Yemen Communities Stronger Together (YCST) Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) Plan Update

The program is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and aims to support local-level initiatives that mitigate conflict, strengthen social cohesion, and promote peaceful resolution of differences in Yemen. The program proposes a development hypothesis: if local capacity to collaboratively identify and address conflict stressors and threats to social cohesion is built, and tangible community-level results are demonstrated, then the resilience of Yemeni communities and institutions will increase, local authorities will be better prepared to lead their communities' participation in national peace efforts, and the effectiveness of models that can be replicated across the country will be demonstrated. YCST will advance local solutions in 36 target communities across at least six governorates, implementing at least two inclusively-identified service delivery and conflict mitigation projects in each community. The program will build the capacity for local conflict management and dispute resolution, leveraging existing precedents and supporting local actors to manage conflict and deliver/restore basic services. YCST will also pilot stabilization approaches in targeted districts of at least two governorates to support legitimate local authorities to rapidly and effectively respond to citizen priorities that will contribute to a reduction in or the risk of localized violent conflict. A learning agenda will be implemented, including pilot testing, adaptations, and replication, to assist USAID in deepening its understanding of local needs and existing, effective reconciliation methods in both informal and formal systems in Yemen. The conflict in Yemen is multi-layered and multi-actor, posing enormous challenges to a negotiated resolution. The destruction of infrastructure, livelihoods, and social services has decreased the resilience of Yemen's communities and governance systems. The endemically corrupt central government has failed to provide security and basic services, leading to a reliance on tribal, religious, or other justice institutions to resolve disputes. YCST aims to address these challenges by building local capacity for conflict management and dispute resolution, promoting social cohesion, and supporting local authorities to lead their communities' participation in national peace efforts. The program will be implemented in six governorates, with a focus on 36 target communities. YCST will work with local partners to identify and address conflict stressors and threats to social cohesion, and to develop and implement service delivery and conflict mitigation projects. The program will also establish a Peacebuilding Grants Fund to address shared priorities and opportunities across communities. A monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning (MEAL) plan will be implemented to ensure that the program is meeting its objectives and to inform adaptive management and decision-making. The MEAL plan will include a baseline study, an evaluation plan, accountability mechanisms, and an action learning plan for adaptive management. The plan will also establish roles and responsibilities, a schedule of MEAL events and deliverables, and a performance indicator tracking table. The program will be implemented from August 16, 2018, to August 15, 2021, with a budget of $X million.