The 1612 Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM): A Resource Pack for Non-Governmental Organizations

On 4 March 2014, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict (Watchlist) launched its new Resource Pack for Non-Governmental Organizations on civil society engagement in the UN-led Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM). The launch took place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Canada to the UN. On 5 March 2014, the Resource Pack was also presented in a second event targeted at non-governmental organizations and hosted by World Vision International. In both events, Watchlist was accompanied by UNICEF and Watchlist’s civil society partner from Colombia, COALICO, to discuss the contribution of the Resource Pack to the common goal of strengthening civil society participation in the MRM.

The aim of the Resource Pack is to provide NGOs with the tools necessary to help them define whether, and how, to engage in the MRM in a way that strengthens both their programs, and the mechanism itself. The Resource Pack contains a total of 61 tools structured in four parts: (1) understanding the MRM, (2) planning the NGO’s participation in the MRM, (3) engaging in the MRM, and (4) learning from the NGO’s experience with the MRM. It includes factsheets, guiding questions, checklists, matrixes, case studies, charts, and diagrams.

The Resource Pack is the result of a wide consultation conducted between September – December 2013 with national and international NGOs and UN practitioners. In particular, Watchlist worked closely with the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF, to ensure consistency and complementarity with existing UN manuals and guidelines on the implementation of the MRM.

The Resource Pack is a living document. Watchlist aims to update it periodically, not only to reflect developments in the MRM and the children and armed conflict agenda, but also to continuously integrate new experiences and feedback from NGOs and the UN. Watchlist hopes the Resource Pack will create the space for a global community of practice on the MRM. To this aim, Watchlist encourages NGOs and UN staff to send feedback on the use of the Resource Pack using the Feedback Form available in the Annex.

For additional information regarding the Resource Pack, or to share feedback, contact Gilles-Philippe Pagé, Partnerships Officer at Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict: gilles-philippep@watchlist.org.