Presented by Julie Dekens, IISD/NAP Global Network, in September 2020 at the Virtual Learning Event on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for National Adaptation in Pacific Small Island Developing States organized by organized by the NAP Global Network in collaboration with the Pacific Resilience Partnership (PRP)

1. Monitoring & Evaluation
of National Adaptation:
Key challenges and emerging
solutions
Julie Dekens
September 15, 2020

2. The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Process
• Identifying and addressing
medium- and long-term
priorities for adapting to
climate change.
• Putting in place the systems and
capacities to make adaptation a
standard, ongoing practice
• Mainstream adaptation into
development
• M&E is a central element
• Are we making progress in
implementing adaptation priorities?
Are we reducing our vulnerabilities to
climate change?

3. KEY CHALLENGES
M&E FOR NATIONAL ADAPTATION

4. M&E of national adaptation:
key institutional challenges
1. Getting high level support
and stakeholder engagement
2. Lack of coordination
between and among different
actors
3. Limited resources and M&E
capacities available to set up
and sustain the M&E system
4. Reporting overload and
misalignment of reporting
requirements for different
agendas and purposes

5. M&E of national adaptation:
key data-related challenges
1. Using adaptation indicators
well
2. Data and information
management (from data
collection to data aggregation,
analysis and use)
3. Absence of vulnerability
baselines
4. Lack of sex-disaggregated
data

6. What are the two biggest
challenges to your M&E system
for national adaptation?
Vote at www.menti.com with the code: 90 02 43 6
Mentimeter Poll

7. EMERGING SOLUTIONS
M&E FOR NATIONAL ADAPTATION

8. 1. Engage all those responsible for implementing
the adaptation priorities from the start
Why?
• Ensure the system is useful to those
responsible for implementing adaptation
actions
• Capture the contribution and lessons learned
from a range of actors
• Build on existing M&E tools and mechanisms
How?
• Clear roles and responsibilities among
stakeholders
• Assess their capacity to contribute, build
capacities
• Support information exchange - role of multi-
stakeholder platforms
Example
• Fiji’s data mapping exercise

9. 2. Establish a (legal) mandate for the M&E of
national adaptation
Why?
• To ensure it’s regular, systemic and
adequately resourced versus ad hoc
and dependent on development
partners’ resources
How?
• Inform and articulate the development of
the M&E system with relevant legislation
and policies/plans
• Must be combined with ongoing
awareness raising about the role of
M&E in adaptation
Example
• Fiji Climate Change Bill (draft under
consultation review)

10. 3. Start simple: Pilot, learn & expand progressively
Why?
• National adaptation M&E
systems take time (years!) to
develop and operationalize
• Simplicity ensures longevity
How?
• Be pragmatic, use a phased
approach
• Make informed trade-offs
• Build on what already exist
• Pilot with actors who have high
influence and high interest in the
M&E of adaptation
Example: Tonga’s process indicator
monitoring questionnaire (JNAP II)
1. Is this activity in your corporate plan?
2. Has there been progress in this
activity in the last 3 months?
3. What is the current status of this
activity?
4. Are there potential issues that need
to be addressed?
5. Comments and lessons for
advancing activity for the next
3-months.

11. 4. Establish a clear basis for designing the M&E
system before ‘jumping’ into indicator
identification
Why?
• Data/info required depend
on the purpose and
objectives of the M&E
system (not vice-versa)
How?
• Identify the purpose,
objectives and key
building blocks of the M&E
system
Example: Key components of Kiribati M&E
framework for its NAP document

12. 5. Identify a set of methods and tools to convert
existing data into useful and usable formats
Why?
• The main issue is often not the lack
of data but understanding which
data and information really matter
How?
• Explore different tools to simplify
and analyse existing data
• Ensure use of multiple sources of
data and information
• Need for data protocols
Example
• Kiribati sector scorecards

13. 6. Use community vulnerability assessments to
inform national adaptation M&E
Why?
• Baselines to monitor trends in
vulnerabilities
• Sex-disaggregated data collection
• Vulnerable groups and communities
participation
• Link national and subnational M&E of
adaptation
How?
• Common methodology for comparison
and replication
• ‘Integrated’ (cross-sectoral) approach
• Role of digital technologies
• Sustained investments in resources and
capacity building
Example
• Tuvalu’s Integrated Vulnerability
Assessment reporting process

14. 7. Look for alignment with different reporting
requirements
Why?
• Information collected via the NAP
process could inform progress on for
e.g. the NDC, SDGs and Sendai (and
vice versa)
How?
• Identifying entry points for synergies
• Seek synergies with existing national
development reporting processes
• Decide which type of information to
report via which channel and when
Example
• Tonga JNAP II M&E system linked with
the government ministries’ corporate
reporting development plans

15. napglobalnetwork.org
Twitter: @NAP_Network