NFI Sector Working Group Working Paper on NFI Assistance Monitoring

NFI Sector Working Group Working Paper on NFI Assistance Monitoring The Non-Food Item ( NFI ) Sector is the second-largest sector (in terms of dollar value) for the humanitarian response in Syria. In 2014, 5.7 million persons were reported to have received non-food items through sector agencies response. While there are sizeable pressures to deliver assistance to the population in need in a rapid manner, the NFI sector members also are very much aware of the need for proper monitoring of activities toward ensuring accountability to the affected population and donors, and in order to track the successes, challenges, and impact of our work toward a more efficient NFI sector response. In January 2015, the NFI Sector Working Group agreed to look specifically into the issue of NFI assistance monitoring. Over the month of February 2015, the Sector Coordination Team surveyed all sector members (through interviews and email correspondence) requesting information related to their monitoring practices including current arrangements, constraints, plans, and ideas for improvement. The following provides a brief summary of the findings and identifies areas to jointly consider as a way forward amongst the sector. At the end of the document, an annex contains inputs by sector members. This working paper has the following purposes: Increase awareness of NFI monitoring practices amongst sector members, other sectors, and other stakeholders (internal and external) with an interest in the NFI sector response. Through information-sharing, provide opportunities for cross-fertilisation and application of monitoring practices between and amongst agencies. Through the sector, agree to pursue specific activities, agreements, or discussions on proposed recommendations by member agencies. Summary of Findings As evidenced by the detailed feedback in the annex, NFI Sector member agencies are actively monitoring their NFI programmes. This is done through on-site post-distribution monitoring, beneficiary interviews, receipt and review of reports, cross-checking of stocks, data collection, implementing partner monitoring, and other means. However, it is also clear that most member agencies would like to do more, and many have plans to do so. International NGOs recently received permission to team their own monitors with SARC s during distributions. Two agencies are developing databases which will provide detailed mapping of their interventions. Other agencies are sustaining and/or beefing up existing, reliable monitoring practices. Most agencies expressed an interest in increased, collective efforts on monitoring. In the 2015 Sector Strategy, member agencies agreed that the Sector Coordination Team compile, review, and synthesise the findings of all monitoring reports shared by sector members. Sector members would like to see a collective agreement by all agencies that, at minimum, a client/beneficiary satisfaction survey is conducted during distributions and the sector information management will facilitate the sharing of existing surveys and development of a simplified tool with common information for use by all actors. Many agencies work mainly through SARC and would like to see increased efforts to ensure sufficiently detailed and timely monitoring and related reporting. 1

A number of agencies would like the sector (or individual agencies) to consider using an independent/third-party monitoring partner. This is, however, noted as a more controversial idea which not all agencies agree with. Recommendations 1. NFI Sector Coordination team will request all monitoring reports, templates, etc. from sector members and based on the information provided - will develop a report synthesising the findings. 2. Agencies developing electronic mapping tools commit to providing a presentation at a future NFI Sector Working Group meeting on their tool. 3. All sector members that do not already include a client/beneficiary satisfaction survey during distributions will seek to include this practice. Agencies already completing such surveys will share their practices. The Sector Information Manager will work with the agencies to identify best practices and common manners in which to report and facilitate compiling and sharing the information amongst members for incorporation into programmes across the sector. 4. SARC and the agencies working with and monitoring through SARC, commit to working on the existing monitoring practices to improve timeliness and content of monitoring reports so they can have an increased impact on programmes in real time. 5. Those agencies interested in pursuing independent/third-party monitoring partners commit to holding a separate meeting including the Sector Coordination team to further discuss and tease out the competing issues around this option. 6. NFI Sector will pursue discussions bilaterally with other relevant sectors, and within the ISC to share monitoring practices and identify opportunities for collaboration between sectors. 2

Annex: NFI Sector Agencies Monitoring Survey (as of February 2015) 1 Agency Current monitoring practices Future planned monitoring activities Constraints Proposed way forward ACF - Spain ACF requests facilitation letters from SARC HQ for staff to attend distributions in SARC branches, ACF staff observe the distributions without receiving lists of beneficiaries, Feedback is received from SARC branches and sometimes ACF staff is able to talk to beneficiaries to get their feedback, Photos are taken when agreed with SARC branches and HQ. ACF is planning monitoring of Hygiene kits distribution during the months of February and March in: Daraa, Rural Damascus, Damascus and Hama. ACF will maintain the regular current procedures. Due to ACF security restriction and concerns, ACF staff are not able to go to some distribution areas such as Aleppo and Idleb ACF will continue with the same monitoring methodology for NFI distribution In regard to Aleppo and Idleb governorates, ACF agreed with SARC to hire a field monitor in Aleppo to follow up both areas IOM UNDP Registration, Direct observation for around 70 % of the activities (due to security reasons and approvals), Post evaluation and satisfaction survey. Procurement of NFIs is done based on identified needs at area based level through local NGOs and field teams. Field teams attend the distribution process and take photos, conduct interviews with beneficiaries and document stories. UNDP receives post distribution reports from local partners including number, name and gender of beneficiaries. Results are accordingly integrated in the 4W Monitoring and evaluation are going to be more involved in NFI distribution, members of monitoring team will be there, checking specification, distribution, criteria of distribution, in addition to warehousing monitoring, to check the items randomly before distributing them to beneficiaries, whether the warehouse belongs to IOM or the partners. UNDP will maintain the previous procedures. No future planned activities. The security situation, Approvals, Local partners capacity, the spread of IDPs and their multiple displacement. Since UNDP adopts a local procurement approach, some delays in delivery could occur due to limited production capacity. To overcome this, UNDP increases its technical assistance and capacity development of the local workshops through its livelihoods restoration programme. distributions Agree on a standard tools for the sector, Assess the capacity of the local partners and enhance it in terms of self-monitoring and evaluation, Conduct a joint monitoring visits, Shared evaluation reports and results during the sector meetings, Conduct a shared impact study. Third party monitoring can be promoted in areas where UN agencies has no presence. 1 The following information was collected by the sector coordination team from agency staff through email and/or interviews. Other member agencies inputs are pending at the time of writing. 3

Agency Current monitoring practices Future planned monitoring activities Constraints Proposed way forward PU Until May 2014: NFI monitoring activities were conducted by SARC volunteers (3 per Governorate) trained and contracted by PU, in each SARC branch (with 1 monitoring form). Since May 2014: SARC did not allow INGOs/PU to have Monitors. INGOs must rely on monthly reports provided by SARC. (this decision is recently changed, see next column). SARC recently agreed to allow INGOs to have 1 NFI Distribution Monitors per Governorate. PU is now launching the recruitment for Monitors accordingly, who will monitor a part of the distributions done by SARC. They will use a common questionnaire, also approved by SARC recently. According to the current irregularity and geographical spread of distributions, PU and its donors cannot fund 1 fully dedicated Monitor per governorate in all its areas of interventions, as As a first step, 3 Distribution Monitors will be hired and will monitor a selection of distribution points. SOS Syria Trust SARC Meeting local Communities, Family Visit, Assessment, Registration,Direct observation, Post evaluation and satisfaction survey. Depends on the area/location; if it is included in Syria Trust plan there will be Staff team for assessment, if not, the Syria Trust will depend on local NGOs to make the needs assessment in order to fulfill the needs. In the case of distribution, the distribution (and PDM) reports format of UNHCR is used, as well as taking photos. Monitoring through field visits, Questionnaire, Surveys, and Feedback forms The same process and practices used at present. Syria Trust data will be used for electronic mapping detailing who takes what and where. The map, based on the ST database, will provide details on who/what/when/where in relation to the beneficiary. Continue with same practices requested by SARC. Governmental Approvals, Security Situation. No monitoring constraints reported. Security situation, timeliness and content accuracy Standard Kits, Assess the capacity of the local partners and enhance it in terms of self monitoring and evaluation, Shared evaluation reports and results during the sector meeting, Conduct a shared impact study and assessments, For distributing items to be more effective share Budget and items for each sub districts before distribution So each organizations takes the responsibility of a group of sub districts. Maintain the previous measures for now. Refine and double-check on field visits. 4

Agency Current monitoring practices Future planned monitoring activities Constraints Proposed way forward GOPA GOPA s registration department registers the number of beneficiaries and their specific needs according to individual meetings in which every family will declare their needs for this month. After registering they have a card issued by GOPA with a barcode, misuse/duplication is prevented through this mechanism. After distributing the kits there is a team with a specific role to call the beneficiaries by phone and receive feedback about how this kit is suitable and if any problems occured. Another team does random visits in the field collecting the feedback. GOPA will make no changes to the current monitoring practices. GOPA does not participate in InterAgency Convoys, as they are not allowed to have beneficiary lists; they will not participate unless they are free to monitor the distribution. Other constraints are security concerns. will maintain the previous measures for now. UNHCR TDH UNHCR staff carry out monitoring during NFI distributions when / where possible. UNHCR generally conducts field monitoring visits among IPs upon their receipt of NFIs. IP monitoring forms indicate the current stock of the partner plus the targeted beneficiaries and other details which allow for checking. UNHCR relies on its operational partners to do the monitoring in the inaccessible areas and is being done through the stock monitoring form on weekly basis. UNHCR through partners and UNHCR staff carries out limited post-distribution monitoring to collect feedback from beneficiaries. This is done through a PDM form, and information such as item satisfaction and preferred new/additional NFIs are collected. Monitoring missions conducted by a team of staff members to distribution points, Reports from implementing partner. In addition to continuing the currect practice, UNHCR will soon launch a "Prjoect Tracking Database" for use by all partners. It is a web-based programme initially developed as a remote monitoring project for the Iraq operation. The "PTD" requires distributing agencies to upload geographic details, photos, and descriptions for every distribution (including the enddelivery point/place of use by the beneficiary). Details on the "PTD" are available with UNHCR. Opportunities for sharing the database will be shared with the sector, however, at this time the PTD is set to the UNHCR RBM system. Maintain current practices lack of access to hard-toreach areas, plus lack of Armored Vehicles (need due to security regs) which will allow for more field visits. Need for improved capacity amongst partners doing the monitoring (number and knowledge/skills for monitoring). Approvals or permissions for the monitoring missions especially when expatriates are involved, conflicts or clashes, access to the besieged areas. Maintain previous measures, pursue use of the PTD Possibility to have third party or employees in the various locations (aid employee could function as monitor for more than one agency, particularly in hard to reach areas). 5

Agency Current monitoring practices Future planned monitoring activities Constraints Proposed way forward DRC is monitoring NFI distributions through phone SARC did not previously calls to the different SARC branches and through field authorize DRC to have visit (few) done by national and international staff. Ad field monitors. Few hoc visits of 1-2 days at distribution points and SARC request for field visits branches; were approved; DRC UNRWA All distributions are carried out by UNRWA staff at UNRWA distribution points, and senior and international staff conduct regular spot checks to assess compliance with SOPs. Various logistical systems (warehouse manifests, load notes, goods received notes, etc.) are used/ compared against programme/ops data to ensure consistency. DRC has been authorized by SARC to employ one NFI monitor per governorate of operation (so for DRC 4 staff: Homs (1), Aleppo (1), Damascus and Rural Damascus (1), Dara a (1)). The monitors will liaise on a daily basis with SARC branches and visit the distribution points, and ideally talks to beneficiaries. All operation will be implemented through a monitoring form. DRC would also like to install a feed-back box in each SARC distribution point (or in as many as possible) with monitoring form to be filled in by the beneficiaries. Recently established Area Support Officer programme, which will deploy international staff to each of the areas (North, Central, South, Damascus) will improve ability to monitor and manage distributions, feeding into operational policy. Access and field assessment availability. Agencies should pursue having an umbrella monitoring mechanism shared by all agencies working in NFIs, approved by SARC which constitutes the monitoring framework, and inside it each agency have its own monitoring mechanism. In this way some monitoring can be done interagency or shared. Also information can be shared among agencies working in NFIs. Ref. Area Support Officer Programme. Endorsed by NFI Sector Working Group, 9 March 2015 6