While reviewing the recently updated USAID ADS 201, Program Cycle Operational Policy (Partial Revision Date: 10/23/2024), I was struck by its emphasis on “learning”—a term mentioned 155 times. This focus resonates deeply with my personal experiences over two decades of working with USAID projects and local partners across the Middle East. However, it also prompts a critical question: How effectively are USAID missions and activities fostering learning within the complex and volatile context of the Middle East?
Such a question warrants comprehensive research to evaluate learning outcomes within each mission context. Nonetheless, I offer insights and recommendations on enhancing USAID’s learning efforts, particularly given the region’s unique challenges.
Contextual Challenges
The Middle East is a region beset by war, political instability, and socio-economic upheaval. From Syria, Libya, Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza to the West Bank and beyond, ongoing conflicts and political unrest—including tensions between Iran and Israel—create an environment of constant flux. These challenges are compounded by the world’s highest youth unemployment rate of 26%, leaving millions of educated young people without opportunities.
Amid these conditions, USAID operates under immense pressure to align policies rapidly with shifting priorities, often at the expense of reflection, adaptation, and learning. The short-term focus required to meet immediate Humanitarian Assistance needs leaves little room for developing a cohesive, long-term learning agenda.
Moreover, implementing partners (IPs) and local organizations face equally pressing challenges. Many operate in precarious environments—such as Syria or Gaza—and contend with short funding cycles, intense scrutiny, and vetting compliance requirements that limit their ability to innovate or reflect on lessons learned. Organizations are often consumed by delivering humanitarian aid under tight deadlines while navigating restrictions tied to counterterrorism concerns. While not undermining the critical need of BHA’s work to save lives and provide basic services in such harsh realities, it is also true that these circumstances pose significant challenges to learning agenda and require a different approach.
Defining a Learning Organization
USAID defines a learning organization in ADS 201 as one that actively questions assumptions, seeks evidence (including context analysis and locally generated insights), reflects on diverse sources of knowledge, and explores a range of solutions to development problems. However, translating this ideal into practice requires consistent, reliable, and high-quality data—something that remains a challenge in many Middle Eastern contexts. Data collection and analysis are often fragmented across technical offices, leaving missions focused on immediate outputs of specific USAID activities rather than broader, integrated insights across Technical Offices.
Additionally, adaptive learning is particularly challenging in the inconsistency of the funding cycles that dominate some of USAID programming in non-permissive environments. The pressure to deliver results quickly due to policy shifts often discourages innovation and risk-taking, which are essential for learning in complex environments.
Opportunities for Improvement
Despite these challenges, several opportunities exist to enhance USAID’s learning capabilities in the Middle East:
1. Strengthening MEL Integration for Enhanced Learning and Adaptation
While most USAID activities include a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) plan (some don’t), there is often a lack of integration across technical offices and programs, limiting the ability to leverage insights for mission-wide improvement. To address this, USAID missions should prioritize a holistic and collaborative approach to MEL that aligns with Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles. This may involve:
- Refocusing MEL Objectives: Shift emphasis from merely monitoring and reporting standalone outputs to enhancing performance and generating actionable insights.
- Establishing Cross-Office Learning Mechanisms: Develop systems to facilitate collaboration among technical offices, enabling the identification of mission-wide trends and insights that can inform strategic decisions and program adjustments.
- Promoting a Culture of Continuous Learning: Encourage knowledge sharing, adaptive management, and iterative improvements to ensure MEL is a dynamic and integrated process rather than a compliance exercise.
- By aligning MEL efforts with CLA principles and fostering cross-office collaboration, missions can drive meaningful improvements in program effectiveness and achieve greater development impact.
2. Adopt “Learning Labs”
Rather than siloing MEL units within USAID activities with focus on outputs, USAID missions could establish “learning labs” at the get go for each activity to integrate learning into all USAID activity functions. These labs would:
- Collect and share real-time insights on dashboards accessible to all activity stakeholders.
- Facilitate rapid dissemination of findings to adapt activities within months, rather than years.
3. Leverage AI for Data Analysis
Artificial intelligence (AI) could play a critical role in analyzing large datasets to identify patterns and trends across several activities and Technical Offices. However, the effectiveness of AI depends on consistent and reliable data. Missions should invest in improving data quality to ensure AI systems provide actionable insights.
4. Foster Closer Engagement with Local Partners
Local partners often express a desire for greater interaction with USAID and its implementing partners for learning. Enhanced collaboration requires:
- Simplified procurement processes to reduce barriers to engagement.
- Piloting models like “OTI Plus,” which integrate learning by doing in smaller, adaptable initiatives.
- Encouraging local partners to lead MEL and CLA efforts themselves to build their capacity and foster ownership.
5. Engage Youth as Change Agents
Youth in the Middle East are avid users of social media and can be powerful advocates for learning and adaptation. Missions should:
- Train youth as “learning ambassadors” who document and share lessons from USAID activities.
- Empower youth-led initiatives to drive community-level learning and positive change based on evidence.
6. Emphasize Learning by Doing
Models like USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) offer valuable lessons. OTI’s flexibility and focus on adaptive learning through small-scale, iterative projects make it well-suited for the Middle East’s dynamic context. Expanding such models could foster a culture of continuous learning.
Final Thoughts
The Middle East’s complexity demands a nuanced approach to fostering learning within USAID missions and activities. By prioritizing integrated MEL systems, leveraging technology, strengthening local partnerships, and empowering youth, USAID can build a learning ecosystem that not only adapts to challenges but also drives sustainable development. Learning must become a dynamic, embedded process—not just a policy aspiration—to effectively navigate the region’s evolving landscape.
