EU ETHIOPIA CIVIL SOCIETY FUND PROJECT MONITORING STRATEGY

EU ETHIOPIA CIVIL SOCIETY FUND PROJECT MONITORING STRATEGY

CONTENTS 1 Introduction... 1 2 Monitoring Framework... 1 2.1 Key Indicator Set... 1 2.2 Data Sources... 2 3 Implementation... 2 3.1 Adoption of Project Monitoring Plan... 2 3.2 Reporting Framework... 3 3.2.1 TAU Reporting... 3 3.2.2 Partner / Grantee Reporting... 3 3.3 Additional Monitoring Activities... 3 3.3.1 Public Media Monitoring... 3 3.3.2 Government Media Monitoring... 4 3.4 Implementation Support... 4 4 Project Monitoring Plan... 6

1 INTRODUCTION The EC Civil Society Fund ( CSF ) in Ethiopia is a joint initiative of the European Commission and the Ethiopian government implemented through a Financing Agreement under the 9 th European Development Fund (EDF). The programme operates through grant funding to Non-State Actors (NSA) in Ethiopia. For the purposes of programme implementation, the European Commission acts as Contracting Authority on behalf of the government of Ethiopia. Strategic management of the programme is guided by the Civil Society Fund Steering Committee, which is comprised of NSA, the Ethiopian government and the European Commission. A Technical Assistance Unit manages day-to-day administration of the programme. The overall aim of the programme is to promote a stable and democratic political environment through the integration of all sections of society into the mainstream of political, economic and social life. The purpose of the programme is to increase and improve NSA dialogue with their constituency, with the Ethiopian government and amongst themselves, and also to increase NSA s capacity to play their role in the national development process. The results of the programme are intended to be: o Increased capacity of Ethiopian NSA to engage in the development and democratisation processes; o Strengthened independence and self-sufficiency of NSA o Improved coordination and networking amongst NSA o More effective and efficient delivery of services in the governance area o Greater capacity to dialogue with government and the European Commission on the implementation of Country Support Strategy as part of a more extensive and productive dialogue between NSA and government authorities, between NSA and their constituencies. A specific logframe and implementation plan has been developed for implementing the project. As part of the process of implementation, specific plans for monitoring the progress and impact of the Fund are necessary. This document sets out the key elements of the project monitoring strategy. 2 MONITORING FRAMEWORK 2.1 Key Indicator Set The EU-Ethiopia Civil Society Fund anticipates significant impact on the civil society terrain in Ethiopia. In order to set in place a practical monitoring system, a Project Monitoring Plan needs to be developed, which sets out the key elements for implementing such a monitoring system. Page 1

In this plan consideration must be given to develop a key indicator set, and put in place mechanisms for the collation and analysis of data in the Project cycle. The key monitoring indicators are proposed as follows: Monitoring Theme Key Indicator 1. Civil society Visibility Increased profile of NSA in public arena 2. Consultation of civil society in policy and planning Increased inclusion of NSA in decision making processes on policy and delivery 3. Involvement of civil society Increased participation of NSA in service delivery to in service delivery Ethiopians 4. Gvt-civil society partnerships on rights Increased number of government NSA partnerships to address rights 5. Increased awareness of Increased awareness raising of rights amongst public rights 6. Civil society networking Increased and stronger partnerships and networking amongst NSA 7. Constituency Accountability Improved accountability to and consultation with target constituency by NSAs 8. Civil society sustainability Improved institutional capacity and resource management in NSAs An extended set of project indicators according to Goal and Results for the EU CSF is elaborated in more detail in Section 4: CSF Project Monitoring Plan. 2.2 Data Sources Given the anticipated restriction of the scope of the fund to a core set of NSAs, the generation of monitoring data will be limited to a number of sources. It is proposed that four monitoring sources be incorporated into the strategy to address these key indicators: 1. CSF TAU monitoring and reporting 2. CSF NSA grantee monitoring and reporting 3. Public media monitoring 4. Government information monitoring The strategy is relatively urgent due to the need to initiate data generation early in the programme. 3 IMPLEMENTATION 3.1 Adoption of Project Monitoring Plan Effective monitoring will rely on agreement through discussion and consultation on the framework for monitoring, and allocation of responsibility for key Page 2

monitoring components. This agreement needs to be reached with grantees of the Fund, and the TAU. The key elements of this framework are to be found in this strategy document. Key aspects of the strategy are that grantee partners will play an important role in the monitoring of the project, and this will require delegation of responsibility, and design of formats to form part of their project obligation. 3.2 Reporting Framework 3.2.1 TAU Reporting Reporting on the Project by the TAU will need to incorporate four distinct elements of moniotirng data: a. Data generated through TAU records and information related to project progress, engagement with grantees and partners, and engagement with government and the EC Delegation; b. Data generated through grantee reports; c. Data generated from analysis of public media; d. Data generated from analysis of government media and information. The framework for reporting specifically the Results-Indicator structure - is proposed in Section 4. 3.2.2 Partner / Grantee Reporting A substantial amount of monitoring data will be generated through the monitoring of project activities by NSA partners in the project. In its simplest form, reports from grantees will simply detail activities implemented under contractual arrangements. Effective monitoring of the overall project, however, will require reporting generated according to a standard indicator set and format. It is proposed that monitoring and reporting formats be adopted for and by grantees of the CSF, to ensure they are incorporated into financing agreements. Specifically, Annex 1 presents a grantee monitoring / reporting format which addresses the key proposed indicators set out in this strategy. This format should be incorporated into reporting requirements detailed by financing agreements. 3.3 Additional Monitoring Activities 3.3.1 Public Media Monitoring The core indicator set proposed in this strategy requires analysis of public media sources to verify impact and progress of the Project. It will be necessary to establish appropriate capacity for this function, either as a distinct project activity, or located with an NSA partner able to implement the required activities. Page 3

The specific terms of reference for such an activity would be as follows: - Collation and review of selected print and electronic public media [newspapers, magazines, radio, television] - Identification and analysis of extent of coverage of NSA organizations, activities, engagement, and relationships in media; - Analysis of tone and content of such coverage. Given the limited media outlets, and the limited anticipation of coverage, it is not anticipated that this activity will require significant resources or capacity. 3.3.2 Government Media Monitoring The core indicator set proposed in this strategy requires analysis of information and documentation produced by the Ethiopian government on policy development, governance issues, and service delivery. It will be necessary to establish appropriate capacity for this function, either as a distinct project activity, or located with an NSA partner able to implement the required activities. The specific terms of reference for such an activity would be as follows: - Collation and review of policy documents, briefing reports, departmental reports, and programme implementation documents by national and provincial levels of Ethiopian government - Identification and analysis of extent of coverage of NSA organizations, activities, engagement, and relationships; - Analysis of tone and content of such coverage. It is not anticipated that this activity will require significant resources or capacity, and a cost-effective option should be sought. It is also possible to combine this activity with the public media monitoring component proposed in Section 3.3.1. 3.4 Implementation Support In order to establish a mechanism for successful monitoring, further support may be required for implementation of monitoring. Two aspects require specific attention: Capacity building of monitoring cohorts, in this case grantees of the CSF. It is proposed that grantees are provided with initial logframe oriented monitoring and evaluation training in order to plan and implement their own monitoring systems. Subsequent support should include the ability to share and learn from experiences of implementing such systems later in the project cycle. Page 4

The training will take place in early March 2007, in the form of a monitoring training workshop for representatives from the grantee organizations. A debriefing workshop will be convened toward the end of 2007 to review the monitoring and reporting process, and to deepen the conceptual skills of participating delegates. Design and implementation of additional monitoring elements. The two additional monitoring mechanisms suggested in Sections 3.3.1-3.3.2 (public media monitoring, and monitoring government information) will require conceptualisation and implementation. The two elements should be designed as practical low cost activities by the CSF TAU. Two options could be considered: a. The two components of activity either separately or combined could be established with dedicated capacity (for example, contracting a small team of interns) managed by CSF TAU personnel. b. An existing grantee(s) could be delegated responsibility for the components within their current capacity, with additional resources provided through the financing agreement. Page 5

4 PROJECT MONITORING PLAN Intervention Level Key Indicator Verification Format Data Source 4.1.1.1 Review Regularity Objective Improved socio-economic and political indicators National survey data National statistics Annual / Biennial Project Purpose Federal and Regional Government Federal government Federal government Annual consult with NSA as part of standard reports Regional government government policy and planning Regional government procedure reports Regions and Woredas consult with NSA on development activities Policy change achieved by NSA acting as a coordinated and representative group Government policy Government policy Annual Result 1 NSA are increasingly engaged with government and third parties to ensure that Government policies address poverty and sustainable development priorities NSA are increasingly engaged with government and third parties to ensure that Government policies are effectively implemented Recognition of NSA contribution by Ethiopian authorities in public media Increase each year in number of consultations by government and local authorities during project life documents: - Overall policy - Legislation - Regulation SDPRP documents Budget allocations Government reports - Press articles - Radio slots - TV slots - Public speeches - Official government media releases documents: - Overall policy - Legislation - Regulation Media service? monitoring Page 6

Consultation of NSA by Parliament and other democratic organisations Number of development projects in which NSA participate Involvement of NSA in monitoring the SDPRP process and other key development activities Result 2 Increase in number of NSA organizations and networks Increased average life span of key NSAs Increased public profile of NSA in Ethiopia Increased number of awareness raising activities by NSA Increased number of NSA staff trained Increased number of NSA workshops supported Increased number of NSAs supported Enhanced institutional systems and policy of NSA Enhanced governance of NSAs Result 3 NSA networks established and functioning Increased planning and coordination amongst NSA networks Increased NSA membership of established networks Government registration data Government registration data NSA Sample Reports - Press articles - Radio slots - TV slots - Public speeches - Official government media releases CSF reports Department of Justice Department of Justice NSA sample Media monitoring service? Annual Annual Page 7

Result 4 Reduced competition between NSA and networks for project contracts Increased number of NSA contributions to activities in areas of democratisation, human rights, rule of law, and women s empowerment Improved quality of project proposals in governance projects Enhanced NSA advocacy in governance arena Page 8

Annex 1: Partner Reporting Sheet EU-ETHIOPIA CIVIL SOCIETY FUND MONITORING PLAN NSA PARTNER REPORTING FORM Monitoring Theme Key Indicator Reporting Guideline 1. CSO Visibility Increased profile of civil society The partner should monitor and detail incidences of public organizations in public arena acknowledgement of their (and other CSO s) role and profile 2. Consultation of CS in policy and planning 3. Involvement of CS in service delivery 4. Government-CSO Partnerships on Rights 5. Increased awareness of rights Increased inclusion of civil society organizations in decision making processes on policy and delivery Increased participation of civil society organizations in service delivery to Ethiopians Increased number of government civil society partnerships to address rights Increased awareness raising of rights amongst public Public electronic and print media Government reports / statements The partner should detail inclusion and participation in consultation / public participation exercises, and detail outcomes Public participation reports Consultation processes reports The partner should detail inclusion and participation in service delivery programmes Government department reports Service contracts / awards The partner should detail any new partnerships or joint initiatives with government to address rights and needs of Ethiopians Partnership agreements Contracts The partner should detail any awareness raising activities undertaken and the participation in these of target constituencies, especially marginalized groups and women 6. CS Networking Increased and stronger partnerships and networking amongst CSOs 7. Constituency Accountability Improved accountability to and consultation with target constituency by CSOs 8. CSO Sustainability Improved institutional capacity and resource management Activity / event reports Campaign reports The partner should detail any new partnerships with other CSOs or inclusion and participation in CSO networks Partnership agreements Network documents The partner should detail the processes and outcomes of consultation with target beneficiaries / constituency, including needs analyses, problem identification, project planning, establishment of community structures etc. The report should detail how marginalized groups and women are included. Planning documents Consultation reports The partner should detail improvements in institutional policy, specifically: Adoption of new policies and systems with regard to human resources, governance, and resource management Changes in leadership and governance, especially with regard to women s representation Capacity building activities undertaken, especially including women Changes in funding situation Institutional policy and systems Capacity building activity reports Institutional funding reports Page 9

Annex 1: Partner Reporting Sheet Page 10