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Project: Assessing Democracy Assistance
Evaluation Date: September 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

By financing part of the first systematic canvassing of views of democracy aid recipients, UNDEF contributed to improving the quality of democracy assistance worldwide, a highly relevant activity.

Theme: Tools for knowledge

Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) assistance, democracy

Project: Engaging Civil Society in a Democratic Election Process in Sudan, Bahrain, Tunisia and Jordan
Evaluation Date: March 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

There was no evidence that the project sought to coordinate with other donor-led initiatives in the democracy field. Such coordination would have to be initiated by the grantee. In the current context, Arab countries are enjoying a surplus of offered democracy support aid for community activism.

Theme: Community activism

Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia coordination, democracy

Project: Assessing Democracy Assistance
Evaluation Date: September 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Target beneficiaries were all groups committed, whatever their differences, to promoting democracy. Groups opposing democracy were by definition, not targeted by the project, and it is such groups that are often the real barrier to democratic development.

Theme: Tools for knowledge

Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) democracy, opposition

Project: Promoting the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance
Evaluation Date: June 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

A thorough inventory of the websites of six participating national NGOs was disappointing. Only one referred to the project, and then only in a brief summary identifying UNDEF as the funder. More worrisome, none of the websites made reference to the African Charter at all. This suggests that the empowerment that undoubtedly occurred was more an empowerment of individuals than an empowerment of institutions. It also underscores the point that most (not all) African democracy NGOs are focused on national issues.

Theme: Community activism

Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa democracy, regional

Project: Rights and freedoms for all in Togo
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project did not sufficiently focus on Togo’s institutional stakeholders. The project’s target groups were all civil society members or local political leaders. None represented the law enforcement or judicial sectors, which are key actors in relation to human rights, freedom and democracy.

Theme: Community activism

Togo democracy, inclusion

Project: Enlarging the Social Base for Democracy and the Rule of Law in Egypt
Evaluation Date: April 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

While social media can leverage democratization efforts, they cannot substitute for the legal and constitutional work, watchdog monitoring, and other nuts-and-bolts activities that make civil society a catalyst for democracy.

Theme: Rule of law

Egypt catalyst, democracy, social media

Project: Youth Training for Democracy and Development
Evaluation Date: May 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

By providing training in participatory civic practices in Guatemala, the project gave youth the opportunity to adopt different attitudes and experience democracy and development differently. Young people’s participation in decision-making bodies has helped improve the situation of vulnerable indigenous communities in this region.

Theme: Youth engagement

Guatemala democracy, indigenous, participation

Project: Promoting the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance
Evaluation Date: June 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The shifting project focus regarding promoting of the African Charter on Democracy, including changes in target countries, was both a strong and a weak point of the project from the standpoints of effectiveness and impact. Flexibility allowed the project to respond to changing circumstances and priorities.

Theme: Community activism

Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa adapt, charter, democracy

Project: MDG Unions: Building Participatory Democracy From the Bottom Up in Rural Bangladesh
Evaluation Date: May 2015
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

A donor expectation has been generated by the grantee’s cash payments to grassroots beneficiaries in compensation for transportation and subsistence needs. There is a question if participation was because of the cash incentives and if such participation would be sustainable without the project funds.

Theme: Community activism

Bangladesh democracy, engagement, incentives

Project: Learning Democracy DemoLab in Hungary
Evaluation Date: September 2020
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Secondary schools, teachers and students in Eastern European countries are often in a disadvantaged position, especially due to the unfavorable economic situation and very low

salaries; often hampered by a political climate that does not favor creative and democratic learning methodologies. Therefore, projects that try to break out from these constraining conditions and environment in secondary school education are much needed and should be highly supported.

Theme: Youth engagement

Hungary democracy, education, environment, high school, learning, political climate, teacher

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