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Project: Strengthening women’s empowerment in municipal government
Evaluation Date: October 2011
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

Consultation among implementing partners at project design stage and application of a less theoretical approach to project design might have mitigated the external risks threatening the delivery of the project.
It is vital to assess external risks and develop risk management plans for all projects at design stage. Depending on location, consider: the potential for natural disaster; political change, instability or hurdles; the capacity of partner organizations; and possible access restrictions on intended participants.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Fiji, Kirbati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu design, risk

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

Lesson Learned:

In some countries, working to promote democracy, community activists may often find themselves operating in difficult circumstances. However trying to circumvent procedures can be counter-productive. The expedient of sending trainers to one country on tourist visas when work visas were denied – placed the trainers, the trainees and the grantee at risk. When working in difficult environments, do not engage in practices that may put community activists, the grantee or other project participants at risk.

Theme: Community activism

Bahrain, Jordan, Tunisia risk

Project: Enhancing Women’s participation in Democracy in The Gambia
Evaluation Date: January 2013
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The project’s ultimate impact on the representation of women in the Gambia was rather limited, but this was owed to developments outside the control of the grantee such as the boycott of the election by the opposition.

Theme: Women's empowerment

Gambia design, risk

Project: Empowered Civil Society Addressing the Democratic Needs of Rural Women in Myanmar
Evaluation Date: January 2016
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The low education level of many villagers made it difficult to achieve required levels of capacity building. Partners noted that some participants were functionally illiterate. According to one, only about a third of women participants could read and write fluently. This required training methodologies based on personal interaction rather than written materials and outputs, and limited the number of people who could assume leadership positions.

UNDEF/Myanmar

Theme: Community activism

Myanmar literacy, project design, risk, training

Project: Civic Education and Civil Society Empowerment in Remote Areas in Myanmar
Evaluation Date: December 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The greatest hindrance to efficiency was receiving government permission. In many instances the grantee received approval from higher-level government authorities to conduct training only a few days before the planned sections. In some instances, trainings were then postponed, cut short, or cancelled because permissions were revoked at the last minute or local officials had not been notified.

Theme: Community activism

Myanmar government, planning, risk, training

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

Lesson Learned:

The original project design foresaw training of journalists and the placement of a number of articles in the media, but this was not done. The political realities of Myanmar, at a time of heightened political sensitivity around election, made working with the media – especially within a project clearly labelled “deepening democratization processes” – impossible. This should have been anticipated when the project was designed.

Theme: Youth engagement

Myanmar media, politics, risk

Project: Active democracy and political participation of tribal communities in the Indian Himalayas
Evaluation Date: October 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

When people are encouraged to claim their rights and entitlements, there is a risk that they will not be successful or that the services they are seeking will not materialize, and this risk must be taken into account. It is inevitable that not all those who apply for government schemes and entitlements will receive them and it is also possible that promised services may not materialize, or that louder voices may prevail. In order to mitigate negative examples they may see, put in place an active process for sharing success stories.

UNDEF/ India

Theme: Tools for knowledge

India rights, risk

Project: Active democracy and political participation of tribal communities in the Indian Himalayas
Evaluation Date: October 2012
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

There were no delays in project delivery, since it had been designed with the seasonal obstacles relevant to the target region in mind. The high Himalayan districts are cut off from the rest of the country for four to five months a year. Therefore, the project was extremely effective. It achieved its objectives and in many cases exceeded the quantitative targets set.

UNDEF/ India

Theme: Tools for knowledge

India climate, plan, risk

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

Lesson Learned:

The project’s responses to unexpected problems in security were reasonable and effective, but were ad hoc in nature rather than based on any risk assessment and management strategy. Particularly since the project was designed with Egypt’s election schedule in mind, the risk of delays and disruptions might have been foreseeable.

Theme: Rule of law

Egypt elections, risk

Project: JOINT Contribution to Strengthen and Expand Democracy in Mozambique
Evaluation Date: June 2014
Report: [report link]

Lesson Learned:

The main partner NGOs in Manica and the grantee designed the project collaboratively. The NGOs in Manica were concerned that their capacity would be stretched by the ambitious expected project outcomes. Their concerns were not reflected in the design, and the final proposal to UNDEF maintained the three-pronged approach of NGO capacity building, government dialogue and legal aid. The capacity building provided to NGOs was essentially on specific rights awareness and governance skills, but was not designed to address NGOs’ structural/operational weaknesses.

Theme: Community activism

Mozambique capacity building, collaboration, risk

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