USAID

1
USAIDs Approach to Monitoring Capacity Building
Activities

• Experiences, lessons learned,
• and best practices
• Duane Muller, USAID
• November 5, 2007
• UNFCCC Experts Meeting on Capacity Building
• St Johns, Antigua

2
USG commitment to Capacity Building

• Range of agencies and programs committed to
  capacity building for climate change
• Efforts by industry, states, local governments,
  universities, schools and NGOs

3
Types of assistance USAID provides

• technical assistance
• capacity building institutional strengthening
• training and scholarships
• food aid and disaster relief
• infrastructure construction
• small-enterprise loans
• budget support
• enterprise funds
• credit guarantees

4
USAIDs Global Climate Change Program

• Assistance to over 45 countries
• Clean energy technology
• Sustainable land use/ forestry
• Adaptation to climate change
• Capacity buildingcross cutting

5
Monitoring Evaluation

• Complementary roles

6
Monitoring and Evaluation

• MONITORING
• Clarify program objectives
• Link project activities to their
  resources/objectives
• Translate into measurable indicators/set targets
• Collect data on indicators
• Report on progress

• EVALUATION
• Analyzes why and how intended results were/were
  not achieved
• Assesses contributions of activities to results
• Examines results not easily measured
• Explores unintended results
• Provides lessons learned/recommendations

7
Experiences with Monitoring

• Traditional Project Monitoring vs.
• Performance Monitoring

8
Traditional Project Monitoring

• Tells us what is happening
• Are project activities or tasks on schedule?
• Is spending consistent with spending plans?
• LIMITED FOCUS

9
What does performance monitoring involve?

• Tools for measurement
• Assessment of current situation
• Performance Baseline Performance Target
• Data collection methods

10
Performance Targets

• Defines the specific, planned level of result to
  be
• achieved for each indicator, within an explicit
  timeframe.
• How much? Quantity
• How good? Quality
• When? Time

11
8 Steps to Monitoring

• Indicators/Definitions
• Data source
• Method data collection
• Frequency data collection
• 5) Responsibilities acquiring data
• 6) Data analysis plans
• 7) Plans for evaluations
• 8) Plans for reporting/using performance
  information

12
Performance Indicators

• What works and what doesnt

13
Two types of Indicators

• OUTPUT
• Measures immediate things
• Example
• Number of people trained

• OUTCOME
• Measures the impact
• Example
• Number of tons of CO2
• sequestered

14
PERFORMANCE INDICATOR UNIT TYPE
Quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, measured in metric tons CO2 equivalent, reduced or sequestered as a result of USG assistance in energy, industry, urban, and/or transport sectors CO2 equivalent Outcome
Number of people trained in global climate change including UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, greenhouse gas inventories, mitigation, and adaptation analysis persons Output
Number of laws, policies, agreements or regulations addressing climate change proposed, adopted, or implemented as a result of USG assistance Policies/ agreements, etc. Outcome
15
Characteristics of Good Performance Indicators

1. Valid
2. Reliable
3. Useful for Management
4. Adequate
5. Timely
6. Practical

16
4 steps to selecting performance indicators

• 1) Clarify the results statements
• 2) Develop a list of possible indicators
• 3) Assess each possible indicator
• 4) Select the best performance indicator

17
Performance Indicators can serve as useful tools

• Measure inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and
  some impacts
• Can be integral to a monitoring system
• Communicate achievements
• Identify problems
• Serve as a management tool

18
Performance Indicators Limitations

• Dont capture what is going on at the local level
• Dont take into account the enabling environment
• Broad indicators can be subjective
• Often have policy implications

19
Lessons Learned Indicators

• Avoid broad statements
• Identify targets for change
• Study the activities strategies
• Be inclusive
• Be selective

20
Foreign Assistance Reform

• A New Strategic Framework for
• Foreign Assistance

21
The Problem

• Foreign assistance has not been strategically
  focused
• Lack of systematic goal and subsequent indicators
• Inability to track funds and associated results
  centrally

22
Foreign Assistance Coordination and Tracking
System (FACTS)

• Pilot tested in 2007
• Instrument for collecting standardized data
• improve the coordination and efficiency
• increase transparency of assistance funds
• improving performance and accountability for
  results
• Lessons learned
• Feasible
• Requires resources and data, takes time, involves
  communication

23
Paris Declaration on AID Effectiveness

• Taking action to strengthen ownership, alignment,
  harmonization, results and mutual accountability
  of foreign aid.

24
Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005)

• Over 100 signatories
• Capacity development is an endogenous process
• Emphasis on indicators at the local level

25
In sum, we have we learned

• Monitoring is complex
• Performance indicators can be useful tools, but
  there are limitations
• FACTS
• Considerable resources
• Time requirement
• Constant dialogue/communication
• Refinement with experience

26
Where do we go from here..

• Is the Paris Declaration effective for capacity
  building monitoring and evaluation efforts?
• Should the country driven approach be applied
  to capacity building monitoring and evaluation
  efforts?

27
For further information

• Duane Muller
• USAID
• EGAT/ESP/GCC
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email dmuller_at_usaid.gov
• Website www.usaid.gov
• Keyword climate change