Donor Reporting Harmonisation Initiative For the Advisory Commission Sub-Committee 14 November 2011 David de Bold Senior Monitoring & Evaluation Officer 1

Outline (i)Update on Monitoring & Evaluation (“M&E”) (ii)Update on the implementation of the Donor Reporting Harmonisation Initiative (“Initiative”) (iii)Questions and/or Comments 2

Update: Financial Chart of Accounts M&E Background and Update 3

Background Strengthening of M&E was identified in OD within the lever of change to improve Programme Cycle Management. Commencing in 2009 this included the following: Establishment and recruitment of a dedicated, Agency-level Senior Monitoring & Evaluation post; Support to the biennium planning process through indicator development and establish a methodology; Identify and lead the development of an Agency-wide monitoring system for strategic plans; Consolidate and improve the quality and consistency of monitoring and external reporting; Introduce a supporting management methodology to foster periodic review of strategic plans 4

Update Established and improved the Agency-wide Common Monitoring Framework for biennium plans (i.e., FIP and HIP indicators and Handbook of Common Programme Monitoring maintained); Established an Agency-wide M&E Community of Practice and externalised knowledge through documentation, dissemination and a dedicated intranet site; Implemented the Agency-wide Results-based Monitoring system which hosts programmatic, financial and human resource data and analytical information on results; Implementing Field Office-level Quarterly Management Reviews and Agency-level annual Results Reviews; Implemented the Donor Reporting Harmonisation Initiative to consolidate and align internal with external reporting; and The evaluation coordination function was transferred to the independent Department of Internal Oversight Services (per Advisory Committee on Internal Oversight recommendation) 5

Update: Financial Chart of Accounts The Donor Reporting Harmonisation Initiative Improving quality and streamlining reporting for multi-year (GF) funding agreements 6

Background on the Initiative An opportunity to improve quality and harmonise the information provided from UNRWA to donors for the General Fund contributions. Arrangements need to be improved in a number of ways: Inconsistent periods for reporting; Wide variety of indicators; Measures for indicators at various levels (i.e., activities or outputs and/or outcomes); Differences between internal UNRWA reporting and external donor reporting and duplication of reporting; Alignment opportunity with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action 2 2 The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005) and Accra Agenda for Action (2008), OECD. 7

Donor Reporting Harmonization Initiative A summary of the methodology is as follows:  Use an informal donor reference working group for detailed content (BPRM, EU, DFID and AusAid);  Reporting would take place once per calendar year within 90 days of calendar year-end;  Template standardisation using quantitative and qualitative assessment of actual and planned results;  Indicators used aligned with UNRWA biennium plans including baselines and targets;  Include indicators for monitoring processes or Agency-wide initiatives; and  Indicator disaggregation by Field Office, Agency and Gender identified when applicable. 8

Donor Reporting Harmonization Initiative Prior to the Initiative and using the largest three contributors (in absolute terms) to the General Fund, UNRWA reported over 30 different indicators in three agreements. Less than 10% of these indicators were exactly the same across all three agreements. 9 Average daily medical consultations per doctor; Mean score from testing; Graduate employment rates Establish a referral system for victims of violence

Reporting Template 10

Going Forward i.Determine if the Initiative can fulfill any information gaps that may currently exist (eg., Commissioner General Annual Report) ; ii.Based on (i), establish an appropriate (technical) forum for the dissemination and discussion of results; iii.Managing expectations of further strengthening of M&E as it relates to institutionalisation and links with reforms; and iv.Incorporate lessons learned with each biennial revision of the reporting framework and noting successes like: -Successful use of the Initiative to satisfy 2010 reporting requirements of BPRM and AusAid; -The 2010 External Review of UNRWA Programmes funded by the EU recommended adoption of the Initiative for future reporting; -The Initiative is cited as an example of best practice in United Nations in the Joint Study of Common Principles of Results Reporting (UNDG-HLCM, 2011) ; -Continue to use, leverage achievements and reap benefits from Organisational Development 11

comments and questions 12