Management Response

: Malawi
: 2018 - 2021 , Malawi (CO)
: End of Project evaluation for the Advancing and Sustaining Gender Based Governance Project in Malawi
:
: Malawi
:

The evaluation report highlights critical findings that informs both designing and implementation of existing and new programmes. Future programming priorities will move away from small scale lower level implementation to strategic policy and advisory services in achieving gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting.
: Approved
Recommendation: Recommendation 1
Management Response: The Country office will invest in conducting thorough needs assessment to inform programming and in enhancing collaboration with the MoGCDSW.
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Description: Measures need to be put in place to ensure the design for similar programmes in future actively involve stakeholders in the national gender machinery (e.g. through the creation of a multi-stakeholder programme steering committee, led by MoGDCSW, are in informed by a thorough needs assessment and that the design document should put in place robust implementation plans, robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The Country office will invest in conducting thorough needs assessment to inform programming and in enhancing collaboration with the MoGCDSW. All Programme Team Leads 2020/07 Ongoing Most recent COVID response Project (joint with UNFPA and WHO) was informed by analyses reports produced by HQ, RO and in country. Plans and M&E mechanisms have been developed in consultation with key stakeholders. Country Office commissioned own Assessment on the impact of the COVID – 19.
Recommendation: Recommendation 2
Management Response: Informed by the Country’s Strategic Note, the UNW Annual Workplan and the MGDS III, all programmes will be requested to submit a result framework and demonstrate how they are aligned to the corporate priorities, national priorities, systems and structures. The Country Office will also develop gender and sectoral profiles that will inform alignment of programmes to national priorities.
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Description: All future gender programmes need to continue to strongly align to the priorities of women and girls in fulfilling and claiming their rights; as well as align towards national priorities, systems and structures.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
All programmes will be requested to submit a result framework and demonstrate how they are aligned to the corporate priorities, national priorities, systems and structures. The Country Office will also develop gender and sectoral profiles that will inform alignment of programmes to national priorities. Programme Management Specialist MER Specialist 2020/05 Ongoing Most recent project developed responds to the COVID situation in line with the National COVID Response plan. All new IPs have submitted Results frameworks as part of the project agreement documents. Draft gender profiles have been produced and being reviewed by stakeholders.
Recommendation: Recommendation 3
Management Response: Programming will have a clear criteria on how to mainstream gender at national and sectoral planning and budgeting will be conducted.
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Description: Future programming by UN Women and stakeholders should ensure that issues of mainstreaming gender in national level planning and budgeting is taken into consideration, especially at district council levels.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Programming will have a clear criteria on how to mainstream gender at national and sectoral planning and budgeting will be conducted. Future programming priorities will move away from small scale lower level implementation to strategic policy and advisory services in achieving gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting. All Programme LEADS 2020/12 Ongoing Being achieved through influencing legal and policy frameworks on EVAW, GBG and WEE in the Spotlight and WEP. Review of laws and policies related to EVAW completed under the Spotlight Programme
Recommendation: Recommendation 4
Management Response: The Annual Workplan of 2020 includes interventions on supporting capacity building of women in politics, leadership and decision-making positions and this covers the PWC. Work with PWC will remain a priority in building on the PWCs strategic plan which the country office supported years ago.
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Description: There is need to consider continuous engagement and capacity building of female MPs for them to effectively lobby for gender sensitive legislation in Parliament. To make it more sustainable, MoGCDSW should include capacity building plans targeting PWC.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
capacity building of women in politics, leadership and decision-making positions and this covers the PWC. GBG Specialist 2020/01 Ongoing Capacity building provided to women MPs and women Councilors. A joint workplan was signed with the PWC.
Recommendation: Recommendation 5
Management Response: The Country office will strategically support capacity building for coordinating institutions for non-state actors including but not limited to NGO GCN. Specifically, the Country Office will support the development and implementation of strategic plan for NGOGCN.
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Description: Future support for non-state actors should be channeled through the coordinating network i.e. NGO GCN.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Efficiency, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The Country office will strategically support capacity building for coordinating institutions for non-state actors including but not limited to NGO GCN. Specifically, the Country Office will support the development and implementation of strategic plan for NGOGCN. GBG Specialist 2020/01 Ongoing Ongoing: Network organizations such as Female Sex Workers, MANASO, MHRRC, CCJP, Men for Gender Equality have been engaged as CSOs implementing partners.
Recommendation: Recommendation 6
Management Response: In line with HACT recommendations , the Country Office will explore and identify modalities that will enable provision of resources directly to the Ministry of Gender. Further to this, the Country office will continue to identify joint priorities and modalities for implementation as it gradually moves away from direct implementation.
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Description: In addition to improving programme implementation management (through clear implementation and monitoring and reporting plans that are adhered to), UN Women should consider engaging in strategic alliances with partners in the national gender machinery who will directly support management of future programmes. In so doing, UN Women will focus more on result quality control and technical backstopping, rather than front-line implementation (which in the case of this programme met challenges related to late activity implementation).
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Sustainability, Relevance, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The Country office will continue to identify joint priorities and modalities for implementation as it gradually moves away from direct implementation. The Programme Management Specialist 2020/05 Ongoing At present focus has been on supporting institutional capacity of the Ministry of Gender through providing of technical and financial support in the development of the JSSP and the Ministry’s strategic plan.
Recommendation: Recommendation 7
Management Response: Strategic Note (Focus Areas and Priorities) and the Annual Workplan. These are developed through a highly consultative process. The Country Office has also been supporting coordination mechanisms in the national gender machinery such as the Sector Working groups. Therefore, the Country Office will enhance participation of key stakeholders through such mechanisms to enhance involvement during the various processes of programming i.e. planning and designing, implementation, monitoring and accounting for results. In turn this is envisaged to help institutionalize benefits in the long term
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Description: As reflected in the findings (and some recommendations above), future programming should actively involve partners in the national gender machinery. This will aid in institutionalizing the benefits over the long term.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and political participation (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Relevance, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
UN Women Malawi country programmes continue to be informed by thorough needs assessment that informs the Country’ Strategic Note (Focus Areas and Priorities) and the Annual Workplan. These are developed through a highly consultative process. Programme Management Specialist 2020/12 Overdue-Initiated
Recommendation: Recommendation 8
Management Response: In the 2020 Annual Workplan, the country office will support development of the strategic plan for the ministry of gender and implementation of coordination meetings. The country office will also (i) build capacity in human rights approaches (ii) internal and external capacity on policy treaties etc that determine work on normative frameworks (iii) ensure there are clear linkages between gender and human rights approaches at all stages of programme implementation.
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Description: Future programming should ensure a stronger gender and human rights consideration in the design and implementation. Programming should ensure a balanced approach (i.e. with interventions targeting both rights holders and duty bearers), and where not possible, providing for clear mechanisms for synergies with programmes that are being implemented by other partners
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness, Sustainability, Relevance
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The country office will also (i) build capacity in human rights approaches (ii) internal and external capacity on policy treaties etc that determine work on normative frameworks (iii) ensure there are clear linkages between gender and human rights approaches at all stages of programme implementation. All Programme LEADS 2020/11 Ongoing Gender markers and human rights markers are used to ensure a stronger gender and human rights consideration in the design and implementation. Gender markers and human rights markers are used to ensure a stronger gender and human rights consideration in the design and implementation.