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El Salvador

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador

Project design should focus on the detailed definitions of Global Objective, Specific Objectives, Actions, Indicators (at outcome and output level), Baseline and Targets. As it stands, the project definition lacked a clear project design matrix; overall and specific objectives and outputs were missing; outcome indicators were missing (outcome indicators were in fact output indicators), and outputs were not defined. Lastly, no sources of information/means of verification were formulated.

Project Name
Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador
Project Partner
Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social
Project Description
The Democracy Academy for Young Adults (DAY) is a project that contributes to the strengthening and the promotion ofe democracy through the formation and active participation of young leaders in spaces of dialogue, social control, and defense of the democratic system with civil society and key political actors. The digital platforms used are essential to deepen and expand the exercise of democratic practices in this time of technological revolution.
Report
udf-evaluation_783-els_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2023
Theme
Youth engagement
Interaction with government
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador

The project was conceived as a comprehensive capacity development project with an approach involving participants into the development of replication strategies and the development of common actions and strategies in traditional and non-traditional communication spaces. However, during its implementation, the project has mainly been an academic endeavour, with a rather classic approach to capacity development methodologies and systems. In this project, as designed, the components of socialisation by the students as well as the engagement with public authorities should have remained a priority, and practical, on-the-job training approaches should have been privileged as originally foreseen. If these practical aspects are not considered a priority, a more standardized approach to capacity development should be followed at the project design stage.

Project Name
Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador
Project Partner
Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social
Project Description
The Democracy Academy for Young Adults (DAY) is a project that contributes to the strengthening and the promotion ofe democracy through the formation and active participation of young leaders in spaces of dialogue, social control, and defense of the democratic system with civil society and key political actors. The digital platforms used are essential to deepen and expand the exercise of democratic practices in this time of technological revolution.
Report
udf-evaluation_783-els_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2023
Theme
Youth engagement
Interaction with government
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador

The adoption of a coordination strategy between the project and other relevant actors (mostly from the Academic arena) would have been key in order to optimize resources and avoid duplication, while strengthening coordination. It is therefore important that UNDEF continues to require such strategies for all its projects.
Project Name
Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador
Project Partner
Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social
Project Description
The Democracy Academy for Young Adults (DAY) is a project that contributes to the strengthening and the promotion ofe democracy through the formation and active participation of young leaders in spaces of dialogue, social control, and defense of the democratic system with civil society and key political actors. The digital platforms used are essential to deepen and expand the exercise of democratic practices in this time of technological revolution.
Report
udf-evaluation_783-els_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2023
Theme
Youth engagement
Interaction with government
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador

The adaptation strategy to the COVID-19 pandemic was key for the project success. In this regard, a strategy aimed at adapting methods to changing, external circumstances (natural, pandemic and/or geopolitical), going beyond the risks inherent to the project’s internal design, and defining the actions and measures to be to be taken should such potential changes materialize should also continue to be considered systematically in all UNDEF projects.

 
Project Name
Democracy Academy for Young Adults in El Salvador
Project Partner
Fundación Salvadoreña para el Desarrollo Económico y Social
Project Description
The Democracy Academy for Young Adults (DAY) is a project that contributes to the strengthening and the promotion ofe democracy through the formation and active participation of young leaders in spaces of dialogue, social control, and defense of the democratic system with civil society and key political actors. The digital platforms used are essential to deepen and expand the exercise of democratic practices in this time of technological revolution.
Report
udf-evaluation_783-els_final.pdf
Evaluation Date
March 2023
Theme
Youth engagement
Interaction with government
Electoral Processes
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

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

A major part of the project’s success rested on its timing: El Salvador had recently adopted the Law on the Access to Public Information which required a greater degree of openness from public institutions at all levels. However, the law’s quick entry into force required institutional, human and financial capacities which local governments, citizens and the Institute for Access to Public Information did not have. The project was therefore responding to a genuine and timely need and helped raise awareness of the issue of access to public information at the local level. Thus, by designing the intervention around the political context, the project was relevant for both the government and local communities.

 

Project Name
Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
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.
Report
UDF-ELS-11-475-ER-1.pdf
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Rule of law
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

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

The project developed materials and tools of excellent quality. These contributed to extending knowledge among the various beneficiaries in El Salvador. The materials became a key component for sustainability since they could be used in future initiatives. Resources such as the ‘Citizen Education booklet: the Right to Access Public Information in the Municipality’, was based on the specific needs and experiences of the target audience.

Project Name
Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
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.
Report
UDF-ELS-11-475-ER-1.pdf
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Rule of law
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

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

The project developed materials and tools of excellent quality. However, participants asked for the materials to be adapted to other types of audiences in order to achieve a greater coverage among children, youth, elderly people, and people with special needs, among others. In some cases, teachers in educational centres offered to adapt the materials to suit their audiences.
Project Name
Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
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.
Report
UDF-ELS-11-475-ER-1.pdf
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Rule of law
Country
El Salvador
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 Name
Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
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.
Report
UDF-ELS-11-475-ER-1.pdf
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Rule of law
Country
El Salvador
LESSON

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

The methodology which the project applied to the educational processes was highly relevant, adapting successfully to the different audiences in El Salvador. Collaboration with an EU-funded project enabled the grantee to undertake a baseline study. The project’s advantage was that it was a “design-in-progress” depending on the specific needs of the beneficiaries, which meant that its effectiveness could be maximized. The intervention ultimately had an impact on local and national institutions, putting the enforcement of the Law on local agendas, creating links between different levels of government and speeding up the process of appointing information officers in the municipalities.

Project Name
Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
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.
Report
UDF-ELS-11-475-ER-1.pdf
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Rule of law
Country
El Salvador
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 Name
Strengthening Municipal Capacity for Access to Public Information in El Salvador
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.
Report
UDF-ELS-11-475-ER-1.pdf
Evaluation Date
August 2014
Theme
Rule of law
Country
El Salvador