CHECK

As part of DMP implementation (see 4F.2 Guidance, Task 9), a transition plan to transfer responsibility from the resettlement project team to the operations team is implemented and completed. The responsibility for CHECK tasks thus reverts to the operations team.

Task 10 – Monitoring and evaluation

The primary purpose of M&E in the resettlement context is to track progress against KPIs and completion criteria defined and agreed with the RWG in the DMP (see 4F.2 Guidance, Task 7). Indirectly, this enables the management of risks associated with incomplete and/or ineffective planning and implementation. For effective M&E, the M&E plan must provide timely, relevant and concise information that will allow the operations team to determine and demonstrate the degree to which planning and implementation activities are meeting displacement management objectives and proactively identify opportunities for timely correction and/or optimisation of planning and implementation to ensure improved outcomes.

M&E against pre-determined KPIs is essential to demonstrate successful and undisputed progress, impact and completion of the resettlement and/or livelihood restoration process. Table 4F. 12 (see 4F.4 Tools and guidance notes) contains examples of such KPIs. Ongoing M&E must be conducted as per the M&E plan developed during resettlement planning (see 4F.2 Guidance, Task 7). It is recommended that monitoring is undertaken internally, and that evaluation is done by external consultants.

Although it is important that M&E is integrated into the site’s SMP and aligned with existing management systems, it must be managed as a separate work stream by designated members of the operations team. The operations team is responsible for overseeing all M&E components and ensuring compliance with The Social Way. Table 4F. 2 provides the scope and purpose, responsibilities and reporting requirements of various M&E components.

Table 4F. 2 Purpose, timing and management of M&E components

The following cross-cutting issues must be considered as part of M&E activities:

• Vulnerability and gender sensitivity: M&E activities must be gender sensitive and inclusive, and show specific consideration for vulnerable groups. Socio-economic and monitoring information must be disaggregated for vulnerable and gender groups on relevant indicators to capture differential impacts of resettlement and livelihood restoration measures.
• Participatory M&E: several M&E aspects may benefit from or require a participatory approach, specifically data collection, development of indicators, successful completion criteria and M&E methodologies. Participatory M&E must commence during the planning phase (see 4F.2 Guidance, Task 7) through the involvement of the RWG in M&E planning. M&E activities must include periodic focus groups with representatives of displaced people to incorporate their concerns and recommendations in the outcome monitoring results or completion auditing process (see 4F.2 Guidance, Task 11). Local authorities, civil society and/or NGOs often take an interest in resettlement projects and involving them in the monitoring process can help establish local relationships built on trust and transparency. A simple way to involve NGOs in M&E is to hold periodic information and consultation workshops to share outcomes of monitoring with stakeholders.
• Data collection methodologies: to ensure the validity of M&E findings against baseline indicators, operations teams should ensure that M&E data collection strategies and tools are consistent with the tools used during baseline data collection as part of displacement management planning (see 4F.2 Guidance, Task 7). For example, if follow-up socio-economic surveys are conducted using the same questionnaire as the surveys undertaken during DMP development, it allows for easy comparison of household and community attributes to identify changes over time.
• Reporting: progress reports should provide a summary of findings and any recommendations or corrective actions as appropriate. Indicators should be presented in a simple, defined format, to allow for ease of comparison with previous M&E results and present progress on implementation of corrective actions.
• Government-led implementation: where a government agency leads implementation, it remains an internal obligation of the operations team to facilitate M&E of implementation efforts.