In recent years, there has been an increasing reliance on Third-Party Monitoring (TPM) by donors as a tool for providing independent verification of results. However, the firms leading these contracts are still predominantly based in the Global North. This event began with a presentation of a paper funded by the European Union in 2020, which explored the potential evolution of TPM towards greater involvement from the Global South. The presentation set the stage for a broader discussion on whether—and how—the humanitarian community can encourage a future for TPM that is more authentic and locally driven.
Richard Harrison introduced innovative ideas aimed at transforming the processes and dynamics of TPM. Volker Huls contributed insights from the perspective of a large non-governmental organization (NGO), while Youssef Almustafa, CEO of Trust, offered the viewpoint of a TPM agency. The exchange of ideas between these diverse perspectives sparked a critical reflection on the challenges and pressing need for adopting alternative approaches to TPM across various stakeholders.
Host

Trust Consultancy & Development
Collaboration
MEAL advisors / consultants
Speakers

Richard Harrison
Richard has worked as a MEL Advisor for the UN (Office of Counter Terrorism, OCHA), and the UK Government (Integrated Security Fund). He has lived and worked on MEL in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. He has designed Third Party Monitoring initiatives for the UK Government as part of multilateral efforts with UNDP and UN peacekeepers, and is the author of the EU’s guidance on best practice in Third Party Monitoring in conflict areas.

Volker Hüls
Volker Hüls is the Head of Effectiveness, Knowledge and Learning at the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). Based in their headquarters, he is globally responsible for several cross-cutting themes including Monitoring and Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning. With over twenty years in humanitarian organisations, including in the UN, and later work as a consultant specializing on evaluating larger humanitarian responses, he has encountered many facets of the more traditional approaches to third-party monitoring. At DRC, Volker is pursuing new approaches to monitoring in a more localized world, with the aim to shift the perspective of monitoring from a compliance process to one where the perspectives of communities and people of concern matter most when making decisions that affects them.

Youssef Almustafa
With over two decades of experience in the humanitarian and development sectors, Youssef has overseen more than 70 projects in Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E), needs assessment, and research. His extensive career includes training over 1,500 M&E and humanitarian professionals in the MENA (T) region and beyond.