Management Response

: Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (Turkey)
: 2012 - 2013 , Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (Turkey) (RO)
: Project 73055 "Advancing Women's Economic Rights in Serbia and Montenegro" Final Evaluation
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Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (Turkey)

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The final evaluation of the project ?Advancing women?s economic and social rights in Serbia and Montenegro? (2010-2013) concludes that ?Despite the noted progress made towards the long term goal of eliminating gender-based discrimination in the labour markets of Serbia and Montenegro, a lot remains to be done in this regard in both countries. To this end, the project under review has laid valuable foundations that can and should be built upon. Without further external support many of the achievements made to date are not likely to last or contribute to further and more significant changes. UN Women should therefore explore how it might be able to provide continued support to national actors.? In response to the evaluation findings and recommendations that highlighted that ?the evaluation team made two, deliberately broadly formulated recommendations to UN Women, which reflect the uncertainty regarding the type and scope of UN Women?s future presence and engagement in Serbia and Montenegro at the time of conducting the Evaluation?, UN Women will explore potential opportunities for partnership and resource mobilization in order to continue building on the lessons and experiences generated during the project. Considering that UN Women is still in the process of finalizing considerable changes in its regional setup, including the operationalization of its new Regional Office in Istanbul, these efforts will be pursued in the 3 and 4 quarter of 2014.

: Approved
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 1: UN Women should explore how it can continue to support to the realization of women?s economic and social rights in Serbia and Montenegro; Possible three scenarios: Scenario 1: UN Women can mobilize funds for a second phase of the project and retains a (project) presence in Serbia. Scenario 2: UN Women retains a presence in Serbia but does not implement its own programming on women?s economic and social rights. Scenario 3: Serbia and Montenegro are solely served through UN Women HQ, the Regional Office in Istanbul and/or the country office in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Management Response: The resources available for Serbia in 2014 in the area of women?s economic empowerment will be used to support UN Women?s work towards the following results: 1) increased access of women from under-developed municipalities to information and legal assistance related to protecting their rights in cases of gender based discrimination, and violation of their socio-economic rights; 2) enhanced capacities of relevant policy makers and service providers to ensure measures and programmes on employment enhancement/income generation for the most vulnerable Roma are gender sensitive, and 3) increased capacity of civil servants from planning, finance, and sectoral departments at national and provincial level to integrate gender in the policy making cycle. Work in these areas represents a follow-up to the project and builds on the lessons learnt and partnerships that have been established with key stakeholders, such as the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, the National Employment Service, and the Provincial Secretariat for Economy, Employment and Gender Equality. The UN Women?s newly established Regional Office in Istanbul will revisit possible expansion of its programme in collaboration with its Gender Specialist in Serbia, once it is fully staffed and operational, including pursuing further fundraising for a second phase of the project (Scenario 1) that will build on the achievements of the 1st phase of the project and will delve more in depth into selected sub-themes that have been identified by the evaluation as meriting further attention (i.e. position of rural women, ethnic minority women, networking/advocacy by gender advocates), while maintaining the ?umbrella? approach to bring together both duty bearers and rights holders at different levels of government, as well as ?non-traditional? partners, applied by the project?s first phase. The RO, in consultation with national partners and UN Women field offices, will also explore the possibility of broadening the geographic scope of the project during a second phase, to pursue a truly regional initiative, as proposed by the evaluation. The development of a follow-up phase, however, will be initiated once a full-time Policy Advisor on Women?s Economic Empowerment will come on board.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Organize internal brainstorming sessions on possible second phase of the project, to agree on its focus, geographic scope, budget, etc. Serbia Project Office, with technical support from the RO Istanbul 2014/09 Completed
Following internal consultations highlighted above, develop the project?s 2nd phase concept note/proposal Serbia Project Office, with technical support from the RO Istanbul 2014/09 Completed
Pursue resource mobilization on the project?s second phase with key donors (starting with the donor of 1st phase, Norway) RO Istanbul, Serbia Project Office 2014/11 Completed
Recommendation: Evaluation Recommendation 2: UN Women HQ and RO should explore whether and how they can draw upon project specific experience more effectively to inform overall organizational learning and theory building
Management Response: RO Istanbul (once fully operational) and UN Women HQ will jointly explore whether and how relevant experiences and insights gained through the implementation of the project can inform organizational learning within UN Women.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category:
Thematic Area: Governance and planning (SPs before 2018)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities, Culture of results/RBM, Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency, Relevance, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Organize a thematic session for UN Women staff from ECA region on women?s economic empowerment to exchange innovative/good practices, including from the project RO Istanbul 2014/11 Completed
Liaise with Women?s Empowerment Principles (WEP) team in HQ and develop follow-up actions on the WEPs, possibly including other countries in the region with interest in the topic (i.e. Turkey Serbia project office, with technical assistance from RO Istanbul, and in cooperation with HQ ECA Section 2014/06 Completed