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

Lesson Learned:

The project highlights the benefit to UNDEF from working with first-class partners who can produce first-class outputs on
schedule. There is a role for field-based, local NGO implemented projects, often in very challenging circumstances, but there is a role, as well, for global projects implemented in partnership with known global players.

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) global, partners, quality

Project: Pour une Diplomatie Non Gouvernementale
Evaluation Date: March 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project could have expanded the nongovernmental diplomacy exercises by including alternative development paradigms. This would have increased understanding multinational dynamics and global problems. It could have also enhanced the effectiveness of civil society advocacy activities.

Theme: Community activism

Brazil, Chile, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Morocco, Senegal, United States of America development, training

Project: Civil society advocating for quality education & healthcare in Mexico
Evaluation Date: February 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project intended to work at several levels. Locally, it targeted the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, and Hidalgo. At the state level it intended to work through advocacy and informational campaigns undertaken by multi-sector actors, and at the national level through consciousness-raising and advocacy efforts. The national level advocacy and networking with regional and global partners did not occur. The project’s objectives were ambitious and project staff felt working at the national level required more time, attention and resources than they had available.

Theme: Tools for knowledge

Mexico ambition, risk, scale

Project: Towards a better electoral process in Mongolia
Evaluation Date: November 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The knowledge and skills gained by the staff during the implementation of the project are still in demand. Other CSOs and some international organizations are continuing to request training and presentations on election-related issues. Subsequent training was done using the same materials, for Mercy Corps, Open Society, Global International and others. The grantee also reported receiving additional requests for training from the police and others, such as candidates– one of which said they were willing to pay for this type of a professional training despite having access to party trainers.

Theme: Community activism

Mongolia sustainability, training

Project: Deepening Democratization Processes Through Youth Leadership in Myanmar
Evaluation Date: September 2010
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The grantee continued to use the fellowship model in other countries, and a global youth forum hub has been relocated from Nepal to Myanmar. Within this project, community groups were also brought together at state level with a view to initiating a state-level process that would endure beyond the end of project activity and involve both local development practitioners and government functionaries.

Theme: Youth engagement

Myanmar replication, success

Project: Education and Training of Youth for Democracy in Burkina Faso
Evaluation Date: June 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project raised global awareness and increased knowledge amongst the young leaders on the necessity of making use of their citizens’ and voting rights.

Theme: Youth engagement

Burkina Faso education, voting

Project: Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador
Evaluation Date: March 2023
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Project design should focus on the detailed definitions of Global Objective, Specific Objectives, Actions, Indicators (at outcome and output level), Baseline and Targets. As it stands, the project definition lacked a clear project design matrix; overall and specific objectives and outputs were missing; outcome indicators were missing (outcome indicators were in fact output indicators), and outputs were not defined. Lastly, no sources of information/means of verification were formulated.

Theme: Youth engagement, Interaction with government

El Salvador baseline, indicator, measure, monitoring, objectives, outcome, outputs, project design, results, results framework

Project: Strengthening Democracy Through LGBT Political Participation in South Africa
Evaluation Date: August 2023
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Efficient communication between project and finance management staff, and between grantees and implementing partners, is key to ensuring the delivery of projects in challenging conditions, such as during a global pandemic or when significant staff changes take place, especially when adaptive programming is required.

Theme: Rule of law

South Africa budget, collaborate, communicate, complex, Coordinate, decision making, funding, monitoring, outputs, partnership, planning, project management, resources, results, Risks, transparency

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

Lesson Learned:

Taking advantage of the high degree of flexibility in UNDEF projects, FRIDE was able to work with the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies to organize a high profile democracy event six months following the Egyptian Revolution.

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) agility, revolution

Project: Democratizing governance for development: LDC civil society engagement
Evaluation Date: August 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The impact of the project activities on the LDC-IV outcome document is questionable. Few respondents considered that CSO efforts had translated into impact on the outcome of LDC-IV (the IP0A), which is essentially a political outcome decided by governments.

Theme: Community activism

Angola, Bhutan, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, United Republic of, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia advocacy, government

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