Research Facility on Inequalities: The Extension

In view of the success of the first phase of the Facility in terms of generating knowledge on inequality and strengthening public policy dialogue, AFD and the European Commission's Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA) have decided to continue the Facility's program under a second phase (2021-2025). The Facility's Extension will thus focus on four countries facing major inequality challenges: South Africa, Mexico, Colombia and Indonesia. 

The goal is to make the public policy process more responsive to inequalities, more inclusive and more effective, based on research evidence. To achieve this, the Extension of the Research Facility on Inequalites (RFI) will build on the results achieved by the first phase of the Facility, both in terms of knowledge and methodologies generated and synergies established with European and international development partners.

The activities carried out under the Extension of the RFI will be defined as follows: 

• The objective is first to target one or more priority themes for intervention by country through prior research work. The work carried out will be based on the tools resulting from the first phase of the Facility, such as the inequality diagnostics, based on the Handbook created in partnership with the African Center of Excellence for Inequality Research (ACEIR). This preliminary work will make it possible to identify the policies and initiatives that will be supported in the future.
• A set of recommendations related to the previously identified topics will then be issued in each country, which will allow for a better identification of the public policy issues related to the reduction of inequalities. 
• Tools and methodologies will then be developed and tested in order to inform policy makers on the impacts of public policies on inequalities. 
• Policy frameworks based on the results of the research and consultations will be developed and validated by local public and political authorities.
• Finally, support and expertise will be provided throughout the implementation of the identified public policies to ensure their sustainable impact.
   

The four countries covered by the Extension of the Research Facility on Inequalities (RFI) - South Africa, Mexico, Colombia and Indonesia - have made the reduction of inequality one of the priorities of their development strategies.

In this context, research projects will be carried out in partnership with local research centres and in close cooperation with governments. This collaboration will then support the implementation of policies that have an impact on reducing inequalities.

The Extension of the Research Facility on Inequalities is organized around three committees:

1. An executive committee: Composed of AFD and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA). This committee will meet twice a year to monitor the Extension of the RFI and provide overall strategic direction.
2. A strategic committee: Composed of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), AFD, participating EU Member States as well as other development partners active in the field of inequality (OECD, civil society organizations, etc.). This committee will meet twice a year to ensure the coordination of Member States around the 2030 Agenda on inequalities.
3. A steering committee at national level: To be set up in each of the four countries. This committee will decide on the identification and deployment of activities at national level and will ensure their alignment with the strategic priorities of the national government, the EU and AFD.