Ultimately, the communication objectives and their indicators need to be part of the M&E plan for the communication response. M&E plays a critical role in programming and has four important functions:
To support understanding of what is working or not working in a program or system
To support monitoring whether a program or system is performing as planned
To highlight areas for improvement in a program or system
To support accountability
M&E provides empirical, culturally relevant and contextual information that supports the above functions, allowing for the evaluation of immediate, intermediate and long-term effects of program activities. The communication objectives and indicators should therefore be part of an M&E plan that supports the communication strategy.
