The newly released Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) aims to gender mainstream all stages of Canada’s international development projects with the goal of using a “truly feminist approach that supports the economic, political and social empowerment of women and girls, [making] gender equality a priority, for the benefit of all people” (Government of Canada, 2017). However, it is not clear what comprises a “truly feminist approach” in the policy or how this is being applied in the field. This thesis therefore aims to assess what feminist approaches can be found within the evaluations of projects that have been conducted under the FIAP and what type of feminism they portray. The methodology consisted of examining three case examples through a document review of key evaluation materials, an interview with a representative from each organization, and a ‘Feminist Evaluation Scorecard’ to summarize the findings. The analysis of these qualitative methods demonstrated that the evaluations, although found to be using some feminist approaches, align better with a technocratic version of feminism rather than a transformational one. It was also found that the participating organizations have limited knowledge of the FIAP and face barriers in implementing feminist approaches within their evaluation work. Some suggestions for future practice were provided including increasing clarity in the wording of the FIAP, providing additional resources to organizations through training and funds so that they may better implement feminist evaluations, and increasing overall communication on expectations so that a “truly feminist” approach may be used in evaluations going forward. / Graduate

Ongoing global health inequities have been amplified since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social movements. Such inequities have resulted in increased literature critiquing the historical roots and current practices in global health. From this literature, questions have emerged about the future of global health and Canada’s role in this future. However, there is little research consolidating existing critiques and, based on these critiques, exploring adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) research and the role of Canadian funding for ASRH. The aim of this dissertation is to consolidate contemporary critiques of global health to develop a conceptual framework for one potential imagined future for global health. It then explores the conceptual framework for an imagined future through an example of global health research, policy, and practice, as it relates to ASRH in Eastern sub-Saharan Africa, to consider the opportunities and challenges of achieving this new potential vision. In this dissertation, I present four unique contributions. The first article presents the conceptual framework for an imagined future that will be used to explore ASRH research, policy, and practice. The second article presents findings from a scoping review on adolescent engagement in ASRH research. The third article presents a review of Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and examines the development of the policy in relation to an imagined future. The fourth article presents a qualitative description of stakeholder perspectives who are implementing ASRH projects with Canadian funding and discusses these perspectives in relation to an imagined future. Conclusions suggest that language to support changes towards an imagined future in global health exists although there is continued opportunity to operationalize the changes. Further research is encouraged to engage local actors and consider practical ways to shift towards equity and justice in Canadian funding for ASRH. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / There is growing controversy in the field of global health and it is not yet clear how the field will respond and evolve. As the number of critiques grow, responding with new ideas for the future of global health becomes more urgent and yet more difficult. This thesis aimed to address this challenge by examining what an imagined future for global health research, policy, and practice might be, and how it might be achieved. This research focuses on the future of global health and Canada’s role in it, particularly regarding adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) in Eastern sub-Saharan Africa. By reviewing documents and conducting qualitative interviews, this study explores adolescent involvement in ASRH research, Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) and stakeholder experiences implementing ASRH projects with Canadian funding. Findings emphasize the need for concrete actions to implement the changes proposed by scholars. Further research is encouraged to engage local actors and consider practical ways forward for shifts towards equity and justice in Canadian funding.

In 2016 the Colombian Government signed an historic peace deal with the main guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People's Army (FARC-EP) after decades of armed conflict. In the same year Canada pledged $57.4M in development funding to help Colombia recover in the post-peace deal era. Since 2016 the Peace and Stabilisation Operations Program (PSOPs) alone has invested $35.3M in the country. With the launch of Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) in 2017, many of these initiatives unfolded in a new policy context and were characterised by commitments to make gender equality a priority. This study looks at the intersection of Canadian aid, transitional justice, and gender in Colombia through a feminist-institutionalist lens. It aims to assess the impact of Canadian-funded projects from these areas along a spectrum that varies from 'gendered transitional justice' to 'transformative transitional justice'. The thesis concludes that the impact of Canadian assistance is found in the in-between area of 'gendered transitional justice' and 'transformative transitional justice', characterized by some progress away from the status quo of 'gendered transitional justice', but without hitting the transformative mark. Through a feminist institutionalist lens, we argue that it is the complex socio-political landscape of Colombia overlaying the agency of Canada's implementing partners, their Southern counterparts and the agency of the donor, and the sum of these interactions that both enable and limit the full transformative capacity of the intervention and situate its impact somewhere in the middle.