Remote Monitoring in SDC: Challenges and Opportunities

Remote management and monitoring have increasingly become accepted and necessary modes of practice for many humanitarian and development actors working in fragile and conflict-affected areas, where security risks are extreme. Through this accompaniment, the Humanitarian Learning Centre (HLC), which is a joint initiative of the Institute of Development Studies, the International Rescue Committee and Crown Agents, explored how remote monitoring is currently being used across SDC and the key challenges this brings. Remote monitoring is a widely used and accepted term but understandings of its meaning and purpose vary. The following definition agreed in the ToRs served as orientation for this study: Remote monitoring describes the monitoring of a) context evolution, b) implementation of programmes and its effects, c) performance and compliance of partner organisations in areas where physical access to project sites, affected populations and/or partner organisations is restricted or not possible.