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Project: Campaign for Stressing Community Concerns and Seeking Political Resolutions in the South and South Centre of Iraq
Evaluation Date: December 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The civic forums, provincial conferences and advocacy meetings between groups of community representatives and decision-makers, were notable in bringing citizens and elected officials together to consider community priorities and what might be done to address them. It is a testament to the effectiveness of the project that many of the issues raised have subsequently been addressed, or put on the agenda for practical action to follow.

Theme: Rule of law

Iraq advocacy, government, priorities

Project: Promoting Active Participation of Civil Society in Environmental Governance
Evaluation Date: December 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project led to changes in the perception of civil society participation among the Vietnam Institute of Human Rights graduates and senior student. This led the participating journalists to encourage their colleagues to investigate environmental topics. The projects workshops and field trips raised awareness among future political leaders, decision makers, journalists and the local population about the benefits of the joint identification and development of solutions for environmental issues in Vietnam.

UNDEF/ Vietnam

Theme: Community activism

Viet Nam environment, priorities

Project: Promoting Human Rights through Providing Access to Information for Marginalized Women in Zimbabwe
Evaluation Date: November 2015
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project document did not explicitly prioritize the identified needs from the point of view of marginalized women. As a result, despite the sound analysis, the project’s relevance was hampered by a tendency to spread activities too thinly across a broad range of issues. The project was trying to address many different problems, all genuine concerns, but ones that could not all be addressed effectively on the project’s financial resources.

Theme: Media

Zimbabwe budget, marginal, priorities

Project: Promoting Women's Participation in Local Budgetary Processes
Evaluation Date: March 2016
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project in Niger has empowered women through giving them skills to analyse budges based on the issues that affect their daily life. However, gender responsive budget analysis alone does not change budget priorities and the decision-making process in ways that truly promote gender equality. Municipal budgets are still a political product and budgetary commitments are allocated according to political priorities. Relevant decision makers could be addressed through evidence-based round-table discussions and lobbying.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Niger gender, politics

Project: Judicial Reform: empowering magistrate-civil society collaboration for Guinea’s new democratic future
Evaluation Date: August 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Reform of the judiciary was one of the key priorities announced by the President of the Republic of Guinea in 2010. Following the legislative elections of September 2013, which marked a turning point in the process of transitioning the country from the earlier dictatorship, the focus on judicial reform became more relevant. The project’s complex but well-articulated process used to identify the specific scope of action ensured that the project was aligned with government objectives regarding reform.

Theme: Interaction with government

Guinea government, judiciary, reform

Project: Development of Sustainable Voter Registration Methodologies in Sub-Saharan Africa
Evaluation Date: November 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Hands-on project management and close supervision of activities played a key role. All planned activities were carefully organized by the project management team. All project files seen by the evaluator show that each activity was the object of specific methodological guidance, setting priorities, identifying needs, and determining how to meet these goals.

Theme: Tools for knowledge

Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa needs, project management

Project: Constructing Citizenship in San Luis de Potosí
Evaluation Date: April 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

One of the unexpected results of the project cited by grantee was that it led the organization to shift its institutional priorities, making civil society strengthening to influence public policy-making a strategic goal.

Theme: Rule of law

Mexico agility, strategy

Project: Citizen Participation to Improve Local Governance
Evaluation Date: January 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The vast majority of the grassroots organizations involved valued how the project promoted public participation as a counterweight to public authorities. Most of the targeted municipalities in Benin have organized public hearings on budget resources. In addition, the participation mechanism has enabled elected officials to use consultative methods to determine local priorities with the participation of the grassroots population.

Theme: Community activism

Benin participation, transparency

Project: Empowering Civil Society to Monitor Development Programmes in Tanzania
Evaluation Date: December 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The civil society organizations in Tanzania networked with each other and were prepared to coordinate development priorities when lobbying for development planning at the district level. Members of the local community advocated for their needs during village-level meetings and through lobbying at district government levels. There is also evidence demonstrating early stages of participation in the monitoring of development programme processes.

UNDEF/ Tanzania

Theme: Community activism

Tanzania, United Republic of development, grassroots, knowledge

Project: Addressing Ghana’s Governance Deficits through Constitutional Reform
Evaluation Date: July 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The unexpected announcement by the government that there would be a Constitutional Review led to the grantee to refocusing its project design since the initial project document was developed before the government had made a firm commitment to a constitutional review process. The project was initially designed to make the case for the urgency of governance reform and to identify the most critical issues. With the surprise announcement of the Constitutional Review, the grantee had to engage in in a process of identifying priorities for constitutional development and undertake advocacy in their support.

Theme: Interaction with government

Ghana adapt, advocacy, government

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