“Leave no one behind” is a global call by Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are integral parts of the programming cycle. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have embraced the importance of M&E to ensure accountability, transparency and progress tracking across 17 goals and 169 targets. The 2030 Agenda calls the member countries to lead the track progress on indicators, follow-up and review ensuring participation and inclusion. M&E facilitates learning and adapting what works where. These are possible through capacity building of stakeholders for their engagement. This is not just a matter of one institution, not the other, one person, not the other. In short, M&E is the backbone of the SDG journey to ensure that the ambition is met through actions backed up by evidence.

Nepal has institutionalised the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for development planning and implementation. The Constitution of Nepal 2015 enshrines the M&E principles as part of governance for evidence-based decision-making and planning. The Government of Nepal (GoN) has enacted the M&E Act 2024 to promote transparent, accountable, and inclusive governance at the federal, provincial, and local levels.

The National Planning Commission (NPC) serves as a central organisation for development programming, including monitoring and evaluation. To enhance the effectiveness of development programs and projects, the NPC has published the National Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines, which systematise and improve the M&E process. Additionally, the NPC prepared and operationalised the Integrated National Evaluation Action Plan (2016-2020), which prioritises actions to strengthen the M&E system.

The National Development Action Committee (NDAC), led by the Prime Minister of Nepal, assesses the implementation of development plans, policies, programs, and projects. Meanwhile, the Ministerial Development Action Committee (MDAC), overseen by the Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC), monitors progress and addresses vital issues and policy discussions. Prior to MDAC meetings, which are conducted by the relevant ministers, there are gatherings to discuss policies and programmes at the ministerial level. Ministries and departments have dedicated units for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) tasks, either operating independently or in collaboration with planning units.

The Constitution of Nepal envisions the role of civil societies in development programming. To that end, several Voluntary Organisations of Professional Evaluators (VOPEs) are actively engaged in developing the M&E fields. The NPC started consulting with the VOPEs to review the progress of the 15th plan and draft the 16th plan.

International agencies are engaged in strengthening the national evaluation capacities. Evaluation Conclaves held in 2013, 2015 and 2022 were some examples that the international development partners supported for national evaluation capacity building.

Despite the initiatives and achievements, there are some areas to focus on. The national evaluation capacity needs to be strengthened with the change in development paradigm shifts and advancing information and communication technologies, including the application of artificial intelligence. The institutional and individual capacity needs to be strengthened in monitoring and evaluation skills. The funding needs to be adequately allocated and appropriately utilised. USAID evaluation policy provisions around three per cent programme budget for third-party evaluation. Data integration and access as open data are areas of improvement. The M&E findings need to be applied for planning and decision-making as a continuous learning process. This will help take the M&E function not only as a donor-driven requirement. The private sector needs to be engaged.