Findings from the review indicated that , for the reporting period , users originated from 202 different countries , with 43 % from the Global South ( defined in this review as “ all countries outside of the topuser countries of the United States , United Kingdom , Canada , Germany , Belgium , Australia , and the Netherlands ” ( SFCG , 2015 , p . 4 )). The self-reported occupations of registered users included : international development professionals ( 33 %), M & E professionals ( 18 %), program managers ( 22 %), consultants ( 12 %), students ( 9 %), and academics ( 6 %), with levels of expertise ranging from beginner ( 27 %) and intermediate ( 47 %) to advanced ( 26 %). Over the two years of this grant , 1460 new members joined the platform , which does not include the number of passive visitors who used resources without signing up for an account . As of 31 December 2014 , there were approximately 4,500 members registered on DME for Peace .
The results of the review showed that the DME for Peace platform was most utilized for its resource library and for its M & E Thursday Talks webinars . Another finding of the review was that intermediate or advanced users were more likely to actively contribute to the site ( such as by adding a resource or commenting on a discussion ). This finding suggested that the site was not as engaging for beginners as it was for more advanced practitioners . As such , the project team for DME for Peace concluded that they needed to provide more introductory guidance for beginners .
Today , the DME for Peace knowledge platform continues to provide resources for the peacebuilding M & E community . As of December 2017 , the site has grown to over 5,500 registered users from 191 countries , with a resource library of over 1,000 resources . The M & E Thursday Talks continue unabated since their launch in spring 2014 , with sessions in fall 2017 addressing topics such as developmental evaluation , gender assessment , and inter-faith peacebuilding . To address the lack of resources geared towards beginners , SFCG launched a series of educational videos on the Foundations of M & E , covering topics such as conflict sensitivity , mixed methods of evaluation , and data collection . DME for Peace has also housed the Online Field Guide to Peacebuilding Evaluation since summer 2015 . This living document was drafted by CDA Collaborative Learning Projects , and its resources are vetted by leaders in the field ( from CDA and other PEC members ). The site also currently boasts a global mentorship program through the PEC , Partnering to Educate and Coach Evaluators ( The PEACE Project ), which connects M & E beginners to evaluation experts . According to the Program Manager for DME for Peace , over the past three years , there have been 700 applicants to this program . Currently , 36 people are participating in an 8 week Foundations of M & E Course .
Through these various initiatives , DME for Peace has been shifting the culture around evaluation in the peacebuilding field , encouraging the open sharing of lessons learned . The PEC recently received a third grant from the Carnegie Corporation to continue its work to improve evaluation for peacebuilding , human rights , and development programming .
Recommendation .
1 . Organizations involved in conflict prevention / intervention should consider sharing resources using an open-source knowledge platform like DME for Peace to improve their work and share lessons learned and best practices . The variety of stakeholders engaged by DME for Peace ( including academics , practitioners , evaluators , etc . from across the globe ) provides an opportunity to learn from various people ’ s experiences .
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