HO-PSI Impact Measurement The Strategic Partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oxfam Novib and SOMO is called #Towards a worldwide influencing network#. This programme runs from 2016 till 2020 and includes three themes: Right to food; Greater responsibility in finance for development; Conflict and fragility.This partnership constitutes a unique opportunity to learn about the effect of influencing strategies and test the assumptions underlying the related theories of change, thereby cementing Oxfam Novib#s drive to be a knowledge driven organisation. Therefore, a common monitoring, evaluation and learning approach has been developed for the Strategic Partnership at programme and project level. Under this project, the Impact Measurement and Knowledge team will:
# Coordinate the common approach to Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning,
# Measure the impact of all work that are geared towards the outcomes that seek #to increase citizen#s voice# and/or #shift norms and attitudes (qualitative and quantitative research)
# Coordinate the overalldevelopment and implementation of the Outcome Harvesting Methodology
# Coordinate the overall knowledge framework and its implementation (incl. knowledge creation and learning events)
The three thematic themes covered by this programme each have a theory of change (ToC), with global campaigns, multi-country and country projects funded under each programme area that align with these global programme theory of change. The strategic partnership includes Oxfam Novib and SOMO#s influencing work and shows that building capacities and sharing expertise are core to our work, not only to assure quality performance and impact but also to contribute to building a strong civil society.

The objective of the monitoring, evaluation and learning framework of the Strategic Partnership as a whole and of all project MEAL strategies that fall under it is threefold:
1. Ensure accountability:
a. To the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and general public to account for the results of the partnership and the resources used. The accountability requirements toward the ministry are described in their grant decision. They include doing a baseline measurement, reporting using the IATI standard, high level and brief analyses of progress, and an external evaluation that is guided by an External Reference Group.
b. To partners, beneficiaries and other key stakeholders to ensure their active implication in the results of the programme
2. Ensure support to the management of the programme: at program and project level, providing suitable information that allows the Strategic Partnership#s management, Theory of Change Leads and project teams to take effective and timely decisions and actions in order to assure quality results.
3. Ensure learning takes place at different levels:
a. Learning about strategic developmental queries in the context of Oxfam Novib and SOMO#s Knowledge Agenda
b. Learning about the programmatic theories of change that underpin the Strategic Partnership, both atthe programmatic level and at the country-specific project level
c. Supporting learning path of partners and other relevant stakeholders
The common approach to MEAL seeks to strike a balance between measuring results at the project level, providing country and context specific information, and ensuring the comparability of results at the thematic programme or outcome level, in order to allow for programme-level learning and cross-country analysis. The approach thus includes elements that will be the same across all projects funded under the Strategic Partnership, whilst also allowing adaptation to the local context and project. The Strategic Partnership aims at results classified in seven outcome areas. Each of these will be measured using, in principal 3 main common methodologies:
1. Outcome harvesting will be used to measure the effects of our interventions aimed at Improved policies of governments and global actors; Improved policies of private sector actors; Increased political will and strengthened civil society organisations (CSOs)
2. Capacity assessments will be made to measure the results of our work aiming at strengthened CSOs and stronger and wider alliances
3. Surveys and stories of change will be used to measure the results of our work aiming at increased citizens# voice and shifted norms and attitude