This is a new activity aimed at supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and improving the reporting system for selected key indicators in the Uganda National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP). The few NSP indicators targeted constitute all the national output/outcome, essential and reported PEPFAR indicators. The activity is designed to accomplish two broad objectives. The primary objective is to implement and maintain a comprehensive PEPFAR program performance management system- an 80% This is a new activity aimed at supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and improving the reporting system for selected key indicators in the Uganda National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP). The few NSP indicators targeted constitute all the national output/outcome, essential and reported PEPFAR indicators. The activity is designed to accomplish two broad objectives. The primary objective is to implement and maintain a comprehensive PEPFAR program performance management system- an 80% level of effort. The second objective (LOE of 20%) is to support the Government of Uganda's (GOU) national monitoring and evaluation system for the overall HIV/AIDS response.

The activity will support, and work with, the Uganda's PEPFAR Inter-Agency Team which includes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the US Department of Defense (DOD), the US National Institute of Health (NIH), Peace Corps, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Walter Reed under the leadership of the Department of State (US Embassy) to accomplish the primary objective of improving PEPFAR's program performance management including results reporting to the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC). In addition, the project will work with relevant GOU agencies such as Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development (MGSLD), and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) to increase GOU's capacity to report on key indicators and to use the data in strategic planning, while strengthening monitoring and evaluation of the national HIV/AIDS response.

Since 2005, PEPFAR has been utilizing the services of the current monitoring and evaluation project (MEEPP) which is coming to an end in December 2009. MEEPP used proven portfolio management approaches to coordinate with, and complement, the monitoring activities of PEPFAR-funded Implementing Partners (IPs), facilitated harmonization and aggregation of data, and in collaboration with the PEPFAR Strategic Information Technical Workgroup and AIDS Development Partners, shares results with the Government of Uganda, PEPFAR Advisory Committee and Uganda AIDS Development Partners. By providing PEPFAR Country Team and PEPFAR-funded IPs with a unified picture of USG-funded HIV/AIDS activities, the MEEPP project has helped to maximize the extent of the USG resources in achieving PEPFAR targets and goals. Although the primary purpose of the MEEPP project is for PEPFAR reporting there has been a component of capacity building for Implementing Partners (IPs) which contributed to strengthening knowledge and systems for a sound, sustainable HIV/AIDS monitoring system among the PEPFAR-funded IPs.

Following the successes of the MEEPP Project and the growing need for high quality performance data, USG/Uganda plans to award a follow-on project (MEEPP II). Although the MEEPP project helped build some national M&E capacity, the project's main focus has been focused on PEPFAR reporting. Indeed, the perception of many GOU partners has been that MEEPP was a parallel system. While to a large degree this perception is also a reflection of reality, the available data in the national M&E system could not fully meet PEPFAR's reporting requirements. However, with the increasing need to support sustainable national M&E and information systems, and the experiences gathered from the current project, it is feasible for USG to make contribution towards improved quality of the outcomes of the national reporting system. In the context of the three ones, it is expected that there will be collaborated efforts between MEEPP II and other USG support at the national, district, and service delivery levels to contribute to the improved functioning of the national M&E reporting system. The ideal being a linked multi-sectoral system at Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) that can be relied upon to address the various stakeholders' information needs. Under this activity about 100 USG IPs and 30 GOU staff will be trained in the relevant aspects of strategic information.

This is a new activity aimed at supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the Presidential Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and improving the reporting system for selected key indicators in the Uganda National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (NSP). The few NSP indicators targeted constitute all the national output/outcome, essential and reported PEPFAR indicators. The activity is designed to accomplish two broad objectives. The primary objective is to implement and maintain a comprehensive PEPFAR program performance management system- an 80% level of effort. The second objective (LOE of 20%) is to support the Government of Uganda's (GOU) national monitoring and evaluation system for the overall HIV/AIDS response.

The activity will support, and work with, the Uganda's PEPFAR Inter-Agency Team which includes the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the US Department of Defense (DOD), the US National Institute of Health (NIH), Peace Corps, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and Walter Reed under the leadership of the Department of State (US Embassy) to accomplish the primary objective of improving PEPFAR's program performance management including results reporting to the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC). In addition, the project will work with relevant GOU agencies such as Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Gender, Labor, and Social Development (MGSLD), and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) to increase GOU's capacity to report on key indicators and to use the data in strategic planning, while strengthening monitoring and evaluation of the national HIV/AIDS response.

Since 2005, PEPFAR has been utilizing the services of the current monitoring and evaluation project (MEEPP) which is coming to an end in December 2009. MEEPP used proven portfolio management approaches to coordinate with, and complement, the monitoring activities of PEPFAR-funded Implementing Partners (IPs), facilitated harmonization and aggregation of data, and in collaboration with the PEPFAR Strategic Information Technical Workgroup and AIDS Development Partners, shares results with the Government of Uganda, PEPFAR Advisory Committee and Uganda AIDS Development Partners. By providing PEPFAR Country Team and PEPFAR-funded IPs with a unified picture of USG-funded HIV/AIDS activities, the MEEPP project has helped to maximize the extent of the USG resources in achieving PEPFAR targets and goals. Although the primary purpose of the MEEPP project is for PEPFAR reporting there has been a component of capacity building for Implementing Partners (IPs) which contributed to strengthening knowledge and systems for a sound, sustainable HIV/AIDS monitoring system among the PEPFAR-funded IPs.

Following the successes of the MEEPP Project and the growing need for high quality performance data, USG/Uganda plans to award a follow-on project (MEEPP II). Although the MEEPP project helped build some national M&E capacity, the project's main focus has been focused on PEPFAR reporting. Indeed, the perception of many GOU partners has been that MEEPP was a parallel system. While to a large degree this perception is also a reflection of reality, the available data in the national M&E system could not fully meet PEPFAR's reporting requirements. However, with the increasing need to support sustainable national M&E and information systems, and the experiences gathered from the current project, it is feasible for USG to make contribution towards improved quality of the outcomes of the national reporting system. In the context of the three ones, it is expected that there will be collaborated efforts between MEEPP II and other USG support at the national, district, and service delivery levels to contribute to the improved functioning of the national M&E reporting system. The ideal being a linked multi-sectoral system at Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) that can be relied upon to address the various stakeholders' information needs. Under this activity about 100 USG IPs and 30 GOU staff will be trained in the relevant aspects of strategic information.