Management Response

: Palestine
: 2012 - 2013 , Palestine (CO)
: Final Evaluation Gender Equality and Women´s Empowerment in the occupied Palestinian territory
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: Palestine
:

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: Approved
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 1: Upon hiring the proposal writer, a period of at least two months should be designated to the design phase and the writing of the JP document.
Management Response: Management Response: In the case of the MDG-F programme, there was a discrepancy between the time-frame/deadline set for proposal development (as of approval of the concept note) and the procurement time-frame required to hire a proposal writer. This recommendation is not a standard that can be applied across the board. It is something that will be taken into consideration in terms of scope and length of the programme. The MDG-Gender was a significant, $9 million programme over several years and so, this recommendation is valid for this and other, similar programmes, but cannot necessarily be feasibly applied for smaller scale programmes. It is better to be taken on a case by case basis, but the need to allocate sufficient time to the design phase is duly noted.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 2 : To conduct an in depth capacity development needs assessment of the capacities of the main implementing ministries at the design phase, in order to better address the structural/systematic weakness that exists within the PA institutions so as to ensure sustainability and impact.
Management Response: Management Response: The UN Women office in the oPt conducted a SWOT analysis including a capacity needs assessment for MoWA in 2009. It is based on these findings that the National Strategy to Combat VAW was developed in which hands-on coaching was provided to staff on a systematic basis. Moreover, it is through this assessment that additional capacity development activities were conducted by UN Women and UNDP and was followed by discussions for the development of an M&E Unit at MoWA. In light of the positive effect of capacity development assessment, we agree, in principle, that they should be conducted as part of the design phase. However, as was the case with the MDG-Gender programme, a significant amount of time passes between the design phase and actual receipt of funds/implementation, so capacity assessment would need to be reviewed and revised again based on new realities.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Continue to work with MoWA on the upgrading of continuous monitoring of the M&E Unit UN Women oPt office 2013/04 Completed The consultant selected for the developed of the M&E Unit was recruited in August 2012 until the end of March 2013. The two UN Women staff embedded at MoWA continue to provide support in M&E and follow-up on the full activation of the M&E system.
Embedding UN Women staff at MoWA to continue to guide and support ministry staff UN Women oPt office 2013/11 Completed Two UN Women staff are presently embedded at MoWA to work on gender responsive planning and budgeting; development of the CSNGS; Aid Effectiveness, etc.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 3: The design of the programme should be more results-based oriented.
Management Response: Management Response: The design of the program was approved by the MDG-F Secretariat in New York. Following the completion of the mid-term report in 2011, the Program Secretariat led intensive review and planning sessions with all MDG-F staff in all UN agencies as well as MoWA. Based on lessons learnt, the results of these sessions included revised outcomes, outputs, and indicators which were reformulated to be results-based (realistic, measurable, etc?). However, the MDG-F Secretariat in New York only agreed to the revisions on the indicators level and not the outcomes and outputs levels. Therefore, in principle, the UN Women office in the oPt is committed to and seeks to better implement RBM, but in joint programmes like this one, there are complex management mechanisms that are beyond an individual agency?s efforts and require intervention at a central level.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Final evaluation report shared with all UN Women staff as well as with PA and NGO partners with emphasis on lessons learnt and good practices in joint programs. UN Women oPt office 2013/02 Completed The report has been shared and important comments from partners indicate the value of the report especially in planning, RBM and lessons learned/good practices
Final report with recommendations to be shared with all UNCT members as a means for documenting lessons learnt and good practices in joint programs UN Women oPt office 2013/03 Completed The planned presentation was not held as the overall PM had a conflict with the date identified by the GTF. However, the PM noted that he provided an update to the new RC and UNSCO staff.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 4: The monitoring should exceed the implementation of activities into monitoring and evaluating the achievements of outputs.
Management Response: Management Response: A monitoring framework was developed at the outset of the programme, yet the time between proposal submission, approval and implementation was two years. Thus a revision of the framework was undertaken and a comprehensive monitoring plan was developed by the M&E Officer for the overall program in Aug./Sept. 2009, following the inception workshop. The monitoring plan was quite intensive and includes the reporting on following headings: Expected Results (outcomes and outputs); indicators; baseline including the utilization of information from outside of the program; overall JP expected target; achievement of target to date; means of verification; collection methods (with indicative time frame and frequency); responsibilities; and risks/assumptions. Each agency has its own M&E capacity and as such, some agencies were not able to meet the requirements of the M&E framework. Additionally, the M&E Officer hired under the Programme Secretariat resigned and was not replaced and so, there was insufficient follow-up with the individual agencies. As already mentioned under a separate recommendation, the UN Women office in the oPt remains committed to RBM and will work on improving its in-house capacities in this regard, including setting proper indicators, baselines and targets.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
The monitoring framework has been shared with the consultant to develop the M&E Unit at MoWA as both a source of information and potential model to use in the development of the ministry?s M&E system UN Women oPt office 2012/12 Completed This was shared upon the recruitment of the consultant.
The UN Women office in the oPt will hire an M&E consultant to work with all programme staff UN Women oPt office 2013/04 Completed M&E Consultant on board.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 5: A proper review of the ToRs for the NSC, PMC, PS and PMT should be done at the inception phase in order to elaborate whether the proposed governance structure is a) applicable to the current context and b) by taking into consideration local needs and existing capacities.
Management Response: Management Response: The ToRs for the NSC, PMC, and PS were identified in the MDGs Global Implementation Guidelines first issued in June 2009 and then revised/upgraded in February 2011. The ToRs were reviewed first in June ? July 2009 and agreed upon during the inception workshop and then again in February ? March 2011 following the mid-term evaluation which was completed in January 2011. There is nothing further to be addressed. The MDG-F programmes structure was actually utilized for the establishment of the UNHSTF programme in the oPt with some revisions.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Key Action not added.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 6: The UN agencies financial system should be adjusted to produce disaggregated financial data on the West Bank and Gaza by showing the amounts disbursed in Gaza and the West Bank separately, so that financial imbalances favouring West Bank over Gaza are not occurring.
Management Response: Management Response: A clear imbalance was created between the West Bank and Gaza Strip in all development programming due to an aid embargo against the governing authorities in the Gaza Strip. This is beyond the scope of any UN programme or management response. UN Women made a conscious decision to ensure presence and long-term programming under this programme in the Gaza Strip, by working with civil society organizations there. However, their financial capacity cannot match that of organizations and institutions in the West Bank, so any financial imbalance will not be corrected through disaggregation of data. Further, it is not feasible/possible to amend the financial system itself. Also, there are political implications in segregating between the West Bank and Gaza Strip as if they are not part of the same territory.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Formulation of programme components and associated budget (in line with the office's strategy and annual work plan) to specifically cover the Gaza Strip UN Women oPt office UN Women RO 2013/04 Completed The project document has been formulated and finalized. The oPt office is the process of follow-up with the RO in order to PAC the document.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 7: Establishment and continuous strengthening of the M&E Unit within MoWA to monitor gender equality goals at the national, sub-national and local level (twassol) and to provide support to MoPAD so that all sectoral strategies are gender mainstreamed and monitored based in harmonized national indicators.
Management Response: Management Response: UN Women, together with UNDP, continue to support the M&E unit at MoWA. UN Women is working with MoWA and MoPAD on engendering the new national development plan.
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Culture of results/RBM
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Work with MoWA and MoPAD on a situation analysis on Palestinian women, that will serve as the baseline for the new national development plan UN Women oPt office 2013/05 Completed Situation Analysis of Women in Palestine has been completed and x workshops have been organized to ensure proper embedment of the information in the national sectorial strategies.
Review the Cross-Sectoral National Gender Strategy developed under the previous national development plan UN Women oPt office 2012/01 Completed Review of the CSNGS 2011-2013 has been finalized in close collaboration with MOWA and was used to develop the new Gender Strategy 2014-2016.
Assist MoWA in the development of the new Cross-Sectoral National Gender Strategy UN Women oPt office 2013/07 Completed Consultant on board. MoWA has finalized the second draft of the Gender Strategy and presented to the partners for inputs.
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 8: Gaza Specific: The no contact policy with the existing de facto government and public institutions in Gaza should be revised. The UN should consolidate their inter agency relations and implementation with clear managerial structures. More focus on building the capacities of the public sector oganizations to ensure sustainability.
Management Response: Management Response: It is not completely accurate to say that there is a no contact policy. In fact, there are contacts between the UN and the Gaza-based public sector institutions, particularly at the technical level and also, in relation to humanitarian affairs. UN Women has been in contact with the governing authorities in Gaza on more than one occasion to discuss the shelter established under the programme to shelter women victims of violence and ensure their access to services. The real challenge is that donors are not funding institution-building initiatives in the Gaza Strip and so, it is not possible to implement the kind of recommendation outlined above. The focus in communications with public institutions in the Gaza Strip, therefore, remains at the technical level, but programming continues primarily with civil society organizations
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Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: UN Coordination, Normative Support, Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability
Key Actions
Key Action not added.