Management Response

: Palestine
: 2012 - 2013 , Palestine (CO)
: Livelihood Protection and Sustainable Empowerment of Vulnerable, Rural and Refugee Communities in the Jordan Valley (oPt)
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: Palestine
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: Approved
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 1: There have been growing concerns in the oPt about the dependence of vulnerable populations, including in the JV area, on emergency assistance and the urgency of offering Palestinians more sustainable-development type solutions. The publication of the United Nations Medium-Term Response Plan and Palestinian National Development Plan in 2011 have been important steps to address this and have allowed humanitarian organizations to become more strategic in their provision of relief assistance; to draw a clearer line between emergency programs, recovery and development interventions. In light of this growing concern, UN agencies should look for ways to align any Programme objectives and operations with this discussion. UN agencies should look into its strategic direction and include potential recovery elements to its current and future programmes.
Management Response: Management Response: Throughout 2012 and into 2013, the UN Women has been taking part in the first UNDAF process for the oPt, making sure that gender is mainstreamed throughout the different sectors and interventions. The UNDAF will provide an opportunity for UN agencies to switch from the focus from emergency interventions to strategies of sustainable development. The UNDAF has already highlighted that geographic areas of focus for UN interventions are the Gaza Strip, as well as East Jerusalem and Area C in the West Bank. UN Women is making sure that gender equality and women?s empowerment form part of these strategies and contribute to sustainable development.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Actively participate in the development of UNDAF in the oPt, promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in development interventions. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed UN Women has actively participated in the development of the UNDAF. The UNDAF has clearly created linkages between the emergency response coordinated through the CAP and the development work of the UN.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 2: Since the human security conditions in the Jordan Valley remain of a great concern and still present an obstacle for real development of the local communities, there should be a continuous monitoring and validation of changes on the ground in order to maintain the relevancy and responsiveness of the Programme. Coordination with other international agencies (e.g. OCHA, Quartet, JICA, the World Bank) and NGOs (both local and international) should be further strengthened to ensure harmony and alignment between the different interventions and the changing situation on the ground.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women Field Coordinator is in continuous close contact with the local communities, and the women?s centres in particular, and reports daily to the Project Assistant on the new developments on the ground. In addition, UN Women leads the UNCT Gender Task Force which coordinates with AIDA ? Association of International Development Agencies ? on ensuring gender equality and women?s empowerment are promoted and strengthened across the interventions of international development actors in Palestine.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Elaborating reports on developments in the field UN Women oPt office 2012/01 Completed The Field Coordinator conducted numerous of field visits to the targeted women.
Ensure coordination with AIDA through GTF. UN Women oPt office 2013/12 No Longer Applicable UN Women coordinates with AIDA
Commission specific studies on the situation of Palestinian women in marginalized areas of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip UN Women oPt office 2012/01 Completed 2 Studies were completed on Women Access to Justice. UN Women is also participating in the Regional Pogramme "Women and Men for GE" which will have a nation wide survey on the perception of women.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 3: The Programme should maintain the current level of coordination with key stakeholders and should expand the network to include other donors and organizations working in the JV.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women Project Assistant and Field Coordinator are in constant contact and coordination with programme stakeholders, including other UN agencies, the governmental authorities and the women?s centres and CBOs. In addition, a new phase of the programme has been prepared by partner UN agencies as well as UNDP and submitted to HSTF. The proposal was not approved by HSTF but will however be revised and presented to other potential donors. It is also important to note that Jordan Valley has been announced as priority area by the UNCT meaning that more focus will be put on coordinating strategies with other international actors and scaling up interventions in this area.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Revise the proposal for the new phase and incorporate recommendations of the HSTF mission report. UN Women oPt office 2013/09 No Longer Applicable A new scale up proposal was prepared and submitted to UNHSTF but they do not fund the same organization twice.
Identify potential new donors for the scale-up of human security interventiosn in the Jordan Valley. UN Women oPt office 2013/12 No Longer Applicable National Priorities shifted to Hebron and Gaza.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 4: Enhance the information flow among different partners and beneficiaries to ensure optimal ?deliver as one? spirit and approach.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women will continue to provide information to partners and beneficiaries on the progress of the programme?s activities under its responsibility. UN Women will also promote the added value of Joint Programming when presenting the programme to beneficiaries, governmental institutions and donors. In addition, UN Women actively participates in monthly coordination meetings and contributes to the development of common approach and strategies of the joint programme.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable, Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Attend and actively participate in monthly coordination meetings. UN Women oPt office 2012/01 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 5: Enhance the coordination/consultation with line ministries by ensuring active and leading participation of their representatives at both HQ and field levels in the N-PAF meetings and other events, as already suggested in the original governance ToR. The Programme should strengthen its reporting and communication with the PA ministries and other local partners by providing Arabic versions of the reports or at least by having an Arabic summary of key reports, as it happens in the N-PAF meetings.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women makes sure that the Ministry of Local Government (MoLG), which is in charge of securing land clearance for the construction of women?s centres, is in permanent contact with UN Women staff both in the field and at the Jerusalem office. The Ministry is also constantly briefed on the progress of programme implementation, including the obstacles faced within the communities of the Jordan Valley. In several occasions, the MoLG has interfered and solved problems inside the communities targeted by the programme in order to facilitate its implementation. In addition, the representatives of line ministries at the PA participate in yearly N-PAF meetings where the achievements of the programme are discussed among the project partners, stakeholders, beneficiaries and the donor. UN Women?s communication both with the line ministries and with the beneficiaries is usually in Arabic, including briefs on the situation and progress reports.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Maintain constant communication with MoLG and organise coordination meetings as needed UN Women oPt office 2012/01 Completed
Invite MoLG to participate in the N-PAF UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed MoLG was invited and attended the last N-PAF meeting.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 6: Enhance the linkages with private sector, academic institutions, and NGOs through conducting regular consulting meetings, sharing information, and cooperating in different activities.
Management Response: Management Response: Linkages with private sector will be enhanced through connecting the women?s centres income generating projects to private companies in an effort to access local, national and international markets. Businessmen from Jordan and Palestine have already been contacted and committed themselves to cooperate with the women?s centres in marketing and selling their production, like thyme. In addition, capacity building programme elaborated by the Agility company will largely contribute to prepare the women to participate in the markets and cooperate with the private sector.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Contact representatives of the private sector and encourage cooperation with the women?s centres UN Women oPt office 2013/12 Completed through the Capacity building component, Agility Company hired trainers from the private sector to conduct some trainings topics, through this they get to know them and has relations as well we manage to link them with some good private sectors to help them to market their products.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 7: A follow-up household survey and/or situation analyses of the JV should be carried out to revalidate the design of the Programme and to inform any upcoming interventions that could be implemented by the participating UN agencies or any other organizations.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women will be in contact with partner UN agencies to design a strategy for situation analysis and monitoring in the Jordan Valley at household level. In addition, this will be one of the tasks of the Final Evaluation team who will collect data to revalidate the design of the Programme. UN Women will make sure that gender considerations are mainstreamed in the surveys and/or situation analyses.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Include revalidation of Programme design in the tasks of the ToR for Final Evaluation. UN Women oPt office 2013/06 Completed
Review household surveys and/or situation analyses to ensure gender sensitive approach. UN Women oPt office 2013/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation or Issue 8: Certain activities need closer follow up and monitoring, including the finalization of the allocated land and the establishment of the six identified revenue-generating projects for women based on the conducted feasibility studies.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women is coordinating closely the process of allocating land to Aqrabanya women?s centre with the Ministry of Local Government, which is the responsible entity for land clearance and donation. Long and complicated procedures inside the Ministry, continued staff strikes as well as negotiations with the communities regarding the land for the women?s centres have made the process more difficult. However, the UN Women Project Assistant and Field Coordinator are in daily contact with the Ministry and the communities in order to facilitate the progress and have already achieved land clearance for the construction of 3 out of 4 women?s centres. As regards the income generating projects, the staff of Agility - the company contracted for identification and establishment of these projects - are in permanent contact with the communities and UN Women regarding the pertinent training and the strategies for income generating projects. Simultaneously, the obtaining of land and permits for the installation of income generating projects in Area C is in progress. In case the permits are not received from the Israeli authorities for some of the income generating projects, an alternative plan has been designed to assure the viability of these projects.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Impact, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Follow up progress on land clearance with MoLG UN Women oPt office 2013/09 Completed the project received the final and approved land clearance from MoLG and was sent to UNESCO
Coordinate for the permits for income generating projects in Area C. UN Women oPt office 2013/12 Completed Kiosk built