Equitable evaluation in remote and sensitive spaces

Abstract

Democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) programs work in environments where there are actors that actively undermine program goals, environments with conflict or war, situations where program management is physically distant from program implementation, contexts where target communities live with little or no internet or mobile phone connectivity, and where stakeholders are subject to intimidation and violence. As a result, DRG program monitoring and evaluation activities must apply principles from the Equitable Evaluation Framework™, to meaningfully engage program staff and participants to mitigate risks and innovate approaches for collecting and analyzing data, and communicating results that carefully consider digital, physical, and psychosocial safety and measure sustainable, culturally relevant changes at the individual and community level.