Challenges and constraints in
Monitoring and Evaluation of
CB
UNITAR’s Recent Experience
Blane Harvey
United Nations Institute for Training and Research
Climate Change Programme
November, 5-6, St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda
Overview
• Our CB approach
• Current activities which fit within our
approach
• M&E Constraints encountered
• An integrated approach to CB M&E.
Our approach to
Capacity Building
• Keys:
– Strengthening existing institutional and human
capacity at Southern centers of excellence
and with Southern researchers.
– Strengthening the autonomy of Southern
institutes and researchers and facilitating
South-South cooperation.
– Encouraging partners to develop their own
aims and strategies for building capacity
internally and with their networks of partners
(Endogenously driven approach).
Examples of our Approach
Climate Change
Capacity Development
• Partners: ENDA-TM (Senegal), ERC (South
Africa), MIND (Sri Lanka).
• Launched in 2003, with funding from the EC,
Irish Aid, DANIDA, and the Swiss (FOEN).
• Aims to strengthen the network's ability to
deliver targeted training and capacity
development at national and regional levels in
West and southern Africa, and Asia.
• 19 Pilot Projects in 17 countries.
Implemented with ENDA-TM, SEI and START
International.
• Launched in Jan. 2007 with funding from the
EC, UK-DEFRA and IDRC.
• Focuses upon both the identification and
prioritization of climate risks among vulnerable
stakeholders and strengthening the capacity
of researchers to effectively communicate
these risks to stakeholders and policy-makers.
M&E Constraints and Challenges
• Lack of ownership of the M&E process or results:
– Different funders = different and ever-changing
monitoring and reporting requirements.
• Little is retained in terms of M&E capacity.
– Partners feel alienated from the M&E process.
•
•
•
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Non-negotiable, “one-size-fits-all” requirements.
Just another hoop to jump through?
Relevance to their aims?
One-way, upward accountability.
• Provides little account of qualitative “change” or
learning and how they occurred.
• Complexity is masked.
Integrative design
• Seeks to accommodate both funder concerns
(accountability, verifiable results, timely
implementation) and the partner concerns noted
above.
• Draws upon both results- and process-oriented
approaches to M&E.
• Participatory development of targets at inception
and regular review of their viability and
appropriateness.
• Encourages partners to document and learn
from their experience and change.
Integrative design
• Collaborative relationship with
backstopper, who guides and challenges
partners to reflect. Facilitated through a
collaborative online platform.
THANK YOU!
www.unitar.org/ccp
blane.harvey@unitar.org
annie.roncerel@unitar.org