A U.S. instructor evaluates trainees during “Operation Garuda Shield.” (Indonesia, 2009) UN peacekeepers from Nigeria patrol the streets of downtown Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Thai trainees practice checkpoint security.

Integral to the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) is a culture of monitoring, evaluation and assessment to continuously measure and improve the effectiveness of GPOI-facilitated activities. At the program management level, the U.S. Department of State GPOI team includes a dedicated metrics and evaluation cell to define metrics, collect and track program data, conduct program assessments, and identify best practices and lessons learned.

The metrics and evaluation regime is guided by the following overarching outcome-oriented considerations:

• Did the unit/individual deploy, sometime later, to a peace support operation?
• If they did deploy, were they effective?
• If the unit/individual did not deploy, were they employed in some activity/position which contributed to peace operations capabilities in their country?
• Can the unit, in a sustained manner, effectively train themselves?

Program implementers also encourage a culture of evaluation and assessment at the partner country level to include facilitating the conduct of after-action reviews following training and deployment activities. Implementers further encourage and assist partner countries to act appropriately on the feedback generated from such assessments to include incorporating lessons learned into national training activities.