Monitoring & Evaluation Centre of Excellence

The field of Counter-Terrorism and Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (CT and P/CVE) is in need of more evidence-based evaluations. The current underdevelopment and underutilisation of evaluations makes it difficult to understand what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and how. This lack of evidence increases the risk of (unintentionally) reproducing ineffective or counterproductive interventions and hampers CT and P/CVE practices. This is why ICCT established its Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Centre of Excellence.

Utilising evidence-based evaluations is fundamental to impact

We understand M&E as the overall practice needed to produce evidence-based evaluations. M&E makes use of specific tools and methodologies to assess data, and enables sharing of digestible information throughout a programme or policy cycle. While M&E is recognised and championed by some governments, multilateral organisations, and non-governmental / civil society organisations, it still faces barriers that prevent its full integration in the CT and P/CVE field. Some of those include a negative evaluation culture, a lack of (human) resources, and negative beliefs about the feasibility of evaluations for preventive action or highly sensitive topics.

ICCT’s M&E Centre of Excellence supports the CT and P/CVE field by overcoming these barriers and advancing M&E practices, in Europe and beyond. It connects policy-makers, practitioners, funders, implementers, M&E professionals and academia working on CT and P/CVE – through training, research, evaluation support and exchanges – to better understand their (collective) impact, (im)prove their effectiveness and increase value for money.

ICCT overcomes barriers to impact measurement for a stronger CT and P/CVE field

We believe M&E serves as a cornerstone, facilitating an inclusive and participatory process to gather diverse perspectives throughout the design, implementation and evaluation of interventions. We prioritise creating a safe space for reflection and honest communication, embodying a culture of learning and growth rather than finger-pointing or assigning blame.

Transforming evaluation cultures by creating a safe space for CT and P/CVE learning