42
Operationalisation refers to the institutions charged with overseeing ME of adaptation and the steps and process
involved in gathering and synthesising the necessary in- formation.
3.1 Institutional arrangements and resources
What institutions and resources will you work with?
Refer back to the levels of application and aggregation - consideration 1.3 and the engagement process initi-
ated. What role will institutions and actors involved in the operationalisation of the adaptation ME system need to
play, and what resources will they require to do so?
The leadcoordinating institution is commonly the min-
istry responsible for the environment and climate change or a speciically appointed
coordination body—in the Philippines,
17
for exam- ple, the national Climate
Change Commission plays this role Hammill Dekens
2014. Usually, an individual or team within this insti-
tution is in charge of the establishment of a national
adaptation ME system,
which includes developing a governance framework and
guidelines for its operation,
Do not worry about starting modestly and progressing incrementally— overcommitting resources, whether human or inancial—may diminish the
feasibility of operationalising the ME system.
Foster science-policy linkages throughout the operationalisation of the ME system—for example, the scientiic and research community may be
able to play a role in quality assurance of information collected through the adaptation ME system.
3 . O p e r a t i o n a l i s a t i o n
43
3. Operationalization
synthesising results and ensuring that the different insti- tutions and actors involved are completing their tasks.
Teams or individuals in the sectors or levels of govern- ment from which data and information is being collected
often have a role to play, too. These decision-makers and technical staff are also target users of the ME results—
which can motivate them to contribute accurately and timely. It is important to clearly deine and communicate
the roles and responsibilities of each institution. Doing
so might include: providing background documents about the ME sys-
tem; determining who is responsible for contributing which
piece of information; providing training on the ME system to those actors
involved information on an adaptation ME training offered by GIZ is available online
8
; developing and providing user-friendly tools to sup-
port data collection see consideration 3.2; facilitating ongoing engagement for those involved
in the ME process and giving them opportunities to provide feedback on how the ME system is working,
for example through periodic consultations. This will allow you to identify any unforeseen challenges and
adjust the system accordingly.
Morocco :
Institutional Arrangements for ME of Adaptation
In Morocco,
14
the Regional Observatories on Environment and Sustainable Development OREDDs
are responsible for monitoring the state of the environ- ment at the regional level, developing tools to support
decision-making, and managing environmental informa- tion through the Regional Environmental Information
System SIRE. Integration of adaptation monitoring into the SIRE occurred through three stages in each of the
pilot regions: conceptualisation, operationalisation, and readjustment. Conceptualisation included an assessment
of the vulnerability of the region. Operationalisation included the selection of indicators in consultation with
stakeholders including the OREDDs and representa- tives of priority regional sector services. Tools for data
collection were also developed see consideration 3.2. A review of the system will take place through a read-
justment phase once the system is in operation.
Source: Hammill Dekens 2014
44
vertically across different levels, or horizontally across sectors:
Using standardised i.e. the same metrics at all scales feeding into the ME system so that informa-
tion can easily be aggregated. This is the approach being taken by the PPCR,
18
as outlined in Table 2: all countries involved are asked to report on a core
set of indicators that can then be aggregated to provide an overall assessment of the PPCR portfolio
PPCR 2015.
Allowing actors at different scales to use level- speciic i.e. different metrics that address common
themes identiied at the national level. This allows ac- tors in different sectors or at different levels to collect
data that is tailored to their needs, while ensuring the information produced will be easily aligned with the
national system. Mexico
13
is considering to use this approach in order to link already ongoing state level
ME of adaptation with a national system for ME of adaptation Leiter 2015.
Focusing on informal links or a synthesis of avail-
able information. To fulill the purpose of a strongly learning-oriented adaptation ME system, standard-
ised formats or tools may not be required, as dem- onstrated by Norway
16
Hammill Dekens 2014. Approaches to collecting information on lessons
learned and experiences might include conducting surveys or holding focus groups with the intended
beneiciaries of a policy or plan or those implement- ing it, or reviewing and synthesising the outcomes of
public dialogues or discussions.
Resources, both inancial and human, are another im- portant consideration. Look at the types of data and
information you plan to collect and at the amount of time those involved in operationalising the ME system
would need to invest initially and on an ongoing basis. In consultation with stakeholders, it is important to make
an honest assessment of whether the necessary resourc- es are in fact available. Otherwise, you risk jeopardising
the feasibility of the ME system and its potential to fulill its purpose.
Table 4 gives an overview of the resource-intensiveness of different ME systems and of some contributing
factors. Note that drawing on existing ME and data collection systems does not guarantee low resource-
intensiveness—if existing ME structures are not functioning well, integration may actually diminish the
system’s eficiency.
3.2 Synthesis
