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Lessons

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

The project correctly emphasized the need to build the capacity of women to take part in decision-making processes, but it could also have included an element addressing men, to encourage them to support women’s involvement in such processes. In the absence of engagement specifically directed at men, the project ran the risk of appearing to be solely a support mechanism for women.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

Raising awareness among men about women’s rights is necessary to contribute to reducing some of the challenges faced by women who seek leadership roles in their community. The project contributed to changing men’s attitudes towards women’s role in the community: there was greater acceptance among men of women exercising a leadership role at local level, even though some men continued to note that this trend faces hostility.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

The project approach and strategy were largely inspired by work done by UNDP since the 1990s in Myanmar, as part of its people-centered development approach. Several of the individuals who helped establish the partnerships on this project were former UNDP staff members. The years of experience in rural areas ensured that the project design addressed key needs in a realistic manner, adapted to the context.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

The project was designed in close consultation with project partners. Their experience was taken into account, and they were the backbone of implementation. The, grantee’s role was focused on coordination, financial management and aspects of technical support. Partners’ long-standing experience working with rural women’s groups was a key element of project performance, because activities were designed in the light of past experience on aspects such as the size and composition of women’s groups, options for income generating activities.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

By addressing low-level officials at a technical level, the project further helped build the capacity of local government, thus addressing an additional need. Also, local officials were invited to participate on an equal footing in training sessions designed for community members.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

A strong focus on the local - village and tract – in Myanmar made the project relatively independent of political developments at the national level, since activities such as capacity building could be carried out in a self-contained manner.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar

By targeting district-based officials in charge of specific tasks, such as animal husbandry or cash crops, the project was able to engage officials in a dialogue in issues where there could be consensus While such officials were less powerful than district administrators; they were also more likely to address communities’ practical concerns.
Project Partner
DanChurchAid
Project Description
The project's objective was to strengthen institutional capacity of three independent CSOs working with rural women’s groups so that they could establish associations of self-help groups and promote inclusive participatory dialogue with authorities. Working from a UNDP model, the project focused on three aspects: transparency and accountability; rights awareness and advocacy; and linkages with other community-level groups. The project was exemplary in its effectiveness, both in terms of the clarity of outcomes to be achieved (and activities to achieve them) and of quantitative and qualitative standards of achievement. It raised awareness of voters’ and women’s rights, and initiated engagement between local officials and rural communities. This is also an example of a project where sustainability was included in the design. The capacity building activities included supporting partner organizations achieve a degree of financial independence, by providing technical advice on project design and management, and by helping them develop internal governance and accountability systems.
Evaluation Date
January 2016
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Young Builders of a New Citizenship In Chad

Focusing on specific topics of concern and relevance to youth would have helped make the youth associations more effective and led to more targeted actions in the field of public policy.
Project Partner
Action des Partenaires pour l'Appui au Développement
Project Description
The project aimed to empower young people so that their voices could be heard by public authorities. The project focused on strengthening youth capacity, youth initiatives and dialogue between youth organizations and authorities as partners in public policy. It was a continuation of a programme which the grantee had been conducting since 2005 through its youth network in 12 municipalities across the country. The project was based on the finding that participation of young Chadians in the public sphere was very low and that there was a need to increase their capacity for action. The project was relevant, since there is no real youth strategy in the country and youth represent 70 per cent of the population but lack access to democratic space and have a low quality of education.
Evaluation Date
December 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Towards Collaborative and Transparent Local Development Planning

The grantee’s ongoing programme a decentralized rural development programme - has overshadowed the governance elements of the UNDEF specific project. Overall, however, the UNDEF-financed sections were effective in strengthening community-based consultative bodies for local development and dialogue between these bodies and local officials.
Project Partner
Centre International de Développement et de Recherche
Project Description
The project aimed to strengthen the ongoing decentralization process by involving the local population in local development planning. Activities included setting up and training members of cantonal / communal development committees and prefectural development committees in charge of identifying and prioritizing local development needs in order to enhance democratic governance. Support to the annual local development planning process included the implementation of 15 micro-projects which were part of the agreed local development plans, as well as awareness-raising campaigns on decentralization, local development and the roles of local civil servants and citizens. The project strategy was coherent and designed to complement the grantee’s ongoing local governance support programme. The project was implemented by an international and a local partner NGO. The lack of a specific agreement between the grantee and its local partne, however, contributed to a lack of attention to the project specific elements within the wider development programme.
Evaluation Date
December 2015
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Young Builders of a New Citizenship In Chad

Although more than eight hundred young people from Chad were informed about their rights and duties, the project did not lead to any changes in the youth organizations’ perception of how the voice of young people could be heard. Most of the young interviewees declared that there was no additional dialogue with authorities after the project’s termination.
Project Partner
Action des Partenaires pour l'Appui au Développement
Project Description
The project aimed to empower young people so that their voices could be heard by public authorities. The project focused on strengthening youth capacity, youth initiatives and dialogue between youth organizations and authorities as partners in public policy. It was a continuation of a programme which the grantee had been conducting since 2005 through its youth network in 12 municipalities across the country. The project was based on the finding that participation of young Chadians in the public sphere was very low and that there was a need to increase their capacity for action. The project was relevant, since there is no real youth strategy in the country and youth represent 70 per cent of the population but lack access to democratic space and have a low quality of education.
Evaluation Date
December 2015
Country