Third-Party Monitoring of Emergency Response Programmes in Gaza and the West Bank
Background
Humanitarian programmes in Gaza and the West Bank are being delivered under some of the most difficult conditions for independent monitoring. Access can be severely restricted, infrastructure and essential services disrupted, populations repeatedly displaced, and operational conditions can change rapidly.
Yet these are precisely the circumstances in which reliable evidence is most important. UNICEF needs to know whether assistance is reaching intended populations, whether services are functioning as planned, what affected communities are experiencing, and where operational, safeguarding or accountability concerns are emerging. Independent monitoring helps provide that evidence where direct programme oversight may be limited.
Triangle’s Assignment
Triangle is providing independent third-party monitoring of UNICEF emergency response programmes across Gaza and the West Bank.
The work spans WASH, health, nutrition, education and cash-incentive programming. It combines verification of supplies and services with assessment of their quality, accessibility and use, while also examining safeguarding risks, operational constraints and feedback from affected communities.
In practice, the monitoring asks:
- whether supplies and services reached their intended destinations and populations;
- how well services are functioning and whether people can access them;
- what children, caregivers, frontline workers and communities are experiencing;
- where operational, safeguarding or accountability risks are emerging; and
- where the evidence points to a need for programme adjustment.
The purpose is to give UNICEF an independent view of how programmes are working in practice, not only whether planned activities have taken place.
Monitoring Approach
Triangle combines direct field verification with remote monitoring where access or security conditions make in-person monitoring difficult. Local field capacity allows monitoring to continue across a highly constrained operating environment, while the methodology remains flexible enough to respond to changing access and programme priorities.
Monitoring draws on structured site visits, interviews with programme participants and key informants, direct observation, and programme records. Evidence from different sources is then checked and analysed together, helping distinguish individual observations from wider patterns or recurring problems.
Field findings feed into regular analysis of service delivery, implementation gaps and emerging risks. Monitoring data is also brought together through reporting and visualisation tools that allow UNICEF to track geographic coverage, findings and trends over time.
From Phase 1 to Phase 2
The first phase of Triangle’s monitoring has been completed. The assignment is now continuing through a second phase, building on the field systems, monitoring tools and evidence established during the earlier work.
Alongside continued monitoring across UNICEF’s emergency response portfolio, the current phase includes fuel supply and consumption within WASH monitoring. In a setting where fuel availability can directly affect the operation of water and other essential services, this adds another important dimension to understanding whether humanitarian systems are functioning as intended.
The continuity between the two phases allows Triangle to retain a consistent evidence base while adapting the monitoring focus as humanitarian conditions and operational needs evolve.
Image credit: Anas-Mohammed / Shutterstock.com
Project:
Third-Party Monitoring of Emergency Response Programmes in Gaza and the West Bank
Duration:
2025-ongoing