MDLP Expands its membership
We are delighted to announce that two new members have joined this unique knowledge-sharing partnership. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Norwegian Development Agency (Norad) will participate alongside nine other international development organisations.
Erik Aakre, Head of Knowledge Management, Norad responded to the invitation, saying:
“Norad is delighted to join the MDLP as it fits perfectly with our strategy to strengthen and systematise the development, sharing and use of knowledge. The MDLP community of fellow donor organisations will doubtless help us in our efforts to improve organisational learning.”
Caroline Legros, Deputy Director of Innovation and Knowledge Management, WFP stated:
“We are thrilled to join this community of peers with a common desire to demonstrate the power of knowledge as a catalyst for greater impact and efficiency. At WFP, we are expanding the use of the latest technology, including Artificial Intelligence solutions to gather valuable insights that will shape and guide future initiatives. We value MDLP as a great forum to share and learn from others, contributing to the continuous advancement of knowledge management and innovation in our organizations.”
Launched at USAID’s “Moving the Needle” event on June 15, 2018, the MDLP initially comprised DFID (now FCDO), GIZ, IDB, SIDA, UNICEF, USAID and the World Bank. IFAD and The Wellcome Trust joined the group in 2020.
The shared aims of the partnership are to:
Share knowledge, lessons and experience to strengthen Organisational Learning (OL) practice and deepen the institutionalisation of OL in each member organisation, resulting in more effective aid programmes.
Consolidate the strongest OL partnership in international development to advocate publicly on behalf of better OL practice and more robust OL investment by international development organisations, based on evidence of OL’s contribution to development effectiveness.
Since its launch, MDLP has continued to meet, share and learn together, meeting in-person and virtually as a ‘community of practice’, currently chaired jointly by USAID and UNICEF. In 2022 the group produced and published the book ‘Return on Knowledge’ as an exploration of the impact of knowledge, learning research and evidence in their organisations. The book also contains a robust theory of change for how Organisational Learning contributes to effective development assistance.
Stacey Young, Agency Officer for Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning at USAID, applauded the expansion of the MDLP: “We are excited to welcome WFP and Norad into the MDLP family; their breadth of experience and desire to seek and share good practices make them a perfect fit and a source of renewed energy for the partnership, now in its sixth year.”