Capacity.org News Archive

SEEP Network Annual Conference: Partnerships and cross sectoral approaches

June 2013

Dates: 4-7 November 2013
Type of event: Conference
Location: Arlington, VA, USA
Organization: The SEEP Network/USAID
More information: http://www.seepnetwork.org/annual-conference-pages-20008.php

SEEP is a global network of 130 international practitioner organizations dedicated to combating poverty through promoting inclusive markets and financial systems. This year's conference will serve as a platform to promote learning and exchange around high-potential collaboration opportunities. 

Applications invited for new online course on capacity development (LenCD)

May 2013

Dates: Nine weeks, starting in September 2013 (Deadline for applications is 22 July 2013)
Type of event: Online course
Location: Online/Global
Organization: LenCD/DiploFoundation
More information: http://www.diplomacy.edu/courses/capacity

The Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) Learning Package on Capacity Development will shortly be available as an online training course. Developed with support from LenCD, UNDP and Learn4Dev and facilitated by DiploFoundation. Please note that this is a paid course, with limited scholarships for applicants from developing countries.

Capacity.org reader survey 2013: Please give us your feedback

May 2013

SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, co-publisher of Capacity.org journal and the associated web portal, is carrying out an independent external evaluation. The aim is to assess the role of the capacity development platform and how it can contribute to SNV's role as a knowledge broker and facilitator of change in different development contexts. Please give us your feedback by Friday 31 May. It will only take 10-15 minutes of your time. 

LenCD General Assembly: learning about institutional reform

May 2013

The Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) will hold its General Assembly in Brussels on 20 and 21 June 2013. The first day will be an open learning day on the theme of institutional reform. All members of the LenCD network and others interested in capacity development and institutional reform are invited to participate.

Upcoming INTRAC blended learning courses 2013

April 2013

Dates: June and July 2013
Type of event: Distance traininig course (please note that these are paid courses, with early bird discount before 7 June 2013)
Location: Online/worldwide
Organization: INTRAC
More information: http://www.intrac.org/pages/en/blended-learning.html

In addition to its regular residential training courses in Oxford, UK, INTRAC is offering two new "blended learning courses" through distance learning in 2013. The courses will be on the topics: Learning, Advocacy and Policy Influencing, and Monitoring and Evaluation and will take place in June and July. The blended learning courses are delivered remotely through webinar (web conferencing) technology, skype and INTRAC's learning platform (moodle). The course combines trainer-led presentations, discussions and exercises; peer learning with other participants based worldwide; self-directed work; and one-to-one coaching with the trainer. These courses focus heavily on applying learning to the workplace throughout the course. The courses are delivered over an eight week period.

Monitoring and Evaluating When Facing Complexity: Perspectives From a Practitioner-Led Initiative

April 2013

Date: 25 April 2013
Type of event: Webinar
Location: Global/Online
Organization: USAID/Microlinks
More information: http://bit.ly/14IDzDm

Changes in markets are not predictable and often surprising, even after thorough market analysis and strategic planning. This creates specific challenges for monitoring and evaluation of development interventions. The webinar session will feature insights from the SEEP Network’s Systemic M&E Initiative, a practitioner-led initiative supported by USAID and fhi360 that has been exploring innovative ways to monitor and evaluate interventions in market and financial systems.

Post-2015 consultations: Call for input from southern researchers and practitioners

March 2013

The Global Development Network (GDN) seeks input from Southern researchers for an international seminar in New Delhi in late March that will connect members of the UN High Level Panel with the academic community of economists and other social scientists from developing countries. Input can be provided through an online survey - closing on 11 March - that covers five of the most pressing questions facing the panellists:

Engaging citizen's voices: Global conference

March 2013

Date: 18 March 2013
Type of event: Conference
Location: Washington DC and Online
Organization: World Bank Institute
More information: http://wbi.worldbank.org/wbi/event/citizen-voices?

Citizen Voices will focus on citizen engagement and feedback systems that strengthen the quality of policymaking and the science of service delivery, and where the impact on the poor is most direct.  The conference will position the citizen engagement agenda as essential for effective development, move from knowledge to action, and establish concrete partnerships for scaling up at global and national levels.

Post-2015 water consultations accessible online

February 2013

A Post-2015 Development Agenda Consultation on Water: Water Resources Management and Wastewater Management & Water Quality is being organized by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in Geneva from 27-28 February. The meeting will prepare for the High level Meeting in The Hague which concludes the Thematic Consultation on Water. The discussions will be accessible by live-stream video at http://www.worldwewant2015.org/water

Capacity.org issue 46 on inter-organisational learning published

January 2013

From picking up a good idea from a competitor to engaging in strategic alliances, there is a wide spectrum of ways in which inter-organisational learning occurs. However, unlike the private sector inter-organisational learning in the development sector is hardly studied or evaluated. There seems to be an uncritical assumption that working and learning together is unproblematic and usually beneficial for all parties. Drawing on practical experiences from India, South Sudan and South Africa, among others, this issue of Capacity.org journal discusses a number of challenges faced by learning partnerships and offers lessons for avoiding some of the commonly experienced pitfalls.

Upcoming training courses in East Africa (MDF)

January 2013

MDF is a global training and consultancy agency, headquartered in the Netherlands with branches in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The MDF Eastern and Southern Africa office is organizing the following courses in the first half of 2013.

Please note that course fees apply

Organisational development and change: 11-15 February, Arusha, Tanzania
Result-based management: 11-15 March, Arusha, Tanzania
Monitoring & Evaluation and Learning: 18-22 March, Arusha, Tanzania
Programme Planning form a Livelihood Perspective: 1-5 April 2013, Nairobi, Kenya
Outcome mapping: 15-17 April 2013, Arusha, Tanzania
Financial management for non-financial managers: 5-10 May, Arusha, Tanzania
Leadership and people management: 13-17 May, Arusha, Tanzania
Project and programme management: 10-21 June, Arusha, Tanzania

For more information and a full overview of all courses offered in 2013, please visit the MDF-ESA website.

Tracking post-2015 development goals: Call for input

January 2013

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI, UK) has announced an initiative to track all proposals emerging out of the UN High Level Panel on the Post-2015 Millenium Development Goals and the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (an outcome of the Rio+20 Conference in June 2012). The project invites input on any missing proposals and is especially interested in any proposals on concrete targets and indicators. For an overview of goals tracked so far, please go to: http://post2015.org/2013/01/08/tracking-proposals-on-future-development-goals/

Calendar for final thematic consultations on post-2015 agenda

January 2013

The calendar of final thematic consultations being organized between January and April 2013 to discuss what comes next after the Millenium Development Goals is now available. The Global Leadership Meetings (GLMs) cover 8 themes: Conflict and Fragility; Inequalities; Governance and the Post-2015 Framework; Population Dynamics; Health; Education; Water; and Hunger, Food and Nutrition Security.

Innovative strategies for facilitating vertical linkages with very poor producers (Webinar)

January 2013

Date: 21 February 2013
Type of event: Webinar
Location: Online/Global
Organization: USAID/SEEP Network
More information: http://www.seepnetwork.org/webinar-2--innovative-strategies-for-facilitating-vertical-linkages-with-very-poor-producers-events-52.php

This is the second of three webinars in the “Integrating Very Poor Producers Into Value Chains Field Guide” series, an initiative of the SEEP Network Market Facilitation Initiative and STEP UP Initiative. The objective of the Field Guide is to provide guidance to frontline field development practitioners on how to better integrate very poor producers into value chains.

Evidence and knowledge in humanitarian action

January 2013

Dates: 5-7 March 2013
Type of event: Conference
Location: Washington D.C.
Organization: ALNAP
More information: http://www.alnap.org/events/28th.aspx

Accurate information is a vital tool for humanitarians. It can provide evidence of current or anticipated needs; demonstrate those elements of a response that are working, and those which urgently need to be changed; and support the development and improvement of life-saving practices. But there are many challenges to the collection of information and the use of evidence in humanitarian response, arising from the context of operations and from the culture of the humanitarian system. This upcoming ALNAP Meeting will look at these challenges and – building on the experience of Network members and invited experts - try to find ways to address them.

Systematic reviews in international development: Dhaka Colloquium materials now available

January 2013

In December 2012, BRAC University in Bangladesh hosted the Dhaka Colloquium, which brought together 130 leading researchers and policymakers from 31 countries to discuss the latest methodologies and evidence from systematic reviews of development programmes. Materials from the event, including videos of some of the presentations, are now available.

AfDB call for microfinance capacity building fund applications open till 30 November

November 2012

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has announced the 2nd call for proposals of the Microfinance Capacity Building Fund ("MCBF"). Award amounts will range from US $200,000 to US $500,000 per project, depending on the activity, and will be given to approximately 6-8 awardees.

E-learning course on national evaluation capacity development

November 2012

Dates: 14 January to 24 March 2013
Type of event: E-learning programme
Location: Online/Global
Organization: EvalPartners network
More information: http://mymande.org/elearning/course-details/2

Applications are invited for the second course of the e-learning programme on development evaluation, focusing on National Evaluation Capacity Development for Country-led Monitoring and Evaluation Systems.This follows the well attended e-learning course on Equity-focused evaluations that attracted almost 4,500 participants from 163 countries.

Capacity building specialist, Myanmar

November 2012

Contracting organization: Save the Children
Location: Yangon, Myanmar
Application deadline: 20 November 2012
Type/duration of assignment: Programme Staff, 4 years
More information: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/jobs/detail.dot?id=a661fa3d-e431-482a-b6ad-63f949dc2a4e

Save the Children International is looking for a Capacity Building Specialist to join the Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC) team. The Myanmar Education Consortium is a national programme designed in view of the rapidly evolving changes occurring in the education sector and the overall country context. It is initially led by Burnet Institute, Save the Children and World Vision with the aim to build capacity and involve local partners over the course of the programme.

The MEC Capacity Building Specialist will be responsible for coordinating with local implementing partners including complementary systems and local civil society groups to build capacity of education institutions and personnel for improved education management (i.e. financial management, human resources, organisational development), knowledge of education current theory and best practice and enhanced service delivery.

Applications invited for new round of South-South learning alliances

November 2012

Practical Action has launched the second round of south-south learning alliances, starting January 2013. The four-month online learning programme fosters networking between policymakers and practitioners in Latin American, African and South Asia as part of the Evidence and Lessons from Latin America (ELLA) knowledge platform. The programme will include a visit to Latin America for selected active members from Africa and South Asia.

The learning programme will focus on the following topics:

• Small-scale farming: prmoting small-scale sustainable farming and rural development (application deadline: 7 December 2012)
• Human rights: promoting, protecting, defending and guaranteeing human rights (application deadline: 30 November 2012)
• Climate resilient cities: making cities more resilient to climate change (application deadline: 7 December 2012)

Participation is free of charge and members are expected to devote about one to two hours per week to the learning programme. For more information please visit: ella.practicalaction.org

Partnerships and Mutual Accountability for Development Results (E-discussion)

October 2012

Dates: 4 October to 1 November 2012
Type of event: E-discussion
Location: Online/Global
Organization: UNDP and partners
More information: https://undp.unteamworks.org/login?destination=node%2F91436

Launched on 4 October, this four-week long e-discussion aims to gather diverse viewpoints about the results and quality of development cooperation in different countries, regions and globally.  The e-discussion is co-hosted by the UNDP Knowledge, Innovation and Capacity Group, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD). The discussion will take place in two parts: the first part (4-18 Oct. 2012) will focus on taking stock of improving mutual accountability at country level, the second part (19 Oct. – 1 Nov. 2012) examines the relationship between the country, regional and global processes and frameworks.

Evaluation in Africa – can and should it be more influential? (E-discussion)

October 2012

This is the final topic in a series of moderated e-discussions on " Thought Leaders in Development and Evaluation." Co-facilitated by the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) and the CLEAR initiative, South Africa, the purpose of the forum is to give impetus to efforts to develop original and influential African contributions that can strengthen evaluation theory and practice on the continent and worldwide. It will also help position the AfrEA "Made in Africa Approach to Evaluation" initiative by focusing on how evaluation can be shaped by Africa-rooted and driven approaches. The e-discussions will feed into a strategic meeting on the future of development and evaluation in Africa to hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Center in Italy in November. 

Inclusive and sustainable growth for human development - EU Development Days 2012

October 2012

Dates: 15-16 October 2012
Type of event: Conference
Location: Brussels, Belgium and online (live webcasts)
Organization: EU Commission
More information: http://eudevdays.eu/

The seventh edition of the European Development Days (EDD 2012) will focus on the theme of sustainable and inclusive growth for human development, with three related sub-themes: - sustainable agriculture, food security and resilience; - engaging the private sector for development; and - empowering people for inclusive growth.  Live web-streaming of all sessions taking place in the four main high level panels each day will be available online at http://live.eudevdays.eu/ in French, English and the original language of the speakers.

Virtual course on effective networks

September 2012

Dates: 01 October - 14 December 2012
Type of event: Training course (please note that this is a paid course)
Location: Online/worldwide
Organization: The Network University and NetworkingAction
More information: http://networks.netuni.nl/page.php?id=1

"Effective networks" is the topic of three sets of three-week virtual training modules organized in partnership between The Network University and NetworkingAction. The course will cover a variety of networking forms, including networks that comprise as their main “unit” individuals or organizations; single-sector (business-government-civil society) or cross-sector; local, national, regional or global. Participants will learn core concepts and tools to support development of networks’ effectiveness. To register for the course, please click here or send an email to: networks@netuni.nl

PRIA launches distance learning course on international perspectives in participatory monitoring and evaluation

August 2012

Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) is gaining considerable ground in international development debate and practice. There are however not many development courses, internationally, which focus on the concept of participatory monitoring and evaluation from an educational and learning point of view. Where they exist, such courses are expensive and thus out of reach of many practitioners.Many practitioners also lack adequate time to attend face to face development courses on monitoring and evaluation. This new course, a collaboration between PRIA and the University of Victoria, is designed to address this gap.

Call for trainers: E-learning course on capacity development

August 2012

LenCD seeks a highly qualified team to design, develop, and deliver a tutored e-learning course on capacity development based on the LenCD Learning Package on Capacity Development. The assigned organization/institution will be expected to undertake the design and development work required to translate the CD Learning Package into an easily accessible and widely applied tutored e-learning course. The assigned organization will also be expected to manage the tutored e-learning course.Complete details on this request for proposals are available from the UNDP procurement website.

3ie call for replication evaluations

June 2012

3ie has released a Request for Applications for replication research along with an initial Candidate Studies List.  The submission deadline is 11.59 pm GMT, July 31, 2012.  5-10 grants of up to $ 15,000 each will be awarded. The aim of the Replication Programme is to improve the quality of impact evaluation evidence used for policy making by funding and publicizing replication studies of "influential, innovative, and controversial impact evaluations of development programmes."

Capacity.org Issue 45 on adapting to climate change published

June 2012

Agricultural smallholders and pastoralists whose livelihoods depend on natural resource bases that are already severely stressed and degraded are among the groups most affected by the unpredictable impacts of climate change. Drawing on experience in Asia and Africa, the June 2012 issue of Capacity.org journal provides some insights for practitioners on how to effectively meet the needs of the most vulnerable communities. The contributions aim to shed light on two broad questions:

1. Adaptation to what? The global effects of climate change may be clear in terms of increase in temperature and rising sea levels but the local effects are far less predictable to the extent that some regions may even benefit from the consequences of climate change. What are some reliable sources for communities find out the types of changes they can expect?
2. Which factors determine a community’s adaptation capacity how can actors including local governments and NGOs intervene to enhance the resilience of local communities to the effects of climate change?

Read the issue online

Download Issue 45 (PDF, 700 kb)

Call for proposals: EDULINK II

May 2012

Funding proposals are invited for EDULINK II, a programme that fosters co-operation in the field of Higher Education between the countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) Group of States and the European Union. EDULINK II focuses on two thematic areas: (i) energy access and efficiency, and (ii) agriculture and food security

The call was launched on the EuropeAid website on 19 March and closes on 30 July 2012.

Event: Shaping the future of capacity-building programmes

May 2012

Dates: 2-3 July 2012
Type of event: International conference
Location: The Hague, The Netherlands
Organization: Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education (NUFFIC)
More information: www.nuffic.nl/shapingthefuture

The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked Nuffic to organise an international conference aimed at generating specific ideas for the design of new capacity building programmes. The two-day conference, entitled "Shaping the future: new perspectives on Dutch cooperation in post-secondary education and training for sustainable development," will bring together experts, practitioners and stakeholders from the Netherlands and partner countries, as well as representatives of international agencies.

Event: Towards country-led knowledge hubs

May 2012

Dates: 10-12 July 2012
Type of event: High Level Meeting
Location: Bali, Indonesia
Organization: Government of Indonesia, the World Bank, JICA and UNDP
More information: http://www.southsouth.info/page/bali-high-level-meeting

This meeting will provide a forum for 200 policymakers and practitioners from 40 countries engaged in South-South Knowledge Exchange (SSKE) to learn about Knowledge Hubs and how to strengthen their institutional capacity for SSKE. Participation is by invitation only. Representatives of countries or institutions seeking to develop knowledge hub functions, or who have already implemented such functions, are invited to send an expression of interest no later than 30 May.
 

European Commission re-thinks its capacity development approach, post-Busan

April 2012

The European Commission is exploring ways to reorient its technical cooperation approach in line with the outcome of the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, which underscored the links between capacity development and development effectiveness. Building on the principles of the Technical Cooperation Reform (backbone strategy) and the lessons which have been learnt after two years of implementation, the Commission is currently updating its guidance on capacity development to integrate it into its overall Project and Programme Cycle Management guidance (PPCM).

towards-a-more-effective-capacity-development

April 2012

Interactive seminar series: Learning from mega disasters

March 2012

Dates: 18 April - 11 May 2012 (NB: Registration deadline is 11 April 2012)
Type of event: Video conference series (6 sessions) with live webcasts
Location: Various (region-based) + Online
Organization: Global Development Learning Network(GDLN)
More information on themes and target countries: http://www.jointokyo.org/en/programs/catalogue/mega_disasters/

This video conference series is organized as part of a Government of Japan/World Bank programme “ Learning from Mega Disasters: Program of Knowledge Sharing and Knowledge Exchange,” launched in October 2011. The project has developed 33 Knowledge Notes so far, which will be grouped into 6 clusters for the GDLN knowledge-exchange sessions. The objectives of the KS sessions are to: (i) share initial findings and lessons from the Great East Japan Earthquake with practitioners throughout the world, and (ii) exchange views among experts on how these lessons could be transferred and adapted to developing countries.

Capacity.org Issue 44 on Markets, smallholders and empowerment published

March 2012

With the global population expected to rise to 9 billion by 2050, there has been growing attention at the highest policy circles to the contribution of small-scale agriculture to food security and poverty eradication. However, the creation of an enabling framework towards this end has been hampered by contradictory approaches and policy ''pendulum swings" over the past few decades that have seen national and international efforts focus alternately on 'rights-based' and 'market-based' support strategies. Issue 44 of Capacity.org aims to refocus attention on the critical but largely neglected issue of producer agency: that is, the capacity of producers to make informed choices, and to act on those choices. 

From awareness-raising to community capacity development: Learning from participatory radio campaigns

March 2012

Farm Radio International has released three reports - available in English and French - of practical experience so far in applying a participatory radio campaigns (PRCs) methodology developed by the African Farm Radio Research Initiative (AFRRI). The first report provides an overview of the PRC methodology. The second report examines the effectiveness of radio-based market information services (MIS) for smallholder agriculture. The last report presents results from integrating newer information and communication technologies with radio to create more effective farm radio programmes.

Development facilitation course: Bringing life to group processes

March 2012

Dates: 16-20 April 2012
Type of event: Training workshop
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Organization: Community Development Resource Association (CDRA)
More information: Download brochure (pdf 1.1MB)

This training course wil explore the core methodologies for facilitating processes that enable and energise people in a workshop, meeting or training course. The course is aimed at newcomers to the development sector as well as experienced practitioners that are interested in enlivening their practice. It will offer an opportunity to share and learn from the experiences of fellow facilitators.

Webinar series: Increasing the effectiveness of networks working on global public challenges (iScale)

March 2012

Dates: Various: between 28 March and 6 April 2012
Type of event: Webinar
Location: Online/Global (sessions organised by timezone)
Organization: Innovations for Scaling Impact (iScale)
More information: www.scalingimpact.net/content/iscale-webinar-increasing-effectiveness-networks

Since 2008, iScale, has implemented an IDRC-supported project examining the role of multi-stakeholder networks as agents of change in addressing global challenges that has resulted in the development of frameworks that can help networks scale impact by understanding what to measure, for what purpose, when, and how, through the use of approaches that integrate planning, assessment, reporting, and learning. Beginning in late March 2012, iScale will host webinars to discuss this work on how networks working on global public challenges can increase their effectiveness and scale impact. The webinars will be offered in two formats: a condensed session lasting 1.5 hours and an in-depth session lasting approximately 2.5-3 hours. Each session will be conducted three times and in three time zones in an effort to accommodate interested participants from all over the world.

Best Practices, Lessons Learned, and Effective Tools in Knowledge Sharing for Food Security and Agriculture Programmes

March 2012

Date: 20-22 April 2012
Type of event: Online discussion
Location: Online, global
Organization: USAID Bureau for Food Security
More information: http://agrilinks.kdid.org/groups/agexchange-knowledge-sharing

Capturing, sharing, and applying knowledge is inherent in everything we do. From recognizing an approach that worked well in the field to sharing that approach with a colleague, effective knowledge management enables practitioners to learn from one another to implement more efficient and sustainable programs. This online discussion will bring together a diverse group of donors, food security technical experts, and knowledge management professionals for a three-day online discussion. Good practice, learning, and areas for future collaboration raised during the discussion will be synthesized into a resource document available to the Agrilinks community.

1st Summer Institute on global poverty and inclusive development

March 2012

Date: 24-25 April 2012
Type of event: Specialized training programme
Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Organization: University of Amsterdam
More information: www.gsss.uva.nl/sip

There is an increasing urgency to understand the conditions of poverty, the dynamics of poverty, and the complexities involved in embarking upon more inclusive development trajectories. The Summer Institute on Global Poverty & Inclusive Development contributes to the growing worldwide interest among academics and professionals in the causes of poverty and its alleviation. Classes are taught by Dr. Deepa Narayan, an internationally known expert on poverty and author of Voices of the Poor and Moving out of Poverty in close cooperation with Dr. Nicky Pouw, co- author of Local Governance and Poverty in Developing Nations (with Isa Baud).

Sustaining multi-stakeholder processes in Africa: Understanding and promoting systemic social change

March 2012

Date: 24-25 April 2012
Type of event: Networking event
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Organization: Change Alliance and the Southern Africa Trust
More information (pdf): FlyerSouthAfricaMSPEventApril2012

The aim of this event is to create a space for Africans working with multi-stakeholder process (MSP) change strategies to learn from each other by sharing methods and experiences; and to continue the development a Network of Practice in Africa for sustainable MSPs.

The promises and perils of supporting network formation and development

February 2012

Date: 15 February 2012 (12-1pm PST / 7-8pm GMT )
Type of event: Webinar (free registration)
Location: Online
Organization: Leadership Learning Community

Drawing on the experiences and examples of three leadership and network evaluators, this session will explore a number of questions, including: What are the promises and perils of investing in network formation? What evaluation questions are important to ask? What are critical practices for supporting and nurturing the emergence and development of networks over time? What are promising practices for evaluating network behavior and network effects in the early stages of network formation?

This session will provide useful advice about how to fund, support, and evaluate network potential and sustainability in the earliest phases of network formation.

 

Inclusive WASH webinar

February 2012

Dates: 22 February 2012 (GMT+11)
Type of event: Live webinar
Location: Online
Organization: WaterAid Australia

This is the fifth and final webinar in this free online course. It will look at experiences of reaching other marginalised groups, with contributions from practitioners, and draw out some common lessons. It will then focus on scaling up good practice on inclusive water, sanitationa and hygiene (WASH), and different mechanisms for making sure the principles of inclusion become “business as usual” in the WASH sector.

Meeting the challenges of value chain development: A learning event

February 2012

Dates: 7-8 February 2012
Type of event: Learning event (with live webinar) 
Location: Washington, USA
Organization: USAID Microenterprise Development office

As research to date suggests, and as project implementers can attest, the ‘poorest of the poor’ rarely benefit from value chain development initiatives as a result of constraints that preclude them from participating in project activities as well as from attracting the attention of private-sector actors. Building on recent work in this area, USAID will be hosting a session on “ Reaching the Very Poor Through Value Chain Development” at the upcoming two-day learning event: Meeting the Challenges of Value Chain Development. For those unable to attend in person, it is possible to participate through a live webinar broadcast of the keynote session. The session will focus on the importance of agricultural value chain development to lifting people out of poverty and bringing an end to food insecurity, and the growing appreciation among donors and practitioners of the need to take a systems perspective to agricultural value chain development.

Theory of change training workshop

January 2012

Dates: 5 - 7 March 2010
Type of event: Training workshop (Please note that this is a paid course)
Location: Oxford, UK
Organization: International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)

This new course provides an opportunity to understand and explore what Theories of Change are; how they complement other planning processes; how they can be applied to organisations and to programmes. The course enables participants to consider the steps they need to take in developing a ToC for their own organisation/programme; and offers an opportunity to experiment with developing elements of a ToC on the course.

How to design, manage and conduct impact evaluations

January 2012

Upcoming IFDC training courses on sustainable agriculture and value chains

January 2012

(NB: course fee applies)

9-13 April 2012
Comment relier les agriculteurs aux marchés en Afrique/Linking farmers to markets in Africa (French)
Location: Bamako, Mali

2-13 July 2012
Decision-support tools for agricultural production, fertilizer recommendations and climatic variability
Location: Arusha, Tanzania

2-13 July 2012
Increasing agricultural input and output trade through innovative market information systems in Africa
Location: Nairobi, Kenya

3-7 December 2012
Developing and managing profitable agro-input business through sustainable value chains
Location: Accra, Ghana

Planet under pressure: new knowledge

January 2012

Dates: 26-29 March 2012
Type of event: International conference
Location: London, UK
Organization: International Council for Science (ICSU) and diverse partners

The research community has a responsibility to provide the knowledge needed to move society towards effective stewardship of the planet and to communicate the urgency of this challenge to society. But science alone is not enough. This conference is intended to be a major opportunity to link global-change science in a two-way engagement with the wide range of other stakeholders working towards global sustainability. It is organised as part of the lead up to the forthcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development taking place in Brazil in June, commonly known as Rio+20.

Décentralisation en millieu rural et gouvernance locale: Renforcement des processus multi-acteurs

January 2012

Dates: 3 - 14 September, 2012
Type of event: Training workshop
Location: Wageningen, the Netherlands
Organization: Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation

Les processus multi-acteurs de la décentralisation en milieu rural sont complexes, pourtant de plus en plus importants pour la réussite des actions de développement. La collaboration entre différents acteurs renforce les compétences requises de chacun dans la gouvernance locale, y compris celles du gouvernement local afin de fournir des services répondants aux besoins et intérêts de la population. Ce cours vise le développement de la capacité des ministères, des structures d’appui, des prestataires de services et des ONGs dans l’accompagnement effectif des gouvernements locaux, la facilitation de la gestion des processus multi-acteurs et la promotion de l’apprentissage social. Brochure du cours (pdf)

Climate change governance: Adaptation and mitigation as institutional change processes

January 2012

Dates: 30 January - 12 February, 2012
Type of event: Training workshop
Location: Wageningen, the Netherlands
Organization: Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation

The impact on food production, food security and natural resources in developing countries by climate change is likely to be severe. This course offers conceptual frameworks to understand climate change, vulnerability and adaptation and mitigation options that bring together different stakeholders such as policymakers, scientists, communities, citizens, farmers, extension workers, media and businesses.

NB: The application deadline for this course is 15th January (Apply online)

International conference on capacity development

January 2011

Dates: 15 December 2011
Type of event: International conference
Location: The Hague, The Netherlands
Organization: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairst

Following the publication Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) evaluation report of the effectiveness of Dutch support for capacity building in developing countries, this follow up conference will implementation of the report's recommendations.

6th international conference on community-based adaptation

December 2011

Dates: 16-22 April 2012
Type of event: International conference
Location: Hanoi, Vietnam
Organization: Disaster Management Centre (DMC), Vietnam and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

This conference will  discuss knowledge of community-based adaptation (CBA) planning and practices from different parts of the developing world and capture the latest learning and good practices in CBA from developing countries. The conference includes three days of field visits to projects to see how communities living in different ecosystems have adapted to climate change.

Multi-stakeholder processes for institutional strengthening

November 2011

Dates: 27 February to 9 March 2012
Type of event: Training
Location: Wageningen, the Netherlands
Organization: Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation

Thinking about the relationships between government, the private sector and civil society has changed considerably. Instead of being perceived as passive beneficiaries, rural populations are increasingly seen as citizens who have the right to participate and who demand good local governance. This has led to the understanding that local governance for rural development should be addressed as a multi-stakeholder process with interactions taking place at different levels amongst actors with different ambitions or perceptions.

Coaching as a leadership development strategy

November 2011

Dates: 14 December 2011
Type of event: Webinar
Location: Online, global
Organization: Leadership Learning Center/CompassPoint

Leadership development is on the forefront of grantmaker and capacity builders' minds, particularly as organizations navigate the current realities they face. This webinar is for experienced capacity builders who are interested in exploring coaching as a leadership development strategy.

Using case studies in development evaluation: Validity, Generalisation and Learning

December 2011

Dates: 21-23 May, 2012
Type of event: International workshop
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Organization: Centre for Social Science Development Research University of Copenhagen and the Evaluation Department of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Abstracts are invited for this international workshop, which will focus on methodological and practical considerations when using case studies in evaluations of development. The workshop will be organised in collaboration with the journal Evaluation:the international journal of theory, research and practice. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 December 2011 .

High level retreat for African mediators

November 2011

Dates: 23-25 November 2011
Type of event: Informal consultations (invitation only)
Location: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Organization: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

This ‘Africa Mediators’ Retreat’, co-hosted with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mwalimu Nyerere Foundation, will bring together around 40 mediators, peace process actors, government representatives and key experts active in mediation as well as in conflict prevention and resolution in Africa. Participants will share their experiences, identify challenges and critically reflect on their practice in an informal setting (Chatham House rules).

Panel discussion on "Capacity Development: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward" at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness

November 2011

Dates: 29 November to 1 December 2011
Type of event: High Level Forum and Side Events
Location: Busan, Korea
Organization: Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD)

This session will identify key actions to strengthen the practice of and knowledge on country-led capacity development, building on lessons learned. It will examine two areas that are critical to the forward-looking agenda on capacity development: putting country-driven, results-focused capacity development into practice; and creating and exchanging knowledge on what works.

Enterprise Development through Value Chains and Business Service Markets: A Market Development approach to Pro-Poor Growth

November 2011

Dates: Various, starts on 19th March 2012
Type of event: Distance learning programme (Please note that this is a paid course with some funding possibilities)
Location: Global, with a Face-to-Face workshop scheduled for 18 - 29 June 2012 in Turin, Italy
Organization: The International Training Centre of the International Labour Organisation (ITC ILO)

This 8-month course is relevant for professionals developing and implementing Value Chain and enterprise development projects in rural and urban areas. It offers a unique on-the-job learning opportunity using practical tools and lessons from enterprise development programs that have reached thousands of small enterprises in rural and urban areas.

ECB interactive learning series

October 2011

Dates: Various, November 2011 to February 2012
Type of event: Online conference series
Location: Global
Organization: Emergency Capacity Building Project (ECB)

ECB inter-active is a series of five regional events in Africa, Asia and South America that will share ECB Project learning for the first time across the humanitarian sector. The aim is to share experiences of capacity building and understand more about the ECB Project's innovative approaches for successful collaboration and joint action. Participants will be drawn from government, UN, humanitarian networks, NGOs, donors, and inter-governmental agencies. Each event will include a series of inter-active learning opportunities focused on the core themes of National Staff Capacity Building, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Accountability to beneficiaries.

Free webinars on equity-focused evaluations

October 2011

Dates: Various, October to December 2011
Type of event: Webinar
Location: Online
Organization: My M&E portal

My M&E, an open learning portal that supports knowledge-sharing on country-led M&E systems worldwide, is convening a series of free webinars on equity-focused evaluations by respected experts in this field.

Upcoming sessions in October and November will cover, respectively: case study and equity in evaluation (Saville Kushner); programme theories and logframes to evaluate pro-poor and equity programmes (Patricia Rogers and Richard Hummelbrunner); and systems thinking for equity-focused evaluations (Bob Williams and Martin Reynolds).

Virtual evaluation writeshop 2011

May 2011

BetterEvaluation - a new interactive web facility that allows those dealing with evaluations as designers, commissioners or implementers to make informed methodological choices - seeks participants for its first-ever "Virtual Writeshop" on evaluation, to run between May and September 2011. Interested evaluation professionals with experience in diverse aspects of evaluation - including design, collection, sensemaking and reporting - are invited to participate.

Mastering wicked problems: Alan Fowler Master Seminar Series hosted by INTRAC

August 2011

Dates: 20-21 October, 2011
Type of event: Training course
Location: National Council of Voluntary Organisations, London UK
Organization: International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)

Successful NGOs overcome ‘wicked’ problems. These are critical issues and dilemmas for the whole organisation that have multiple, interdependent causes. Potential solutions are many, but they are seldom obvious or amenable to assured implementation. Yet, effective leadership and management find ways to surmount such problems and motivationally communicate a way forward. This capability is vital for maintaining social value and durability.

Training course in health systems research

August 2011

Dates: 16th January to 1st February 2012
Type of event: Training course
Location:  KIT Training Centre, Amsterdam
Organization: Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)

Health care programme managers need to be able to use a range of research approaches and methods to solve the problems they face while working in the health system. This course looks at the strengths and weaknesses of different research approaches and methods and discusses which research methods should be used to answer certain health system research questions. The course specifically focuses on qualitative and participatory research methods.

INTRAC 20th anniversary conference: Civil Society at a New Frontier

August 2011

Dates: 5-6 December 2011
Type of event: Conference
Location: St Anne's College, Oxford, UK
Organization: International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)

This two day international development conference will focus on civil society, economic growth and the post-aid environment.

call-for-input-lencd

August 2011

Global South-South Development Expo 2011

August 2011

Dates: 5-9 December 2011
Type of event: Expo
Location: Rome, Italy
Organization: UN FAO

With the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) rapidly approaching, it is critical for countries, the UN system, multilateral institutions, civil society and the private sector to explore all avenues for small, medium and large-scale development solutions to the complex challenges faced by developing countries. The first Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) aims to showcase Southern solutions to the urgent problem of food insecurity.

Learning from South-South and triangular cooperation

August 2011

Dates: 26-28 September, 2011
Type of event: Network event
Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Organization: Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD)
 

The main purpose of this meeting, organized by the Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) is to promote discussion on Capacity Development and South-South Cooperation in Latin America, with a particular focus on rural poverty reduction and food security.

Impact Evaluation Conference 2011: Follow live conference updates

June 2011

Dates: 15-17 June 2011
Type of event: Conference
Location: Cuernavaca, Mexico
Organization: 3iE

The 2011 impact evaluation conference 'Mind the gap: From evidence to policy impact'  will bring together over 400 policymakers, practitioners and researchers from Latin America, Africa and Asia, to take stock of what we have learned from evaluations and the way forward for adopting new approaches.The conference will highlight cases from across the world where impact evaluations have provided evidence to scale up or modify existing development programmes. The conference offers a unique learning space to share ideas and be part of current debates on impact evaluations. All are welcome to participate by following live updates and commenting on the live blogs.
 

Invitation to participate in country and regional CD dialogue

June 2011

Dates: Open-ended
Type of event: Dialogue
Organizer: LenCD/UNDP

The Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) has issued a call for a series of one-day events to engage country stakeholders and development partners in a dialogue on their capacity-development priorities. Supported by UNDP, the dialogues will build on the Cairo Consensus on Capacity Development that was adopted in March 2011 as a contribution towards an agenda for action for the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness.

Working with stakeholder dialogues

May 2011

Dates: 28th June - 1st July, 2011(Postdam, Germany) and 27th to 30th September, 2011 (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
Type of event: Training course
Organizer: Collective Learning Institute

This is a skills development program for those who host, initiate and facilitate stakeholder engagement processes.

1st Asia Pacific mediation leadership summit: From talk to action

May 2011

Dates: 2-4 December 2011
Type of event: Conference
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Organization: Asia Pacific Mediation Forum

The aim of the conference is to engage a range of experienced academics, mediators, conflict transformation and peacebuilding practitioners from different cultural, organizational and professional backgrounds who are culturally fluent, creative and innovative, and want to contribute (and build on) their knowledge and expertise and proactively evolve the way that conflicts are mediated, transformed and built in the Asia-Pacific region.

CDRA spring immersion course

May 2011

Dates: 12-23 September, 2011
Type of event: Training (Please note that this is a paid course)
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Organization: Community Development Resource Association (CDRA)

This unique new 3 week immersion course provides an exploratory and experiential space for learning and sharing that will take participants "on a journey to reignite and infuse passion, inspire and generate creativity, bringing renewed energy to thinking, feeling and doing". The course will provide an “off the map experience” which will encourage you to find and chart your own paths. Participants will draw energy, inspiration and a new impetus to respond appropriately and proactively to the challenges of our times.

Training course in citizen participation and accountability

May 2011

Dates: 12-23 September, 2011
Type of event: Training (Please note that this is a paid course)
Location: The Hague, the Netherlands
Organization: The Hague Academy for Local Governance

How can municipalities increase accountability towards their citizens? And how can they benefit from involving citizens and organizations in a smart way? This innovative training course will address such governance concepts as the accountability chain and the participation ladder. It will also include visits to participation projects in urban planning, social cohesion and safety.
 

Open courses on relational approaches to change and learning

April 2011

Dates: Various

Type of event: Training (Please note that these are paid courses although limited EU funding is available)

Location: Copenhagen (Denmark) and Gouda (Netherlands) 

Organization: In Dialogue

In Dialogue offers four different open international courses in 2011. All of them are based on positive relational approaches to change and learning. These courses are open to anyone who has an interest in the subjects and are open to some funding options (to cover board, lodging, course fees and travel) of the European Commission; Comenius programme for secondary education staff and the Grundtvig programme for adult education staff.

Training courses on facilitating multi-stakeholder processes and social learning

April 2011

For the benefit of Capacity.org readers who have expressed interest in learning more on the topic of facilitating multi-actor change, we would like to draw your attention to a number of upcoming training courses organized by Wageningen UR - Centre for Development Innovation, namely:

• Local Governance and Rural Decentralisation – Multi-stakeholder Processes for Institutional Strengthening
• Participatory Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation – Managing and Learning for Impact
• Facilitating Multi-stakeholder Processes and Social Learning

There is limited funding available for some of the courses, but please note that much earlier deadlines apply for scholarship applications.

Advanced course in the use of participatory approaches for institutional change

April 2011

Dates: 5 - 23 September 2011

Type of event: Training (Please note this is a paid course)

Location: Wageningen, The Netherlands

Organization: Wageningen UR Centre for Development Innovation

Course overview: Complex problems require innovative solutions. Such solutions are created when diverse stakeholders are able to meet, share experiences, learn together and contribute to decisions. Ultimate success then lies in developing the collective commitment and capacity to turn ideas and plans into action. This can be achieved through multi-stakeholder processes (MSPs) and social learning. The course covers state-of-the-art thinking about participation from local to global level and introduces the most up-to-date methodologies and approaches for facilitation and participation. How MSPs and social learning relate to concepts such as innovation systems, complexity, interactive policy making and adaptive management is fully explored.

Please visit the Wageningen University website for more information.

INTRAC announces 2011-12 training programme

April 2011

Dates: Various

Type of event: Training (Please note that this is a paid course)

Location: Oxford, UK

Organization: International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC)

Course overview: INTRAC’s 2011-12 training programme kicks off with a Monitoring and Evaluation course on 9-13 May. This is the first of a series of courses on monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and organizational development being organized in May and June 2011. Please visit the INTRAC website for application details and an overview of the full training calendar.

New online discussion on the future of capacity development

March 2011

The Broker, an online magazine on development cooperation has launched an online discussion entitled Capacity on the Brink of Maturity, building on themes explored in " Capacity Development in Practice ," the resource volume for practitioners published by Earthscan in 2010. The discussion will focus on strategies for improving the effectiveness and results of capacity development by expanding on some of the 'what next' questions addressed in the book.

As a first step, the magazine has published a series of blog posts by the co-editors and other contributors to the Volume. To read the entries and participate in the discussion, please click on the link below.

Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene, 2011

March 2011

The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is convening the 2011 Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene in Mumbai, India, from 9-14 October. The overarching themes for the week are “Accelerating Change,” “Building Knowledge and Capacity” and “Sharing across Regions.” There will also be a “Bottom of the Pyramid WASH Fair” of organizations, products and services, and ideas. 

Call for applications: Masters Program in Capacity Development and Extension (University of Guelph)

February 2011

Applications are invited for the September 2011 intake of the MSC Program in Capacity Development & Extension at the University of Guelph, Canada. The deadline is 31 March, 2011.  

how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-the-knowledge-pond.html

February 2011

Upcoming ICT learning events

February 2011

The sixth international conference on ICT for development, education and training, eLearning Africa 2011, will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 25-27 May. The conference will focus on youth, skills and employability, exploring among other questions: How are people and organizations, both globally and in Africa, coping with skills deficits and the employability crisis? Why are these deficits not being addressed effectively by our education systems? What skills development and lifelong learning programmes are under way to help address these shortages? 

Complexity with a human face: A lens for analysing the unfolding events in Egypt (Blog)

February 2011

Written in response to a recent article in the New Scientist, this post by Ben Ramalingam (Aid on the Edge of Chaos blog) offers a complexity perspective for analysing the unfolding citizens' movement in Egypt. He notes that as well as providing insights into collapse, complexity science can tell us something about how such movements happen, and give insights into the dynamic social processes that are playing out. 

Announcing systems thinking webinars

January 2011

Systems Thinking World will begin hosting a free webinar series from the first week of February 2011. Webinars are expected to be 60 to 90 minutes in length with several Q & A segments included. For each webinar a discussion will be established within Systems Thinking World on LinkedIn. This will provide participants a forum for submitting webinar feedback as well as follow up on additional questions regarding the webinar. 

Issue 41 (December 2010) of Capacity.org published

December 2010

As capacity development practice has evolved, there has been a corresponding shift in focus: from training individuals to strengthening organizations, and more recently, multi-actor collaboration. This suggests that a change in practitioners' intervention logic and repertoire to pay more attention to working with multiple actors as an effective form of capacity development in its own right.

(We apologize to readers who may have encountered errors while trying to navigate some of the articles in the online version. We are working to correct these as soon as possible)

Social accountability in Africa: Inaugural volume published

November 2010

This inaugural volume in the ANSA-Africa series is intended to serve as a knowledge resource to support policy-makers, public policy practitioners, law-makers, public institutions, public managers, the research and academic community, civil society, donor organizations, international and multilateral development agencies and all those actively involved and concerned with the subject of the ‘governance-accountability’ nexus in Africa.

UNIFEM Resources on Women, Peace and Security

November 2010

This collection of UNIFEM (part of UN Women) papers published in 2010 brings together a considerable body of analytical and advocacy work undertaken over the last five years, grounded in programming that has helped advance the women, peace and security agenda in policy and practice.

Reflexive monitoring in action

November 2010

After years of development, experimentation, and evaluation researchers at Wageningen University and Free University Amsterdam have published a  monitoring guide for projects that aims to contribute to broader impacts at the sector or region level.  This approach is known as ‘ reflexive monitoring in action’ (RMA).

Local capacity development case studies

November 2010

Making policy research more accountable

December 2010

The One World Trust, with support from the IDRC, has created an interactive, online database of tools to help organizations conducting policy relevant research become more accountable.

First-ever evaluation conclave in South Asia held

October 2010

The 5-day Evaluation Conclave  took place in New Delhi, India, from 25-28 October 2010.  It drew around 300 evaluators from over 10 countries in the region to discuss and learn.

Striking Oil: Blessing or Curse? Supporting civil society advocacy to ensure that the benefits are shared

October 2010

Abundant natural resources like oil are often a major impediment to development for many countries. They act as a 'trap' that stifles other economic activity and leads to bad governance, coups and conflict. But is this depressing scenario avoidable? What roles can civil society play to produce different outcomes?