We have seen a shift in rule of law and development cooperation’s priorities and practices. However, the current context of manufactured ‘crisis’ has shown an even faster pace of change, which has shaken the sector and cast doubt on our ability to deliver meaningful change through locally led solutions and people-centred justice. Indeed, we have found that enacting solidarity, empathy, and hope have themselves become acts of resistance. 

During the Shifting Discourses project supported by THRIVE Institute and the KPSRL, we interviewed practitioners working in the rule of law, development, and humanitarian international cooperation. This led us to take a closer look at how donors and development stakeholders engage with ‘localisation’ and decolonial practices. We summarise these findings in our Shifting Discourses Report and with a team of researchers, we created the Shifting Discourses Policy Brief that was presented to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Objectives

We invite you to this event to envision pathways to push forward localising the rule of law and development cooperation. We hope this event can be a catalyst for new partnerships and future collaborations between participants.

Agenda  (Online Event)

*we ask that participants reflect on this question throughout the interventions and prepare any questions and remarks they would want to share during the open discussion.

The Knowledge Platform Security & Rule of Law (KPSRL) is organizing an online webinar discussion on 25 November (14:00 – 16:00 CEST). In this session, we will unpack KPSRL’s soon to be published study: ‘Improving your Programmatic Learning Journey:  A Resource Guide for HDP Nexus Practitioners’ with an international audience SROL and HDP nexus practitioners. 

Objectives  

• Provide space for KPSRL network to reflect on and make sense of findings emerging from the study. 

• Unpacking the key arguments and recommendations emerging around 3 selected themes of the study localization, co-creation and uptake. 

• Identify paths to realistically reframe the programming and policy goals in FCAS, in relation to localization, co-creation and uptake efforts. 

Agenda 

Background  

Between 2022 and 2024, KPSRL Secretariat piloted a Programmatic Learning Instrument (henceforth PLI).  The PLI was a dedicated budget line aiming to stimulate and facilitate programmatic learning. It built on the experience over the years that the strongest need and potential for learning in the Security & Rule of Law (SRoL) sector is located at the program implementation level, primarily in the field, and at the portfolio management level. 

As part of the PLI, The KPSRL Secretariat commissioned a collaborative study to support the refinement of the Programmatic Learning Instrument as well as to support the role of the KPSRL in providing advice on options available for learning interventions to policymakers and programming partners. The study (which is based,  on in-depth discussions with seven organizations and initiatives in late 2023 and early 2024 and a survey of relevant literature),  culminated into a resource guide intended to serve as a resource and reference for practitioners, policymakers and others working in the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding (HDP) nexus and interested in better understanding the issues of learning and programmatic learning, how programmatic learning occurs, how uptake following learning happens, and what prevents more consistent and meaningful uptake. Specific recommendations were also made to the NL MFA/ DGIS Leadership based on key findings of the Study. 

Building from specific cases studies, the session will delve into 3 selected themes emerging from the guide:  

• Localization (and Decolonization): useful frame for learning? 

• Co-creation as a Principle of Engagement and a Process for Learning in Humanitarian, Development, and Peacebuilding Nexus 

• The challenges of uptake in complex environments 

The session will make sense of the findings by exploring nuances around the 3 concepts (see above), delve into promising and ‘realistic’ prospects and ask about scope for peer learning and collaboration across different stakeholders and development funders to ‘walk the talk’ of programmatic learning.  

On the afternoon of December 12th, KPSRL is organizing a follow up event in The Hague at the Postillion Hotel for its Annual Conference in Dakar. Please find the registration link below.

Please note that we are unfortunately not able to cover travel/accommodation costs for this one-day conference.

The key goals are:

• Link key recommendations that emerged during KPAC24 in Dakar (insights on processes, needs, worldviews) to the realities of donors and INGOs in The Hague (political trends, funding landscape, institutional practices).
• Bring together different discussions in the past year(s) within the KPSRL network on rethinking international cooperation in SROL in the current timeframe of (geo)political shifts.
• Jointly discuss future pathways for the KPSRL network after recent news of discontinued funding.

See the program below.

For more information and questions around this event, please contact Christian Kuitert: [email protected].

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Current North-South strategic partnerships often struggle to be fully equitable. Co-designing problems and solutions within the partnership chain can provide valuable insights. Plan International, in collaboration with KPSRL, is hosting a learning event. The aim is to share, reflect and discuss the strategic partnership chain, in its current and preferred shape. The presented findings, are the results of human centred co-design sessions, collected during a one year project. Participants included girls and young women, community members, development practitioners, donors, and humans in the private and academic sector. Main topics of discussion of the learning session are challenges, opportunities, and power dynamics involved in current and future partnership set-ups.  More importantly, we seek to exchange on how we can take action for more equitable partnerships.   

Agenda:

10:00-12:00: Learning discussion

Learning discussion followed by a working lunch

Register for this learning event via the link below.