Veredas is a Brazilian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that was created in 2016 to build bridges between public management, universities, and civil society, fostering greater access to technical and scientific knowledge for policymaking. Throughout the years, Veredas has focused on subjects such as human rights, criminal justice, labour market inclusion, and public health.
The team applies knowledge translation (KT) tools to support situational diagnosis for the identification and prioritization of demands in public policies; conducts surveys and reviews to support decision-making; develops evidence briefs, rapid reviews and evidence maps; provides capacity building for evidence-informed policymaking (EIP); and carries out consultations and engagement with stakeholders through policy dialogues and workshops.
In 2020, Veredas published 36 KT products focused on informing public managers and civil society about how to improve the implementation of social interventions and public policies. It was the largest number of publications in the history of Veredas. All studies are available on the institution's website: www.veredas.org.
Covering topics such as youth policies, stigma against people who were imprisoned and their families, burnout and turnover among health workers, and challenges of labour market inclusion post-pandemic, these publications help advance policy-making and social investments in different social systems, engaging decision-makers and civil society members in the EIP debate. The studies were used to foster stakeholder dialogues, develop training materials for workers, set monitoring strategies, define investment priorities and design, and adapt and implement policies.
The work was carried out alongside partners from the government, such as Fiocruz Brasília, the National Council of Justice, the Ministry of Health, and the State Prosecution of Rio de Janeiro. Civil society organizations such as Arymax Foundation, B3 Social, Instituto Terra, Trabalho e Cidadania were also involved, as were universities and research centres. International partners from Lebanon, Knowledge to Policy Center (K2P Center), South Africa (Africa Centre for Evidence), and Colombia (University of Antioquia) were also generous in sharing their COVID-19 related work which was disseminated by Veredas in Brazil. “We were happy to know that, despite so many challenges facing the world, Veredas contributed to the advancement of science, public management and society throughout the year”, concluded Davi Romão, deputy director of the institution.
The publication of these 36 KT products during a very difficult year showcases what is possible when institutions and teams from different institutions, difference sectors, and indeed different parts of the world work together.
About the author
Ms. Laura Boeira works in knowledge translation and evidence-informed policymaking (EIP) and is the executive director of the Veredas Institute in Brazil.
Acknowledgements
The author(s) is solely responsible for the content of this article, including all errors or omissions; acknowledgements do not imply endorsement of the content. The author is grateful to the Veredas team for support and guidance in the preparation and finalization of this article, as well as to Prof. Jorge Barreto at Fiocruz Brasília who is co-lead to the Brazilian team at the Partnership for Evidence and Equity in Responsive Social Systems (PEERSS).