Getting remote M&E right: ethics, challenges and gaps

Humanitarians have often used remote monitoring and evaluation (M&E) approaches when working in complex, fragile and conflict-affected environments. However, COVID-19 has impacted M&E practice in a large and unexpected way, with global travel restrictions and other measures to reduce the spread of the virus leading to a surge in the use of remote digital M&E methods over 2020 and 2021. While some of the remote mechanisms may just be temporary, others may become integrated into existing approaches or used as additional ways to gather data for M&E in the long term.

This paper explores some of the implications of the rapid shift towards remote M&E, drawing on reflections from a series of M&E Skills-Building Workshops for humanitarian M&E practitioners hosted by ALNAP in February and March 2021. It summarises five key areas where there are ethical issues, challenges, gaps and limitations with remote M&E, and highlights emerging good practice.

1. Inclusion
2. Safety and well-being
3. Expectations and trust
4. Data quality
5. Data protection