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Lessons

LESSON

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

A website was created which included a blog section for the youth. The site was easy to use and attractive, with places provided for participants where they could post their photos and news. It also provided a spot where newsletters were posted through to the end of the project. Little analytical data was available on the use of the website but the grantee reported it was underutilized, stating not all of the youth in Pakistan had access to the internet.
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: 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: Empowering the Voice of a New Generation in Pakistan

The usefulness of the baseline study that was used to select the CBO partners in 20 locations in Pakistan, was uncertain as it assessed CBOs and their attributes rather than their qualifications. Some of the CBOs seemed extremely competent, but others might not have been the most appropriate choices. For instance, at least two did not appear to have offices where the Voice of a New Generation groups were expected to meet and the Information Resource Centres to be housed.
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: Empowering the Voice of a New Generation in Pakistan

Although project reporting stated that most project activities were completed as planned, there was not enough hard information available to be able to confirm this or to assess the project’s effectiveness. For example, there was not enough information to be able to assess the effectiveness of different core youth events - three trainings and inter-provincial study tours - and the information on who participated in activities was inconsistent. There was almost no information about the activities at the district level.
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: Empowering the Voice of a New Generation in Pakistan

Project implementation was centralized in Hyderabad in spite of the fact that the project design allowed for a decentralized approach. This led to activities not being properly followed up which impacted on the effectiveness of the programme.
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: Judicial Reform: empowering magistrate-civil society collaboration for Guinea’s new democratic future

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

The project team were able to adapt to unforeseeable events and to minimize their impact on the project activities. Throughout 2013 Guinea experienced political and social turbulence including mass protests against the elections and ethnic tensions. These events had an impact on the activities planned for the second year of the project with many events needing to be rescheduled. However, this did not impact the overall project efficiency.
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: Judicial Reform: empowering magistrate-civil society collaboration for Guinea’s new democratic future

The project design included well thought out monitoring and evaluation activities that took into account the specific local context and constraints in Guinea.
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: Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador

Project outputs were met with efficiency, and even surpassed their aims in terms of quantity. This was due to the flawless management and execution of the project, but also due to the fact that the UNDEF funded project was able to link several activities to an EU-funded project in the grantee’s portfolio. By pooling funds from an additional donor, the project was able to target a larger number of beneficiaries in El Salvador (4361 individuals received capacity building in contrast to a planned 3000).
Project Partner
Fundacion Dr. Guillermo Manuel Ungo
Project Description
The grantee sought to improve the fundamental conditions for democracy in El Salvador by helping municipal governments enforce the Law on the Access to Public Information. The project strategy focused on strengthening the capacities of public and private stakeholders to publicize, implement and enhance citizen oversight of enforcement of the law. The project successfully contributed to improving the cultural and institutional conditions required for transparency and the participation of citizens in democratic institutions. At the same time there was an increase in the knowledge of citizens about the importance of the right to public information and of citizen oversight. It is worth stressing the relevance and good design of the proposed methodology which was based on training multipliers and carrying out an in-depth analysis of the needs of the actors involved.
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador

The grantee created strategic alliances with three institutions of complementary capacities and competencies in an attempt to maximize impact. This allowed the issue to be raised in public educational centres, thereby significantly multiplying knowledge, and it enabled a more efficient deployment of resources. The grantee was a particularly important ally for the governmental Institute for Access to Public Information (IAPI) in El Salvador. However, IAPI’s institutional fragility kept it from capitalizing on the aid provided by the grantee by the end of the project. This could have been a key element to ensure a relevant and high-quality education process in other municipalities.
Project Partner
Fundacion Dr. Guillermo Manuel Ungo
Project Description
The grantee sought to improve the fundamental conditions for democracy in El Salvador by helping municipal governments enforce the Law on the Access to Public Information. The project strategy focused on strengthening the capacities of public and private stakeholders to publicize, implement and enhance citizen oversight of enforcement of the law. The project successfully contributed to improving the cultural and institutional conditions required for transparency and the participation of citizens in democratic institutions. At the same time there was an increase in the knowledge of citizens about the importance of the right to public information and of citizen oversight. It is worth stressing the relevance and good design of the proposed methodology which was based on training multipliers and carrying out an in-depth analysis of the needs of the actors involved.
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Country