Learning Report: EGP Learning Hub 2020

By Environmental Governance Programme (EGP)

Workshop Report

The EGP 2020 Annual Global Workshop, held on November 10-12, 2020, provided a platform to share updates and to reflect on results, good practices and lessons learned on human rights-based environmental governance of the mining sector.

The workshop, held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, brought together more than 100 international participants from 15 countries, including representatives from all EGP country teams as well as UNDP focal points and country partners from Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mongolia, Namibia, Peru and Zambia. UNDP and SEPA EGP staff also participated, along with officials from environmental protection agencies and ministries of environment and mining.

These participants were joined by representatives from human rights commissions, academics, the private sector, and civil society organizations, including the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) and Source International. Gillian Martin Mehers, Managing Director of Bright Green Learning, facilitated the workshop.

The Learning Hub offered an opportunity to reflect on lessons learned from EGP’s Phase One (2014-2019) and share information on Phase Two (2020-2023), whereby the programme has, with generous support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), broadened its targeted support to seven additional partner countries: Argentina, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Namibia, Peru and Zambia.

Learn More:

Read the 2020 Global Workshop Final Report
View EGP plenary presentations from Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Namibia and Peru.

Illustration by Caroline Sellstone/sellstone.se

Objectives

Share information and knowledge across partner countries and the global team.
Understand emerging priority areas for knowledge exchange and structure knowledge management tools and communities.
Introduce our Monitoring and Evaluation work and harvest information for a baseline for Phase Two.
Launch the EGP joint online space on Teams.
Introduce reflective questioning and provide an opportunity for countries to apply this to a pilot activity.

Participants

All EGP country teams, including UNDP focal points and country partners: Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Mongolia, Namibia, Peru and Zambia.
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency staff involved in the EGP.
UNDP/Bureau for Policy and Programme Support staff involved in the EGP.
Stockholm University.
Ongoing evaluators from Lund University.
External partners, including the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals. and Sustainable Development (IGF) and Source International.

Agenda

Day 1: Tuesday, November 10

12:55* – 14:15 - Session 1 - Opening: welcome and introductions

Welcome to the launch of Phase Two and objectives for this meeting, by Tim Scott, Policy Advisor - Environment, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support/UNDP
Overview of the schedule and methodology, Zoom meeting norms and procedures, by Gillian Martin Mehers, Workshop Facilitator/Managing Director, Bright Green Learning
Who's in the room? Breakouts for introductions and briefing back to plenary.

14:00 - 14:15 - Break

14:15 – 15:15 - Session 2 - Context Setting: Phase Two Big Picture and Substantive Elements

Country breakouts and updates to plenary
The Big Picture of Phase Two, by Ann Pedersen, Project Manager, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support/UNDP and Sanna Due, Policy Advisor, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and UNDP

15:15 – 15:30 - Session 3 - End of day 1

Briefing on Country Group work
Review of next days’ agendas and closing of the day, by Gillian Martin Mehers

Day 2: Wednesday, November 11

13:00 – 14:25 - Session 4 - EGP Learning and Monitoring & Evaluation Framework

Opening of Day 2: Overview of the day, by Gillian Martin Mehers
Introduction to the overall Learning, Monitoring & Evaluation framework for Phase Two, by Anna George, Programme Manager, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
Presentation by ongoing external evaluators
Introduction to Reflective Questioning, by Gillian Martin Mehers
Country Groups' Reflective Questioning discussion/breakout sessions
Plenary

14:25 - 14:30 Session 5 - Knowledge Sharing

How do participants want to share knowledge and learning among themselves and their partners in the programme?

Day 3: Thursday, November 12

morning (self-organized) - Session 6 - Country Team Meetings

Welcome and check-in
Overview of the day and schedule, by UNDP Country Focal Points
Introduction to the Pilot Activity
Group work - Reflective Questioning:

What is/are the desired outcome and change you expect to see from this activity?
Who are the key stakeholders involved?
What are some of your key assumptions about this pilot activity?
What are your signs of change?
Which SDGs will you contribute to?
What do you want to learn in this activity?
What will your activity mean for communities affected by mining?

13:00 – 13:15 - Session 7 - Opening Day 3

Overview of the day, by Gillian Martin Mehers

13:15 – 14:00 - Session 8 - Country Programme Pilot Activity Exchange – Part I

Briefing on the Country Pilot Activity Exchange
Countries work in pairs, sharing their Pilot Activity templates and response to the key questions prepared.

14:00 – 14:15 - bREAK

14:15 - 15:00 - Session 9 - Country Programme Pilot Activity Exchange – Part II

Country Pilot Activity Exchange

15:00 – 15:15 - Session 10 - Reflections on the Country Pilot Activities

Plenary reflections on the group work:

What did you hear that delighted or surprised you from the other country’s presentation?
What were some examples of similarities between the two countries and what you were trying to learn from your pilot activities? Was there some overlap in some areas of your pilot activity template and questions?
What were some of the things you would like to learn from the other country’s experience implementing their pilot activity?