GIST operates at the intersection of research, strategy, and field implementation, helping organisations navigate complexity and design informed responses to global challenges.
Connecting data with lived realities to bring clarity to decision-making.
GIST was founded in 2019 by three experts with a shared commitment to improving how peacebuilding, relief, and development initiatives are informed, designed, and delivered. From the outset, we have focused on rigorous, contextualised, and innovative analysis to help organisations understand complex environments and make more informed decisions.
While GIST began with a strong research and analysis focus, our work has evolved to encompass the full cycle of insight, from discovery and strategic design to advisory and applied analysis that inform delivery and evaluation. This evolution reflects our commitment to helping partners not only understand complex environments but also translate that understanding into practical strategies, resilient systems, and measurable impact.
Guided by our Discover · Design · Deliver approach, we work with governments, international organisations, private-sector partners, and community actors to generate the clarity needed for scenario-based planning and effective operations. Over time, our team has expanded to include multidisciplinary experts and field practitioners across regions deepening our collective capacity to deliver evidence-based insight and sustainable solutions.
GIST combines disciplined methodology with genuine partnership. We work closely with governments, international organisations, and local experts to ensure that every project is rigorous, relevant, and grounded in reality.
Every conclusion is grounded in verifiable data and sound methodology.
Local realities and perspectives inform every stage of analysis.
Our insights enable partners to plan with confidence and act with transparency.
Collaboration sits at the core of our work, combining global expertise with local knowledge to deliver meaningful and sustainable outcomes.
Decades of field and thematic experience ensure that every recommendation is grounded, practical, and defensible.
With networks across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, we connect deep local access with global perspective.
GIST operates through a globally distributed network, with partners and experts based across North, West, and Sub-Saharan Africa; the Levant and wider Middle East; Central, South, and South-East Asia; and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
We invest deeply in local expertise, recognising that no substitute exists for grounded knowledge. By connecting with experienced researchers, practitioners, and local networks, we ensure every analysis reflects both global perspective and local understanding.
