Event Highlights: KIX EMAP at the Addis Ababa GPE-KIX Workshop
The KIX EMAP Hub joined the Addis Ababa GPE KIX Workshop in Ethiopia, from 29 June to 2 July 2026. This was the culminating event of the two global learning cycles, offered as part of the GPE KIX project “Institutional Support for Promoting the Use of Research Evidence in Policy and Planning in GPE partner countries”. The workshop was hosted by UNESCO IICBA, organised through the GPE KIX initiative, and led by NORRAG in collaboration with Teachers College, Columbia University.
Participants were delegates from 30 planning units and policy research institutions in GPE partner countries that participated in the two learning cycles. Of these participants, 25 attended from 15 different EMAP countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Lao PDR, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The hybrid workshop focused on three interconnected goals: improving the quality of participants’ policy briefs, strengthening peer learning and professional networks across participating institutions, and enhancing the policy impact of research. Through presentations, feedback sessions, and collaborative discussions, participants refined their policy analyses and recommendations while sharing experiences and building relationships with fellow education policymakers and researchers. The programme also provided practical guidance on communicating research findings, engaging stakeholders, and translating evidence into actionable policy solutions. In addition, the KIX EMAP Hub Director, José Luís Canêlhas, alongside the Directors of the KIX Africa 19 and LAC Hubs, presented on their Hubs’ approaches to communicating research findings to inform policy action. These presentations highlighted successful strategies, while also reflecting on the challenges encountered and the lessons learned in promoting the uptake of research evidence in policymaking.
The workshop included a GPE KIX Research Uptake Forum on 1 July. The forum brought together workshop participants, KIX-funded researchers, Ethiopian education stakeholders, and representatives from partner organisations. Discussions focused on gender equity in education and the broader challenge of ensuring that research evidence is used in policy and practice.
A big thank you to all the organisers and participants, particularly to Gita Steiner-Khamsi, KIX EMAP Lead Researcher, and Kseniia Tishkus, who led this initiative in collaboration with IDRC and the KIX regional hubs.