In 2005, ‘development partners’ and developing country governments signed the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. This committed signatories to improving aid effectiveness in a number of ways, including improving the way their systems and practices, such as monitoring and evaluation, work together.
M&E practices in Pakistan
The External Affairs Department of Pakistan’s government set up a Paris Declaration Working Group on Monitoring and Evaluation, with the aim of strengthening and improving the harmonisation of Government and development partner M&E practices in Pakistan. Pakistan wanted a more effective and credible M&E system so that everyone better understand the impacts and progress of development projects and programmes. Pakistan has been working towards having a robust and comprehensive government M&E system, and wanted development partners to align with and use it as far as their own procedures allow.
Itad’s review of M&E systems
With a small Itad team including two Pakistani consultants, we reviewed M&E systems across government and development partners. We assessed government M&E activities including project monitoring by the Planning Commission and reporting on the national poverty reduction strategy by the Ministry of Finance. We also reviewed the M&E systems of nine development partners, including DFID, the European Commission, UNDP, and the Asian Development Bank, and documented the mandatory M&E requirements in their corporate procedures. We produced an action plan for strengthening Government and donor M&E practices to improve quality, harmonisation and alignment, and a set of proposed ‘Joint Principles, Procedures and Practices’ for donors’ M&E, to be included in the planned Pakistan Aid Policy.
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