Strengthening the Resilience of the Cook Islands to Climate Change

Project monitoring and evaluation (M&E) will be in accordance with established UNDP procedures and will carried out by the Project team, verified by the OPM and the UNDP Country Office in Samoa. Dedicated support by the technical adaptation teams in the UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre and UNDP New York will be provided on a regular basis. The Results Framework of the project defines success indicators for project implementation as well as the respective means of verification. A Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system for the project will be established, based on these indicators and means of verification. The indicators, targets and means of verification provided in the proposal to the Adaptation Fund will be reconfirmed during the inception phase of the project. Any changes to the Results Framework require approval by the Project Board.
       
A Project Inception Workshop will be conducted within four months of project start up with the full project team, relevant government counterparts, national stakeholders, partners, and UNDP. The Inception Workshop is crucial to building ownership for project results and to plan the first year annual work plan. A fundamental objective of the Inception Workshop will be to present the modalities of project implementation and execution, document mutual agreement for the proposed executive arrangements amongst stakeholders, and assist the project team to understand and take ownership of the project’s goals and objectives. Another key objective of the Inception Workshop is to introduce the project team which will support the project during its implementation. An Inception Workshop Report will be prepared and shared with participants to formalize various agreements decided during the meeting.

A UNDP risk log will be regularly updated in intervals of no less than every six months in which critical risks to the project have been identified. Quarterly Progress Reports will be prepared by the Project team and verified by the Project Board. Annual Project Reports will be prepared to monitor progress made since project start and in particular for the previous reporting period. These annual reports include, but are not limited to, reporting on the following:
 

• Progress made toward project objective and project outcomes - each with indicators, baseline data and end-of-project targets (cumulative);
• Project outputs delivered per project Outcome (annual);

• Lessons learned/good practices;
• Annual expenditure reports;
• Reporting on project risk management.

Government authorities, members of the Project Board and UNDP staff will conduct regular field visits to project sites based on the agreed schedule in the project's Inception Report/Annual Work Plan to assess first hand project progress.

In terms of financial monitoring, the project team will provide UNDP with certified periodic financial statements. The Audit will be conducted in accordance with UNDP Financial Regulations and Rules and applicable audit policies on UNDP projects by a legally recognized auditor of the Government, or by a commercial auditor engaged by the Government. During project implementation, Annual Work Plans (AWPs) and Quarterly Work Plans (QWPs) will be used to refine project delivery targets and realign project work upon consultation and endorsement by the Project Board.

The project will undergo an independent Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) at the mid-point of project implementation, which will determine progress being made toward the achievement of outcomes and identify course correction if needed. It will focus on the effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness of project implementation; highlight issues requiring decisions and actions; and present initial lessons learned about project design, implementation and management. Findings of this review will be incorporated as recommendations for the final half of the project’s term. A summative terminal evaluation will be conducted 3 months before project closure.