Inauguration of Global Evaluation and Monitoring Network for Health
- Meeting organizers and participants.
MEASURE Evaluation is pleased to announce the launch of the Global Evaluation and Monitoring Network for Health (GEMNet-Health). Representatives of the eight founding member institutions - School of Health Systems and Public Health at University of Pretoria (South Africa), Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia), Addis Continental Institute of Public Health (Ethiopia), Centre Africain d'Etudes Supérieures en Gestion (Senegal), El Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica (Mexico), Institute for Population and Social Research at Mahidol University (Thailand), School of Public Health at University of Ghana, (Ghana), and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) - convened in in Pretoria, South Africa from June 4–7 to launch GEMNet-Health. The meeting was facilitated by MEASURE Evaluation.
The purpose of this network is to foster organizational growth, collaboration, and South-to-South support for monitoring and evaluation of health programs globally through ongoing and future institutional linkages among members, beginning with a core of MEASURE Evaluation's current and former training partners. MEASURE Evaluation will serve as the Secretariat for GEMNet-Health.
During this four-day inaugural meeting, the founding members created a shared vision, mission, and core values; they defined a clear operational structure and bylaws for the network; and they outlined a strategic plan that will serve as a "road map" for the network over the next two years. Before concluding the meeting, the following network leaders were elected, and will serve according to the terms established in the draft bylaws:
Chair - Yemane Berhane, Addis Continental Institute of Public Health
Vice Chair - Andy Beke, University of Pretoria
Secretary/Treasurer - Amara Soonthorndhada, Mahidol University
Coordinator, Capacity Building Committee - Laura Magana, El Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica
Coordinator, Network Support Committee - Amani Koffi, Centre Africain d'Etudes Supérieures en Gestion
MEASURE Evaluation Representative - Jason Smith, University of North Carolina
Other steering committee members (one member from each founding member institution) include Abhay Saraf (Public Health Foundation of India), Terefe Degefe (Addis Ababa University), and Moses Aikins (University of Ghana).
Following the elections, the newly elected Chair convened the first business meeting of GEMNet-Health. GEMNet-Health’s Steering Committee will meet virtually on a quarterly basis, with the first meeting scheduled for July 2012. The Chair adjourned the meeting following closing remarks from Krista Stewart of USAID, Jason Smith, and Andy Beke.
