Making Gender Count: Lessons from the Evaluative Evidence for Gender Policy Workshop 2025

The Evaluative Evidence for Gender Policy (EEGP) Workshop – Edition II was held in Lahore on June 17–18, 2025, bringing together 20 participants from across Pakistan to explore how evidence can inform more inclusive and gender-responsive policy making. The workshop was organized by the Center for Learning on Evaluation and Results for Pakistan and Central Asia (CLEAR-PCA), an implementing partner of the Global Evaluation Initiative (GEI), in collaboration with CERP.

Participants included a balanced mix of men and women, as well as a representative of the transgender community, drawn from government institutions, academia, civil society, the private sector, and think tanks. This diversity grounded the technical discussions in lived realities and underscored the importance of inclusive data. 

“In Pakistan, for communities like ours, monitoring and evaluation is not just about numbers—it’s about visibility. If we are not counted in the data, we are erased from policy,” said Heer Alvi, Advocacy Manager at Khawaja Sira Society. 

Over two days, participants examined how monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tools and approaches can strengthen gender equity in policy design and implementation. Case studies illustrated how aggregate results can obscure inequities. One education initiative in South Punjab, for example, appeared successful overall but showed higher dropout rates among adolescent girls due to safety and mobility challenges—demonstrating the importance of disaggregated data and gender-sensitive analysis. 

“Through the EEGP Workshop, we emphasized that gender is not an add-on but a lens through which evidence must be generated and applied to create policies that truly serve all communities,” said Shahwar Asif, Senior Associate, CLEAR-PCA. 

A practical session on Theory of Change drew on real examples, including the Lady Health Worker Program and a stunting reduction initiative in Sindh. Participants developed logical frameworks that mapped not only inputs and outputs, but also social dynamics, contextual risks, and gender-responsive indicators. The exercise highlighted the importance of aligning theory and practice to ensure that policies are both effective and inclusive. 

Panel discussions provided global and regional perspectives. Experts from GEI, the Asian Development Bank, and UN Women Pakistan highlighted the need for gender evaluation to move beyond measuring gaps and instead interrogate power dynamics. 

“Evaluation is powerful when it tells us not just whether a program worked, but why it did or did not work for women and men differently. Without that lens, we risk reinforcing the very inequalities we are trying to dismantle,” said Dr. Fabiola Lopez, Director at Change to Impact. 

In a closing session, international experts from the World Bank reflected on why rigorous research often struggles to influence policy. They highlighted the importance of trust-building, timing, and aligning evidence with policy agendas. 

EEGP Edition II reinforced that data alone is not enough. For evidence to matter, it must be embedded in systems that are inclusive, responsive, and driven by those closest to the issues. The EEGP workshop series will continue with Edition III in 2026, concluding the three-part initiative.