Publication: Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for the National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy and Action Plan in Romania
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2015-11
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2016-04-18
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In support of the Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Program of Romania (LCGGP), the World Bank has prepared the current report with the aim of helping the Romanian Government to operationalize the strategic path chosen by the country for implementing its National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy 2016-20302 (NSCC) and the associated 2016-2020 Action Plan for Climate Change (APCC). This includes some relevant institutional arrangements and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) activities for existing Climate Change (CC) related policies and measures, notably those derived from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol, plus the requirements for European Union (EU) Member States regarding the monitoring and evaluation of the EU-level climate and energy package and the Europe 2020 goals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. It was recommended that the Romanian government should build upon current obligations for M&E of public policies, whilst recognizing that the M&E system initially established for the NSCC and APCC for Romania must not be considered as static, but rather as an on-going continuum that will evolve, expand and improve over time. The report highlights some key weaknesses in institutional capacity for CC-related M&E and identifies several sector-specific examples of areas for improvement. The report usefully reviews international good practices for the M&E of CC strategies and action plans under the headings of General good practice; Green Growth good practices; Special considerations for CC adaptation (including the selection of indicators), and; European examples (including short case studies on relevant M&E practices from Germany and France). In order to facilitate the necessary learning processes for policy-makers and other key stakeholders it is recommended that the Romanian government adopts a “theory-based” approach (in conjunction with the OECD DAC criteria) as the evaluation framework for the NSCC and APCC. The theory-based approach follows an iterative process of design, evaluation, and redesign based on lessons learned about whether specific interventions are successful or not, why they succeeded or failed and how they can be improved. The report concludes with numerous additional practical recommendations for development of a simple, affordable and cost effective M&E system for the NSCC and APCC. These recommendations are grouped into four categories: (i) general recommendations; (ii) recommendations for improving institutional arrangements; (iii) recommendations for developing a solid evaluation framework; and (iv) recommendations for reporting. Finally, to ensure a robust framework, the M&E and Reporting system should clearly define goals, indicators, responsibilities and communication strategies. It should facilitate continuous learning by policy-makers and other key stakeholders in order to underpin the long-term development of the knowledge and understanding needed to better design, implement and deliver future CC strategies and action plans for Romania.
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“World Bank. 2015. Developing Monitoring and Evaluation Systems for the National Climate Change and Low Carbon Green Growth Strategy and Action Plan in Romania. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24071 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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