Section 1.8. MEAL and accountability Those involved and invested in your NHRIs activity should actively take part in all stages of the MEAL process and shift the focus from your NHRI’s performance to the impact of its activity on the intended outcomes. This enables the voices of participants, particularly vulnerable groups, to be heard. It draws on local knowledge, stimulates dialogue and mutual learning and creates wider ‘ownership’ of the findings of the MEAL.6 When engaging with participants, consider the impact of intersectional characteristics which play out in various ways and combinations and in different contexts, such as: • gender • race • disability • age • socio-economic status/class • caste • indigeneity • sexual orientation • sex characteristics • rurality • migrant and refugee status • the influence of societal power relationships When deciding the MEAL methodology, (Section 3.3) choose the approach that best enables ‘those impacted’ (participants) to be involved in the MEAL processes. This involves: • selecting indicators and baselines, • providing information on what was and was not achieved, for whom and why, • analysing and verifying the results, • contributing to the learning from the MEAL. To ensure the accountability of your MEAL results, feed them back to those who have been involved in the project (participants) or are affected by it or have some influence on its outcome (stakeholders). Stakeholders could be internal to your NHRI or external, such as local and national government officials, civil society organisations, private sector organisations and international donor agencies. 25