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GBV Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit [EN/AR]

Manual and Guideline
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INTRODUCTION

The Whole of Syria (WoS) Gender-based Violence (GBV) Sub-Cluster (SC) Turkey hub is a coordinating body whose primary objective is to strengthen GBV prevention an d response in areas of Syria reachable through cross-border interventions from Turkey. Although operational since August 2014 as a sub-working group, it was formally established in 2015 following the adoption of Security Council Resolution (UN-SCR) 2165.

The GBV SC works to facilitate multi-sectoral, inter-agency actions aimed at preventing GBV, and to ensure the provision of accessible, timely, and survivor-centered GBV response services for affected populations. The Turkey hub is co-chaired by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Global Communities within the Protection Cluster. Its membership includes UN agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It is currently comprised of approximately 60 active organizations, 90% of which are Syrian NGOs.

About the GBV M&E Toolkit

In early 2019, the GBV SC Turkey hub recognized the need to provide more targeted support to its members in the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of GBV programmes. Subsequently, a consortium of three GBV SC members conducted a six-month long participatory research study with the purpose of identifying which GBV M&E tools and methodologies were mostly used by GBV SC members, what were the most common challenges faced, as well as potential contributions brought by M&E activities to GBV programmes in a complex humanitarian context such as the Turkey cross-border operation1 . A central recommendation emerging from this research was the necessity to develop and roll out a set of standardized M&E toolsthat could be used to enhance the quality of M&E for GBV programmes in that particular context.

The development of the Toolkit has been largely informed by the results of this preliminary research, as well as in-depth interviews with selected GBV SC members and review of existing M&E materials already in use. Information gathering leading to the development of this resource has revealed the following important issues:

  • The GBV SC Turkey hub is well resourced in terms of M&E tools. Overall, there is the opportunity to draw upon and scale up best practices by building on M&E resources available at GBV SC level;

  • Tool implementation is not consistent within and across GBV SC members; application of best practice approaches is patchy, likely due to the absence of reference guidance to inform systematic and coherent tool utilization, specifically regarding differential and roles and responsibilities of specialized GBV and M&E staff in the M&E of activities;

  • For greater effectiveness, tailored M&E guidance should consider the operational context´s distinctiveness, that is, the remote and decentralized management nature of this response, particularly in instances when the flow information across geographical locations impacts the quality of M&E processes;

  • There is a need to provide robust guidance to GBV SC member organizations on how to constructively engage with third-party monitoring entities (TPMs) and donors on external M&E/verification processes of GBV programmes.

The GBV M&E Toolkit draws on the insights and experiences of international and local organizations implementing GBV programmes in Turkey cross-border operations, as well as wider GBV programming literature2 . Among the myriad of GBV programme tools readily available, identifying those fundamental ones that were eligible for inclusion in this Toolkit has been a critical step in the development of the resource. Thoughtful examination of each potential tool was required to ascertain the degree to which it adds value to the M&E of GBV programmes (and not just to the broader GBV programme). In the context of this Toolkit, M&E tools are defined as a sub-set of GBV programming tools that respond to the key M&E objectives of assessing programme quality and effectiveness (primarily, as perceived by those targeted by the activities), and capturing results stemming from programme-supported interventions. Overlaps may exist, yet, M&E tools serve more specific aims than GBV programme tools given that the latter are mostly geared towards facilitating and enhancing the management and implementation of the programme, and ensuring compliance with pre-defined quality standards.

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