The Institute of Development Studies (IDS) has published our 2022-23 Annual Review, highlighting the progress we have made towards our vision of a more equitable and sustainable world.
Read the Annual Review 2022-23
IDS Board Chair Deepak Nayyar said:
“The impact stories highlighted in our Annual Review provide a vivid illustration of the wide range of contributions made by IDS to help nurture inclusive societies that improve the wellbeing of people. I am proud of IDS as an institution, for our operational resilience, our ability to adapt to change, and our culture of teamwork, all of which are essential for strengthening how we navigate these difficult times.”
IDS Director Melissa Leach said:
“This Annual Review shows the ways we have been working with our partners to re-cast development, whilst strengthening a ‘decolonised’ agenda, grounded in diverse, inclusive, equitable sharing of knowledge and resources, supported by continuous challenging of historically embedded power dynamics. Coming at the midpoint of our 2020-2025 Strategy, it illustrates key contributions we have made to our overarching commitments, and the impact we are having in the form of new concepts and ideas, influences on policy and practice, and the building of networks and mutual learning.”
Here are five highlights from the past twelve months, but there are many more which you can read about in our 2022-2023 Annual Review.
1. We have used our research and expertise to influence policy
Over the past year, IDS research has informed policy debates on rice production in East Africa, contributed to the introduction of basic income support in South Africa and helped ensure economic reforms work for Sri Lankans.
2. We worked with impacted communities to co-create approaches to mitigate the impact of climate change
In vulnerable communities in India and Bangladesh, we worked with our partners to support coastal people to explore practical, transformative approaches to fishing and agriculture. In Burkina Faso and Lao People’s Democratic Republic, climate considerations have been incorporated into sanitation processes and translated into purposeful action to reduce risks.
3. We supported a funder to use Southern-led knowledge in development
Over the past 18 months, using our learning journey methodology, IDS has helped to shape the International Development Research Centre’s understanding and approach to supporting more inclusive and diverse forms of knowledge, particularly from the global South. This has built on IDRC’s vision of how Southern voices and leadership can drive responses to development challenges.
4. We used the arts to give people a voice, and facilitate meaningful and equitable dialogue
Arts-based workshops in Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Ghana, and Kenya successfully bridged the gap between citizens and policymakers on environmental matters, and an IDS collaboration between Vietnamese nail salon owners, stylists, activist researchers and a visual artist highlighted the power dynamics of race, migration, trafficking and the lucrative beauty industry.
5. We strengthened and expanded opportunities for postgraduate learning
In the last year we developed our mentoring offer to include the new dimensions of matched and group mentoring, to enhance the practical support IDS offers its students. We also launched a Scholarships campaign to support ten talented and committed individuals from low- or lower middle- income countries to come and study with us.
This is just a snapshot of what we have achieved through collaboration, knowledge exchange and mutual learning during the past year. To find out more, read our 2022-2023 Annual Review.
