Mechanism of Monitoring Evaluation

The Executive Secretariat has developed a number of tools for the monitoring of its activities and those of the partners that contribute to the implementation of the Convergence Plan. It is including a dashboard on the monitoring of the implementation of the Convergence Plan, a Gantt chart of monitoring of the activities of the annual work plans of the Executive Secretariat. The achievements resulting from the implementation of the Convergence Plan are disseminated through reports, annual and biennial reports and briefing notes on the state of progress of the activities of the COMIFAC.

In the concern to improve the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Convergence Plan, a device follow-up evaluation focused on the results is in the course of the operationalization at the COMIFAC. This system should in the long term to allow the COMIFAC and its partners: (i) put in coherence the various frameworks programmatic and operational; (ii) to improve the positive impact resulting from the implementation of the Convergence Plan on the populations of member countries, such as sought in the vision and purpose of the Convergence Plan; (iii) to measure the state of progress of the implementation of the Convergence Plan, in order that the Council of Ministers appreciate the level of implementation of policies and take decisions (Treaty, Art.9); (iv) to proceed with the periodic evaluations of the implementation of the Convergence Plan in order to better understand the reasons for successes or Of the potential failures of the implementation of the Convergence Plan; (v) to share national experiences and enhance good practices in order to improve future actions, to respond to the principle of the management based on the results (GAR); (vi) to establish bridges with other initiatives (OFAC) in order to develop synergies and to better collect the information available; and (vii) to inform to real time the stakeholders on the performance of the implementation of the Convergence Plan (countries, organizations, partners).

The Executive Secretariat has developed a number of tools for the monitoring of its activities and those of the partners that contribute to the implementation of the Convergence Plan. It is including a dashboard on the monitoring of the implementation of the Convergence Plan, a Gantt chart of monitoring of the activities of the annual work plans of the Executive Secretariat. The achievements resulting from the implementation of the Convergence Plan are disseminated through reports, annual and biennial reports and briefing notes on the state of progress of the activities of the COMIFAC.

In the concern to improve the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the Convergence Plan, a device follow-up evaluation focused on the results is in the course of the operationalization at the COMIFAC. This system should in the long term to allow the COMIFAC and its partners: (i) put in coherence the various frameworks programmatic and operational; (ii) to improve the positive impact resulting from the implementation of the Convergence Plan on the populations of member countries, such as sought in the vision and purpose of the Convergence Plan; (iii) to measure the state of progress of the implementation of the Convergence Plan, in order that the Council of Ministers appreciate the level of implementation of policies and take decisions (Treaty, Art.9); (iv) to proceed with the periodic evaluations of the implementation of the Convergence Plan in order to better understand the reasons for successes or Of the potential failures of the implementation of the Convergence Plan; (v) to share national experiences and enhance good practices in order to improve future actions, to respond to the principle of the management based on the results (GAR); (vi) to establish bridges with other initiatives (OFAC) in order to develop synergies and to better collect the information available; and (vii) to inform to real time the stakeholders on the performance of the implementation of the Convergence Plan (countries, organizations, partners).

Operation of the device in the system of follow-up and evaluation
The mécanicisme follow-up evaluation of the COMIFAC is based on:
the monitoring of performance indicators (indicators of effects and results) such that resumed in the Convergence Plan and the chain of results and indicators;
the periodic monitoring of indicators of impact in the areas ecological, economic and social;
a pooling of efforts to improve the knowledge of the different systems of observatory of Forests of Central Africa.

This mechanism is described in the Manual of follow-up and evaluation of the COMIFAC developed in 2014, and which defines the technical procedures, functional and organizational system of follow-up and evaluation of both the national level and sub-regional levels by all stakeholders. In this manual, it is clear the following tools in the course of the operationalization:

• A planning system of different frameworks programmatic and operational (convergence plan, plans of operations the Triennial, plans of actions biennial, annual work plans, etc.)
• a platform (Online database) of the follow-up and evaluation of the implementation of the Convergence Plan and other sub-regional initiatives of the COMIFAC;
• a system of data collection at the national level at the sub-regional level in link with the system OFAC;
• a system of capitalization and the management of information with a access to data via the web portal of the COMIFAC;
• a system for the dissemination and sharing of information.

Roles of stakeholders in the system of follow-up and evaluation
The main actors involved in the system of follow-up and evaluation of the Convergence Plan and their roles are the following:

• National Representatives of the administrations and/or directions sectoral technical: Pilotage for forest programs/National Environmental, projects and initiatives, documentation of indicators and level of advancement, collection and transfer of information to the TNC and the national observatories;
• CNC/observatories: centralisation and transmission of information, Interlocutor COMIFAC for sectoral administrations and national actors, animation of sectors and actors;
• thematic working groups: thematic Council with the se COMIFAC, Proposal for decisions, information transfer to the SE COMIFAC;
• ECCAS and organizations of the Treaty of the COMIFAC: collection of data, Transmission and sharing of information on the achievements of the Convergence Plan;
• Executive Secretariat COMIFAC: recipient of information, animation of the follow-up evaluation, seizure and analysis of information for monitoring and evaluation, and sharing and dissemination in collaboration with the FOCA;
• Council of Ministers: Pilotage and making decisions on the conservation and sustainable management;
• Summit of Heads of State: definition of broad political lines, adjustments and policy guidelines.

To this, are added the projects, programs, initiatives and activities at the national level and sub-regional, implemented and monitored by the management units, sub-regional, regional and international organizations, partners, the private sector operators, under the coordination or the supervision of the Executive Secretariat.

Diagram of the flow of information of the COMIFAC monitoring system