Throughout 2020, the End Violence Lab brought together 22 policymaking leaders from five Pathfinding Countries – Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, the Philippines, and Uganda – to share common challenges and innovate new solutions to preventing violence against children during COVID-19.

Through a 10-week online course, policymakers worked on subjects they determined were important before the course began, including cross-agency collaboration, using evidence in policymaking and data analysis.

During the course, they:

• Brainstormed on keeping National Action Plans relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
• Gained expertise in critical skills, from using implementation research to inform evidence-based policy, to inclusive leadership
• Communicated the importance of violence prevention across sectors and with meaningful advocacy
• And more.

To move the Leadership Development Programme online during COVID-19, the End Violence Lab worked with Apolitical, an organization that helps public sector officials learn using evidence-based pedagogy, best in tech, their own research, and user testing. During the 10-week period, the online course combined the presentation of new knowledge and exposure to innovative initiatives, with purposeful, regular reflective practice both as a group and individually.

Overall, 100 per cent of participants were “very satisfied with the experience” of the Leadership Development course.

Read all about their experiences, exchanges and engagement through the course's final report.