Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

Monitoring and evaluation of USAID climate change and development programs are key to accountability and learning.  USAID’s standard performance metrics track meaningful outputs and outcomes that are under its control or influence.  USAID also relies on national or third party indicators to provide context for the wider environment that USAID programs operate within and help to shape.  Effective performance monitoring requires consistent procedures for data collection, analysis, reporting, and review.  USAID is developing a variety of tools, checklists, and reference documents to assist agency staff and partners with effectively planning and managing performance monitoring.

USAID’s focus on evaluation complements and reinforces efforts to improve activity design and the achievement of measurable results.  Evaluations measure project effectiveness, relevance and/or sustainability.  USAID supports the use of third party mid- and end-term performance evaluations of its programs and activities.  There is also an increasing focus on rigorous impact evaluations that can inform future program design.  Conducting impact evaluations provides a way to systematically generate knowledge about the magnitude and determinants of project performance, permitting USAID and its partners to refine interventions and introduce improvements into future efforts.