27 October 2022 – A seminar on “Case studies on evidence-informed policy-making: experiences and success stories during the COVID-19 pandemic” was organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean on 26–27 October to present and discuss a series of case studies developed by countries of the Region on the use of evidence and data to inform policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seminar presented 5 technical sessions on different aspects of evidence-informed policy-making. Participants included policy-makers, Network for Evidence to Data Policy (NEDtP) member institutions, academics from NEDtP-supporting institutions, WHO representatives, WHO staff, and key multi-country organizations in the Region.       

WHO was mandated to develop these case studies to strengthen evidence-informed policy-making in countries through producing high-quality knowledge products and conducting capacity-building activities. Thirteen countries developed 15 case studies, in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office and authors, including university professors, staff from national institutes of health, ministries of health, members of the NEDtP and WHO colleagues.   

The seminar presented participants with an opportunity to share their experiences, discuss lessons learnt and examine challenges and barriers for evidence-informed policy-making and build the capacity of NEDtP members in developing policy case studies.

In their opening remarks, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director, and Dr Rana Hajjeh, Director of Programme Management, noted how COVID-19 had highlighted the importance of data informing evidence-based policy-making and the need for its institutionalization.

Technical sessions focused on different types of data and evidence, the use of routine data and health information systems, use of surveys, development and adaptation of guidelines, and the knowledge translation processes. One session covered WHO initiatives to institutionalize evidence-informed policy-making in the Region and an interactive session piloted a draft tool, developed by the Department of Science, Information and Dissemination, to support countries in identifying national priority activities to institutionalize evidence-based policy-making.

In his closing remarks, Dr Arash Rashidian, Director of the Department of Science, information and Dissemination, provided an analysis of the lessons learnt and key observations of the case studies that had presented a wide collection of diverse settings, structures and country scenarios. These experiences provided valuable insight into the key elements that had contributed to successful outcomes and what had been the main limitations, thus allowing a greater understanding of the way forward and next steps. The remarks also highlighted how development of such case studies represented an early success of the NEDtP member institutions, whose objectives sought to share insights and experiences in support of evidence-informed policy-making and producing high-quality knowledge products.

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Summary report on the seminar on case studies on evidence-informed policy-making: experiences and success stories during the COVID-19 pandemic
Cairo, Egypt 26-27 October 2022