WHO has partnered with University of Montreal and McGill University in order to conduct realist research work, with the aim to better comprehend how the UHC Partnership contributed to some of the small and large results that have been documented in countries participating in the UHC partnership.

Approximately 25 participants will meet in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for a three day training workshop. A pilot study of the methodology specifically for studying policy dialogue processes was already undertaken in early 2016 in Togo; this allowed the research team to fine-tune the research protocol which will be used in 6 locations in a multi-country study (Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo, DRC, Cabo Verde, Liberia). The objective of the meeting is to train national researchers (one from each research country), WHO country offices and other stakeholders from the African Regional Office in the realist research methodology, with the aim of having those researchers conduct the research and act as a lead locally during the research work in 2017.