Sector monitoring and evaluation systems in the context of changing aid modalities: the case of Rwanda’s health sector

The 2005 Paris Declaration (PD) outlines donor-recipient reform for effective aid, emphasizing core principles like 'ownership,' 'alignment,' 'harmonization,' 'managing for results,' and 'mutual accountability,' reaffirmed in the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action (AAA). Progress is gauged by 12 indicators. The 'management for results' indicator assesses countries with transparent frameworks for national development and sector programs, comprising sub-components like 'stakeholder access to information' and 'coordinated country-level M&E.' Despite donor commitments, reform implementation is slow, with only three out of 54 countries having adequate frameworks. To overcome challenges, a pragmatic two-track approach is proposed, combining long-term recipient M&E system development with short and medium-term activities. This paper focuses on health Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) M&E development in Rwanda, emphasizing Joint (Sector) Reviews. The assessment relies on secondary and primary data, aiming to strengthen national M&E systems for effective performance assessment.