On April 30 and May 14, a two-day training titled “From Strategic Communication to Monitoring and Evaluation” was held as part of the “Empowerment Through Action: Rethinking the National Action Plan 3.0” program. The training brought together members of the inter-agency committee (hereinafter Committee) responsible for the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) under UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
The objective of the training was to strengthen the institutional capacities of the Committee, ensuring that the new NAP fully reflects the priorities and perspectives of local communities, particularly women. In collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the OxYGen Foundation developed the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework for the third NAP. For the first time, this framework will be embedded in the action plan itself, enabling a results-based approach.
The training was conducted within the scope of a capacity development plan designed last year based on a needs assessment of the Committee. It also addressed the fact that the M&E framework is a new tool for committee members, who needed the opportunity to engage with it in a hands-on, practical way.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a comprehensive training. It deepened my knowledge and equipped me with new skills. The training helped define realistic and measurable targets, identify accurate data sources, and demonstrated how strategic communication can support the achievement of NAP objectives.” — Lilit Badalyan, Specialist, International Communication and Protocol Division, Department of International Legal Cooperation, Ministry of Justice
The training focused on the effective application of strategic communication and the M&E framework, providing participants with practical tools to better structure and implement their work.
“The training was comprehensive and provided a holistic understanding of strategy, monitoring, and evaluation processes. It helped reinforce existing skills and capacities while introducing clear methodologies for working with strategies—such as creating reporting templates and applying data collection techniques.” — Margarita Mkrtchyan, Senior Instructor, Rescue Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
These materials will not only serve as effective tools for the Committee, but also as educational and awareness-raising resources to support stakeholders in better understanding the ongoing processes of the NAP and their roles within them.
Continuous capacity development for the Committee is crucial, especially since the monitoring and evaluation framework is a new instrument that requires specific competencies for effective implementation.
The Project is implemented by OxYGen Foundation within the “Building Resilience in Eastern Neighbourhood’’ project implemented by Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) with the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
