1.1 Roles and responsibilities of monitoring and evaluation
Many team members will have responsibility for monitoring and evaluation activities in a humanitarian response. Therefore it is important that a member of the response team is assigned to the function of coordinating monitoring and evaluation activities. This is usually a full time position. It is critical that the CO’s M&E unit is closely involved with the response team from the very outset of the humanitarian crisis. Thus ideally, the response M&E team should be led from the onset (including during needs assessments) by the CO’s M&E coordinator. Where this capacity does not exist, it is important for the CO to appoint or recruit a M&E Coordinator for specifically for the humanitarian operation as quickly as possible. During a fast onset or large scale emergency the CARE emergency response roster can identify and mobilize additional capacities especially during the surge and scale-up phases. In certain cases the M&E Coordinator function can be combined with the function of leading Accountability and Learning initiatives – the MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) approach (see CARE’s commitment to Quality and Accountability in Humanitarian Programming).
Position |
Key responsibilities |
CO Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator |
- Ensure an appropriate monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system is in place and is functioning satisfactorily. Periodically review and revise the system so that it is adapted appropriately to changing operating contexts.
- Ensure relevant and timely M&E information is provided in user-friendly formats to key stakeholders, including beneficiary communities, CARE senior management and donors.
- Provide training and mentoring for CO staff.
- Act as a focal point to organise and manage monitoring reviews, evaluations and/or After Action Reviews (AARs).
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RRT and RED roster M&E Specialists |
- Provide temporary support to the CO to establish baselines and set up M&E systems suited to the operating context.
- Provide training and mentoring for CO staff.
- May participate in a monitoring review, evaluation and/or facilitate an AAR.
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Emergency Team Leader/Senior Management Team (SMT) |
- Ensure application of CARE’s Humanitarian Accountability Framework.
- Ensure adequate resources are allocated in project budgets to cover M&E-related activities, including monitoring reviews, external evaluations and AARs.
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Lead Member Quality and Accountability Focal Point |
- Monitor implementation of M&E systems for the emergency response and support technical advice where necessary.
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Regional Humanitarian Coordinator |
- Promote and guide quality in the emergency programme, and ensure critical gaps are identified and addressed.
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Crisis Coordination Group |
- Determine whether incident is a Type 2, 3 or 4 emergency, in which case the CO is required to fund and organise an AAR.
- Agree on the need for an external evaluation and/or CARE monitoring visit(s).
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CI Monitoring, Evaluation & Accountability Coordinator |
- Provide technical support to COs to help them comply with CARE’s humanitarian benchmarks.
- Support ‘learning in’ (where lessons learned are applied in CARE’s emergency responses) and ‘learning out’ (where lessons learned from new emergencies are captured and shared beyond the CO).
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