Integrated national financing frameworks: Monitoring and review

Monitoring and review is a key component of an effective integrated national financing framework (INFF). Monitoring and review systems bring together the information required by policymakers and facilitate transparency and accountability in INFF implementation and related activities and reforms. These systems facilitate learning, improve the effectiveness of financing policies, and enable policymakers to adjust course when conditions change.

All levels of government are responsible for monitoring and review activities: central agencies, such as Ministries of Planning and Ministries of Finance; line ministries with sector responsibilities; and, at the sub-national level, decentralized institutions. Non-state actors can also conduct monitoring and review activities to hold the government accountable (see guidance on Building Block 4 Governance and Coordination for the institutions and processes that can facilitate access to information by all stakeholders).

In the context of an INFF, monitoring and review brings together existing data and tracking systems from different types of finance and links them to results. INFF monitoring and review does not aim to replace or duplicate these systems. Rather INFF monitoring and review acts as an ‘integrator’ by streamlining monitoring efforts and information, providing government actors with access to policy-relevant information across multiple financing policy areas and feeding that information back into integrated policy-making processes.

The development of this guide was informed by an initial background paper on key concepts, case studies, illustrative examples and tools relevant to creating a successful INFF monitoring and review system. Sections 2 and 3 of this guide outline the value and role of INFF monitoring and review. Section 4 lays out relevant stakeholders and identifies potential entry points. Section 5 focuses on steps countries can take to strengthen relevant monitoring and review systems and ensure the required data and information to guide overall INFF implementation is gathered and used by policymakers.

National government officials are the primary audience, especially members of the INFF Oversight Committee and those with roles and responsibilities related to monitoring and review of financing flows and policies. The guide also provides a common reference point for the development partners that support countries in these efforts.