Happy New Year from Afghanistan!

Bryony Norman – Project Coordinator Happy New Year to all my readers, and thanks for your patience in waiting for the next update. As I highlighted in my last blog, I’ve been back in the UK for a few meetings and for some much needed festive fun over the last three weeks. I arrived back in Kabul last Tuesday to snow (hurrah!) and have been settling back into the remote monitoring and accountability research ever since! I had a couple of great meetings whilst I was in the UK – lots of interest from other humanitarian programmes within my own organisation (Tearfund) in the research that is being undertaken, as well as continued interest from the likes of CAFOD and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). I will be embarking this week on the final consultation meetings that I have arranged with project stakeholders. Unlike the initial round of interviews with stakeholders, (the focus of which was primarily on highlighting the issues experienced or anticipated in remotely managed projects for effective project monitoring and beneficiary accountability), this final round of discussion will largely focus on drawing out existing good practices to address and improve remote monitoring and accountability, as well as reviewing the practicality of good practices that I have developed. There are approximately ten stakeholders that will specifically be included in this follow-up discussions, but I would thoroughly encourage my readers to post any comments, feedback, ideas, or good practices in response to this blog :) It really is key to try and get this project demand-led and interactive as possible, and I so appreciate the posts and comments that I have already received. I would also like to thank all those who have sent feedback to me on the interim research report that has been posted (currently available on this website – check it out if you haven’t done so already!) There have been a lot of interesting comments made, and suggestions of how I can improve the quality of findings and assessment in the final report. One such recommendation was that greater focus on beneficiary accountability is required. I will be speaking to a contact at the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership International (HAP) next week, as well a contact with an INGO in Somalia in order to ascertain some more information that can be used to improve the effectiveness of beneficiary accountability systems for remotely managed projects. There has also been sustained interest in the debate surrounding risk transfer between international and national / local staff in situations of remote management. Whilst this is something that was briefly covered in the interim research report, it has been suggested that this is an area that I can draw out further in the final report that will be written. I’d like to use this space to encourage you as readers to post any comments, experiences, views etc. that you have on the issue or risk transfer between international staff and national / local staff in situations of remote management (which all have the outcome of reducing international staff presence in an insecure project location, and apportioning greater responsibility to local and national counterparts in order to continue project implementation, monitoring, evaluation etc.). Some readers of the interim report feel that inadequate risk assessment is undertaken before making decisions to revert to remote management approaches, particularly in view of the risks associated for local and national staff. Other stakeholders, however, firmly hold that the risks are different for local, national, and international staff, and that remote management approaches can be successful without involving the unethical transfer of risk to local and national staff members and/or partners. What was a key recommendation by all who commented on this issue is that thorough risk assessment is essential, and that there is space to improve this in future. Please do post your comments on this topic or contact me directly on [email protected]. I have alluded in this blog and in several previously, to the final project report which will be drafted as part of this project. I am embarking this week on the plan for this report and will be working on it in the next four weeks. Currently, I plan to be able to share this report publically with you on this website by end 15 February 2012. I am always interested to consult more stakeholders and to hear from you your views on the project. I do encourage you to post any comments that you have; to take a look at the materials related to this project that have already been posted on this website, or; to contact me directly via email. I look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your timing in reading this :) Until next time, Bryony