FA1 Learning Series 7 & KIX EMAP Webinar 25: How policymakers think: sharing research for policy use
Date: 25 September 2025
Time: 14:00-15:45 (Geneva / CEST)
Location: Online, via Zoom
Languages: English, with simultaneous Arabic and Russian interpretation
KIX EMAP Webinar 25, co-organised with UNESCO, will be the seventh session of UNESCO’s Functional Area 1 (FA1) Learning Series 2025. Learning Series webinars are designed to share critical reflections and local experiences towards building a culture of evidence-based policy and planning.
The Global Partnership for Education’s Knowledge and Innovation Exchange (GPE KIX) project, a joint endeavour with the International Development Research Centre, Canada, was launched in 2020 to support the uptake of research evidence in policy and planning in GPE partner countries. NORRAG hosts the KIX hub for the Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Asia and Pacific (EMAP) region, which is committed to surface, amplify and disseminate local policy expertise. Both NORRAG and the KIX EMAP Hub see the lack of involvement of local policy expertise at the production phase as one of the main reasons why uptake is hampered once reports and studies have been published.
Five years later, the question becomes: what have Ministries of Education and their partner institutions undertaken to establish and mainstream the production and use of research evidence in policy and planning decisions?
There is much to learn from Ministries of Education both inside and outside the KIX EMAP region about the creation and sustainability of a culture of evidence-based policy and planning in government offices. There is also much to learn from the experience of partner institutions in contributing data and research evidence to policy discussions in countries of the EMAP region and beyond. This webinar will explore these strategies through two panel discussions, followed by questions and answers from the audience.
The first panel will feature government officials from Ministries of Education who stand out for their commitment to enhancing the use of research evidence in policy and planning decisions. They have established linkages with research institutions, commissioned studies, or hired staff with technical expertise, to name a few of the strategies used to propel evidence-based planning and policymaking. The panellists will reflect on when, why, and how data-informed advice received from researchers and policy analysts was most useful.
The second panel will feature researchers based at research institutions, think tanks, and government-affiliated institutions that draw on data and research evidence to advise their government on school reform. The panellists will reflect on the conditions that need to be met to make the collaboration fruitful and to make their advice heard.
Speakers
Further information on the speakers will be made available soon.
Eligibility
Anyone is eligible to participate. The webinar is particularly aimed at policy makers, education stakeholders, officials, teachers and academic researchers. To access the webinar, you need to register in advance. Please spread the news about this event to your colleagues and networks, and on social media: @KIXEMAP, @NORRAG, @UNESCO and @Education2030UN.