Reshaping Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Locally Led Adaptation

The paper advocates for transforming traditional monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) into a locally led process to better support climate adaptation. It emphasizes the need to balance power asymmetries, prioritize local knowledge, and ensure that MEL creates value for local actors rather than serving only upward accountability to donors. The author provides a framework of considerations—such as addressing structural inequalities and prioritizing learning—and recommends specific operational steps for funders and practitioners to increase local agency and effectiveness in adaptation interventions.

• The paper recommends a systemic transition from traditional MEL to a model that is locally led, adaptive, and context-aware to balance power asymmetries and promote mutual accountability.
• To operationalize locally led adaptation, MEL systems should prioritize downward accountability and learning over traditional upward accountability to donors.
• Effective MEL for locally led adaptation must actively identify and respond to structural inequalities and power dynamics to prevent biased results and ensure local priorities are reflected.
• The paper identifies five key considerations for the MEL cycle: responding to structural inequalities, promoting local agency in decision-making, understanding climatic and contextual uncertainty, prioritizing learning, and generating value for local stakeholders.
• Capacity building for MEL should be demand-driven, allowing local actors to determine their own needs for external expertise and information access.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Reshaping Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Locally Led Adaptation. https://www.wri.org/research/reshaping-monitoring-evaluation-and-learning-locally-led-adaptation

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Reshaping Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Locally Led Adaptation. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/reshaping-monitoring-evaluation-and-learning-locally-led-adaptation.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Reshaping Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Locally Led Adaptation |url=https://www.wri.org/research/reshaping-monitoring-evaluation-and-learning-locally-led-adaptation |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendreshaping, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Reshaping Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning for Locally Led Adaptation}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/reshaping-monitoring-evaluation-and-learning-locally-led-adaptation}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }