GAMET HIV Monitoring & Evaluation Resource Library

‘Managing for development results’ and ‘improving aid effectiveness’ are becoming the mantras of development.

The growing international demand for transparent and quantifiable development results has led to pressure to measure HIV results and improve HIV responses.

M&E are symbiotic processes that are used to measure results and thereby improve aid effectiveness. M&E measure the consequences of development actions: they answer the ‘so what’ question. (Kusek and Rist, 2004). HIV M&E is important in providing an understanding of where the HIV response is at any given point. For example, monitoring can provide an estimate of the proportion of the population who know their HIV status. Evaluation, on the other hand, indicates why targets (e.g. reduced number of new HIV infections) and outcomes (e.g. changes in high-risk sexual behaviour) are being, or not being, achieved (Kusek and Rist, 2004). If the data collected through monitoring and evaluation are accurate, valid and available at the time when decisions are being made, this will:

a. Increase the accountability of those involved in implementing HIV interventions;
b. Help decision makers understand the causes of good and poor performance in the HIV response (MacKay, 2007);
c. Improve the decisions being made about and the management of the HIV response.

To measure results from HIV efforts, systems are needed. GAMET built this Resource Library to help build HIV M&E systems.

What is the Resource Library?
Why was the Resource Library developed?
Who are the audiences for the Resource Library?
What are the benefits of the Resource Library?
How have stakeholders referred to in the Library been grouped and classified?
Who developed the Resource Library?

What is the GAMET HIV Monitoring and Evaluation Resource Library?

The GAMET HIV Monitoring and Evaluation Resource Library is a set of electronic resources (HowTo guides, tools, guidelines, country examples and other electronic resources) for the building, strengthening and maintenance of national, sub-national and sectoral HIV monitoring and evaluation systems. The electronic resources include national HIV databases; job descriptions of national HIV M&E unit staff; terms of references for consultants to develop different aspects of M&E systems; user manuals; M&E operational plans; model budgets and costings; survey protocols; standard PowerPoint presentations explaining different aspects of M&E systems; and other relevant documents.

Go here for a detailed catalogue of all the electronic files that are available for download as part of the Resource Library.

Why was the Resource Library developed?

1. To assist the World Bank to collect better data about the results of its HIV project contributions: Since it is the World Bank’s operational policy (see OP 13.60) to use country M&E systems to collect data about results to which World Bank-funded projects are contributing, it is in the World Bank’s direct interest to help countries build effective national HIV M&E systems. The information in the Resource Library will help TTLs to support HIV M&E systems through such Bank-funded HIV projects.

2. To support global efforts to harmonise development aid, improve the results of development efforts and ‘making HIV money work’: With the increased focus on planning for, measuring and achieving HIV response outcomes and results, there is an increased focus on the systems that enable such HIV results to be measured. This Resource Library provides resources to help build these national HIV M&E systems.

3. To document GAMET’s experience of what makes HIV M&E systems work or fail: Of the 18 published HIV M&E guidelines, only one focuses on national HIV M&E systems – the 2002 UNAIDS/World Bank M&E Operational Manual for National AIDS Councils. After many years of developing national HIV M&E systems, GAMET wanted to document its experience of what works, and provide a selection of standard M&E system documents that its staff and consultants have used in the process of building and supporting national HIV M&E systems. This is designed for M&E practitioners as a contribution to the ‘body of knowledge’ on HIV M&E systems building.

4. To showcase country examples of 'what works': Use of the same components in developing national HIV M&E systems in different countries has led to very variable experiences and a number of instructive lessons. This experience and other available information about the building of HIV M&E systems has been documented, to facilitate countries learning from one-another and developing a framework for future development.

Who can use the Resource Library?

Primary audience: World Bank TTLs working with Bank-funded HIV projects and members of the GAMET team. These users may elect, at their own discretion, to promote the use of the Resource Library by providing copies of this to other potential users.

Other potential users: Professionals, practitioners, academics, researchers and other interested parties who may find the contents of the Resource Library useful in building national and sub-national HIV M&E systems could include:

HIV M&E technical advisors (UNAIDS M&E advisers, US Government M&E officers, M&E staff of development partners, M&E advisers of the Global Fund’s Local Funding Agents, Global Fund M&E team members);
Consultants working in the field of HIV M&E;
Practioners and professionals who run HIV M&E training courses;
Managers of M&E units at the NACAs;
Members of HIV M&E technical working groups.
World Bank TTLs and persons working in the field of monitoring and evaluation in other sectors such as agriculture or child welfare, as these HIV M&E system components have multi-sector applicability.

Benefits of the Resource Library

It provides step-by-step guidelines for the development of a national HIV M&E system (and by implication sub-national and sectoral HIV M&E systems) for advisors and professionals who have never participated in the development of such a system;
It gives examples and templates of documents relating to a functional national HIV M&E system that can be used when building HIV M&E systems;
It provides materials and resources that can be used when training M&E professionals in how to build HIV M&E systems;
It can be used as part of a continuing professional development of existing M&E system building practitioners. It could, for example, be effectively used as part of an induction process into the field of national HIV M&E system building; and
It will help to harmonise M&E tools and approaches, by making GAMET’s experience in building HIV M&E systems widely available.

Stakeholder classification in the Resource Library

Throughout the Resource Library, stakeholders involved in HIV and in HIV M&E at the national and sub-national level, and in the different sectors, have been grouped and referred to according to a standard taxonomy (classification principles).

Who developed the Resource Library?

The World Bank is a committed partner in the fight against HIV and AIDS. GHAP was set up in 2002 to strengthen institutional capacity across World Bank operations to respond to the epidemic, provide specialised technical expertise and knowledge, and support cross-cutting and multi-sectoral engagement. GHAP also hosts the GAMET. The Resource Library was developed by GAMET, with input from some partners.