Partnership For Economic Policy Inc

PEP'S CORE MISSION IS TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO DEVELOPING COUNTRY RESEARCHERS TO PRODUCE RELIABLE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND INFORM RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC DEBATES ABOUT ECONOMIC POLICY, POVERTY, GENDER, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

2023 WAS AN ESPECIALLY BUSY YEAR FOR PEP AS MULTIPLE NEW PROGRAMS GOT UNDERWAY, THANKS TO THE SUPPORT FROM NEW AND LONG-TERM DONORS THAT PLAYED AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN ALLOWING PEP TO DEFINE COUNTRY-RELEVANT POLICY SOLUTIONS TO CRITICAL DEVELOPMENT ISSUES. PEP HAS UNDERTAKEN SOME TREMENDOUS WORK IN THE YEAR TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF RESEARCHERS FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH. WE HAVE MADE MAJOR STRIDES IN DEMONSTRATING THAT LOCAL RESEARCHERS ARE ABLE TO CONDUCT RIGOROUS, POLICY-ENGAGED AND POLICY-RELEVANT RESEARCH, THAT IS FIRMLY GROUNDED IN THEIR THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF LOCAL CONTEXT AND POLICY FRAMEWORKS. PEP HAS DONE THIS BY REPRESENTING OUR CAUSE AT IMPORTANT PUBLIC FORUMS, BY EXTENDING CRITICAL TRAINING TO YOUNG RESEARCHERS FROM THE REGION, AND BY ENSURING THE CONTINUED UPTAKE OF LOCALLY GENERATED EVIDENCE IN POLICY SOLUTIONS THAT BENEFIT SOUTHERN POPULATIONS. PEP ALSO LAUNCHED THE AFRICA FELLOWS IN EDUCATION PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GLOBAL EDUCATION ANALYTICS INSTITUTE.AS THREE MAJOR PROGRAMS ENDED, THE FINDINGS WILL DRIVE POSITIVE CHANGES FOR MANY VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND PARTICULARLY WOMEN, IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH. THESE PROGRAMS PROVIDE EVIDENCE ON HOW GENDER- AND COUNTRY-SPECIFIC POLICIES (PARTICULARLY PROVIDING ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL RESOURCES) ARE VITAL FOR ADDRESSING THE WAYS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTS WOMEN FARMERS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA; ON HOW SEXIST GENDER NORMS LIMIT WOMEN'S ACCESS TO DECENT WORK, OVERRIDING RECENT EFFORTS TO IMPROVE GENDER EQUALITY IN SIX GLOBAL SOUTH COUNTRIES; AND ON THE LESSONS FROM 11 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES' ECONOMIC RESPONSES TO THE COVID-19 CRISIS TO PROMOTE INCLUSIVE RECOVERY. WE ARE CONTINUING TO BUILD ON THESE PROGRAMS, REAFFIRMING OUR COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING GENDER EQUALITY; PARTICULARLY IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE AS WELL AS OTHER IMPORTANT INTERNATIONAL CRISES.A NEW COLLABORATION WITH ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT, SUPPORTED BY CANADA'S INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTRE (IDRC), WILL SEE PEP RESEARCHERS PRODUCE EVIDENCE TO INFORM GENDER-SENSITIVE POLICY REFORMS THAT PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN BURKINA FASO, KENYA, UGANDA, AND VIETNAM. GOING BEYOND RECENT PEP RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF THE RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR ON FOOD SECURITY IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES, PEP EXPERTS ARE INVESTIGATING THE GENDER DIMENSION OF THIS ISSUE. IN LINE WITH PEP'S FOCUS ON BOOSTING THE VOICES OF SOUTHERN RESEARCHERS, PEP ADDED EIGHT TALENTED RESEARCHERS TO OUR RESEARCH FELLOWS COHORT AND WELCOMED DR NISHA ARUNATILAKE AS A NEW RESEARCH FELLOW CO-REPRESENTATIVE TO PEP'S CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP. PEP ALSO PARTICIPATED IN MULTIPLE INTERNATIONAL EVENTS THAT HELP TO SHAPE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT DEBATES.