Evaluation of Environmental Peacebuilding Projects in the Middle East - Towards a Framework that Captures Real Impacts
Publisher: Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences
Author(s): Charleen Malkowsky
Date: 2019
Topics: Assessment, Cooperation, Monitoring and Evaluation, Programming
This research was conducted in order to close the knowledge gap relating to suitable evaluation methodologies for Environmental Peacebuilding approaches. While the field of environmental peacebuilding continuously grew, there is extremely little research that has focussed on strategies to capture real impact of these interdisciplinary interventions, covering intended and unintended, anticipated and unanticipated, negative and positive, short and long-term outcomes. Thus, this research aims to create an initial guiding framework for such monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approaches. Therefore, this research conducted a first literature review to define some categories, questions and criteria which structured the gathering of data from multiple perspectives: a global expert survey was conducted in order to create a reference point of what is perceived to be important to consider from the international perspective; two in-depth case studies with the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) and EcoPeace, assessing current mechanisms used as well as the perception on its effectiveness of beneficiaries and staff members; and a rigor literature review coupled with in-depth expert interviews. This data was then put through a sense-making process by analysing and discussing the criteria through the lenses of the different data sources.