Results-based management and reporting on development cooperation

The Government Programme provides a framework for the objectives of Finland’s development policy and its partnerships and programmes. The results are monitored and a number of common indicators are used to create an overall picture of Finland’s development policy and its effectiveness.

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Individual programmes’ results are normally reviewed once a year. This includes assessment of how the programme has succeeded in achieving the expected results, what challenges have been met, and in what direction the activities should be taken in future. Based on the results of individual programmes, more general observations are also made to support learning and promotion of development policy in broader contexts.

Theories of change support guidance, monitoring and evaluation

The theories of change based on Finland’s priority areas supplement the general impact objectives set by the Government by providing more detailed information on the most important outcomes and outputs in our development policy. The theories of change also illustrate the mechanisms through which Finland’s development policy contributes to global sustainable development or to the implementation of the so-called humanitarian imperative. They support the guidance, monitoring and evaluation of activities.

Development policy is carried out in line with the objectives set out in the theories of change so that different entities, such as country programmes, multilateral advocacy, cooperation with civil society organisations, and cooperation with the private sector are linked to the objectives in a manner that is appropriate for the activity in question.

The theories of change also help to form a picture of thematic entities to which individual actions or projects belong. Using them, it is easier to tell about Finland's development policy priorities and clarify different parties’ accountability and responsibilities, as well as to analyse Finland's own input in international development results.

Aggregate indicators and reporting on results

The overall results of Finland's development policy are monitored using common aggregate indicators across different development cooperation instruments. The implementation is systematically directed based on the information obtained through the indicators.

The common aggregate indicators have been created based on the priority areas of development policy. This enables comprehensive reporting on results, which combines data from programmes and various forms of cooperation from different parts of the world. This leads to a more accurate picture of the results of Finland’s development policy around the world.

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