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sustainability

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Judicial Reform: empowering magistrate-civil society collaboration for Guinea’s new democratic future

The long-term impact of the project is not clear since the activities have not been deployed across the country. The project design could have included plans to replicate the project experiences in beyond the target areas of Conakry and Kankan.
Project Partner
The BEFORE Project in Guinea
Project Description
The project aimed to contribute to the judiciary reform process in Guinea through establishing a new social contract on justice linking CSOs, magistrates and auxiliaries of justice. Strategically, the project was based on two outcome components, to support increased capacity for advocacy, monitoring and judicial oversight, and enhanced capacity for dialogue and collaboration between civil society and the judiciary on ways to improve the judicial system in order for it to become more responsive to the needs of civil society. This strategic approach appropriate for the limited scope of the project; its key points of strength were the acknowledgement that training was a first step before the setting up a platform for dialogue and the inclusion of a mini-grant scheme. The project was ambitious but realistic. However, the methodology did not include a mechanism to replicate project experiences beyond the target areas of Conakry and Kankan - the most important judicial districts in Guinea - once the project ended.
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering the Voice of a New Generation in Pakistan

The CBO partners were primarily used for logistical support by the grantee who implemented the project from its office in Hyderabad in Pakistan. The anticipated capacity building for partners did not appear to have taken place. Given their limited programmatic involvement, positive changes among CBO partners are unlikely.
Project Partner
Civil Society Support Programme
Project Description
The project’s objective was to increase the role of youth in public affairs and policy development in 20 locations in Pakistan. Its intended outcomes were: a strengthened networking and institutional capacities of the programme; enhanced understanding of the Voice of New Generation youth on social, political and development issues; and increased participation of Voice of New Generation groups in research and advocacy for policy making on youth issues.   The project design addressed issues directly relevant to youth and incorporated community based organizations into programme delivery which helped ensure an effective intervention and continuity of efforts. However, it assumed all participants were literate, had internet access, and the time and drive to develop and sustain a Voice of a New Generation effort within their area. This was the case for only a small minority of the targeted youth. This significantly reduced the relevance of the project.
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Narrowing the Gender Gap in Flood Affected Areas of Pakistan

The project should have put in place stronger follow-up activities with the communities after the workshops as well as with the government officials, specifically on the findings of the Governance Performance Scorecards and mobile phone reporting. The Gender Reform Committee structures were underutilized as project implementation remained centralized and driven by the grantee.
Project Partner
Pattan Development Organization
Project Description
The objective of the project was to reduce gender disparity and gender-based violence in eight flood affected districts of Pakistan. Its intended outcomes were: increased awareness of gender issues; increased progress towards certain Millennium Development Goals (MDG 3: gender equality and empowerment of women; MDG 4: reduced child mortality; and, MDG 5: improved maternal health); and increased capacity of women to counter gender discrimination and to hold government accountable. The project objectives were directly relevant to the needs to strengthen gender rights and equity within Pakistan and especially within rural, marginalized flood prone areas The grantee took a rights based approach that integrated men as well as women into the project activities and structures. This increased project relevance for the communities and helped to ensure that the women were able to participate in these male dominated areas.
Evaluation Date
July 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Civil Society Groups to Promote Social Accountability

A number of government officials from Papua, Indonesia, indicated their desire to do more in utilizing the Citizen Reporting Cards beyond the project, but there has been no follow up. Similarly, none of the members of the CSO Forum have taken the initiative to meet, or to establish the organization on a more formal basis.
Project Partner
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Project Description
The overall goal of the project was to improve governance in Papua, Indonesia. Specifically, it focused on developing and implementing a practical strategy to build a forum for civil society organizations where civil society could develop skills in social accountability and promote accountability and transparency of the provincial and city governments. Given the deep suspicion of civil society on the part of government in Papua, the intention of the project was to establish the CSO Forum as a legitimate body in the eyes of both decision-makers and the public. Training was provided to all stakeholders – including government officials and a series of dialogue sessions was also organized. However, gaps in the initial baseline analysis and stakeholder consultations, along with a decision to implement the project without a local partner, reduced the project’s relevance to the Papuan context and the needs of beneficiaries. Eight visits to Papua over a two-year period by members of the Jakarta-based project team limited opportunities for contact between the visiting team and beneficiaries, and a lack of continuity across activities restricted what the project was able to accomplish.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Youth as Agents of Democratic Change through Knowledge and Information Acquisition and Exchange in Laos

There are concerns whether and how teaching and promotion of environmental and indigenous knowledge among the Lao youth will or can be continued given the mobility of teaching staff. It is also not clear how it could be expanded to locations previously not covered by the project given inconsistent teaching staff knowledge.
It will be crucial to secure the Ministry of Education’s (implementation partner) agreement that its existing structural, human and financial resources will be accessible to support a future expansion of the project.
Project Partner
Participatory Development Training Center
Project Description
The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
LESSON

Lesson Learned: JOINT Contribution to Strengthen and Expand Democracy in Mozambique

Some of the local NGOS involved gained a degree of recognition from the local authorities which was important. Most local NGOs operate without official registration, or with registration only at provincial level. Some interviewees suggested that the project helped them achieve a degree of credibility and legitimacy with local authorities, which might be conducive to them developing a better working relationship with government.
Project Partner
JOINT, Mozambican NGOs league
Project Description
The project aimed to increase the knowledge and capacities of local organizations and marginalized groups; enhance dialogue among civil society and marginalized groups, private sectors and the government; and ensure participation of marginalized groups in the democratic processes and achievement of advocacy for civil rights protection and promotion. The project was implemented in seven districts of Manica province, in central Mozambique. While the project correctly identified issues of political participation and NGO capacity building that were of genuine concern in Manica province, there were weaknesses in project design - the project did not directly address the structural and operational weaknesses of NGOs. And while the project’s expected outcomes were weaker than planned, the fact that the activities that were planned in a remote province, in locations that were sometimes difficult to to access because of weather conditions and occasional political violence, was in itself a significant achievement
Evaluation Date
June 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Civil Society Groups to Promote Social Accountability

The setting up of a CSO Forum to bring civil society organizations together and to provide an arena for dialogue between government and civil society was widely welcomed. Unfortunately, no effort was made to formalize the organization, structure and leadership of the Forum. It existed only when the project team was present in Jayapura, Indonesia, and organized an event. Once the project finished, the Forum ceased to exist.
Project Partner
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Project Description
The overall goal of the project was to improve governance in Papua, Indonesia. Specifically, it focused on developing and implementing a practical strategy to build a forum for civil society organizations where civil society could develop skills in social accountability and promote accountability and transparency of the provincial and city governments. Given the deep suspicion of civil society on the part of government in Papua, the intention of the project was to establish the CSO Forum as a legitimate body in the eyes of both decision-makers and the public. Training was provided to all stakeholders – including government officials and a series of dialogue sessions was also organized. However, gaps in the initial baseline analysis and stakeholder consultations, along with a decision to implement the project without a local partner, reduced the project’s relevance to the Papuan context and the needs of beneficiaries. Eight visits to Papua over a two-year period by members of the Jakarta-based project team limited opportunities for contact between the visiting team and beneficiaries, and a lack of continuity across activities restricted what the project was able to accomplish.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Representation and political participation of five urban indigenous populations in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

The project had important sustainability components. The grantee’s track record and competence in fighting for respect for the rights of indigenous peoples, especially in urban environments, have given it credibility in the eyes of its public and private stakeholders.
Project Partner
Apoyo Para el Campesino - indígena del Oriente Boliviano
Evaluation Date
June 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Civil Society Groups to Promote Social Accountability

The project worked constructively to draw attention to deficiencies in governance in Papua, and contributed to building a broader awareness of social accountability and what it entails. There was potential for the project to have a catalytic effect. As the grantee represented a highly-credible, mainstream Indonesian policy research institution, it would have been in a position to facilitate dialogue between government and civil society in Papua in a way that locally-based organizations might find more difficult. Had it managed to secure additional funding, lessons learned from the project could have represented a beginning rather than an end.
Project Partner
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Project Description
The overall goal of the project was to improve governance in Papua, Indonesia. Specifically, it focused on developing and implementing a practical strategy to build a forum for civil society organizations where civil society could develop skills in social accountability and promote accountability and transparency of the provincial and city governments. Given the deep suspicion of civil society on the part of government in Papua, the intention of the project was to establish the CSO Forum as a legitimate body in the eyes of both decision-makers and the public. Training was provided to all stakeholders – including government officials and a series of dialogue sessions was also organized. However, gaps in the initial baseline analysis and stakeholder consultations, along with a decision to implement the project without a local partner, reduced the project’s relevance to the Papuan context and the needs of beneficiaries. Eight visits to Papua over a two-year period by members of the Jakarta-based project team limited opportunities for contact between the visiting team and beneficiaries, and a lack of continuity across activities restricted what the project was able to accomplish.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Civil Society Groups to Promote Social Accountability

The project was built around eight intensive visits by members of the grantee’s project team. This approach, which excluded partnership in project implementation with a Papua-based organization, and which made no allowance for continuity between team visits, resulted in certain inefficiencies.
Project Partner
Centre for Strategic and International Studies
Project Description
The overall goal of the project was to improve governance in Papua, Indonesia. Specifically, it focused on developing and implementing a practical strategy to build a forum for civil society organizations where civil society could develop skills in social accountability and promote accountability and transparency of the provincial and city governments. Given the deep suspicion of civil society on the part of government in Papua, the intention of the project was to establish the CSO Forum as a legitimate body in the eyes of both decision-makers and the public. Training was provided to all stakeholders – including government officials and a series of dialogue sessions was also organized. However, gaps in the initial baseline analysis and stakeholder consultations, along with a decision to implement the project without a local partner, reduced the project’s relevance to the Papuan context and the needs of beneficiaries. Eight visits to Papua over a two-year period by members of the Jakarta-based project team limited opportunities for contact between the visiting team and beneficiaries, and a lack of continuity across activities restricted what the project was able to accomplish.
Evaluation Date
June 2014
Country