Management Response

Recommendation:	RUNOs to clarify the objective and the vision of peace-building projects
Management Response:	Management of RUNOs takes note of the recommendation and accepts it. The vision and mission of the upcoming regional project has already incorporated the recommendation to have clearer and specific objective(s) including achievable and measurable results. The same will be applied in all upcoming joint projects.

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments Develop a Kosovo specific glossary on the themes of peace-building and social cohesion, which will address issues of gender equality and youth empowerment UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated The glossary will be developed by UNDP and UN Women and will be available to all UN Agencies The upcoming project on youth was designed with a specific objective and vision which will lead to measurable and realistic results UN Women, UNDP 2021/11 Completed

Recommendation:	To develop more coherent projects based on solid TOC
Management Response:	The management of RUNOs takes note of the recommendation and accept it. RUNOs have applied it in the upcoming regional PBF funded project.

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments RUNOs will ensure that TOCs for future projects are developed in a participatory manner based on evidence-based, solid understanding of the systemic challenges and transformative changes needed, demonstrating the most effective pathway to achieve clearly defined objective(s). UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated

Recommendation:

To develop a clear ‘exit strategy’

Management Response:

The management of RUNOs acknowledges the recommendation and partially accepts it. The exit strategies are designed for the context in which RUNOs operate, and quite often their implementation comes across challenges linked to funding and capacities needed beyond the project duration including institutional support. In the upcoming joint regional project, funded by the PBF, the recommendation was already applied.

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments For future joint programs, initiate the engagement with institutions and beneficiaries at the project conceptualisation stage to ensure alignment with their needs, ensuring strong ownership based on Kosovo’s development priorities and strategies, allowing for results to be sustained beyond the project duration. UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, UNICEF Kosovo 2022/04 Overdue-Initiated The recommendation was applied as part of the regional project (UNDP, UNFPA, and UN Women in Kosovo) Future interventions to ensure that institutional and individual capacities are built based on the needs identified and the results to be achieved. Assessment of these capacities will be included as an integral part of the sustainable exit strategy. UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, UNICEF Kosovo 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated An example of this is the early engagement with MYCS in the design of a youth project in order to commit to the implementation of specific project activities Future interventions to ensure that institutional and individual capacities are built based on the needs identified and the results to be achieved. Assessment of these capacities will be included as an integral part of the sustainable exit strategy. UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, UNICEF Kosovo 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated An example of this is the early engagement with MYCS in the design of a youth project in order to commit to the implementation of specific project activities

Recommendation:	To improve the M&E and reporting system of new projects and make it more outcome oriented, articulated, and gender sensitive
Management Response:	The management of RUNOs acknowledges and accepts the recommendation. Greater attention will be paid to the monitoring process, viability of indicators, and feasibility of targets which will consider and better articulate gender sensitivities.

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments Agencies participating in future joint programs should ensure a clear program design, based on their existing systems, to enable results-based management and reporting. This should include gender analysis either researched by the project itself or using existing analyses. UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, UNICEF Kosovo 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated

Recommendation:

To develop a communication strategy that is effective and uses easy-to-understand terminology

Management Response:

The recommendation is partially accepted. The management of RUNOs considers that the communication strategy for the joint project was effective and efficient in reaching intended target groups, as demonstrated by outreach campaigns, the participating municipal institutions, community volunteers, and other beneficiaries. Nevertheless, RUNO management acknowledges the need for a wider dissemination of results and enhanced communication with other stakeholders.

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments The communication strategy for future joint projects will be developed by the project team in close discussions with direct beneficiaries and institutional stakeholders. The strategy will be finalized using internal or external gender expertise, to ensure that communication efforts are gender sensitive and serve the different outreach needs of women, men, girls, and boys from different backgrounds. UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, UNICEF Kosovo 2023/12 Overdue-Initiated The upcoming regional youth project will have a small communications component that will ensure professional communications accompanying the project throughout, whereby stories will be told about what has happened in the various project initiatives, and package them to target audiences, including local audiences (in the respective language) as well as an international audience (including for UN leadership). This approach will facilitate greater visibility and impact of the initiatives and can help show the connections regionally. It will also be strategic and coordinated regionally to ensure that project activities and results will be known beyond a relatively small group of project participants and UN managers UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo 2021/11 Completed

Recommendation:	To better clarify the possible scenarios for governance set-up for joint programs and to select the most appropriate one
Management Response:	The management of RUNOs acknowledges and accepts the recommendation. Actions have already been taken through the upcoming joint regional project.

Key Actions Responsible Deadline Status Comments The new regional youth project envisages a regional Steering Committee chaired by one of the DCs and a technical advisory board run by the RUNOs. UN Women Kosovo, UNDP Kosovo, DCO 2021/11 Completed