INTRAC’s publications, free to civil society practitioners everywhere, are a key part of what we do. They can also be a useful lens to look back at what we have been focusing on. This list of ten key publications is a brief look at some of our activities in 2025 – an insight into some of the key projects, discussions, and activities that defined our year. Catch up on what you missed over the last 12 months, and then we hope you will join with us as we navigate the new challenges and opportunities of 2026.
No. 1: “Welcome to the new INTRAC website” (January)
We launched the new INTRAC website at the start of the year. Our new online home has a host of improvements, some behind the scenes and some very visible. It’s now easier to find out more about our people, to explore our huge library of resources, and to use the site on mobile devices. We hope you’ve enjoyed visiting this brighter, clearer version of the INTRAC site, which we will keep adding to in 2026.
No. 2: “A fork in the road: USAID and the future of civil society” (February)
While USAID still exists, the abrupt closure of over 80% of its programmes was a startling development in the early months of 2025. In a short blog published in February, INTRAC’s Chief Executive Kate Newman reflected on the fate of the world’s largest foreign aid agency and its implications for civil society. “At this point more than ever civil society support is crucial – not only to meet immediate needs but also to influence the shape of the world to come.”
No. 3: “Recent aid cuts represent a worrying trend for civil society” (March)
The global civil society context was again a focus in March. After more states announced cuts to overseas development assistance (ODA) – including the Netherlandsa and the UK – we published a short piece on “a worrying trend of isolationism and a failure to maintain commitments to poverty eradication”.
No. 4: “We must recognize and learn from the resilience of civil society in Burma” (May)
On 28 March, Burma was hit by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake and just hours later, the military government resumed airstrikes on pro-democracy and armed ethnic groups. In May, Paul Knipe spoke with activist Ko Lin about the resilience of civil society organisations responding to the disaster amid severe restrictions. “Every year there are natural disasters and conflict. Always there are challenges to our people, but we are people of Burma and we will always respond.”
No. 5: “M&E Universe Planning section now available in French, Spanish, and Bahasa Indonesia” (September)
In September we were delighted to announce a significant step forward for the M&E Universe, our flagship resource for monitoring and evaluation practitioners. The 16 papers of the Planning section became available in French, Spanish, and Bahasa Indonesia for the first time, broadening access to these concise, practical papers on key aspects of M&E practice. Are you using the papers in these languages? We would love to hear from you about your experiences.
Intermission: fuel the future of civil society learning
INTRAC is committed to producing high-quality knowledge products rooted in our experience, and made available freely to civil society practitioners everywhere. Our Knowledge for All campaign is all about maintaining and extending this legacy. Can you donate to help us continue to maintain, develop, and translate our growing resource library in 2026?
No. 6: Consultants as connectors (October)
Consultants as connectors: strengthening civil society through knowledge transfer is a short paper by Allan Moolman. Allan is the director of dala!, a small consultancy based in Durban, South Africa. We were happy to be able to publish this insightful paper, which explores the role of consultants as connectors within civil society, using biological metaphors to understand how they transfer knowledge and learning between institutions. Also in October, Allan joined us for our special event on ethical and values-driven consultancy, with a full recording available now.
No. 7: short paper on decolonising MEL (November)
In November, we published a package of materials related to decolonising monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL). Lucy Gray contributed a short paper, “How are others thinking about decolonising MEL within the international development sector?” This is the product of a scoping exercise to explore current debates and thinking around the decolonisation of MEL in the international development and humanitarian sectors. Lucy also wrote a supporting blog, concluding: “we are continuing to explore what are the hallmarks of decolonised MEL in practice.”
No. 8: “New connections: weaving regional networks for a stronger civil society” (November)
This blog – written in collaboration by Syarifah Marlina AlMazhir, Mary Tobbin Osei and Emily Obiti – is a key progress update on INTRAC’s network development in 2025. The authors share details of learning and connections being weaved together across continents by practitioners based in West Africa and Indonesia. “This collaboration marks another step toward a more connected, inclusive, and learning-driven future for civil society consultancy.”
No. 9: CSIF Phase I learning digest (December)
The Civil Society Innovation Fund is a multi-year initiative to support civil society in Ethiopia funded by the French Development Agency. June 2025 saw the end of Phase I, and as partners transitioned into CSIF II, there was an opportunity to meaningfully reflect on the first phase. Published in December, this digest gathers together key learnings from the first phase “that can support partners involved with CSIF II and others that aim to support new and emerging civil society actors around the world.”
No. 10: “Building ecosystems for the future: reflections on 2025” (December)
“The pace of change and shock to the international development system in 2025 has been staggering.” To conclude the year, our Chief Executive Kate Newman published her reflections on the previous 12 months. At the conclusion of a challenging year, Kate chose to emphasise INTRAC’s positive achivements in 2025, from our new practitioner classes to our ever-evolving training offer for civil society practitioners. Kate concluded with a hopeful message about what we aim to accomplish in 2026.