State Parties to the CRC have committed to upholding the best interests of the child as a primary consideration in all decision-making that affects children. This requires an understanding of the results, effects and impacts of project, programme and policy initiatives on children, their rights and their well-being.

At the EC, monitoring entails the ongoing analysis of progress towards achieving planned results with the aim of improving decision-making throughout the implementation phase. Monitoring provides information on current project or programme progress in order to take remedial action and update plans.

Evaluation can be undertaken during implementation (ex-ante or mid-term evaluation) or after project/programme completion (ex-post). Its aim is to document past performance, identify lessons learned and make recommendations for follow-up action.

How monitoring and evaluation issues are framed, how key questions are articulated, what relative weight they are given, and who is involved in undertaking monitoring and evaluation activities, all have a bearing on what will be assessed and what could be overlooked. If child rights are not mainstreamed in monitoring and evaluation processes, opportunities to maximise benefits for children or to mitigate any negative effects on their rights and well-being can be missed.