Results-oriented Monitoring and Evaluation: A Handbook for Programme Managers provides development practitioners with evaluation tools, examples, exercises and case studies that will help to translate plans into actions and theory into practice. It aims to assist country offices in transforming the current monitoring and evaluation system of UNDP into one that is more results-oriented, more responsive to the demands for greater accountability, and more of a source for learning both to support decision-making and to guide future programming. It is prompted by the need for user-friendly reference materials to respond to the change taking place in UNDP and in the general field of development cooperation.

The process of developing these guidelines, ably led by Abdenour Benbouali, has been a collaborative effort by many people and we would like to acknowledge their contributions.

Constructive insights from colleagues in the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) were especially helpful throughout the process. Our thanks also go to the Office to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNSO), United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the Regional Bureaux for Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean for valuable feedback. The partners of UNDP in the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Evaluation assisted in clarifying many substantive issues and we are particularly grateful to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and World Food Programme (WFP) for reviewing the guidelines in detail and providing useful comments and suggestions.

Within OESP, the working group consisting of Nurul Alam, André Carvalho, Janet Donnelly, Arild Hauge, Chandi Kadirgamar, Teresa Rodriguez, Christine Roth and Kaarina Valtasaari provided important inputs and acted as a sounding board throughout the preparation of the handbook. Barbara Brewka's rigorous editing has become the mainstay of all our publications. The visuals prepared by Karen Bridgett and Elizabeth Sahlu helped to clarify the text and Bousso N'Diaye provided efficient administrative support throughout. Carlos Lopes, Resident Representative in Zimbabwe, deserves thanks for his substantive guidance and incisive suggestions. Two National Programme Officers, Handoko from Indonesia and Alex Rusita from Uganda, seconded to OESP, instilled these guidelines with a perspective from country offices and directly contributed to the development of practical models for monitoring and evaluation instruments. Their brief sojourn in OESP was a welcome addition to the team and our appreciation is owed to the Resident Representatives in Indonesia and Uganda for releasing them so that they could contribute to this effort. Finally, not enough can be said about the valuable assistance of our consultant, Elena Marcelino, who has been the glue that has held this process together at every stage.

Evaluation is a component in the process of creating results as well as a mechanism for identifying and assessing those results. Balancing the requirements of accountability on the one hand and the need for organizational learning on the other is the key strategic consideration in planning the future of the evaluation function in UNDP. We trust that this handbook will assist in building a system that not only increases the relevance, performance and success of our development initiative but also supports an environment in which we act upon the lessons emerging from our experience.

Sharon Capeling-Alakija
Director
Office of Evaluation and Strategic Planning