<P> The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness in February 2005 and the follow - up meeting in Accra underlined the importance of the evaluation process and of the ownership of its conduct by the projects' hosting countries . Many developing countries now have M&E systems and the tendency is growing . </P> <P> The credibility of findings and assessments depends to a large extent on the manner in which monitoring and evaluation is conducted . To assess performance, it is necessary to select, before the implementation of the project, indicators which will permit to rate the targeted outputs and outcomes . According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), an outcome indicator has two components: the baseline which is the situation before the programme or project begins, and the target which is the expected situation at the end of the project . An output indicator that does not have any baseline as the purpose of the output is to introduce something that does not exist yet . </P> <P> The most important agencies of the United Nations have a monitoring and evaluation unit . All these agencies are supposed to follow the common standards of the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG). These norms concern the Institutional framework and management of the evaluation function, the competencies and ethics, and the way to conduct evaluations and present reports (design, process, team selection, implementation, reporting and follow up). This group also provides guidelines and relevant documentation to all evaluation organs being part of the United Nations or not . </P> <P> Most agencies implementing projects and programmes, even if following the common UNEG standards, have their own handbook and guidelines on how to conduct M&E . Indeed, the UN agencies have different specialisations and have different needs and ways of approaching M&E . The M&E branches of every UN agency are monitored and rated by the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations . </P>

Which of the following is an advantage of monitoring