Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning | A Guide for NHRIs in the Asia Pacific Module 4: Learning from your MEAL work CHECKLIST: TAKING YOUR LEARNINGS ON BOARD As a sense check, reflect on the following questions about whether your NHRI is ready to learn from your MEAL results. If you undertook the same activity again, what would you do differently? Is the reporting of mistakes or failures positively encouraged? Do you feel confident to report what happened, rather than what you feel ought to have happened? Does learning from your MEAL include investigating what did not work as well as what did work? Did you ensure the involvement of different stakeholders in the selection, collection, analysis and use of data? Did you encourage diverse views, including gender diverse views? Did you build in feedback systems within your NHRI to ensure that all staff/commissioners regularly contributed to, reflected on, and used the new learning? CASE STUDY: HOW THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN/NHRI SAMOA PLANNED TO BUILD ITS MEAL CAPACITY In 2018, the Office of the Ombudsman/Samoa NHRI worked with the APF to develop and implement a monitoring and evaluation strategy in the Office. The strategy set short, medium and long-term outcomes for its MEAL work. Short-term MEAL outcomes 1. The development of a monitoring and evaluation strategy that meets the requirements of the Office of the Ombudsman/Samoa NHRI and the context of Samoa. (October 2018) 2. All staff are familiar with the strategy and there is an organisational expectation that it will be used. (Mid-December 2018) Medium-term MEAL outcomes 3. The monitoring and evaluation strategy has been tested across the organisation’s existing reports and recommendations and outcomes/indicators finalised. (End-June 2019) 4. The monitoring and evaluation strategy has been tested across the organisation’s activities over a period of 12 months, reviewed and finalised. (Mid-December 2019) Long-term MEAL outcomes 5. A monitoring and evaluation strategy is in place that: a) links to the Strategic Plan b) is used by all staff across all its activities c) effectively demonstrates the impact of its work. (To link with the timing of the current strategic plan – 2021) 6. There is a robust culture of monitoring and evaluation and continuous improvement in the Office as demonstrated by effective reporting on impacts and outcomes. (To link with the timing of the current strategic plan – 2021) 82