The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) South Africa Strategic Information team in collaboration with the South African National Department of Health and together with its Implementing Partners organized a highly successful Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) All Partners Meeting from the June 20-21 2012 in Johannesburg.
The theme of the meeting was: “M&E in the time of transition: partnership, accountability and data quality”. The objectives of the meeting were:
Opening the meeting with remarks on transition, the United States Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Virginia Palmer underscored the role of quality M&E and reporting systems in evidence-based program management as critical for leveraging available resources, improving service delivery, and maximizing the impact of South Africa health programs.
This meeting marked an important milestone for improving HIV-related monitoring and evaluation of the South African Government and PEPFAR supported programs in South Africa.
The Deputy Director General from South Africa’s National Department of Health, Dr. Yogan Pillay, opened the plenary sessions with a presentation addressing the South African Government’s concerns for M&E during this time of transition and its vision for the partnership in the future.
This keynote address was followed by a presentation from PEPFAR Partners’ representatives and another presentation by PEPFAR/SA before a summary of the major issues coming out of all the presentations and action points towards an effective and efficient partnership.
In essence, the four plenary presentations set the stage and tone for the discussions on specific M&E issues for the duration of the meeting.
