The APF has published a new resource to support national human rights institutions to develop, or strengthen, their monitoring and evaluation practices.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL): A Guide for NHRIs provides practical guidelines, tools and resources for NHRIs to integrate MEAL into their work.

The guide, available for download in English and Arabic, aims to support NHRIs to develop a MEAL framework and plan, enabling them to effectively monitor and evaluate their work, be accountable to their stakeholders, and learn from the results of their activities.

"NHRIs operate in increasingly complex and challenging political and cultural contexts where addressing human rights issues requires a long-term approach," APF Manager of Capacity Development Kate Turner-Mann said.

The guide is part of an overarching APF project to develop a MEAL resource package which will include a complementary online course. The project is currently in its pilot phase, with the online course to be finalised by mid-2021.

As part of the ongoing piloting of the project, the APF conducted a series of MEAL workshops with senior staff from Samoa's NHRI, the Office of the Ombudsman of Samoa, in November 2020.

On completing the workshops, senior leaders of the Office reported that they felt more familiar with MEAL and were able to develop and execute a MEAL framework and plan. They also reported that they felt more confident and comfortable discussing MEAL with their colleagues.

Drawing on the experiences of the Office, the MEAL resource and accompanying online course will be rolled out to other NHRIs in the Asia Pacific region.