Reviewing and strengthening equitable partnership practice
The challenge
Asylum Access is an international NGO working to advance refugee rights through legal empowerment, policy reform, and systems change. A long-time advocate for shifting power and confronting structural inequities in the refugee response sector, the organisation has committed to building more equitable partnerships with peer organisations and affected communities. In 2021, Asylum Access published a position paper, Building Equitable Partnerships, which set out its vision and principles for partnership grounded in lived experience, practice, and political analysis.
In 2023, Asylum Access asked Lighthouse Partnerships to help review how well these principles were being put into practice, whether their definition of equitable partnerships resonated with others, and where there were opportunities to grow and improve.
How we helped
Using a participatory, utilisation-focused approach, we co-designed the review with staff across Asylum Access. We began by developing a set of evaluation rubrics, drawing on both the organisation’s position paper and survey responses from staff and stakeholders about what equitable partnerships mean to them. These rubrics shaped the inquiry and helped define success from multiple perspectives. We also conducted a systems analysis to identify what factors were supporting or limiting equitable practice across the organisation.
The review included interviews with partners across multiple countries who had current or recent partnerships with Asylum Access. We emphasised their agency in shaping next steps, including co-developing future elements of the organisation’s approach and holding Asylum Access accountable to its commitments.
Throughout the process, we worked closely with Asylum Access to ensure the review was feasible, grounded in real-world constraints, and valuable to those using the results. The review produced two core outputs:
A detailed report analysing Asylum Access’ partnership practices, identifying strengths and gaps, and recommending ways to deepen equity in its approach.
A draft Equitable Partnerships Toolkit, intended for sector-wide use and co-developed with partners to support greater transparency, reflection, and accountability in practice. The toolkit continues to evolve through an ongoing co-design process facilitated by Lighthouse Partnerships.
Looking forward
The review laid a strong foundation for deepening equity and shared power in Asylum Access’ partnerships. The organisation has begun piloting new MEL tools developed through the process and is continuing to work with Lighthouse Partnerships and sector partners to finalise and roll out the Equitable Partnerships Toolkit.
“I’ve been spending many hours reviewing the final report and MEL tools the past few weeks and once again am so impressed with the level of analysis and excellent framing you have done for us. It’s been incredibly useful. And you’ll be happy to know that we’re also starting to pilot the MEL frameworks. Thank you once again!”
Client: Asylum Access
2023 - 2025
