UNDP’s Prevention Offer and Strategic Plan (2022-2025) prioritises investments in strengthening data quality, usage and availability to enable better decision-making when it comes to development-based PVE programming. Member states have requested assessing impact, while human rights and civil society partners have demanded more investments into M&E for scientifically-based PVE programming, including an accurate understanding of local needs. 

Investments in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are essential to ensure a scientific basis for PVE, evidence of impact, and a human rights-based approach. M&E is necessary to identify whether and how PVE interventions generate measurable change - and ultimately for adaptive programming. To this end, UNDP has developed frameworks and toolkits aiming at improving the impact of projects and programmes. One of these is the Toolkit for PVE Design, Monitoring and Evaluation.

Therefore, M&E for PVE aims to target the specific populations most affected by push and pull factors of violent extremism (VE), ensures participation and inclusion of CSOs including women and youth-led NGOs, and are nationally owned and sustainable. 

M&E demonstrates measurable change, which help identify “what works” to effectively prevent violent extremism for evidence-based programming. UNDP has seen a 50 percent increase* in the number of countries with capacities to produce data related to violent extremism, where World Data Forum and Peacebuilding Support Office acknowledge UNDP PVE’s M&E innovations. A Global UNDP PVE reporting framework was developed, capacity assessments conducted and proven practices identified. UNDP has also designed a Toolkit for PVE Design, Monitoring and Evaluation.

*Data from 2021 PVE Annual Report.