The KPSRL’s independent Mid-Term Review (MTR) analysed progress and contribution towards the KPSRL’s current outcomes, goal and goal relevance, assessed whether the KPSRL is ready for its post-24 future; and provided recommendations to maximise and sustain positive outcomes.
KPSRL’s progress and contributions
MTR respondents appreciate KPSRL events and participate in the platform to access learning/evidence, to network and to share what they know. KPSRL remains relevant to the needs of the Dutch MFA, and the main area for further work is the new Programmatic Learning Instrument – whose initial design and outreach was not a perfect fit.
KPSRL’s efforts to involve, engage and collaborate with stakeholders are well perceived. Remaining centralised in the Hague is a slight barrier to taking this further. Participants encouraged KPSRL to take a more tailored communications approach, do more to broker relationships between those engaged on common themes, and improve the website.
Delivery of intended outputs is good overall, with purposeful adaptations.
Participation in KPSRL remains strong, diverse, active and vibrant, and breadth of participation is fairly strong by type of organisation.
KPSRL is succeeding in creating a safe, conducive environment for learning in which diverse types of knowledge can be valued. Remaining barriers to participants’ learning include lack of time, resources, and conducive organisational cultures and processes.
KPSRL has contributed to learning for a range of network participants. It has supported MFA learning in several ways and contributed to learning at programme level in several countries; on programming or policy techniques; and on key themes like localisation or the integration of mental health into SRoL work.
Regarding impact, KPSRL is generating learning that is leading to SRoL policy and programme change, also of the MFA, with clear examples emerging from the MTR.
To enhance KPSRL’s progress and contributions, headline recommendations are to:
Stay open to diverse interests but go deeper and follow through on key themes commanding broad interest, with a clear focus on getting to widely useful ‘so what’ outcomes.
Keep participation healthy and vibrant, but continue to see quality, structured learning processes with cutting edge learning methods and uptake at scale as higher-order priorities.
Keep strengthening accessibility to the platform by Southern partners.
KPSRL’s future
The key challenge confronting KPSRL is how to promote peace, justice and cooperation (and support struggling NGOs) in a less cohesive, more securitised, authoritarian and unstable world. Amid a ‘new Cold War’ militarisation dynamic, and uncertainty over the political future for SRoL work, KPSRL can help ensure effective approaches continue to enjoy policy support (and ineffective ones do not).
The overall recommendations on KPSRL’s future are:
Support local learning for grounded solutions to conflict, security and rule of law challenges.
Given trends towards militarisation and securitisation, try to bring evidence on what really works to solve SRoL challenges – and what doesn’t – to the policy table.
Consider decentralising the Secretariat beyond the Hague into priority contexts/regions for learning in FCAS and bringing southern voices into the future consortium/partnership.
