Management Response

: Kyrgyzstan
: 2018 - 2022 , Kyrgyzstan (CO)
: Livelihoods through participation and equal access to water
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: Kyrgyzstan
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The final evaluation of the Securing Livelihoods for Vulnerable Women, Men and Children, through their Participation in Community Governance of Water Resources, and Enhanced Ability to Use Water Efficiently project concluded that the project delivered its planned results and met or exceeded the intent of the project indicators at the outcome and output level. The project succeeded in building the capacities of rights-holders, especially students and marginalized women, to advocate for and claim their rights to fair water allocation. The project was able to improve the capacities of duty-bearers to increase the transparency and accuracy of service delivery while ensuring a special focus on vulnerable women and men. The strategy of empowering youth and engaging LSGs to advocate for gender equality and human rights made a positive contribution to community stability. The evaluation identified issues relating to the results framework that were largely reflective of problems with indicator design and data availability, rather than actual project results. The project is part of the broader FinWaterWEI II program that is implemented in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan with funding support from the Government of Finland. The project was implemented in seven municipalities of three provinces of the Kyrgyz Republic. The project aimed to secure livelihoods for vulnerable women, men and children through efficient on-farm use of water and equitable community governance of water resources. The project was perceived as a model to showcase means of inclusive community level water management and efficient water use resulting in sustainable livelihoods for households whose members are increasingly aware of the benefits of the rule of law, human, rights and gender equality in building prosperous and harmonious families and communities. The evaluation was commissioned by the UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office, and was conducted in May – June 2018 during the final months of project implementation. The purpose of the final evaluation was to assess in more detail the programmatic progress and performance of the project activities from the point of view of relevance, effectiveness, organizational efficiency and sustainability. The findings of the evaluation will inform effective programming, refining future approaches to women, peace and security, organizational learning and accountability, and thus contribute to the implementation of the Strategic Note of the UN Women Country Office in the Kyrgyz Republic for 2018-2022 and provide inputs for management decisions in on-going projects with similar approaches and methodologies. The information generated by the evaluation will furthermore be used to engage policy makers and other stakeholders at local, national and regional levels in evidence-based dialogues and to advocate for gender-responsive strategies to sustain peace and conflict-prevention with a particular focus on engaging adolescents and women in dialogues on gender equality, human rights, and peace and security. An analysis of how human rights based approaches and gender equality was operationalized in project design and implementation was given focus across the elements of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. The evaluation used mixed data collection methods to include both qualitative and quantitative data. The primary focus of the field mission was to generate new qualitative data, and to verify and gather relevant quantitative data. The team utilized desk review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and direct observation. The evaluation process included a data collection mission in Bishkek, Osh and three selected project sites within three provinces (two in the south and one in the north). Project sites were selected to ensure geographic and agro-ecological diversity as well as variations in socio-cultural patterns and accessibility to natural resources. The evaluation team conducted research with a total of 153 (122 female/31 male) stakeholders and beneficiaries over the five-day field mission in a total of five different locations (Bishkek, Osh and three municipalities). Participation levels were excellent and well balanced during group interviews and focus groups.

: Approved
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 1 Pilot Efforts to Reach Challenging Communities/ Institutions. Project components worked well where leaders and decision makers were interested and supportive, and indeed the project screened for this during site selection. Working with individuals and institutions with a relatively high capacity allowed the project to produce results with less effort and resources and increase efficiency and effectiveness. This approach, however, can have the unintended effect of eschewing ‘those furthest behind’ with lower capacities and/or readiness. Now that the project has established an effective model of community development with an integrated focus on gender equality and human rights, future projects should expand their work to include ‘challenge’ communities or institutions that do not meet ‘readiness’ criteria. Models may vary, but future project design should include at least one or two ‘challenge’ communities (or ‘challenge’ institutions such as schools) as a means of testing new ideas for working effectively in more difficult contexts. By including less able communities or institutions, a dynamic may emerge that ‘pulls’ the lower performers to a higher level as they share ideas and ‘compete’ with others, who may serve as models and mentors.
Management Response: The CO follows the 'leaving no one behind' principle in its programming, which is also emphasized in the CO new Strategic Note 2018-2022. In adherence to the Leaving No One Behind principle, UN Women will aim to address the situation of those most marginalized, discriminated against and excluded, and to empower them as active agents of development. Most notably, UN Women will continue to focus on remote and rural areas where women and girls often lack the necessary means to address discrimination. UN Women will also support CSOs representing groups at risk of marginalization or facing intersecting forms of discrimination to enable them to participate in national and global policy dialogues, for example through alternative CEDAW reporting and its follow-up. The CO takes note that the evaluation confirms that its existing practice of also working with leaders and decision-makers who are supportive to advancing gender equality in Kyrgyzstan is a good way to build partnerships and improve results. The CO will continue this practice to showcase successes also to those who are initially less-favorable to cooperation. The CO upcoming new communications strategy (currently a draft version) emphasizes broadening the partnership base to also reach out to stakeholders who do not fully share the convictions of UN Women.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, National ownership, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Ensure that ‘challenge’ communities are included in project and programme design, as appropriate, when planning new interventions and continue working with supportive decision-makers UN Women Kyrgyzstan CO 2022/12 Ongoing Preventing Violent Extremism programme sites were selected jointly with representatives of the presidents office, state agency on religious affairs and state agency Local Self Governments and inter-ethnic relations, UN agencies based on agreed criteria between all stakeholders and confirmed during a joint steering committee meeting in June 2018. A localized analysis was also conducted to ensure this. The item will be added on a planned project development checklist which will be developed by the National Programme Officer and M&E Specialist.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 2 Engage Stakeholders Actively from the Start. The Coordination Council proved to be an effective mechanism for linking policy actors to local level initiatives and expanding project ownership to national stakeholders. Field visits, in particular, were identified as critical to engagement of stakeholders from higher levels and served the additional purpose of elevating the status of communities who felt empowered by the visits of high-level delegates. Future projects should involve government and civil society stakeholders in field-level project oversight from the inception phase of the project, and budgets should be drafted accordingly. Stakeholders should also be engaged in design of M&E frameworks to provide strategic inputs into data availability as well as alignment with Government policies.
Management Response: The CO will continue to engage stakeholders in projects from design to evaluation for example by mechanisms like the cooperation council in this project when deemed appropriate for the project’s targeted results within donor budgeting requirements and taking human resource needs to consideration. It was crucial for project success to include different level stakeholders and the CO will continue to link local level initiatives to policy actors in future initiatives as well.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, National ownership, Oversight/governance, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Culture of results/RBM, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Ensure mechanisms to engage stakeholders from the start in project oversight and M&E design are in place. Make sure to include field visits in project and programme design, including budgets UN Women Kyrgyzstan CO 2022/12 Ongoing Throughout Strategic Note 2018-2022 implementation. Currently, the CO is planning on creating M&E plans for each project – these will include planning field monitoring visits as well, when relevant to the specific project in question. At least once a year project stakeholders/ steering committee will be invited for project monitoring missions. The item will be added on a planned project development checklist which will be developed by the National Programme Officer and M&E Specialist who will also check that it is budgeted in Annual Work Plans for projects.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 3 Prioritize M&E at Design, Implementation and End Phase. Dedicate the necessary human and financial resources up front to build a better M&E system that has smart indicators that accurately reflect the intended project results and are in line with stakeholder policies. Ensure that outcome indicators are monitored, at the very least, at a mid-point, to be able to guide project direction. Surveys should be designed to serve a single purpose first and foremost, and not be conflated with planning. Survey selection process may target by social grouping (e.g. sex, class, location), but selections from within groups should be random to improve generalizability of findings. Outsource key monitoring elements such as surveys to independent external experts for greater reliability and impartiality.
Management Response: The CO notes that systematic monitoring of outcome level indicators is usually done biannually (this may vary depending on donor requirements) or annually (as per UN Women Results Management System reporting requirements). The CO will continue quarterly monitoring of activities and outputs and outcomes on an annual basis as required in the institutional RMS. In addition, the CO will follow donor requirements in monitoring frequency and aim to include at least mid-term outcome monitoring in new project proposals. The CO will consider the recommendation case by case depending on the nature of the specific indicators and budget availability as some targets can only be measured at the end of the project (for example a target where a project aims to get a certain percentage of target communities as survey respondents to a survey that is conducted only at the end of a project). Whether surveys are designed for a single purpose and whether monitoring is outsourced is largely a question of budget availability and donor requirements. The CO will need to take value for money into consideration when designing new initiatives while aiming to get as reliable and impartial data as possible. The CO has occasionally previously outsourced surveys and data collection, but the opportunity to do this depends on budget availability and availability of local capacity at good value. The CO is addressing the matter of M&E capacity by hiring a National Consultant on Design, Monitoring and Evaluation for the Women, Peace and Security portfolio who will together with the newly acquired UNV M&E Specialist continue work on improving M&E at the CO and ensure that all projects will have an M&E plan in place. Although not external to the CO, neither is directly involved in project implementation and may therefore be able to increase reliability by systematizing processes and planning for monitoring and by taking part in project monitoring. Evaluations are guided by The UN Women Independent Evaluation Office and the CO will continue following the provided guidelines of the UN Women Evaluation Handbook: How to manage gender-responsive evaluation, the UNEG Evaluation Guidelines and engaging the Regional Evaluation Specialist who guides and ensures compliance of the evaluation processes. As per UN Women guidelines the CO aims to spend 3% of project budgets on evaluations.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, Alignment with strategy, Knowledge management, Internal coordination and communication, Evidence, Data and statistics
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Organizational efficiency, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Allocate more resources to M&E by increasing human and financial resources UN Women Kyrgyzstan CO 2022/12 Ongoing A consultant on Design, Monitoring and Evaluation has been hired for the Women, Peace and Security portfolio to ensure effective M&E, and budget allocated for M&E missions, localized analysis and baseline survey methodology. In addition, the CO has a M&E Specialist (currently UNV paid by the Government of Finland) and the position will remain a part of the office organigram.
Ensure all projects and programmes have a specific M&E plan, even when it is not a donor requirement UN Women Kyrgyzstan CO/M&E Focal Point 2019/12 Completed 4 out of 5 projects at the country office have an up to date, project specific M&E plan. One for the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment will be updated together with the partners of the programme at a planned programme retreat during the second quarter of the year.
The CO will pay attention to the recommendation to outsource survey design and data collection taking budgets and efficiency into consideration. This is also contingent on capacity at good-value being locally available. UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2022/12 Ongoing Specifically for the Women Peace and Security portfolio projects' baseline and endline surveys have been outsourced and they are managed by the UN Peacebuilding Fund secretariat in Kyrgyzstan. This item will also be added on a project development checklist.
Recommendation: Continue Work to Upscale AIMAK. At the close of the project, it is important that key stakeholders/experts continue to work outside of the project structure to communicate lessons and successes of the AIMAK pilot to key national agencies as well as donors (including UNDP, WB and ADB) working on digital transformation projects in KR. Recommendations drafted collectively by the responsible secretaries of the seven project municipalities related to the local level needs to support e-governance systems must be carried forward officially by and systematically. To this end, key personnel who have been engaged in this project component from RAS JA, UN Women and other stakeholder agencies may want to create a formal ‘sharing’ mechanism (such as a social media group or a list of email recipients) to ensure that communication remains open within the group, thereby helping spur momentum and allowing each to leverage off of the work of others as opportunities emerge. Linkages should also be maintained with community level users of the e-governance system, who have identified the following outstanding needs from the higher levels: • Provide unified forms for certificates; • Support with maps of municipalities through State Registry Services; • Support in having adopted the Household Book template; • Expand the content of the Household Book model; • Review the possibility of information exchange between ‘Tazakoom’ windows at post offices (identification, registration of citizenship, passport and tax related services).
Management Response: The CO will continue communicating lessons and successes of the AIMAK pilot project with relevant partners, key national agencies and donors and include it as an element in future project proposals when relevant. In addition, the CO, as part of the CO communications strategy will communicate project results in local and global social media channels and events and meetings.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Knowledge management, National ownership, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include AIMAK as a component in relevant project proposals to continue supporting upscaling it UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2020/12 Ongoing AIMAK has been included as component in two project concept notes that will be distributed to potential donors and a project proposal to UNOCT in November 2018. Currently, in 2019, the ongoing Cross-border Project is implementing an AIMAK component. The item will also be added on a planned project development checklist which will be developed by the National Programme Officer and M&E Specialist.
Inform relevant state authorities of the recommendations and needs drafted collectively UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2018/12 Completed The recommendations have been handed over to relevant state authorities
Create a whatsapp group to ensure continued communication within the group UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2019/12 Completed The group continues being active, particularly during harvest time, and the group have now also added women from Self Help Groups crated as part of the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment to the WhatsApp group.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 5 Further Support Self-Help Groups. Provide more comprehensive, individualized support to SHGs at close of project to look at annual work plans and sustainability plans, and identify resource needs and avenues of support after the close of project. Ensure linkages are well established between the LSG and SHGs, so that the LSGs can provide oversight and support over the next stage. Provide small funding at project close for RAS JA to continue to moderate SHG WhatsApp groups actively and to support group functions, working to transition groups into new operations on social media with leaders serving as moderators. UN Women and RAS JA should also seek out opportunities to link SHGs into other networks or projects if any opportunities emerge (e.g. through the upcoming PVE project or other projects that implementers may be involved in down the road).
Management Response: The SGH members are actively sharing information on the created whatsapp group and the group moderation does not currently seem to require funds. The CO will continue sharing information and providing opportunities for SHG members to share their experience with wider audiences.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, National ownership, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The CO will strive to identify avenues of support after project closure to SHGs and to link them with other networks and funding possibilities by including them in further project development when relevant UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2022/12 Ongoing One of the Self Help Groups involved is being supported in the context of the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE). The item will also be added on a planned project development checklist which will be developed by the National Programme Officer and M&E Specialist.
The CO will invite the best functioning three SHGs to a relevant event (for example the Rural Women’s day event) to provide a platform to present their main challenges and achievements. UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2019/11 Completed The Self Help Groups participated in an event on 2 March to commemorate the International Women's day in Osh and will be invited to participate National and International Rural women's days in June and October 2019 respectively to present challenges and achievements.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 6 Facilitate Formal Handover of Electronic Resources. Key stakeholders at the community level must be provided with necessary electronic resources to continue operations in the post-project period. While there may be informal plans for this to take place, the absence of a formal exit strategy resulted in a certain amount of uncertainty as to who would take responsibility, and how and when this handover would occur. UN Women should work with RAS JA to create a ‘handover list’ of all electronic resources, and the appropriate recipient to ensure that tools go directly to the responsible stakeholder institution. For example, the LSG should have a file backup for the ‘Aimak’ software as well as the electronic template for household booklets and certificates. WUAs should have backup software for their database systems as well as templates for advocacy materials. Schools should have electronic versions of course materials including templates for all advocacy tools and materials to be adapted and reproduced in future.
Management Response: When dealing with electronic resources the CO will take this into account in future project design as well as strive to include exit strategies from the start.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, Internal coordination and communication, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Partnership, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The CO will feature practical exit strategies in future project design UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2022/12 Ongoing This be taken into consideration when designing project proposals and at the initiation stage of projects. This will be added to a project development checklist to be developed by the National Programme Officer and M&E Specialist.
Create handover list of electronic resources and encourage responsible parties to use backup files and software UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2018/12 Completed The list has been created and electronic resources handed over to responsible party Rural Advisory Services of Jalalabat Province, and to each targeted LSG (Asyl-Bash, Check-Abad, Don-Bulak, Naiman, Uch-Korgon, Khalmion and Kulundu) and backup files have been created.
Recommendation: RECOMMENDATION 7 Leverage off of RAS JA Strengths to Build Capacities of RAS Network. The Responsible Party, RAS JA, provided to the project a unique set of skills and services that were critical to project successes. Throughout the project implementation, RAS JA staff was able to deepen knowledge and pilot new practices and approaches, thereby further strengthening their skills. The skill set evidenced in RAS JA does not seem to be held by Rural Advisory Services in other provinces throughout KR. Future project work with RAS JA should consider providing opportunities for RAS in target provinces to develop their capacities through project involvement and collaboration with RAS JA, thereby strengthening the national network of RAS and improving rural community access to resources within provinces.
Management Response: The CO aims to facilitate cooperation between RAS JA and other RAS in future projects when possible and provide opportunities to develop their capacities.
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, National ownership, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Promote the idea of RAS JA building capacity of other RAS to the ministry of agriculture and RAS JA by communicating the recommendation to the ministry UN Women Kyrgyzstan Country Office 2019/12 Completed During the coordination council meeting of the project this was communicated to the Ministry who recognized that the Rural Advisory Service of Jalal-Abad (RAS JA) is very proactive. Currently, the Joint Programme on Rural Women's Economic Empowerment is working with RAS JA. The item will be added on the project development checklist for concept notes in the area of agriculture.