From November 2024 to December 2025, the Community of Practice (CoP) on Citizen Engagement in Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (CE-EIDM) in the health sector brought together practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and advocates committed to strengthening citizen participation in health policy and evidence processes. Co-hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Africa Evidence Network (AEN), and Cochrane, the CoP created a structured and collaborative space for learning, capacity strengthening, and exchange on emerging practices for integrating public voices into decision-making. This reflection summarises the CoP’s progress across eight virtual meetings, highlights key insights and lessons learned, and outlines opportunities for continued collaboration beyond the initial cycle.
Summary of Community of Practice (CoP) sessions
The first session featured a presentation by Professor Sandy Oliver, Co-Director of the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information Centre (EPPI-Centre), University College London, on “Evidence-informed policy-making as an inclusive endeavour: state of the art and trending debates.”
The session introduced the CoP and its objectives, initiated the development of a shared vision, and outlined the following steps to be taken. Four working groups were established: CoP Charter, workplan, monitoring and Evaluation Framework and resource Hub. Key insights from the session included the importance of integrating diverse knowledge forms, research evidence, lived experience, and social values into policymaking; the need to manage power dynamics intentionally; and fostering inclusive dialogue while avoiding tokenistic participation. For more insights, watch the session recording.
Rebeca Pedra (King’s College London / University of São Paulo) presented insights from the São Paulo Policy Lab, an innovative mechanism for integrating citizen perspectives into public policy. Key takeaways included:
- Policy Labs as Platforms for Co-Creation: Facilitating collaboration among policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and citizens to co-design solutions for complex health and social challenges.
- Integrating Citizen Perspectives into Policymaking: Through public consultations, participatory workshops, and stakeholder mapping, policy proposals were strengthened in legitimacy and feasibility.
- Combining Evidence with Lived Experience: The Lab utilised a multidisciplinary approach blending evidence synthesis, qualitative insights, systems thinking, and scenario planning.
- Practical Implementation Challenges: These included navigating power imbalances, ensuring engagement beyond tokenism, managing resource and time constraints, and sustaining participation in hybrid formats.
- Demonstrated Impact: Increased trust between citizens and authorities, improved policy alignment with community needs, enhanced transparency, and stronger capacities across stakeholders. The São Paulo example reinforced the potential of policy labs as practical models for operationalising CE-EIDM.
In this session, Andrea Elanga and Alvin Lontum (eBASE Africa) presented “Using Social Media Platforms for Citizen Engagement and Evidence-Informed Policy.” Key insights included:
- Nearly 5 billion social media users create opportunities for scalable engagement.
- Platform selection should align with audience characteristics (e.g., WhatsApp for local community dialogue).
- Effective strategies include polls, thematic campaigns, and cultivating trusted digital ambassadors.
- Social media can serve as both an engagement and research tool, enabling analysis of public sentiment. For more insights, here is the session recording.
Professor Oliver Escobar, University of Edinburgh, presented on “Making community engagement inclusive, evidence-informed, and impactful.” He introduced the Mini-Publics approach—a small, diverse, and randomly selected group participating in structured deliberation. Key messages included:
- Mini-publics enhance the legitimacy, relevance, and trustworthiness of policymaking.
- WHO’s Practical Guide outlines four stages for implementing mini-publics:
Inception → Preparation → Deliberation → Influence - Barriers include recruitment challenges, resource needs, and institutional readiness.
- Deliberative processes help resolve policy deadlocks and build public trust.
For more insights, here is the session recording.
Professor Ruth Stewart, Director of the Alive at the Future Evidence Foundation and Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town, shared lessons from 30 years of experience in CE and EIDM. Major insights included:
- CE and EIDM are individually valuable but synergistic when integrated.
- Engagement failures undermine policy implementation; meaningful CE strengthens uptake.
- Effective engagement requires planning, power-sensitive facilitation, and long-term relationship building.
- Inclusivity challenges persist, especially for marginalised groups.
- Researchers need support to communicate complex evidence in accessible ways. For more insights, here is the session recording.
Maureen Smith, Director of the Drug Agency Board, emphasised the vital role of citizens in shaping evidence synthesis in her presentation titled “Nothing About Us Without Us”, highlighted the role of citizens in shaping evidence synthesis. Key takeaways included:
- Citizens improve the relevance, clarity, and policy alignment of evidence outputs.
- The COVID-END and McMaster Citizen Panel models in Canada demonstrate feasibility even during rapid reviews.
- Training for both citizens and researchers is essential.
- Structured feedback loops are critical to avoid tokenism.
- Conceptual clarity remains essential (citizen partners, ≠ research participants).
- Global momentum is shifting from consultation toward co-production of evidence, including through the ETHIC initiative. For more insights, here is the session recording.
Final Reflections and Future Priorities
Members reflected on their learning journey and shared insights on how their perspectives evolved:
- Evolution of Understanding: Participants shifted from viewing citizen engagement as a consultative step to recognising it as a structured, intentional partnership grounded in inclusion and co-production.
- Application of Skills and Tools: Members applied CoP learnings by designing more intentional engagement processes, prioritising inclusion in outreach, using digital platforms for dialogue, integrating lived experience with evidence and embedding engagement as an ongoing relationship.
- Next Steps: As WHO, AEN, and Cochrane undergo structural transitions, members emphasised the need to: consolidate skills and tools gained, explore alternative platforms for peer learning, sustain CE as a core element of evidence and policy processes and strengthen collaboration through emerging partnerships and networks. For more reflections, please find the session recording here.
Lessons Learned from 13 Months of the CE-EIDM Community of Practice
- Meaningful Citizen Engagement Requires Intentional Design: Effective CE requires clear purpose, thoughtful planning, equitable processes, and mechanisms for following up on citizen input.
- Integration of CE and Evidence Strengthens Decision-Making: Policies developed without citizen perspectives lack legitimacy; engagement without evidence lacks rigour. Integrated CE-EIDM leads to more relevant and implementable decisions.
- Diversity of Knowledge Improves Policy Outcomes: Decision-making benefits from combining research evidence, lived experience, practitioner knowledge, and community values.
- Trust, Relationships, and Communication Are Foundational: Engagement is relational. Sustained trust, respect, and open communication underpin meaningful CE.
- Inclusion Requires Proactive, Equity-Centred Strategies: Marginalised and underserved groups require intentional, tailored approaches to ensure their voices are heard.
- Digital Tools Expand Possibilities but Do Not Replace Human Connection: social media and virtual platforms enhance reach but must complement, not replace, relational engagement.
- Capacity Building Is Essential: Both citizens and practitioners need skills to engage effectively, including accessible communication and facilitation capacity.
- Shared Terminology Reduces Confusion: clear definitions for terms such as “engagement,” “co-production,” and “empowerment” are critical for global collaboration.
- Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Must Be Strengthened: M&E frameworks must capture the quality and impact of CE and document how citizen input shapes decisions.
- Collaboration and Peer Learning Build Confidence: The CoP fostered confidence, motivation, and shared learning among practitioners across countries.
- Sustaining Engagement Requires Flexibility and Coordination: Effective virtual collaboration depends on flexible scheduling, clear communication, and accessible resources.
- Global Momentum Toward Co-Production Is Growing: International initiatives demonstrate that CE is shifting from consultation to co-production, offering momentum for innovation.
About the author: Siziwe Ngcwabe is the former Director and Co-chair of the Africa Evidence Network (AEN). She is currently the Director of People and Operations at the Pan-African Collective for Evidence (PACE). She is a South African strategic EIDM & HR Leader, an award-winning advocate, and a social worker, as well as a coach and mentor. For the past eight years, Siziwe played a key role in advancing the mission of the AEN, where she championed the use of evidence to drive meaningful change across Africa. Through her work, she supported the growth of a vibrant, collaborative evidence ecosystem by promoting the production, use, and dissemination of evidence to improve policy and practice across the continent.
Her leadership within AEN has focused on strengthening connections, facilitating partnerships, and amplifying African voices in global EIDM conversations. Siziwe has consistently advocated for inclusive, innovative, and contextually relevant approaches that ensure no one is left behind, particularly underserved, underrepresented, and marginalised communities.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work with honours from the Walter Sisulu University (UNITRA), a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management (PGDBM) from MANCOSA – Undergraduate & Postgraduate Qualifications, Online, a master’s degree in public management, and a Master of Business Administration from Regenesys Business School. She worked at several organisations across different sectors in South Africa. She approaches the challenge of working in various environments with dedication and diligence. She believes that, with her willingness to continuously face new challenges, her intellectual curiosity, and 28 years of academic and professional experience, she aims to continually support connections and collaborations that drive meaningful African and global impact through evidence networks. This is achieved by promoting the production, use, and mediation of evidence for effective change. She is also committed to building innovative, collaborative solutions.
Acknowledgements: The author(s) are 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 Charity Chisoro for her guidance in preparing and finalising this article, as well as her editorial support.
The Community of Practice on CE-EIDM in the health sector was made possible through the collective effort, commitment, and expertise of many individuals and institutions. We extend our sincere appreciation to:
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) Evidence Policy and Impact Unit, the Africa Evidence Network (AEN), and Cochrane, whose leadership and technical support enabled the successful establishment and facilitation of the CoP.
- All presenters, guest experts, and members of the secretariat, including Rebeca Pedra, Sandy Oliver, Andrea Elanga, Alvin Lontum, Oliver Escobar, Ruth Stewart, Maureen Smith, Ronald Munatsi, Beatrice Sankah, Heather Eileen Menzies Munthe-Kaas, Gloria Anderson, Charity Chisoro, Davi Romão, Mareike Gunther, April English, Liza Uchimura, Veronica Osorio-Calderon, and Tanja Kuchenmüller.
- Working group members, who contributed to developing the CoP charter, workplan, resource hub, and M&E framework.
- CoP participants across Africa and globally, whose diverse perspectives and active engagement enriched the learning journey.
- Technical and administrative teams who supported logistics, documentation, communication, and knowledge management.
- Citizens and communities, whose lived realities are at the heart of this work and continue to inspire efforts to strengthen engagement in evidence-informed policymaking.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in published blog posts, as well as any errors or omissions, are the sole responsibility of the author/s and do not represent the views of the Africa Evidence Network, its secretariat, advisory or reference groups, or its funders; nor does it imply endorsement by the aforementioned parties.
Suggested citation: Ngcwabe S (2025) Reflections on 13 Months of the Community of Practice on Citizen Engagement in Evidence-Informed Decision-Making (CE-EIDM) in the health sector: A collaborative initiative of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Africa Evidence Network (AEN), and Cochrane. Blog posting on 12 December 2025. Available at: https://africaevidencenetwork.org/reflections-on-13-months-of-the-community-of-practice-on-citizen-engagement-in-evidence-informed-decision-making-ce-eidm-in-the-health-sector-a-collaborative-initiative-of-the-world-health-organisa/2025/12/12/
