Oxford Policy Management

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 Climate change is placing growing pressure on health systems already stretched by HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (HTM) programming. Rising temperatures, extreme weather, droughts, floods, and shifting disease patterns are disrupting services and increasing risks for the most vulnerable populations. To respond to this, we’re working with the The Global Fund on climate-health assessment and adaptation planning across eight countries, including Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Somalia. The project includes:  • Conducting Climate-Health Vulnerability Assessments, using WHO guidance, to examine how current and future climate hazards affect health systems and HTM programmes.  • Bringing together stakeholders across health, environment, and finance ministries, along with civil society and technical partners, to ground findings in national priorities.  • Supporting development of Climate-Health Adaptation Plans (CHAPs), including community-led and gender-responsive interventions, with costing to support investment readiness.  • Estimating the costs of prioritised adaptation measures to provide governments with a comprehensive view of investment needs and support the prioritisation and mobilisation of resources for implementation. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/ej9nPfAT

🛣️ Reform roadmaps, embedded at the heart of government: what smart technical assistance can really deliver. In our latest smart TA insight, OPM Principal Consultant Naveed Aziz (writing originally for UNDP Pakistan) describes how a small team embedded in Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office worked with government counterparts to develop and drive reform roadmaps across eleven ministries. With no separate logframe and no blueprint imposed from outside, the roadmaps were built in context, shaped by what government needed, and adapted as priorities evolved.  The result was systemic change across sectors – from energy and privatisation to broadband connectivity and pension reform – with FCDO using the work to inform its own country programming strategy. It’s a compelling example of what smart TA can deliver when it operates at the heart of government rather than alongside it: embedded, adaptive, and oriented entirely around what reform requires. 📄 Read the full insight: 'Delivering reform through roadmaps: smart technical assistance in Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office' https://lnkd.in/e8AM9wFH Through July on LinkedIn, we're spotlighting our smart TA work, and the thinking, the programmes, and the people behind it. Check out our previous posts for more.

What does smart technical assistance look like in practice?  Continuing our focus on smart TA, our Practice Note sets out the model we've built over decades of embedded reform work and what makes it different, covering:  ▪️ Where our model comes from  ▪️ What distinguishes smart TA from conventional TA  ▪️ Nine interconnected elements that define how we work    It also sets out a principle that underpins everything we do: that our role is to serve the government we are supporting, not simply the terms of the contract.    Through July, we're spotlighting our smart TA work. Read more about the thinking, the programmes, and the people behind it: https://lnkd.in/ea8mqpeZ

Mountain regions are critical to water security, biodiversity, and livelihoods for millions, yet they face increasing pressure from climate change. We have joined the 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, a United Nations alliance dedicated to the cause of mountain peoples and mountain environment worldwide. Through this partnership, we will extend our collaborations with governments, research institutions, civil society, development partners, and local communities to advance sustainable mountain development. By working together, we can help translate ambition into practical action, strengthen resilience, and mobilise greater investment for mountain communities and ecosystems. We look forward to contributing to the global effort to elevate mountain priorities within the climate and sustainable development agenda. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/d_RJPmvF

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲. The Islamabad Dissemination Event for the Final Evaluation of the EU-funded Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) Programme, conducted by PROMAN in consortium with Oxford Policy Management Limited, brought together government representatives, implementing partners, and stakeholders to reflect on programme achievements and discuss insights generated through the evaluation. The event engaged dozens of relevant participants, including government officials, development partners, programme implementing partners, MSME beneficiaries, private sector association representatives, academia, and civil society representatives. At the event Dr. Vaqar Ahmed, Team Lead for the Final Evaluation, presented key findings and lessons from the evaluation process, along with considerations for sustaining impact beyond programme completion. The discussion continued through remarks from implementing partners and distinguished government representatives, whose perspectives added valuable context to the findings and connected them to broader development priorities. We extend our sincere appreciation to Mr. Shafiq Ahmed Shahzad, Director General Trade Policy, Ministry of Commerce, and Mr. Ahsan Ali Mangi, Special Secretary, Ministry of Industries & Production, for joining the event and sharing their reflections. The session concluded with an interactive open discussion, allowing participants to exchange ideas and collectively reflect on pathways for future learning and action, including the importance of strengthening support for micro enterprises and improving linkages between MSME initiatives and social protection programmes at federal and provincial levels. Read more about the Final Evaluation of GRASP: https://lnkd.in/ez43smcd #PublicPolicy #DevelopmentEconomics #RuralDevelopment #EvidenceBasedPolicy 

Participatory research brought to life through this video. 👇 Ground Truth Solutions is delivering this work under the evidence generation workstream of HHELMS (Humanitarian and Health Evaluation, Learning and Monitoring in Somalia), a programme funded by FCDO and managed by OPM. Through HHELMS, we provide FCDO Somalia's humanitarian and human development portfolio with evidence and analysis across four workstreams - programme monitoring, operational learning, evaluation and evidence generation, and data management - helping partners adapt their programming as the context evolves. The approach GTS brings to this workstream is a deliberate one: putting crisis-affected people, local researchers, and civil society at the centre of the evidence, not just as its subjects. This video captures some of those community dialogues, and the voices and priorities that came out of them. Over the next few months, GTS will be continuing data collection in Somalia, feeding into further reports and outputs before the end of the year. Find out more about the programme here: https://lnkd.in/e8aJRgaz

On World Youth Skills Day, we're highlighting how outcomes-based financing, combined with strong monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems, can help drive better outcomes for women and youth in India.    As MEL partner, what have we learnt from the Skill Impact Bond halfway through the programme? Dr Divya Nambiar, Phalasha Nagpal, and Arshdeep Kaur share some key insights: https://lnkd.in/ea9gwRsr #skillsdevelopment #employment #outcomesbasedfinancing #monitoringevaluationandlearning

Smart technical assistance at the highest levels of government  - what can it deliver?  In our latest smart TA insight, OPM Principal Consultant Naveed Aziz (writing originally for UNDP Pakistan) describes how a small team embedded in Pakistan's Prime Minister's Office worked with government counterparts to develop and drive reform roadmaps across eleven ministries.  With no separate logframe and no blueprint imposed from outside, the roadmaps were built in context, shaped by what government needed, and adapted as priorities evolved.      The result was systemic change across sectors – from energy and privatisation to broadband connectivity and pension reform – with FCDO using the work to inform its own country programming strategy.  It’s a compelling example of what smart TA can deliver when it operates at the heart of government rather than alongside it: embedded, adaptive, and oriented entirely around what reform requires.  📄 Read the full insight: https://lnkd.in/e8AM9wFH

What's the missing ingredient in translating evidence into impact?  Building trust with partners is often the invisible force behind meaningful impact - just as critical as generating rigorous evidence itself. Trust is what enables partners to act on insights, apply lessons learned, and strengthen programme implementation to maximise impact.  Our experience as MEL partner on the Skill Impact Bond since 2022 has taught us exactly that.  Dr Divya Nambiar and Phalasha Nagpal share their reflections: https://lnkd.in/eebdXc-8 

Development impact becomes stronger when experiences are captured, reflected on, and translated into future action. At the Karachi Dissemination Event for the Final Evaluation of the EU-funded Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) Programme, conducted by PROMAN in consortium with Oxford Policy Management Limited, stakeholders came together to reflect on programme outcomes, discuss evaluation findings, and explore lessons for future programming.  The event engaged dozens of relevant participants, including government officials, development partners, programme implementing partners, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME) beneficiaries, private sector association representatives, academics, and civil society representatives. The event featured a presentation by Dr. Vaqar Ahmed, Team Lead for the Final Evaluation, who shared key insights from the evaluation, highlighting programme implementation experiences, achievements, and considerations for long-term sustainability. Stakeholder reflections reinforced the importance of sustaining the institutional structures, partnerships, and MSME networks established under GRASP. Persistent structural barriers affecting women entrepreneurs at scaleup stage were acknowledged, with recognition of the need for more targeted scaleup stage support to enable business growth. The discussion reinforced the value of not only measuring results but also understanding what drives meaningful and lasting change in communities. Read more about the Final Evaluation of GRASP: https://lnkd.in/ez43smcd #DevelopmentEvaluation #StakeholderEngagement #RuralDevelopment #EvidenceBasedPolicy #InclusiveGrowth #PakistanDevelopment #PolicyDialogue #DevelopmentInsights #ProgrammeLearning #EconomicInclusion