dynamics inherent in including citizens in the evidence-informed decision-making process.

SATELLITE SESSION 4: Invisibility and evidence: time’s up for evidence that doesn’t consider gendered drivers of inequality (International Initiative for Impact Evaluation)

The International Initiative for Impact Evaluation aims to illuminate the causes and many manifestations of the systemic challenge of gendered inequality and explore the role evidence can play in addressing it. By sharing the challenges of promoting more gender- and equity-responsive research and evidence use encountered by participants and their attempts to overcome these, this session hopes to instill attendees with a sensitivity to the gendered nature of inequality and evidence-use that can be exercised throughout the course of EVIDENCE 2018.

SATELLITE SESSION 5: Measuring evidence-use: the value of contribution tracing (International Initiative for Impact Evaluation)

Attendees of this session offered by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation can look forward to hearing about the Initiative’s pilot of applying contribution tracing to monitor and measure evidence uptake and use of 3ie-supported studies and reviews. Sharing the improvements this has made to the Initiative’s monitoring function, attendees of this session will be invited to apply contribution tracing techniques with the aim of developing testable evidence use claims and data collection strategies to measure evidence-use. A valuable and practical session for anyone wanting to explore ways to measure evidence-use.

SATELLITE SESSION 6: A peer learning network for government policy-makers to advance evidence-use in Africa: an emerging strategy (Results for All)

Attend this session if you would like to participate in feedback on the strategy and structure of a global evidence network that would collaborate with existing structures like the AEN to deepen support for evidence-informed decision-making. Through a collaborative and consultative process with government officials, Results for All will present in this session their proposed peer learning network for policymakers in government, whose aim it would be to amplify the value of evidence-use within government and strengthen institutional capacity to use evidence in decision-making.

SATELLITE SESSION 7: Exploring synergies between evidence maps and rapid response services to support evidence-informed policy-making: towards collaboration and shared learning (Africa Centre for Evidence/Department for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation)

Are evidence maps and rapid response services complimentary in supporting evidence-informed decision-making? The team at the Africa Centre for Evidence and the South African Department for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation think they might be. In fact, this session promises to share practical next steps for how these methods can be used to institutionalise evidence-informed decision-making in government. Colleagues from within government are especially encouraged to attend this session.

A final satellite session, co-hosted by the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation and the /African Evaluation Association, will ask the question What works for capacity-building to produce useful evidence in Africa? Watch our website for more detailed information about what this session will offer.

The satellite sessions of EVIDENCE 2018 are bound to be exciting, boundary-breaking sessions and we believe are a fantastic taste of the flavour that EVIDENCE 2018 will offer. If you have not yet registered for this innovative conference, be sure to complete your registration soon.