Shifting Power & the Need to Better Understand Locally Led Capacity Strengthening Efforts

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.
Link to webinar page with presentation slides: www.data4impac...