The Evaluative Evidence for Gender Policy (EEGP) Workshop – Edition II, held in Lahore on June 17–18, 2025, brought together a diverse group of participants to explore how evidence can shape more inclusive and gender-responsive policymaking. Organized by the CLEAR Pakistan & Central Asia, in collaboration with the CERP, the workshop gathered around 20 participants—a balanced mix of men and women from across Pakistan, including a member of the transgender community as well. This diversity enriched the workshop’s discussions, grounding technical conversations in lived experience and global perspective.
Over two days, participants engaged in a range of sessions aimed at building both conceptual clarity and technical skill in monitoring, evaluation, and policy design. The workshop began with a deep dive into the fundamentals of M&E, examining how routine monitoring and structured evaluations serve different functions and how traditional evaluation frameworks often miss the structural and social dimensions of gender inequality. One case study highlighted how an education initiative in South Punjab, while successful on aggregate, masked higher dropout rates among adolescent girls due to safety and mobility issues—underscoring the need for disaggregated data and gender-sensitive interpretation.
A hands-on session on Theory of Change pushed participants to move beyond activity-based thinking and articulate the deeper pathways and assumptions underlying their programs. Drawing on real examples like the Lady Health Worker Programme and a stunting reduction initiative in Sindh, participants built logical frameworks that mapped out not just inputs and outputs, but social dynamics, contextual risks, and meaningful gender-responsive indicators. This exercise helped illustrate how theory and practice must align to ensure gender sensitivity and policy effectiveness across diverse communities.
The second day focused on strengthening evaluation methods, beginning with non-experimental approaches such as difference-in-differences and propensity score matching, followed by sessions on randomized and quasi-experimental methods. Facilitators emphasized the practical and ethical considerations involved in applying these techniques in the field, particularly when evaluating interventions that target women or marginalized populations.
The workshop’s momentum carried into two compelling panel discussions. Expert panelists from Global Evaluation Initiative like, Claudia Paola Olavarria Manriquez who is consultant for the Feminist Innovation in Monitoring and Evaluation Project at GEI, Asian Development Bank, UN Women Pakistan explored how gender evaluation must go beyond gap measurement to interrogate underlying power dynamics. The conversation emphasized feminist evaluation, local ownership, and the use of creative tools to shift public narratives and institutional practices.
Building on this momentum, the workshop featured two compelling panel discussions. Expert panelists from organizations such as the Global Evaluation Initiative (including Claudia Paola Olavarria Manriquez, a consultant for the Feminist Innovation in Monitoring and Evaluation Project at GEI), the Asian Development Bank, and UN Women Pakistan, discussed how gender evaluation needs to move beyond simply measuring gaps. They emphasized the importance of interrogating underlying power dynamics. The conversation highlighted feminist evaluation, local ownership, and leveraging creative tools to influence public narratives and institutional practices.
The discussion was taken further in a panel “From Data to Action”. International experts from the World Bank reflected on why evidence so often fails to shape policy. They discussed the importance of trust-building, timing, and stakeholder engagement, offering candid lessons on what it takes to translate rigorous research into real-world influence. Both underscored that policy change requires more than findings, it demands strategic communication, relevance to current agendas, and responsiveness to local context.
What stood out in this workshop was its commitment to embedding equity, nuance, and practicality in every conversation. Rather than treating gender as a buzz word, technical variable, the workshop framed it as a lens through which all stages of evaluation and policymaking must be re-examined. The mix of perspectives practitioners, researchers, evaluators, and advocates fostered a space for honest dialogue and critical learning.
EEGP Edition II made clear that good data is only part of the equation. For evidence to matter, it must be embedded in systems that are inclusive, responsive, and driven by those closest to the problem. As gender equity remains a complex and ongoing challenge, the workshop reinforced the need for evaluators and policymakers who are not just skilled, but also curious, reflective, and deeply committed to justice.