MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE UNDP COUNTRY PROGRAMME (2004-2008) · PDF file · 2015-11-21Government of Pakistan and United Nations Development Programme MID-TERM REVIEW OF THE UNDP COUNTRY

Government of Pakistanand

United Nations Development Programme

MID-TERM REVIEW OF THEUNDP COUNTRY PROGRAMME

(2004-2008)

Mission Members

Andre KlapShahnaz Wazir Ali

Shamim Ahmad KhanYasmin Masood

August 2006

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Mid-Term Review of the UNDP Country Programme (2004-2008)

he work undertaken by the mission team has been greatly facilitated by theUNDP Country Office and the Economic Affairs Division of the Ministry of

Economic Affairs and Statistics, Government of Pakistan. Persons with whom themission interacted not only willingly engaged, but took a genuine interest in thepurpose of the mission and shared their views candidly. This has greatly benefitedthe work undertaken by the mission and the team wishes to express its gratitude forall the support it has received. The responsibility for the content of this report restswith the mission members.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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Designed and Printed at PanGraphics (Pvt) Ltd. Islamabad

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Mid-Term Review of the UNDP Country Programme (2004-2008) Mid-Term Review of the UNDP Country Programme (2004-2008)

ADP Annual Development PlanADPB Area Development Programme BalochistanADR Assessment of Development ResultsBCPR Bureau for Crisis Prevention & RecoveryCBO Community Based OrganizationCCB Citizen Community BoardCDM Clean Development MechanismsCEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination

Against WomenCIDA Canadian International Development AgencyCNG Compressed Natural GasCO Country OfficeCP Country ProgrammeCPAP Country Programme Action PlanCPRU Crisis Prevention & Recovery UnitCRPRID Centre for Research on Poverty Reduction and Income DistributionCSO Civil Society OrganizationCSR Corporate Social ResponsibilityDCO District Coordination OfficerDFID Department for International DevelopmentDPRWG Donors Poverty Reduction Working GroupDSP Devolution Support ProgrammeDTCE Devolution Trust for Community EmpowermentEAD Economic Affairs DivisionECNEC Executive Committee of National Economic CouncilECP Election Commission of PakistanEIROP Essential Institutional Reforms Operationalization ProgrammeERRA Earthquake Rehabilitation & Reconstruction AuthorityGEF Global Environment FundGJTMA Gender Justice through Musalihat-i-AnjumanGMPD Gender Mainstreaming in Planning & Development DivisionGoP Government of PakistanGRAP Gender Reforms Action PlanGRBI Gender Responsive Budgeting InitiativeGSP Gender Support Programme

ACRONYMS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/ Acquired ImmunodeficiencySyndrome

IC Insaf CommitteesICT Information & Communication TechnologyIFIs International Finance InstitutionsIUCN International Union for Conservation of NatureKM Knowledge ManagementLG&RD Local Government & Rural DevelopmentLGO Local Government OrdinanceLPRP Lachi Poverty Reduction ProjectMA Musalihat-i-AnjumanMAJA Musalihat-i-Anjuman Justice AdvocatesMASS Musalihat-i-Anjuman Support ServiceMDGs Millennium Development GoalsME&KM Monitoring, Evaluation & Knowledge ManagementMHDC Mahboob-ul-Haq Human Development CentreMOPAN Multilateral Organizations Performance Assessment NetworkMoSW Ministry of Social WelfareMoWD Ministry of Women DevelopmentMTBF Medium- Term Budgetary FrameworkMTDF Medium-Term Development FrameworkMYFF Multi-Year Funding FrameworkNCHD National Commission for Human DevelopmentNCSW National Commission on the Status of WomenNDMA National Disaster Management AuthorityNEAP-SP National Environmental Action Plan-Support ProgrammeNGOs Non-Governmental OrganizationsNICGAP National & International Commitment on Gender & PovertyNPA National Plan of ActionNPD National Project DirectorNPM National Project ManagerNRB National Reconstruction BureauNUPAP National Urban Poverty Alleviation ProgrammeNWFP North Western Frontier ProvinceOCHA Office for the Coordination on Humanitarian AffairsOPP Orangi Pilot ProjectP&DD Planning & Development DepartmentPC Planning CommissionPC I Planning Commission Proforma 1PCOM Project Cycle Operations Manual

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PDWP Provincial Development Working PartyPIDE Pakistan Institute of Development EconomicsPLUS Programme for Improving Livelihoods in Urban SettlementsPMSU Programme Management Support UnitPOPS Persistent Organic PollutantsPRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy PaperPSDP Public Sector Development PlanRBM Results-Based ManagementRNE Royal Netherlands EmbassyRRF Results & Resource FrameworkSAAW Social Audit on Abuse Against WomenSAPAP South-Asia Poverty Alleviation ProgrammeSDC Swiss Agency for Development & CooperationSDEPP Strengthening Democratic Electoral Process in PakistanSDPI Sustainable Development Policy InstituteSPDC Social Policy Development InstituteTA Technical AssistanceTORs Terms of ReferenceTRAC Target for Resource Assignment from CoreUNDAF United Nations Development Assistance FrameworkUNDG United Nations Development GroupW3P Women Political Participation ProjectWACT Women's Access to Capital & TechnologyWWF World Wide Fund for Nature

Page

Acknowledgements .............................................................................. iii

Acronyms............................................................................................... iv

Executive Summary............................................................................. .. viii

Introduction……………………………………………..……..…….... 1

1. Main achievements and their assessed relevance,effectiveness and sustainability ………………………………... 1

2. Perspectives by partners and stakeholders ……….………. ....... 17

3. Major issues to be addressed and Recommendations ……. ........ 22

Annexes

1. Objectives, Methodology and Organization of the Review …… 35

2. Main Documents Reviewed ........................................................ 38

3. List of Persons Met ..................................................................... 40

4. Mission Schedule ........................................................................ 44

5. MTR Findings and Recommendations as regards Monitoring,Evaluation and Knowledge Management: Further Elaboration .. 46

6. More Elaborate Assessment, Findings and Recommendationsin Respect of the CP Outputs and Associated projects inRespect of Outcomes 1, 3, 4 and 5 ……………………….......... 50

7. Mapping of CPAP Outcomes and Projects ................................. 72

8. Terms of Reference for UNDP Pakistan Country ProgrammeReview ......................................................................................... 80

TABLE OF CONTENTS

n independent mid-term review(MTR) of the UNDP Country

Programme for Pakistan (CP) (2004-2008) was conducted in July 2006 inorder to: (i) assess the achievementsattained thus far, (ii) ascertain theperspectives held by UNDP’s mainpartners, (iii) identify major issues to beaddressed, and (iv) recommend strategicactions for strengthening the CP. Theorganizing framework for conductingthe MTR is the set of matrices that relateactual results of UNDP projects and non-projects performance to each of the sevenOutcomes contained in the CP.

1. Main achievements and theirassessed relevance, effectiveness andsustainability

Outcomes 1, 3 and 4This interrelated set of outcomescomprises par t ic ipatory localdevelopment management, includingpoverty alleviation and devolutionsupport (Outcome 1), pro-poor policy-making (Outcome 3) and asset creationand supportive infrastructure for thepoor (Outcome 4). UNDP supportinterventions associated with theseOutcomes include: (a) piloting ofcommunity and local area-basedanti-poverty approaches, (b) advancingand putting into operation devolutionpolicies, (c) pro-poor policy-making, and(d) instituting cross-cutting gender relatedinitiatives. This portfolio can garnerevidence based lessons for buttressing

policy, regulatory or legal provisions forpoverty alleviation and for advancingdevolution.

Support interventions related toOutcomes 1 and 4 provide for demanddriven, community managed andintegrated support packages includingthe sustainable use of natural resources.Results of this downstream sub-portfolioare clearly evident and measurable byvarious economic and physical criteria.In addition, various spin off benefitscould be discerned in the lives of thetarget communities, such as improvedhealth, women’s participation ineconomic activities and awareness of theimportance of social capital formation.In addition, less tangible results havealso accrued, such as increased self-esteem/confidence and strengthening ofthe social fabric. The prevailing modalityof social mobilization and communityorganization proves its utility not onlyby way of engaging and capacitatingcommunities, but also in helping themat their own terms to interface withservice providers and local government.Overall, this sub-portfolio is assessed tobe relevant and well aligned in terms ofGovernment of Pakistan’s (GoP’s)devolution, development and reformagenda, as well as UNDP’s globalstrengths. In this respect, UNDP wassingled out by GoP as being the longeststanding and most consistent donor, withdemonstrated strengths in building donorcoalitions for poverty alleviation projects

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and pro-poor policy initiatives.

As regards the upstream Outcome 3, GoPrequested UNDP to help establish andcapacitate the Centre for Research onPoverty Reduction and IncomeDistribution (CRPRID) – a researchcentre located within the PlanningCommission and to assist the PRSPsecretariat situated within the Ministryof Finance in preparing for PRSP-2. Thissub-portfolio has yielded tangible resultsin the form of various research and policypapers, including poverty estimates,MDG reports and costing, and the designof a Social Protection Strategy, in additionto inputs into the PRSP process. Thelatter proved to have evoked differencesin appreciation between GoP seniorofficials who commended UNDP’sintellectual inputs and discretionaryadvice and some of the civil societyactors consulted by the mission whojudged the PRSP process to be tooconventional, unresponsive to new ideasand exclusionary. The mission did nothave the time to fully assess the technicalquality of this particular sub-portfolio,however, Annex 6 elaborates on thecontribution, made by the CRPRID topoverty estimation and trend analysis.

In order to optimize impact, the missionrecommends that project managers arebetter sensitized about the multi-facetedcharacter of this portfolio i.e., povertyalleviation, local governance and policy.This should help ensure that a morecomprehensive and strategic approach,as intended by the CP, is in fact beingpursued. Secondly, as regards field leveloperational activities, more proactiveinter-linkage should be sought with

similar support programmes, in particularthose sponsored by the two majordevelopment banks. Thirdly, theknowledge that has been generated aboutlocal dynamics and factors that enhancesuccess should be harnessed by adoptinga more analytical and results-basedmonitoring practice. Fourthly, GoP andUNDP would do well to considercontextualizing pilot projects into long-term perspectives in particular by givingdue attention to eventual follow through,such as deepening, lateral replication orvertical up-scaling. Estimation ofcapacities and resources required forsuch scaling up need to be factored inthe results assessment. In particular, theGovernment had the view that whiledesigning pilots, serious considerationshould be given to the potential forexpansion and mainstreaming. Amultiplicity of pilots should be avoidedas it fragments and scatters resources,especially, if a pilot does not demonstratevalue for up-scaling, all the efforts andresources are wasted. In addition,realistic estimates of unit-costs weredeemed to be necessary in post-pilotevaluations. It would prove useful tocreate a platform for more systematicinteraction between field levelpractitioners and policymakers. Agendasetting for such a forum could be formedby conducting an in-depth Outcomeevaluation of this composite portfolio.Lastly, as regards pro-poor policysupport, GoP may consider forgingagreement with interested donors onCRPRID’s research agenda, its desiredstatus and its annually requiredinstitutional finance plan possiblyincluding networking arrangements withother national research organizations.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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Outcome 2UNDP support interventions meant tocontribute to democratic-governance arefocused on institution building andincreased participation in elections andparliamentary democracy. With UNDPproject support the Election Commissionof Pakistan (ECP) has been enabled toeffectively exercise its various functions,including delivery of training,development of Polling Agent Manuals,establishing E-connectivity between ECPheadquarters and provincial branches,and creation of an ECP website. Inaddition, ongoing preparations are aimedat creating a computerized electoral roll.UNDP support has also been instrumentalin establishing a network of civil societyorganizations to motivate the public, andin particular women, youth andminorities, to exercise their democraticrights. Parliamentary support has helpedto enhance the capacity of the secretariatsof the two houses of parliament (NationalAssembly and Senate) and the efficacyof the parliamentary committee structure.Other than these tangible results, UNDPsupport is contributing to greaterappreciation of the significance ofdemocratic governance. The ECP anddonor agencies emphasized that UNDPis uniquely placed because of itsneutrality to provide such foundationsupport in this sensitive area. In addition,UNDP is perceived to be an effectiverallying force for mobilizing andcoordinating international support to theforthcoming national elections.

In view of the momentum being created,the mission recommends that GoP andUNDP, together with interested donorpartners, draw up a strategic outline for

supporting democratic governance inPakistan beyond the forthcomingelections. This could then possibly beutilized for forging a partnership forgood governance that would bringtogether prominent, politically neutralnational advocates and like-mindedinternational partners.

Outcome 5UNDP’s portfolio on Gender equalityand mainstreaming, positioned underthe apex Gender Support Program aimsat building capacities and establishinginstruments and practices, as propagatedby the National Plan of Action forWomen. This includes a number of novelinterventions in particular gendermainstreaming within the ProvincialPlanning and Development Departments,Gender Responsive Budgeting, and GenderJustice by means of alternative disputeresolution mechanisms (Musalihat-i-Anjuman). Though some of these projectsare small scale, they show great promisein terms of effects and impact. A projectin support of National and InternationalCommitments on Gender and Poverty(NICGAP) has effectively assistedgovernment in submitting a long pendingitem of the national report on Conventionon the Elimination of all forms ofDiscrimination against Women(CEDAW). Institutional strengtheningsupport in respect of the NationalCommission on the Status of Women(NCSW) has proven to be less effectivelargely due to the delayed appointmentof the chairperson and the staffing of theCommission. Nevertheless, UNDP’ssupport to NCSW is of significantstrategic value. The need to upgradeNCSW’s capacity is most urgent as there

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is a real risk of losing the small gainsthat have been achieved thus far.

The mission finds the gender portfolioto be highly relevant; it has clearlygenerated a degree of national ownership.However, its effectiveness could beenhanced by taking a more programmaticapproach at the provincial level.Admittedly, the Gender Support Programconstitutes the framework for organizingUNDP gender based interventions. Still,more systematic interaction seems to berequired with provincial governments toensure adequate integration of thissupport as part of their AnnualDevelopment Plans (ADPs) thuspromoting the eventual expansion ofthese activities. UNDP’s role in garneringgovernment commitment as well as inmobilizing international support for thisportfolio continues to be a majorchallenge.

Outcome 6UNDP’s focal area of disaster mitigation,response and early recovery (Outcome6) has seen the most dramatic evolution,given the various types of supportrendered by UNDP in the aftermath ofthe October 2005 earthquake. This rangedfrom supporting the Office for theCoordination of Humanitarian Affairs(OCHA) directed immediate responsesto subsequent lead support in planningand coordinating early recoveryassistance. Of particular significance isthe still ongoing support to theEarthquake Rehabi l i ta t ion andReconstruction Authority (ERRA). It isnoteworthy that UNDP had followedthrough on one of the recommendationsmade as part of the previous Country

Cooperation Framework review (2001),by having designed a full-fledgedprogramme document meant to assistGoP in preparing a comprehensive disastermanagement plan and establishing aNational Disaster Management Authority(NDMA). Such Authority is as yet to beeffectively established, as relevantlegislation has been passed only recently;nevertheless UNDP’s ability to engagein forward planning and anticipate criticalinstitutional needs speaks volumes forits professional capabilities.

The mission, therefore, recommends thatUNDP should continue to pursue withgovernment the establishment of NDMAand plan for providing strategic supportto it. GoP and UNDP should also aim tocapitalize on the recent, successfulrallying of international support byforging a more lasting donor coalitioncommitted to supporting disaster riskreduction at all levels of society, inparticular at community level. It mayalso be useful to organize a lessonslearned forum among UN Agencies andpartners to capture “good workingpractices” both from their own experiencein earthquake response and by drawingon international experiences. Stafftraining on disaster managementfunctions is sine qua non, and it wouldprove opportune to include the topic of“economics of disaster management” inthe professional development programmegiven the opportunity to consideralternative infrastructural investmentsinstead of simply reconstructing whatwas.

Outcome 7The portfolio dealing with Environmentally

Sustainable Development has yieldedvarious significant results, including thePakistan Environment Policy and a firstattempt at “greening” the PRSP.Pakistan’s compliance with variousenvironmental protocols is beingeffectively supported in various ways,foremost through funding by the GlobalEnvironment Facility (GEF) with a multifocus on environment, poverty andgender. This is likewise the case for theintroduction of novel practices forcommunity management of naturalresources, some of these beingimplemented by NGOs, including IUCNand WWF. The propagation of cleanenergy technologies has been remarkablysuccessful. A prime example is GoP’sintroduction of lead free petrol and theprovision of incentives to privateentrepreneurs to invest in CompressedNatural Gas (CNG). GoP and UNDPhave opted to design one overall NationalEnvironmental Act ion SupportProgramme. Though meant to rally otherdonors, this has yielded only limitedsuccess.

Overall, UNDP is found to be well poisedto provide lead support in the aforementioned areas. Not surprisingly, UNDPhas been selected by GoP to be thepreferred GEF implementation agency.The mission’s main recommendation isthat the design of an eventual new NEAP-SP phase should be based on a seriousprobing of GoP’s commitment anddonors’ interest in having one over-a r c h i n g s u p p o r t p r o g r a m m e .Furthermore, GoP might considerinvolving UNDP in ascertaining howenvironmental policy and regulatoryfunctions best feature within the context

of devolution. From the viewpoint ofoptimizing the multidimensional natureof the CP, the environment portfoliocould be more directly linked up withother portfolios.

Programme Financial ManagementStatusCurrent approvals of US $ 219 million(excluding US $ 66 million in hardpipeline) for the CP period (2004-2008)are financed by just over 15% by UNDPcore resources, the remainder by havingsuccessfully mobilized co-financing from21 different sources. Delivery until July2006 amounted to US $ 73 million (or33% when measured against currentapprovals). This is considered to besatisfactory at CP mid-point given thedegree of maturity of the various CPportfolios.

2. Perspectives by partners andstakeholders

The mission found UNDP partners to begenerally positive about the varioussupport roles that UNDP performs inPakistan. There is a general agreementthat UNDP cooperation with Pakistan iswell aligned with national priorities.UNDP is credited for having brought tobear organization-wide properties, inparticular, its impartiality in helping tothink-through national reform policies(e.g., devolution), in profferinginternational comparative experience(e.g., PRSP-2 process), and in advocatinghuman-development friendly options(e.g., pro-poor policy support). Alsoacclaimed is the agency’s responsivenessand flexibility (e.g., the 2005 earthquake),the venturing of novel approaches (e.g.,

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clean-energy opportunities), the supportprovided for compliance with andreporting on international agreementsthat Pakistan has subscribed to (includingCEDAW), and the forging of a Pakistan-specific public-private-partnership forelectoral Governance. UNDP’s readinessto help convene and broker donorsupport-coalitions (e.g., the informalDonor Poverty Reduction WorkingGroup), as well as providing interfacebetween GoP and civil society agents, isgreatly being appreciated, especially inareas considered to be sensitive, such asdevolution and electoral support. Thisagency attribute evidenced by theMultilateral Organizations PerformanceAssessment Network (MOPAN) of 2004,as well as client-surveys held in respectof UNDP-Pakistan.

Certain misgivings were expressed byGoP and donors, in particular theseemingly dispersed scope of UNDPsupported interventions and thus the riskof loosing focus and impact. ProvincialGovernments emphasized the need fora better alignment of donor programmingwith the Annual Development Plan(ADP) processes. Other than that, theexisting provisions governing UNDPdecentralized implementation are wellappreciated. NGOs / civil societyrepresentatives were appreciative of thefeeling to have ‘graduated’ as a partnerfrom earlier having been a merecontractor of UNDP. CommunityOrganizations very much appreciated thespeed, transparency and accountabilityregime of drawing funds under UNDPsupported community or local areadevelopment schemes.

UN reform in Pakistan would stand tobenefit from rationalizing the UNDevelopment Assistance Framework(UNDAF) by concentrating it on threemost commonly felt priorities for whichUN is well placed to provide strategiclead support, such as for devolution,MDGs and the Rome-Paris aid agenda.All bilateral donors consulted by themission, except the largest, expressedtheir preference and readiness forcooperation and co-financing of projectwith UNDP in selected areas of theirinterest. Other than for reasons ofoffsetting internal capacity constraints,most donors deemed such cooperationto be strategically and programmaticallyvalue enhancing. This refers, in particular,to their assessment of programmaticeffectiveness, leveraging potential, andthe cost efficiency due to pooling offunds other than to maintain internationalstandards of accountability. Theinterfacing between UNDP and the majordevelopment banks requires a mutuallysupportive effort, acknowledging theparticular assets that each agency bringsto the development arena in Pakistan.As the IFIs bring substantial financialresources and thereby are major playersin Pakistan’s development arena, it wouldbe advisable for UNDP as well as otherUN Agencies to maintain a continuouspolicy and program dialogue with them.

3. Major issues to be addressed andRecommendations

Based on its own assessment, and in thelight of the perspectives offered byUNDP’s partners, the mission concludesthat the Outcomes selected for UNDPCountry Program pertain to relevant

niche areas for which UNDP has valueto add. Programme implementation isassessed to be as effective as can be,while UNDP successfully performs anumber of additional support roles infostering development partnerships. Aswith most development assistancesustainability concerns will need to beaddressed, while acknowledging thatsustainability ultimately depends onfurther evolution of the state of thepolitical economy of Pakistan. A numberof issues have been identified that warrantimprovement or action. The mission thusmakes the fo l lowing genera lrecommendations, in addition to the onesrelated to the respective Outcome areas,presented in part 1.

CP focus and portfolio inter-linkages:The mission commends ongoing attemptsaimed at further rationalization andalignment of UNDP project portfolioswith GoP declared priorities. In thiscontext, the following is recommended.

(1) Retain the current four portfolioclusters (Poverty Reduction andGender, Governance, Environmentand Energy, and Disas terManagement and Risk Reduction),but create stronger inter-linkages inorder to better articulate focus andto optimize impact.

(2) Maintain a more continuousdialogue with the provinces thuskeeping with, and actuallysupporting, the principle ofsubsidiarity.

UNDP’s untapped potential: UNDP hassucceeded in optimizing its organizationwide properties in Pakistan such that it

has become a well respected developmentpartner.

(3) GoP may wish to further exploreUNDP’s proven ability to createcomfort space for obtainingconstructive critical policy advice,for helping to mediate differences,or for forging convergence betweenGoP and donors.

(4) GoP would do well to explore thepotential synergies and costefficiencies that are bound to accruefrom greater coordination betweenUN agencies and the IFIs.

(5) In the same vein, GoP should furtherexplore opportunities and venuesfor utilizing the apparent goodwillearned by UNDP as in rallyingdonor support for CP supportedpriorities, as well as for advancingthe Rome Paris aid agenda.

(6) UNDP should take practical stepsto more substantively involve co-funding donor partners inmonitoring and overseeing projectinterventions. It should also designa generally accepted format forproject progress reporting that isanalytical and results oriented.

UNDP Country Office capacity: UNDP’sability to perform its various supportfunctions in a responsible and convincingmanner hinges critically on its staffresources.

(7) Adopt practical measures tocomplement UNDP’s staff resources. These could include, for instance,no-cost staff secondment byinterested donors, itemizing suchtechnical support as part of co-

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financed project budgets or byoptimizing staff allocations betweenUN agencies. Other than that,UNDP Pakistan should seek tosecure more comprehensive andc o n t i n u o u s b a c k s t o p p i n garrangements by UNDP RegionalCentres. Following completion ofthe earthquake support effort, theUNDP Pakistan office would dowell to conduct some form of re-profiling given the apparentimbalance between operationssupport staff and technicalprogramme staff.

Monitoring, Evaluation and KnowledgeManagement: Urgent action is neededto improve UNDP’s monitoring,evaluation and knowledge managementfunctions.. The mission is appreciativeof the recent initiative to reconstitutewhat is now the Planning, Monitoringand Evaluation Unit within the UNDPoffice.

(8) Design a results-based monitoringsystem building on the Outcome-Results matrices that have beenprepared for the purpose of theMTR. Also, develop an evaluationplan that judiciously combinesproject and outcome evaluations tosupport strategic decision-making.Organize Outcome/Output levelreview meetings periodically (saytwice yearly).

(9) Until these actions take effect,consider use of independentmonitors or impact assessors for

corroborating, analyzing andsubstantiating programmatic results.

(10) More systematically interact withcommunities of practice that areevolving across UNDP globally thusfostering a more functionalknowledge management practice.

CP oversight and steering: The workingrelationship between EAD and UNDPappears to be constructive and cordialand could be further optimized.

(11) The joint oversight and steeringfunctions between EAD and UNDPcould be enhanced by havingquarterly dedicated sessions aimedat reviewing and assessingprogrammatic progress relative tothe “Outcome Results matrices”.

Implementation and budget managementIn terms of implementation managementand budget operat ions, UNDPadministered funds (including co-financing contributions) are governed bya special arrangement in Pakistan i.e.,the Projects Cycle Operations Manual(PCOM).

(12) Given the proven merit of thePCOM, it is recommended to retainthis special budget managementarrangement given its relativeexpediency and flexibility, whilemeeting donor accountabilitystandards. There appears to be aneed to review the accountabilityposition of NPDs and the termsunder which they are appointed.

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he MTR of the current GoP UNDPCountry Programme (CP) (2004-

2008) is meant to provide an independentassessment of:

(i) The main achievements madethus far under the CP, the mainfactors and dynamics at play, andlessons learned,

(ii) The appreciation held by GoPand UNDP’s main partners asr e g a r d s U N D P ’s a c t u a lperformance, and

(iii) Major issues to be addressed.

The organizing framework forconducting the MTR is the “Results andResources Framework” (RRF) as is givenin the Country Programme Action Plan(CPAP). In the case of Pakistan, this RRFcontains seven principal Outcomes thathave been agreed for GoP UNDPcooperation. Each of these Outcomes isbroken down in a set of Outputs withassociated targets and indicators that aremeant to be realized by means of specificsupport interventions (project and non-project). At the request of the mission,the RRF has been converted intoOutcome Results matrices (attached asAnnex 7).

Being cognizant of the time demandsmade on the readership of this report,the mission team has opted to preparethis report in as concise a manner aspossible, divided it in three partscorresponding to the above purposes of

the review. Various annexes are attachedto the report that provide furtherelaboration or substantiation includingAnnex 1 that deals with the objective,methodology and organization of themission. Supplementary to the report, atable has been prepared summarizing allmajor recommendations and suggestionsmade by the mission and that is to becompleted following review of the reportbetween EAD and UNDP as regardsfollow up actions to be taken.

1. Main achievements and theirassessed relevance, effectiveness andsustainability

Various achievements, as well as anumber of issues, stand out as withrespect to UNDP project and non-projectperformance in implementing the CP.These have been assessed by the missionfrom the perspective of relevance,effectiveness and sustainability. Whatfollows are the mission’s main findings,as well as recommendations, which havebeen synthesized for each of theOutcomes being supported by the CP. Inaddition, this part of the report providesa brief assessment of the ProgrammeFinancial status with respect to the CP.

Outcomes 1, 3 and 4As regards the interrelated set ofOutcomes in support of participatorylocal development management,including poverty alleviation anddevolution support (Outcome 1), pro-

INTRODUCTION

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poor policy-making (Outcome 3) andasset creation and supportiveinfrastructure for the poor (Outcome4), the following warrants highlighting1.

UNDP project and non-projectinterventions in support of theseOutcomes are found to be relevant andwell aligned in terms of GoP’sdevelopment and reform strategies, anddraw effectively on UNDP’s globalstrengths. Conceptually, and in terms ofdesign, some of these projects areprimarily aimed at piloting communityand local area based antipovertyapproaches (i.e. LPRP, ADPB, NUPAPand WACT). Others are explicitly gearedtowards furthering and putting intooperation devolution policies (i.e., GoodGovernance, DTCE and EIROP). Yetother projects are aimed at supportingpro-poor policy-making (i.e., PRSP2 andCRPRID). As a whole, this portfolio ofsupport interventions thus has thepotential to garner evidence based lessonsfor buttressing policy, regulatory or legalframeworks aimed at poverty reductionand devolution.

The extent to which CP Outputs are beingrealized is most evident and furtheradvanced in the case of activities thatpertain to Outcome 4. These activitiesare meant to enhance asset creation andto provide infrastructure for the benefitof poor and/or d isadvantagedcommunities and households. Theseactivities are for the most part undertaken

as part of project interventions in supportof participatory local developmentmanagement or poverty alleviation. Morespecifically, these projects provide fordemand driven, community managedand integrated support packagesincluding the development and use ofwater resources, especially, rain-waterharvesting structures (mini dams, ponds,etc.). Also in this respect, results areevident such as the large number of wellestablished and functioning communityorganizations, investments made invarious types of productive and socialinfrastructure schemes and the amountof savings generated and in most casesutilized as capital for communitymanaged micro credit schemes. Inaddition, various spin off benefits couldbe discerned such as improved health,increased participation of women ineconomic activities and awareness of theimportance of social capital formation.

UNDP’s support to GoP’s devolutionagenda is strategized along threeinterrelated strands comprised of projectsaimed at (i) helping to further thedevolution reform programme incollaboration with the NationalReconstruction Bureau (NRB), (ii)operationalizing the community relatedcomponent of this programme (DTCE),and (iii) developing and applyingdevolution practices at provincial level(EIROP). The NRB and DTCE projectsappear to be highly effective insupporting these agencies in developing

and furthering their substantive andoperational work plans, in additionsignificant non-project input andassistance was provided5. In fact, theNRB management explicitly expressedits appreciation of UNDP as being theone donor agency with which it hasenjoyed the longest standing, mostcomprehens ive and cons is tentpartnership. The EIROP project appearsto be least effective and the utility, aswell as durability, of some its supportactivities are in fact questionable. Theproject has not been able to guide theNWFP administration in strategizing andphasing the utilization of the TA packagethis project offers, nor to create inter-l inkages wi th s imilar supportprogrammes active in the province (inparticular those supported by the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB)), while thelearning thus far appears to befragmentary at best.

Overall, it can be concluded that thesevarious downstream projects are havinga discernable effect and show goodpromise towards the realization of outputspertaining to Outcomes 1 and 3. This isevidenced by various indicators, such asincreased incomes of poor families,improved access to land and productiveresources, livelihoods enhancement dueto skills acquisition and access to creditand provisioning of communityinfrastructure. Less tangible but equallyimportant behavioral changes are alsoevident, such as increased selfesteem/confidence and strengthening of

the social fabric due to the participatoryopportunities provided through theprojects for local developmentmanagement and governance. In thisrespect, the prevailing modality of socialmobilization and local organizationproves its utility not only by way ofengaging and capacitating communities,but also in helping them at their ownterms to interface with service providersand local government.

These results and effects are yet to bemore systematically assessed; impactappears to be largely confined to theproject locations, which is typically thecase for pilot projects. Hence, it ispremature to draw more genericconclusions about their effectiveness inachieving the stated Outputs, let aloneabout their longer lasting contributoryimpact on the intended Outcomes.Nevertheless, the significance of UNDP’sdownstream support package is beingrecognized by various donors. A goodnumber of donors have in fact opted topartner and even to co-financecomponents of the poverty alleviationsub-portfolio. The devolution sub-portfolio enjoys more restricted support;this would seem to be foremost due todifferences in view and appreciation heldby individual donor agencies as regardsthis national reform initiative.

Based on its assessment, the mission hasdetected the followings as being criticalfactors for optimizing the integral impactof the downstream portfolio of projects.

1 A more elaborate assessment made at the level of specific CP-Outputs, and contributing projects, pertaining to theseOutcomes is given in Annex 6.2 Lachi Poverty Reduction Program (LPRP), NWFP; Area Development Program Balochistan (ADPB) and National UrbanPoverty Alleviation Program (NUPAP).3 Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment.4 Centre for Research on Poverty Reduction and Income Distribution.

5 Examples include: mediation support provided by the Country Office in respect of DTCE (as differences in viewpoint hadarisen between DTCE management, the DTCE Board and participating donors), as well as a critical stock-taking and perspectiveoffered by a mission backstopped by the UNDP Bangkok Regional Service Centre (“Policy support to Devolution in Pakistan”,October 2005).

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Firstly, either by design or default, mostof the downstream projects appear to beunifocal, or to assign primacy to one orthe other of the three Outcomes i.e.,empowerment/local developmentmanagement, poverty alleviation orstrengthening devolution. Clearly, themultidimensional character of this CPportfolio is not sufficiently inculcated aspart of the day-to-day management ofthese projects. Secondly, although projectstaff appears to be knowledgeable aboutlocal dynamics and factors that enhancesuccess, such insights do not appear tobe systematically analyzed or reported.Thirdly, it appears that lateral exchangesbetween these various projects arevirtually non-existent thus foregoing thebenefit of mutual learning from accruedexperiences. In the same vein, it wouldprove helpful to create a platform ormodality for facilitating interactionbetween these field level projects andthose providing policy preparatorysupport6.

Oversight, including the facilitation of‘linkage’ between field and policyprojects appears to be exercised byUNDP staff in-charge of providingguidance and backstopping support inrespect of this part of the CP portfolio.Few government counterparts were foundto have a sufficiently comprehensiveoverview dispersed as most of theseofficials are among the different tiers ofthe administration or along departmentalboundaries. At the same time, monitoringeither on the part of project staff,government executing agencies or UNDP

office staff appears to be limited onanalysis and lacks a robust resultsorientation. Although monitoring appearsto be grosso modo effective for takingoperational management actions, thecontribution it makes to gatheringevaluative evidence is at best sub-optimal. Various project specificevaluations have been conducted,however, a more comprehensive andstrategically focused Outcome levelevaluation is as yet to be undertaken asregards this composite portfolio7.

In addition to the downstream supportinterventions, GoP has opted to partnerwith UNDP on upstream initiatives aimedat ensuring requisite capacity, knowledgeinputting and coordination support fordeveloping pro-poor policy. Two separateprojects have thus been agreed, one tohelp establish and capacitate CRPRIDwithin the Planning Commission, andone to assist the PRSP secretariat locatedwithin the Ministry of Finance inpreparing for PRSP 2. The formerrepresents a well focused institutionalsupport effort aimed at enhancingnational capacity for policy research andanalyses regarding poverty and incomedistribution. The Centre’s majoroutputs/contributions include povertyestimates and trend analysis, the 2004and 2005 MDG Reports for Pakistan,the designing of a Social ProtectionStrategy, and various other contributions,such as towards the preparation of theEconomic Survey, the Medium-TermDevelopment Framework (MTDF),Vision 2030, and the PRSP 1 and 2.

UNDP is also providing technicalassistance aimed at providing budgetestimates for meeting MDG targets, aspart of the PRSP process. Various GoPsenior officials were found to be highlyappreciative of the intellectual andfinancial support provided by UNDP inrespect of these pro-poor policyinitiatives. At the same time, anxiety wasexpressed about the longer-termcontinuation of such support. Questionswere also raised about the desired degreeof autonomy in the case of CRPRID incarrying out and presenting its policysuppor t work , i nc lud ing t hedetermination and priority setting of itsresearch agenda.

This leads the mission to provide thefollowing recommendations, selfevident as these may be regarding thedownstream part of this CP portfolio.

(1) The poverty alleviation anddevolution support interventionscould, most likely, be enhanced andtheir impact increased, if individualprojects were to be:

(i) m o r e c o m p r e h e n s i v e l ystrategized (in line with theprogrammat ic approachindicated in the CP),

(ii) better monitored and gearedtowards learning and sharing ofexperiences, and

(iii) provided with a platform formore direct and systematicinteraction between fieldpracti t ioners and policyresearchers/decision makers.

(2) It is furthermore recommended that

GoP and UNDP take a longer timeperspective in conducting pilotprojects, in particular, by giving dueattention to their eventual followthrough. It is a positive sign that theProvincial Government of NWFPhas decided to replicate the LachiPoverty Alleviation Project for thebenefit of another 7 districts. Thispart icular pi lot project hascomparatively been extensivelyassessed by DFID. The results ofDFID’s various assessments haveyielded significantly positive outputsand outcomes, based on which DFIDhas indicated its serious interest insupporting the NWFP Governmentin the programs expansion into 7neighbouring districts. This is ameasure of UNDP’s ability to designand deliver cost-effective and high-impact strategic pilots. Although themission has not assessed the PC-1that aims to expand the Lachi project,it will be important to providesufficient clarity on a number of keyissues pertaining to expansion. Thisrefers in the first instance to theoperational capacity needed forexpanding/replicating projectoperations at such an exponentialscale. Moreover, given the relativelyhigh ratio of both TechnicalAssistance (TA) and investmentresources in the pilot in relation tothe number of benef ic iarycommunities, further assessment anddeepening of the pilot may berequired in order to arrive at a feasiblefinancing plan.

More generally, the mission flags theneed for government and UNDP to

6 A possible reference would be “the knowledge-based solution exchange”, as piloted by UNDP in India –the mission itselfnot being knowledgeable about this pilot.

strategize future actions beyond theseand other pilot projects, as well asdetermine how best use can be made ofUNDP’s technical expertise andexperience for deepening, replicating orupscaling of such pilot ventures. Withoutsuch evolving and continuing support,the gains that are now becoming manifestcould be easily lost, particularly as thelearning or risk assessment generatedthus far may prove to be insufficient orremain without translation into requiredpolicy, regulatory or legal provisions. Inthis context, the mission was somewhatstruck by the fact that UNDP appearednot to have been actively involved in theintended nation-wide up-scaling of theNational Rural Support Programmewhich had in fact been supported byUNDP in the past. A proposal to thiseffect is currently under review byECNEC, meant for cooperation betweenGoP and the World Bank Group. Suchcooperative arrangement is to be wellappreciated, not least given the envisagedbudget requirement of Rs. 29 billion and,hence, the need for external financesupport. Still, given its past and currentexperience in supporting devolveddevelopment management and povertyalleviation initiatives, it might haveproved useful, if UNDP were to havebeen involved with this proposal.

(3) Lastly, as regards pro-poor policysupport, it may be considered betweenGoP and UNDP to forge a morecomprehensive agreement among GoPand interested donors, galvanized withUNDP support, about the CRPRID’s

research agenda, its desired status andits annually required institutional financeplan. The Centre’s research agenda couldconsider networking arrangements withother fledgling national researchorganizations PIDE (Pakistan Instituteof Development Economics) and theMahboob-ul-Haq Human DevelopmentCentre, including associated capacitydevelopment and financial support. TheMDG driven poverty policy packagecurrently being considered between GoPand UNDP could possibly become arallying force for such efforts.

Most of the above recommendations are,in fact, in line with strategies or intentionsthat underlie the CP. As regards thedownstream part of the CP portfolio, itwould seem that practical measuresneeded to effectuate such intentions areyet to be fully ascertained or put inpractice. These issues, among others,will be further addressed in part 3 of thisreport.

Outcome 2The Outcome dealing with democraticgovernance is being supported byprincipally two institution buildingprojects that deal, respectively, with theelectoral processes and apparatus(SDEPP), as well as parliamentarydevelopment.

SDEPP was designed in 2000 withassistance of the UN Department ofPolitical Affairs aimed at strengtheningof electoral practices by helping tomodernize electoral management at

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national, provincial and local levels. Partof this, project support was also toencourage civil society organizations atthe grassroot level to play their role inmobilizing women’s participation in theelectoral process. An evaluation of theproject led to its extension into SDEPP2that has been more sharply focused ontwo main components: institutionalsupport to the Election Commission ofPakistan (ECP) for it to more effectivelyexercise its various electoral functionsand support to forging broad basedpartnerships, such as to foster theparticipation of all Pakistani citizens inthe electoral process. Though housedwithin the ECP, and managed by ECP(supported by a UNDP contractedsupport team), the project engages withNGOs, polit ical parties, mediarepresentatives and target groupsincluding women and socially excludedcommunities.

In terms of results, various forms ofcapacity-building support have beenextended by SDEPP. Some 300,000polling personnel were trained, inaddition to political party candidates forthe general elections of 2002. Some100,000 Polling Agents Manuals wereprinted and distributed. More recently,the ECP (vide direct support by theUNDP office) has solicited bids for thepreparation of computerized electoralrolls. The project supported the preparationof the electoral rolls. This follows earliersupport by SDEPP towards theautomation of ECP operations, includingthe preparation of a computerization plan,the electronic connect of ECP head office

and all provincial election commissions,and the establishment of ECP’s website.In addition, the project has beeninstrumental in establishing a networkof NGOs and civil society organizations,more than 20 of which have been selectedto work with ECP with a view tomotivating the public in general, andwomen, youth and minorities inparticular, to participate in the elections.

The recommendations made by a UNDPInternational Parliamentary Union (IPU)joint needs assessment mission in 2003led to the approval of a project aimed atenhancing the capacity of the secretariatsof the two houses of parliament and toimprove the support-services tolegislators. This project focuses speciallyon the system of parliamentarycommittees in order to enable these toplay a more effective role in thefunctioning of the parliament. The projectalso aims to enhance the role of civilsociety organizations in the parliamentaryprocesses. An excellent opportunity fordoing so would be to stay engaged witha former NGO-partner that has recentlyconducted a comparative study ofparliamentary budget processes inPakistan, India and Canada. Moregenerally, it would be worthwhile forUNDP’s parliamentary support-projectto engage with similar, relevant initiativesbeing undertaken by independentresearch and advocacy entities in othercountries of the region or those withsimilar parliamentary systems.

In conclusion9, the support extended byUNDP by means of these two projects

8 These two projects are, respectively: Strengthening Democratic Electoral Processes to Ensure Greater Participation inPakistan (SDEPP) and Strengthening Democracy through Parliamentary Development in Pakistan.

9 In addition to democratic governance, UNDP Pakistan is developing a portfolio in respect of economic governance, thatis thus far comprised of one project to assist GoP in international trade negotiations. The mission has not focused on thisemerging area of support and has therefore no assessment to offer.

has not only yielded a number of tangibleresults but has also contributed togenerating awareness and appreciationof the significance of democraticgovernance. In the case of the ECP10

clear appreciation was expressed aboutthe quality and unbiased nature of thetechnical support provided under SDEPP.ECP, therefore, aspires to maintain a longlasting partnership with UNDP. Likewise,donor agencies consulted by the missionrecognized that UNDP is uniquely placedto provide foundation support in the areaof democratic governance, whilebecoming a rallying force in mobilizingand convening support from other donorsources. In the mean time preparationsfor obtaining international support to theforthcoming national elections areunderway and UNDP is being lookedupon to provide lead support.

In this regard, the mission’s mainrecommendation with respect to theOutcome under review is for GoP andUNDP, together with interested donorpartners, to draw up a medium termstrategic outline for meeting criticalsupport requirements not just in the runup to the elections, but also to strengthendemocratic institutions and processesbeyond the next elections. Such an outlinecould then possibly be utilized for forginga partnership for good governance thatwould bring together prominent nationalactors from all ranks of society who areconsidered to be politically neutraladvocates of democratic governance inPakistan, as well as likemindedinternational partners11.

Outcome 5With regard to Gender equality andmainstreaming, UNDP’s portfolio isfound to be well-calibrated andinnovative as it consists of a sharplyfocused set of projects aimed at helpingto operationalize the National Plan ofAction for Women. Situated under theumbrella Gender Support Program, theseinitiatives respond to the need expressedby government for building mainlinecapacity to adopt gender sensitive andgender responsive processes in planning,budgeting, and policy decision-making.The Gender-Responsive BudgetingIni t ia t ive (GRBI) and GenderMainstreaming in Planning andDevelopment Department (GMPD) arein particular examples of howstrategically placed small scale assistancecan create larger systems impact toachieve policy goals. These two projectsdespite some initial implementationhitches have been able to enter provincialmainstream processes, e.g., incorporationof training modules into governmenttraining institutes, inclusion in BudgetCall Circular, adoption of resource kits,development of sex disaggregateddatabases and gender related planningindicators. Both projects have also beensuccessful in creating awareness aboutgender among government implementersas well as decision makers.

Looking ahead, the provincialgove rnmen t s wou ld p re fe r aprogramming mode that would allowthem to better integrate such projects aspart of their ADPs, thus enabling them

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to draw benefits from synergy whileavoiding overlaps. Various governmentofficials expressed strong interest incontinuing gender mainstreaming, evenafter project closure; this is a measureof the effective role played by UNDP inpursuing these projects in a strategicmanner.

Similarly, the project on National andInternational Commitments on Genderand Poverty (NICGAP) situated withinthe Federal Ministry of WomenDevelopment has effectively assistedgovernment in submitting a long pendingitem of the National Report oncompliance on CEDAW. For status andcompliance reporting to continue infuture, government should ensureinclusion of this activity as part of itsregular budget and make judicious useof project resources to build technicalcapacity for fulfilling commitments.

In tandem with the various projects aimedat operationalizing NPA commitments,the CP also envisaged support forinstitutional strengthening, such as ofthe National Commission on the Statusof Women. This Commission was createdto safeguard the political, social andeconomic rights of women throughadvocacy for rights-based policy andlegislative action. Project support in thiscase has not been effectively utilizedthis being, foremost, due to externalfactors, such as delays in the appointmentof the chairperson, and concomitantdelays in staffing and start up of projectactivities. Direct backstopping by theUNDP country office throughout thisdown period enabled the NCSW toproduce some reports. Projects designed

for institutional strengthening oftensuffer from low levels of governmentsownership manifested in delayedrecruitments/ appointments and absenceof budgetary support for the institutionalcapacity built through project support.NCSW’s situation is a typical exampleof this chronic condition. The lessonsemerging from this relate both to thetime period required for institutionalsupport to be integrated into mainlineprocesses and the key actions to betaken by government to indicateownership. The need for NCSW’scapacity building is acute and the risk oflosing the small gains after the projectcloses is real. Government’s ownershipof a critical agency, with statutoryautonomy, has been weak. UNDP’s rolein garnering government support as wellas continuing to lend its own will be achallenge, especially as the project iscoming to an end by 2006.

Another example of UNDP’s ability tobe strategic, innovative and flexible isthe Gender Justice through Musalihat-i-Anjuman project; while this pilot is wellembedded in the mainstream reformagenda. Devolution as the overarchingreform not only includes the creation oflocal community based mechanisms forimproved service delivery, participationin development p lanning andimplementation, but also providesmechanisms to ensure easy access tojustice for the poor. Lying dormant as aprovision in the Local GovernmentOrdinance (2000), this concept wasidentified as a relevant area with respectto the rights of the poor, in particular ofwomen suffering violence, abuse anddiscrimination. The project lent support

10 The mission did have consultations with the ECP, not so with Parliament; the mission has thus not been able to solicit thelatter’s views regarding UNDP’s parliamentary support-interventions.11 A working example of such partnership is the one established following the 1999 elections in Indonesia (visit:http://www.kemitraan.or.id/ and http://www.undp.or.id/programme/governance/partnership.asp).

to the creation of the Musalihat-i-Anjumans (MAs) as local levelinsti tutions for gender justice.Development of instruments, articulationof processes, provision of training,awareness building and the constitutionof the MAs are concrete results. Lesstangible, but ultimately more importantare the social change processes. Thisproject will help bring about, and thenew dynamics of power that are likelyto accrue from empowering the poorersegments of communities. This projectis an excellent example of combiningdownstream and upstream linkages byconnecting with the lives of the poorwho suffer disproportionately from theinefficiencies of the judicial system,while providing impetus for the higherlevel systems to become responsive toalternate dispute resolution mechanisms.The sustainability of the gender justiceinstitutions will depend more on theirperformance and ensuing credibilityrather than on just the availability offinancial resources. In this respect, theproject is yielding valuable lessons forfuture engagement in this area.

The mission has arrived at the followingmain conclusion and recommendationsin respect of this Outcome. The presentCP portfolio of discrete gender projectsis found to be highly relevant and to havegenerated a requisite degree of nationalownership. However, its effectivenesscould be enhanced by taking a moreprogrammatic approach at the provinciallevel. It is recognized that the Gender

Support Program as well as the GenderReforms Action Plan (GRAP) constitutethe framework for organizing the genderrelated interventions. However, it isr ecommended tha t p rov inc ia lgovernments are more systematicallyinvolved in the planning of actualactivities under these projects, as wellas their monitoring and outcomeassessment thus facilitating the planningfor eventual replication and expansionof these activities. In particular districtbased mechanisms such as the GenderJustice MAs which are meant to bereplicated in all districts will need tohave both provincial and districtgovernments fully on board.

Outcome 6UNDP’s role in the area of disastermitigation, response and early recovery(Outcome 6) has seen the most dramaticevolution, given the various calls madeon UNDP in the aftermath of the October2005 earthquake. It is noteworthy thatUNDP had in fact followed through oneof the recommendations made as part ofthe previous CPMTR13, namely forPakistan to be assisted in preparing acomprehensive disaster plan andmanagement capability. To this effect, aful l-f ledged UNDP programmedocument was prepared, meant forexecution by the National DisasterManagement Authority . Such Authorityis as yet to be effectively established, asrelevant legislation has been passed onlyrecently.

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There appeared to be general acclaim forthe various roles performed by UNDPfollowing the recent earthquake, as thisranged from supporting OCHA directedimmediate responses to subsequentconvening in planning and coordinatingearly recovery activities. The latterincluded the effective use of a clusterapproach for carrying out assessmentsand for rallying and coordinating multi-partner contributions. Of particularsignificance is the still ongoing assistanceto the special purpose agency establishedby GoP, namely the EarthquakeRehabilitation and ReconstructionAuthority (ERRA), which according toERRA senior staff, has proven to beindispensable.

Clearly, the commitment and dedicationshown by the UNDP office staff at alllevels in providing all possible assistanceduring the period October 2005 to March2006 has, quite rightly, been commendedin several ways15. There does not appearto have been any significant fallout fromthus having focused staff time andresources. The delivery of the regularprogramme is assessed not to have beennegatively impacted, although directsupport services under national executionmay at times have been somewhatdelayed.

Currently, six early recovery supportprojects are operational, while the earlierreferred medium-term disastermanagement and capacity developmentproject is still in the pipeline.

The mission offers the following

recommendations and suggestions withrespect to Outcome 6. Above all, UNDPshould make every possible effort(including legal drafting support, if sorequired) to ensure that momentum isnot diverted from the effectiveestablishment of a national disastermanagement structure. As time passesand the severity of the earthquake fadesfrom memory, the current priorityattention to disaster management is likelyto diminish, therefore, the agencies’concerted and continued effort iswarranted. In this regards, it isrecommended that GoP and UNDPcapitalize on the recent, successfulrallying of international support byforging a more lasting donor coalitioncommitted to support a disaster riskreduction and management frameworkat all levels of society as designed byUNDP as early as 2003. In pursuing suchframework, particular considerationshould be given to creating programmesthat advance capacity building atcommunity level to undertake hazard,risk and vulnerability assessments andto create mechanisms for acquiring skillsin first-aid, search and rescue, earlywarning and mitigating local risks.Training of government officials at thelocal, provincial and district levels tothink more clearly of risk reduction asopposed to only response mechanismsshould be a high priority.

Given the successful support role playedby the UNDP unit dealing with conflictprevention and natural disastermanagement both in respect of UNinternal coordination, as well as12 A more elaborate assessment of CP gender projects is included as part of Annex 6.

13 “Review of UNDP Country Cooperation Framework in Pakistan (1998-2001), November 2001; recommendation 1214 “Strengthening Pakistan’s Disaster Management Capacity at the Federal, Provincial and District Levels (Ver. 1), May 2003. 15 Including a Presidential Award that was granted to the Humanitarian Coordinator and staff in Pakistan.

externally sourcing this unit atappropriate revels should be considered.This could, possibly, be in the form ofdetailing or networking of staff fromother relevant UN agencies or by meansof staff secondment by bilateral donors.In this respect, retaining the position ofan internationally experienced DisasterRisk Advisor16 may be considered.Resources should also be committed tocross-cutting disaster risk reductioninteractions within other UN agencyprogrammes such as UNICEF ineducation, WHO in health, HABITATin housing, FAO in livelihoods,Protection via the Resident Coordinator’sOffice, etc. In this context, A lessonslearned forum for UN agencies andpartners would undoubtedly prove usefulas a way to capture “good/best workingpractices” from their experience inearthquake relief as well as possiblepolicy inputs for consideration by therelevant UN Inter-Agency Task Force.Dedicated budget lines for disastermitigation activities may be consideredfor inclusion in grassroots operationalprojects.

Irrespective of these recommendationsand suggestions, it is imperative tostrengthen UNDP staff capabilities andunderstanding of disaster risk reduction.In this regard, Bureau for CrisisPrevention and Recovery (BCPR)Geneva could be requested to organizestaff training periodically; this could be

done most economically on a sub-regional basis and, hence, have the addedadvantage of professional staffexchanges. One topic that may prove tobe particularly useful at this juncture is“economics of disaster management”.The severity of the destruction that hasoccurred offers the opportunity toconsider alternative infrastructuralinvestments instead of s implyreconstructing what existed before. Theopportunity to build-back-better shouldbe capitalized.

Lastly, it would be beneficial for GoPand UNDP to proactively seekinternational best practices that could beadapted for use in Pakistan. One suchpractice is the disaster responsecontingency facility that has beendesigned by UNDP Bangladesh.

Outcome 7T h e p o r t f o l i o d e a l i n g w i t hE n v i r o n m e n ta l l y S u s ta i n a b l eDevelopment is organized in support offour Outputs. The first is focused on thepolicy dimensions of the poverty -environment nexus where UNDP projectsupport has made various direct andindirect contributions to policy-making,legal and regulatory provisions. Thisincludes the recently approved PakistanEnvironment Policy and the policies inrespect of Forestry and Sanitation thatare close to approval. UNDP has alsotaken the initiative to help “green” the

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PRSP by advocating the inclusion ofenvironmental objectives as part of thispolicy/planning instrument. It is also ofnote that the first Annual State of theEnvironment Report has been prepared.

The second Output is to assist Pakistanin meeting its obligations under thevarious environmental protocols to whichit has subscribed. This refers, inparticular, to Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Combating Desertification andthe Stockholm Convention on PersistentOrganic Pollutants. About half of the 20ongoing projects pertaining to UNDP’senvironment and energy portfolio are insupport of this particular Output. Anadditional project (EnvironmentalEducation at School and College Level)is aimed at generating environmentalawareness among students. Most of theprojects pertaining to this Output areGEF funded, though some enjoy bilateralco- financing as well. Importantly,although most of these projects have aprimary focus on environmentalsustainable development, most do addressother issues and priorities, in particularas these relate to poverty alleviation andgender empowerment.

The third Output is focused on engagingand supporting communities in managingtheir natural resources in durable ways.One major instrument for doing so is theGEF Small Grants Project, under whichgrants are provided to community basedorganizations (CBOs) that are engagedin addressing the afore mentioned UNenvironmental conventions. Grants havethus so far been provided to about 600

CBOs. Such engagement and outreachis more generally characteristic of theUNDP environmental portfolio. This isevidenced by, for example, the MountainAreas Conservancy Project, the Wetlandsproject and the Tropical ForestryProgramme which alone has supported125 CBOs that have partnered withvarious types of CSOs, including anumber of women organizations. In fact,this type of applied natural resourcemanagement is also incorporated as partof most of the community and local areadevelopment schemes that are meant tosupport Outcome 1, including communityforestry, water harvesting and rangelandmanagement activities. About 1,500CBOs have been mobilized through theprojects; this is a significant andcommendable achievement.

The fourth Output is concerned with theintroduction and propagation of cleanenergy technologies, including fuelefficiency in road transport sector, utilityscale wind power production and thephasing out of Ozone DepletingSubstances (Montreal Protocol).According to the authors of an OutcomeEvaluation that was organized byUNDP’s environment and energyportfolio18, the energy sector presents aremarkable success story. It is noted thatsince the introduction of lead free petrolin July 2002, all refineries in the countryare by now in fact supplying such petroland are promoting clean fuels includingCNG. Moreover, GoP is offeringincentives to private entrepreneurs toinvest in CNG based refilling stations.The Outcome Evaluation team

16 As is currently the case for one year, provided for by UNDP’s Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Recovery.17 This facility was under preparation by mid-2005 (current status to be ascertained). This comprised a project that providesfor maintaining a minimum level of competent staff within the UNDP office dealing with disaster management, as well asa number of provisions that can be immediately activated whenever a disaster strikes. One of these provisions is a standingTrust Fund that can be used for receiving donors funds, and channeling of these resources to relevant UN agencies and theirgovernmental and non-governmental partners. Other measures aimed at ensuring operational readiness include the establishmentof rosters of pre-qualified contractors and procurement agents. 18 Energy and Environment, Outcome Evaluation, UNDP-Pakistan, 2005.

estimated that by 2005 about 500,000vehicles were effectively using CNG.

In terms of actual programming, GoPand UNDP opted to design one overallNational Environmental Action SupportProgramme (NEAP-SP) that has beenoperational since late 2001 and that isscheduled to end in September 2006.This programme comprises all of theabove areas grouped under six sub-programmes, including ample provisionsfor various types of capacity developmentin support of the Federal Ministry ofEnvironment, Provincial Planning andDevelopment Departments and otheractors in the field of environment andenergy. NEAP-SP was meant to helpother donors programme their supportin this area. This has only been partiallysuccessful, since only a limited numberof donors have positively opted to do so,while others (in particular thedevelopment banks) have opted to goalone or, at best, in parallel regardingcertain common priorities.

Overall, the mission assesses UNDP tobe well poised to provide lead supportregarding environment and energy relatedpolicies and the backstopping andsteering of operational supportinterventions. It enjoys a particular edgeover other donors in view of its longassociation with environmental andenergy issues, given the existence of adedicated environment unit within thecountry office that quite successfully actsas a knowledge centre or referral hub.In conclusion, the support extended to

GoP in policy formulation and in helpingPakistan to meet mult i - lateralenvironmental commitments onBiodiversity, Climate change, CombatingDesertification and POPs appear to bepositively appreciated by both public andprivate representatives consulted by themission. UNDP’s support in the area ofenergy conservation, fuel efficiency anddevelopment of alternative energysources has had major payoffs, includingcommercial ventures to promote CNG.There is ample evidence of internalizingother development objectives, inparticular poverty and gender as part ofUNDP’s environmental and clean energysupport interventions this being theoverarching objective of NEAP-SP.Manifestly this portfolio does contributeto taking a more integrated approachboth in pursuing multi-focused grassrootsoperations as well as in promoting themainstreaming of environmentalconcerns as part of macro- policy andplanning processes, including the PRSP2.

Moreover, UNDP has been able to buildpartnerships between donors and thegovernment, both at the Federal and theProvincial levels. Not surprisingly,UNDP has been selected by GoP as beingthe preferred GEF implementationagency. UNDP has also succeeded indeveloping wide ranging partnership withcivil society organizations, NGOsincluding IUCN and WWF, privatesector, UN agencies and CBOs some ofwhich are engaged as implementingagents of projects. UNDP is, therefore,

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well placed to assist GoP in particular,the Federal Ministry of Environment inmobilizing and coordinating assistancefrom other donor sources. For this to besuccessful, it is sine qua non that GoPmakes this a declared priority. In fact,the availability of funding remains acritical concern for this portfolio. Theinterest on the part of bilateral partnershas somewhat dwindled during the lastfive years and the financing of the UNDPenvironment and energy portfoliocontinues to rely heavily on GEF fundsthat currently comprise about half of theoverall available portfolio budget20.

Based on this assessment, the missionwishes to make the followingrecommendations. Notwithstandingsignif icant progress achieved,environmental concerns are still treatedin a fragmented and often isolatedmanner, and are as yet to be moresystematically integrated as part of thepolicy agenda and development strategyof Pakistan. The design of an eventualnew NEAP-SP phase should take itsdeparture from this reality check, whilea lso ser ious ly probing GoP’scommitment and donor’ interest in havingan overarching, multi-donor supportprogramme21.

In the same vein, the capacity of theFederal Ministry of Environment has

noticeably improved over the recentyears. Nevertheless, further capacitydevelopment support continues to berequired, likewise at the provincial level.The Ministry has experienced anexceptionally high turnover of staff andwould be much better placed if it couldbe assigned a professional technical cadreof staff. Given the fact that environmentalconcerns are still of recent nature inPakistan, the pool of intellectual resourcesis admittedly yet small. It is, therefore,understandable that the Ministry heavilydraws upon the experience available invarious projects as well as in the UNDPEnvironment Unit. The latter hasdeveloped close linkage with the UNDPRegional Service Centre in Bangkok forbackstopping and advisory services.

Given the continued importance of GEFfunding, more dedicated support isneeded for GoP’s GEF operational focalpoint. In addition, UNDP may considerhiring at least one fulltime professionalstaff (alternatively: a retainer contractwith a multidisciplinary team) to assistin generating a more comprehensive GEFpipeline22.

A substantive issue warranting urgentattention and regarding which UNDPwould be well placed to advise is howenvironmental policy best features withinthe context of devolution. Having probed

19 An evaluation of NEAP-SP is about to be concluded and is meant to provide a perspective on how best to continue UNDP’sdevelopment and partnership roles in respect of this portfolio.

20 The mission was informed that the various GEF grants that are currently approved through UNDP and/are operationalamount to in total US $ 48 million – as compared to US $ 10 million through World Bank and US $ 0.4 through UNEP. Thisplaces Pakistan as the fifth largest recipient of GEF funds among all Asian and Pacific countries. Nevertheless, due to increasedcompetition globally for drawing GEF funds, the tendency in the case of Pakistan has been a lesser volume of GEF resourcesthat, moreover, now are packaged with bilateral and UNDP core funds.21 In this regard, UNDP’s pre-eminent role in the environment field has a downside to it. One representative of a bilateraldonor expressed reservations about joining UNDP supported environment projects as UNDP is seen to have too strong a senseof “ownership” – presumably to be read as: “leadership”.22 Such is the practice in several other UNDP country offices, where this has proven to be a lucrative up-front investment –as extra-budgetary earnings on additional GEF projects by far outweigh the cost incurred for procuring such added capacity..

this issue on a few occasions, the missionobtained little resonance from itsinterlocutors. It is recommended that thisissue be factored in the consultations ona follow through of the NEAP-SP.

Project management practices need tobe reviewed to identify factors impedingexpeditious implementation. Anevaluation of NEAP has identified anumber of such issues and proposedalternatives; these warrant further study.The Government needs to ensure that itsstaff engaged in the implementation ofprojects is allowed a sufficiently longtenure. Continuity of management staffis an important element of successfulproject management.

Coordination of environment projects atthe level of the Ministry needs to beimproved to ensure that it is fully in thepicture about the entire spectrum ofactivities related to environment andenergy. In this regard, some of theinterlocutors of the mission pointed outin rather general terms that theconsultative processes underlying thedesign of support interventions in theseareas would be confined to a few majorcities and that these processes would notbe sufficiently transparent. Allegedly,such processes would be more of aformality rather than being a genuineconsultative exercise. The mission is notin a position to ascertain the validity ofthis assessment, but places it on recordfor the benefit of further review between

GoP and UNDP.

As regards the integrity of the overallspectrum of GoP-UNDP supportinterventions as strategized by the CP,it would appear that the environmentportfolio could be more functionallyintegrated with the other portfolios (inparticular devolution, poverty anddisaster management). Although theenvironment portfolio, as such, has amanifestly multidimensional character,this would seem to be foremost in a selfcontained manner.

Programme financial management status

At the time of formulating CP, UNDPhad agreed to mobilize US $ 182 million(including US $ 39 million of its coreresources), however, at the mid-point ofCP period, it has already approvedprojects worth of US $ 221 million. Inthis regard, funds have been mobilizedfrom various donors and by the time ofMTR, some US $ 120 million have beenmobilized from bilateral donors, globalfunds, Government and private sector,in addition to the UNDP’s core resourcesof US $ 39.24 million. Funds of worthUS $ 36 million for DTCE and GSPprojects are under discussion with donors. Thus the resource gap is only US $ 25.29million. However, with the approval ofnew projects, such as Elections 2007project, the resource gap will beminimized. The resource mobilizationand delivery over the years is increasing.

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Delivery until July 2006 amounted toUS $ 73 million, thus measured againstcurrent approvals yielding a delivery rateof 33%. This situation is assessed to besatisfactory taking into account that themidpoint of the CP has been reached andin view of the degree of maturity of mostCP Outcome portfolios.

The CP sectoral allocations are agreedjointly by UNDP-EAD and there existsa joint oversight mechanism. However,in the case of changes affecting morethan 15% of the sectoral allocation, itcould be a best practice to seek theconcurrence of the Government.

2. Perspectives by partners andstakeholders

This part of the report provides anassessment of the efficacy of UNDP’soverall performance in Pakistan from theviewpoint of GoP and UNDP’s variouscategories of development partners andstakeholders.

2.1 General findings and conclusions

In the light of the above assessment ofactual achievements, and notwithstandingissues that require to be addressed (seepart 3), the mission found UNDP partnersto be generally positive about the varioussupport roles that UNDP is performingin Pakistan.

UNDP is credited for having brought tobear organization wide properties inundertaking its support operations inPakistan. This refers, in particular, to itsimpartiality in helping to think throughnational development and reform policies

(e.g., devolution), in profferinginternational comparative experience(e.g., PRSP 2 process), and in advocatinghuman development friendly options(e.g., pro-poor policy support). Being aUN multilateral agency, and given itsvarious mandates, UNDP is alsoconsidered to be well placed to seekconvergence between national levelpriorities and global agendas, such asmore recently in respect of the MDGs.

Another property that found generalacclaim is the responsiveness andflexibility demonstrated by UNDP, inthe case of natural disasters (e.g., the2005 earthquake) or in exploring andventuring novel approaches e.g.,community driven pilots and clean energyopportunities. In the same vein, UNDPis acknowledged as a developmentagency that is geared towards learningfrom doing although this function couldbe further improved in terms of drawingsuch lessons and sharing these with otherpartners.

As regards several of the internationalagreements or conventions that Pakistanhas subscribed to, UNDP proves to bean exclusive support agency (e.g.,Montreal Protocol), while it has provento be the most proactive support agencyto facilitate Pakistan to draw on the GEF.Also in other areas, UNDP facilitatesPakistan to comply with internationalobligations, such as with regard toCEDAW.

Furthermore, there is appreciation forUNDP’s readiness to help convene andbroker donor coalitions centered onsometimes sensitive areas or priorities

23 For instance, a number of projects like MACP, wetlands and Habitat/Species Project in Balochistan provide for livelihoodgeneration and local development. Practically all environment projects have a gender component. Crisis management issuesare addressed in sustainable land management which provides an early warning system. Concerns about governance areaddressed through capacity building under NEAP and the National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global EnvironmentalManagement. Although all this provides evidence of the multi-dimensional approach being taken in furthering sustainableenvironmental development, it at the same time illustrates the rather standalone character of this portfolio.

that would prove to be problematic forany particular bilateral donor to engagein (e.g., electoral support). An offshootof this partnership brokerage role but atthe same time an indication of the successachieved in performing this role is thefact that some donors active in Pakistan(including private sector agents andglobal funds) have opted to poolresources under UNDP’s administration.In the same vein, UNDP has at timesbeen able to further a more inclusiveapproach by state institutions inpartnering with civil society (such as forelectoral awareness/education).

Another support role meeting positiveacclaim across the entire spectrum ofGoP-UNDP partners is UNDP’sfacilitation of coordination be it amongdonors or between these andGovernment. The most often referredexample concerns UNDP’s co-chairmanship of the informal DonorsPoverty Reduction Working Group(DPRWG). The issues paper on aideffec t iveness tha t th i s g roupcommissioned is considered by severaldonors to be a steppingstone fordeepening the Rome-Paris agendas withrespect to Pakistan. Some of these donors,in fact, expressed the wish that UNDPshould continue to provide lead supportin this respect. The overall appreciationheld by donors about UNDP’s variousroles is, furthermore, evidenced by theMOPAN that in 2004 centered onUNDP’s performance in Pakistan. Otherclient surveys held in respect of UNDPPakistan show a similar favorableoutcome.

2.2 Actor/Partner specific views

GovernmentThere are a number of additional pointsmade by Government agencies thatwarrant highlighting. One of the maincriticisms made by central agencies ofthe Federal government is that UNDP’sportfolio of support interventions wouldseem to be too dispersed thus riskinghaving insufficient focus and impact. Atthe same time, it was acknowledged thatGovernment does exercise multipledemands for UNDP grant TA especiallyfor meeting urgent requirements. It waspointed out that UNDP, generally, doestake a sufficiently encompassing (i.e.,programmatic) approach in addressingagreed priority issues. It was also noted,however, that the response packages, asdesigned, often dwarf in relation to themagnitude of requirements that are to bemet. It thus appears that not all GoPagencies have either understood, theylack appreciation of the conscientiousdecision taken between GoP and UNDPto design programmatic responses basedon actual requirements irrespective ofinitially available funds.

Provincial governments consistentlyexpressed the view that they would prefermore comprehensive and continuousconsultation with donors, includingUNDP. This should enable a better fit ofdonor-supported activities with theirADPs as opposed to “umbrella” orvertical programmes. Other than that,the existing provisions for decentralizedimplementation-management includingfund-advances are being well appreciated.

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Across the board, all Governmentappointed Project Directors as well asproject contracted Programme Managersexpressed satisfaction with the specialexecution including budget managementarrangements that have been agreed forUNDP funded projects outside the ambitof the national budget and treasuryauthorities. Other than enabling speedyaction and flexibility, most governmentofficials believe that this arrangementbetter ensures meeting compliance withaccountability standards.

Civil Society and the Private SectorThe number of interactions had by themission with NGOs and other civilsociety or private sector partners are toolimited and fragmentary to allow formore generic findings. Nevertheless, thefollowing is worth recording.

Some NGOs/civil society representativesexpressed appreciation of the opportunityto graduate to a partner from the earlierstatus of being a mere contractor in therelationship with UNDP.

Another observation highligts thesuccessful attempt by UNDP to helpgovernment design and manage NEAP-SP as a programmatic and multi-partnerventure. However, some NGOs calledthis arrangement unwarranted, statingthat UNDP and donors should havedirected their efforts towards revitalizingthe defunct governmental body that wasmeant to have set priorities and to havedetermined funds allocation. Althoughbeing appreciative of the argument being

put forward, the mission does realize thatpreviously the NGOs concerned wereable to draw funds directly from bilateralsources, while now there is a multi-donorsourced GoP-UNDP executed sectorwide programme.

At the very grassroots level, CommunityOrganizations were found to be veryarticulate in appreciating the speed,transparency and accountability in theregime for drawing funds under UNDPsupported community or local areadevelopment schemes as compared tothe still cumbersome proceduresgoverning fund-utilization by the CitizenCommunity Boards (CCBs).

UNDP has proven to be instrumental indeveloping a Pakistan network for theGlobal Compact effectively establishedin May 2003. This has led to theestablishment of a Global CompactFoundation meant for engaging withstakeholders to initiate and facilitateevents, projects, partnerships, networks,dialogues and research. Furthermore, an“Evaluation of the State of CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR) in Pakistanand a Strategy for Implementation” hasbeen conducted between UNDP and theSecurities and Exchange Commission ofPakistan. In addition, a number of Public-Private-Partnership ventures have beeninitiated by UNDP including with ORIXLeasing Limited Pakistan and FirstMicrofinance Bank Limited, through theWomen’s Access to Capital andTechnology project (WACT).

24 CCBs are the local organizations created through the Local Government Ordinance 2000 for local development schemes.

UN AgenciesUN interagency cooperation in Pakistanis centered around common prioritiesthat are aimed at optimizing the strategicvalue of UN system operation in Pakistanand furthering the UN internal and globalaid reform agendas. It is generallyrecognized that the UN system inPakistan has been most effective inworking with GoP and the internationalcommunity in meeting immediate needsand early recovery requirements inrelation to the October 2005 earthquake,as well as in helping to equip EAD toperform its coordination role includingthe establ ishment of a DonorCoordination Cell and a DevelopmentAssistance Database25. This concentratedeffort has, inevitably, slowed if not stalledmost of the UN interagency workpriorities including the innovativeinitiative aimed at harmonizing districtlevel support interventions among UNagencies. Apart from the earthquakeresponse, and the UN ImplementingSupport Programme for HIV/AIDS, anumber of worthwhile UN bilateralagencies cooperative efforts, as well asjoint advocacy and strategy developmentinitiatives (e.g., human rights) are inprocess. Other than that, there are as yetno joint programme initiatives, as definedby the UNDG guidelines. Among otherfactors, this would appear to be due tothe rather unwieldy coverage of theUNDAF for Pakistan.

In fact, the Outcome setting as agreedfor the present UNDAF for Pakistan canhardly be called strategic, it is, at best,reflective of the various mandates and

aspirations held by individual UNagencies. In the same vein, the design ofthe current UNDP CP for Pakistan israther complex, being based on 7Outcomes, which have been construedout of 16 of the 48 Outcomes that arecontained in the UNDAF. As it stands,the programmatic framework representedin the CP is composed of two ratherincongruent strands of support. The firstis rationalized in terms of “institutionalcapacity building” in relation to arelatively large number of highlydiversified thematic, institutional andregulatory priorities. The secondcomponent is organized around“Community development with assetbuilding for the poor”, this again appearsto be broken down in a seeminglyarbitrary manner in terms of targetgroups, modalities and sectoral supportareas.

Instead of attempting to further prioritizeUNDAF outcomes, the agency mayconsider centering the upcomingUNDAF MTR on determining a fewstrategic issues for which the UNDevelopment System is best suited toprovide lead support among the broadarray of development actors that areactive in Pakistan. Although this issueborders the TOR of the current mission,it may be suggested that one commonpriority for the UN Development Systemin Pakistan could be the advancement ofthe Rome-Paris agenda. This would,likely, also provide further impetus tothe ongoing UN reform aimed atsimplification and harmonization withrespect to the UN Development Group.

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In addition, devolution could be anothertopic, since all UN Agencies should besupportive of the various nonpoliticalaims underlying this priority. A thirdpriority for focusing the UNDAF wouldbe the MDGs as the UN DevelopmentSystem is supposed to assist this exercisein various ways, this may be prioritizedin a phased manner.

International communityWith the exception of some of the largerones, all bilateral donors consulted bythe mission positively opt for cooperationand co-financing with UNDP in selectedareas of their interest. Such cooperationand partnership, as it appears, is foremostin support of governance and gender andto a lesser extent poverty reduction andmeeting the effects of natural disasters,as well as environment. Other than forreasons of offsetting internal capacityconstraints that are being faced by someof these donors, most of them viewedsuch cooperation in positive terms. Thisrefers, in particular, to their assessmentof programmatic effectiveness,leveraging potential as a donor coalition,and the cost efficiency of poolingfinancial resources for common purposes.Maintaining international standards ofaccountability was often mentioned asan added argument for co-fundingpartnerships.

Certain misgivings were expressed, inparticular referring to the dispersed scopeof UNDP interventions, as well as thetimeliness and quality of progressreporting. Nevertheless, the support roleof UNDP as spill agency for brokeringconcerted donor responses is, clearly

appreciated and can be further capitalized.

As regards the interfacing betweenUNDP and the major development banksthat are active in Pakistan, the missionwas somewhat taken aback by theapparent vacuum that seems to existother than being flabbergasted by therather dismissive stance taken by thespokespersons of these agencies asregards the perceived insignificance ofthe UN Development System in Pakistan.

In conclusion, save for certainimprovements, there seems to be generalagreement that UNDP cooperation withPakistan is well aligned with nationalpriorities. Overall, UNDP is alsoconsidered to be effective in addressingniche areas for which it is considered tohave relevant expertise and comparativeinternational experience. This refers, inparticular, to devolution UNDP havingbeen acknowledged as being the longeststanding, most consistent and valuablesupport agent. Moreover, being Outcomeand results-based in orientation, UNDPsupport interventions are found to besensitive to internalizing factors that arecritical to generating longer-term impact.This is evidenced by the fact that variousforms and modalities of participatoryengagement and capacity developmentare integral to virtually all of UNDP’sassistance operations. Sustainabilityconcerns are, therefore, considered to bebest addressed through these approacheswhile acknowledging that ultimatelysustainability depends on the furtherevolution of the state of the politicaleconomy of Pakistan.

25 Supported by a UNDP-DEX project: “Support to Aid Coordination”.

3. Major issues to be addressed andRecommendations

The final part of the report enumeratessome of the major issues that need to beaddressed ; accompan ied wi threcommendations or suggestions madeon the part of the independent CPMTRmission.

CP focus and portfolio inter-linkageSingularly the most important issue assignaled by GoP, certain donors, as wellas the UNDP country office itself is thedesirability of establishing a sharperfocus, and stronger cohesion, as regardsthe overall portfolio of UNDP assistanceto Pakistan. The mission wishes to addto this the utility for GoP and UNDP tostrategize their cooperation within alonger-term perspective. Such longer-term commitment, centered on a moreselective number of priorities, wouldbetter safeguard programmatic impactand sustainability, while facilitating theforging of more durable donorpartnerships, and hence resourcepredictability. This need not be at thecost of UNDP’s proven flexibility toentertain emerging needs as long as suchneeds are critically, and thus decisively,being assessed and prioritized in termsof the agreed principal foci.

As noted, the ‘packaging’ of the CP israther construed. Furthermore, theprioritization and selection of individualprojects, in various instances, appears tobe adhoc. The mission, however,recognizes that these projects may havebeen developed by particular emergingneeds at the national level or because ofUNDP organization-wide added

priorities/mandates such as is morerecently the case in respect of conflictp r e v e n t i o n a n d p o s t - c o n f l i c tdevelopment, energy, trade, etc. Inaddition, the balancing of projects thatare of nation-wide importance and thoseaimed at particular provinces do notappear to have been weighed in anysystematic manner. When tapping specialfund modalities, in particular GEF, thedirection of such projects seems in factto be first and foremost determined bythe available menu of funding options.Though to a far lesser extent, this mayalso be the case for certain co-financeoffers made by bilateral donors to UNDP.

These factors, obviously, mitigate and attimes negate the aspired strategic focusand cohesion among various projects andportfolios, as these in conjunction withone another are meant to contribute toachieving the Outputs and Outcomesselected from the CP. Nevertheless, themission finds that the instrumental valueof the CP for GoP-UNDP project levelprogramming and for keeping a sufficientdegree of integrity of the actual projectportfolios is sufficiently safeguarded.

In fact, efforts are underway to rationalizethe current UNDP portfolios, at leastconceptually and in terms of guidingstrategic focus. The Governanceportfolio, essentially, is to becomeexclusively focused on strengtheningdemocratic governance, devolution andmore recently and still nascent oneconomic governance, other than aidmanagement support. The portfolio insupport of sustainable utilization ofEnvironment and Energy has been largelycentered around the NEAP umbrella

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programme, other than being focused onfacilitating GoP in complying withinternational agreements/protocols towhich it has subscribed. The Poverty andGender portfolio is being restructuredaccording to its three principal foci: i)poverty policy support in relation to theMDGs, ii) community and areadevelopment, and iii) gender. The workbeing undertaken by the Crisis Preventionand Recovery Unit is for the time being,foremost focused on early recoverysupport in the aftermath of October 2005earthquake, although institutionalassistance aimed at the establishment ofa National Disaster ManagementAuthority has been pursued since 2003.As it stands, the intertwining betweenUNDP project portfolios seems to bemost advanced in the case of Governanceand Gender. On the other hand, theEnvironment and Energy portfolio wouldappear to be most self-contained,understandable as this may be given theheavy reliance on GEF menu basedfunding.

The mission commends these attemptsaimed at rationalizing and aligning thevarious UNDP project portfolios withdeclared GoP priorities, but concludesthat this could be further enhanced. Themission, therefore, puts forward thef o l l o w i n g re c o m m e n d a t i o n s .

(1) The CP Outcomes are found to berelevant and well aligned with GoP’sdevelopment and reform agenda. Thecurrent arrangement for backstopping

CP interventions by four substantiveprogramme units (Poverty Reductionand Gender, Governance, Energy &Environment, Crisis Prevention andRecovery) is found to be adequate.What is recommended, nevertheless,is that further cohesion and inter-linkage be established among thesep rog ramme po r t fo l i o s andbackstopping units. For example,given its significance, devolutionpermeates throughout the variousportfolios. However, there does notappear to be a reasoned approach asto how best to link these variousinterventions and how to increasetheir impact. In this respect, themission applauds the current initiativeto ‘bundle’ a number of policy relatedinitiatives as part of a “MDG drivenPoverty Policy Programme Package”,including the ongoing MDG costinginitiative. This could, possibly, alsobe utilized for tying in otherwisedispersed activities, such as in thecase of HIV/AIDS and Trade policysupport26. Such further focusingshould also help to eliminate the‘gymnastics’ that are still beingrequired when communicating withdifferent actors, whether in relationto UNDP headquarters Service Lines,Pakistan national planning and policyinstruments, or particular donorassistance frameworks. It should,therefore, prove worthwhile toundertake a thorough review ofUNDP’s communication strategy,such as to facilitate comprehension

26 Admittedly, given the complexities of having multiple implementing agencies resorting under one Executing Agency, theopportunity for ‘bundling’ projects into more comprehensive programmes may be limited. Such operational managementconsiderations do not diminish the rationale for striving to have a stronger programmatic cohesion.

on the part of UNDP’s variousconstituents, partners and clients.For this purpose, allocations forCommunicat ion and Publ icInformation may be included inproject budgets.

(2) Within the constitutional provisionsgoverning the relationship betweenthe Federal and the ProvincialGovernments of Pakistan, UNDPwould do well to maintain a morecontinuous dialogue with theprovinces. This should help to betterbalance its assistance between theFederal and Provincial levels thuskeeping with, and actual lysupporting, the principle ofsubsidiarity. In this respect, lessonsmay be derived from a closer reviewof the decentralized project planningapproach as is being practicedbetween GoP and UNICEF.

UNDP’s untapped potentialUNDP has succeeded in optimizing itsorganization-wide properties, inparticular: impartiality and knowledgebrokerage, such that it has become atrusted and well respected partner to GoP(at various levels of the administration),societal actors, as well as donors andselected NGOs and CBOs. Several typesof lead support, as are being providedby UNDP, have been assessed in Part 2of this report. In addition, there areseveral instances where UNDP hasprovided brinkmanship in balancingsometimes differing positions betweenGoP and donors, as well as seeking andbridging the convergence of GoP civilsociety initiatives. This property may infact be unique, since few, if any, otherdonor agencies could have done so. There

are several examples that corroborateUNDP having provided such intricate,and oftentimes delicate, support most;notably: intermediation as regardsmanagerial and governance issues thatarose wi th respect of DTCE,inclusiveness of civil society partners invoter education, discretionary advice inrespect of gender issues, as well astechnical advice and support as part ofthe PRSP 2 preparatory process. Thisleads the mission to offer the followingrecommendations:(3) GoP may wish to further explore

UNDP’s proven ability to createcomfort space, for obtainingconstructive critical policy advice orfor helping to mediate particulardifferences, or build convergence, ininstances as may arise between GoPand donors (e.g., the Rome-Parisagenda on aid effectiveness andharmonization).

(4) GoP would do well to exploreavenues to better coordinate aidedprograms between UN agencies andIFIs. This holds particularly true forOutcomes where large-scale IFIsupport would stand to benefit fromUNDP’s knowledge base such ascommuni ty and loca l a readevelopment and decentralizeddevelopment management andgovernance. As the potential forsynergies, economies and enhancedimpact due to intensified cooperationamong multilateral agencies wouldappear to be self-evident, this shouldbe a matter for GoP to take aproactive stand.

(5) In the same vein, GoP would do wellto further explore opportunities andvenues for utilizing the apparent

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goodwill earned by UNDP inconvening donor support for CPsupported priorities, as well as forfurthering and concretizing theRome-Paris agenda.

(6) On a minor note, UNDP should atthe earliest possible come to agreeon pract ical s teps to moresystematically and substantivelyinvolve donor partners in monitoringand overseeing project interventions,such as by organizing periodic fieldvisits and Outcome/Output levelreview meetings. UNDP should alsoagree with GoP and key co-financingdonors on a unitary format for projectprogress reporting and review that isanalytic and results-oriented.

UNDP Country Office capacityUNDP’s ability to perform its varioussupport functions in a responsible andconvincing manner hinges critically onthe resources that it has to keep its countryoffice properly staffed and operational.In this regard, the office has already takena number of initiatives aimed atincreasing cost efficiency and recovery.Still, given its current workload, it isclear to the mission that the UNDPPakistan office is in need of addedcapacity, especially for work pertainingto disaster management and GEF. Thisis particularly needed to strengthen itsanalytical and technical capabilities,particularly from the perspective ofidentifying and appraising comparativeand relevant international experiences

and good practices.

It is in this context that two other issueswere brought forward, namely theperceived “overheads” related to UNDPoperations and the administrative chargesthat UNDP levies on co-financingcontributions. In fact, UNDP being aninter-governmental and non-profit agencydoes not incur any “overheads” as such27.Should the issue be the proportion ofembodied technical assistance e.g.,number and type of technical ormanagerial experts and consultants, thenthis is obviously a matter of assessment,design/appraisal at the level of individualprojects. Should this concern apply tothe ratio of UNDP professional officestaff in relation to the overall volumeand complexity of project and no projectdelivery, then this is found to becomparatively low28. The charge foradministering co-finance resources byUNDP is a matter decided by itsExecutive Board and can thus in no waybe altered by individual country offices.The commonly applied parameters forassessing such charges relate to therelative cost efficiency of poolingresources into one management unit forthe programme, the potent ia lprogrammatic impact of doing so, andthe likelihood of fostering longer-termmultiple partnerships. This issue pointsto the need to have definitional clarityof the “overhead / operational cost”, sothat this perception is adequatelyaddressed.

27 “Overheads’ in terms of business economics are understood to be mark-ups (over and above actual expenses made) inorder to cover expenses and to generate a profit margin. Although UNDP has been charged to recover costs, it does obviouslynot strive to create a profit.28 This is a judgment made by the mission team-leader who is familiar with the staffing-budget situation as prevails innumerous UNDP country offices..

The following recommendation,therefore, seems to be inescapable:

(7) Ways and means need to beascertained to ensure that the UNDPPakistan office can continue tocredibly perform its various supportfunctions. This could perhaps in partbe accommodated by internalizingrequired expertise within the office,possibly in the form of no-cost staffsecondment by interested donors, byitemizing such technical support aspart of co-financed project budgetsor by seeking optimal staff allocationsbetween UN agencies as part of theongoing UN reform agenda. Otherthan that, UNDP Pakistan shouldseek to secure more comprehensiveand continuous backstoppingarrangements by UNDP RegionalCentres. Now that the specialearthquake support operations byUNDP Pakistan have come to an end,the office would do well to conductsome form of re-profiling given theapparent imbalance betweenoperations staff and technicallycompetent programme staff .

Monitoring, Evaluation and KnowledgeManagementAnother more immediate issue is theapparent need to improve the monitoring,evaluation and knowledge managementfunctions (ME&KM) by the UNDPPakistan office. Failing to do so wouldbe at the risk of UNDP shortcutting itselfin performing various support roles forwhich it is generally found to be well

placed. More specifically, the missionfound that:

(a) CP level monitoring has thus far,basically, remained a factor toUNDP internal reporting. Projectmonitoring and reporting isneither sufficiently l i t t leanalytical and result oriented norgeared towards determiningalternative options eithersubstantively, in terms ofimplementation strategy, or asregards cost efficiencies.Furthermore, reporting is weakin identification of ‘lessonslearnt’.

(b) The office’s evaluation functionis, foremost, being exercised tomeet requirements at the level ofi n d i v i d u a l p r o g r a m m eportfolios/sections, without itbeing sufficiently geared towardssupporting CP level strategicdecision-making.

(c) Knowledge Management is stillin its infancy, yielding little byway of organizational learningand strategic thinking. As itstands, the abundantly availableknowledge remains largelyembodied in individual staff andis not contributing in a robustway to the institutional memory.

Given the significance of ME&KM forUNDP, the mission is appreciative of therecent initiative to reconstitute what isnow the Planning, Monitoring andEvaluation unit within the UNDP office29.

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In light of this, the mission offers thefollowing recommendations30.

(8) Assign high priority and resources,if so required to designing a resultsbased monitoring and evaluation(M&E) system, and correspondingoperating procedures, including anupgrading of benchmarking andtarget/indicator setting and dataavailability. The Outcome Resultsmatrices (as were prepared at therequest of the mission) shouldprovide a good basis for evaluation.Develop, in consultation betweenEAD and the UNDP country office,an evaluation plan that judiciouslycombines project (cluster) andoutcome evaluations such that thesewould effectively support strategicdecision-making. Outcome/Outputlevel review meetings would best beheld periodically (say twice yearly),including a CP-wide Annual Reviewmeeting, with participation of actorsand stakeholders who are mostimmediately involved with the CP.

(9) Until the before mentioned actionstake effect, it may prove worthwhileto consider the engagement ofi n d e p e n d e n t m o n i t o r s f o rcorroborating and analyzing reportedresults and impact assessors to furtherascertain and substantiate, CP outputprogression in respect of CPstipulated Outputs/outcomes.

(10) For UNDP Pakistan to moresystematically interact withcommunities of practice that are

evolving UNDP organization wide,thereby fostering a more effectiveKM practice31.

CP oversight and steeringThe working relationship between EADand UNDP appears to be constructiveand cordial, the value of which is not tobe under-estimated. In fact, there wouldappear to be room to further optimizethe joint functions being performed. Thisleads the mission to make the followingrecommendation.

(11) The joint oversight and steeringbeing exercised between EAD andUNDP in respect of UNDPsupported projects/portfolios wouldstand to gain if this could be moresystematically structured andbecome more strategically oriented.Other than having periodic reviewsdealing with recurrent operationalmatters, EAD and UNDP mayconsider having dedicated sessionsaimed at reviewing and assessingprogress being made relative to the“ R e s u l t s a n d R e s o u r c e sFramework” as has now beenconverted into “Outcome Resultsmatrices”.

Implementation and budget managementIn terms of implementation managementand budget operat ions, UNDPadministered funds (including co-financing contributions) are governed bya special arrangement i.e., the ProjectsCycle Operations Manual (PCOM). This

29 The recently prepared “Report of Second Quarter 2006” by this unit is a welcome attempt to collate various instrumentsas these relate to planning, monitoring and reporting, including recurrent issues (e.g., audit) or new initiatives (Prince2) bythe office.

30 A more elaborate account of the mission’s assessment of M&E&KM is attached as Annex 5. 31 It is of note that one staff member of the UNDP Pakistan office received special commendation for having actively andsubstantively interacted as part of the Environment and Energy practice group. This, however, would appear to be the-oneexception confirming an otherwise contraire rule.

leaves the management of these fundsoutside the ambit of GoP’s budget andtreasury operations. This arrangementappeared to be generally appreciatedamong the mission’s interlocutors giventhe flexibility it offers in making swiftadjustments, other than for reasons ofmeeting donor established standards offinancial accountability. Queries wereraised, however, as regards the timelyprovisioning of funds from the nationalbudget. This would appear as matter ofbudget planning and is not a compellingreason for altering the current fundsmanagement and accounting procedures.In addition, a number of more operationalissues came forward, in particularcentered on the position of NationalProject Director (NPD), theiraccountability and the expressed lack ofcompensation. The mission’s mainrecommendation in this respect is the

following.

(12) Given the proven merit of thePCOM, it is recommended to retainthis special budget managementarrangement given its relativeexpediency and the flexibility itoffers in terms of overall projectoperations. Other than that, theremay be need to review theaccountability position of NPDsand the terms under which they areappointed.

These recommendations, as well as thosepertaining to specific Outcomes (ascontained in part 1), have been capturedin the following table. This table can beutilized to record agreed actions betweenEAD and UNDP during thei rforthcoming review of this MTR report.

28 29


Recommendations and Proposed Follow-up Actions

30 31


32


Annexes

35


his report has been prepared by anindependent team of consultants

that was commissioned by UNDPPakistan to conduct a Mid-term Review(MTR) of the current UNDP CountryProgramme (CP) for Pakistan (2004-08)as this programme has reached mid-point.The present Annex provides backgroundto the review in terms of its objective,methodology and organization concludedby some lessons about the conduct ofthe review itself.

1. Objective

The conduct of a UNDP CP-MTR is nolonger a formal requirement. UNDPPakistan has, nevertheless, opted toundertake this exercise. The principalmotive for doing so is that this exerciseis judged to be the most effective wayof organizing UNDP’s input into theupcoming mid-term review of the UNDevelopment Assistance Framework(UNDAF) for Pakistan. Other than that,UNDP Pakistan and its immediatecounterpart agency the Economic AffairsDivision of the Ministry of Finance andStatistics (EAD) wish to utilize the MTRfor its intended purposes. This refers, inparticular, to obtaining an independentassessment of achievements made, adviceon any corrective actions that may berequired and a future perspective for

cooperation.

To this effect, UNDP Pakistan inconsultation with EAD initiated itsplanning for the MTR as of May 2006.This resulted in a set of terms of reference(TOR), which were partly modified basedon consultation held with the prospectiveteam leader for the CPMTR. The statedobjective of the MTR is “…to assess thestatus of UNDP achieving outputs /objectives, programmatic synergies,improving cost-effectiveness, optimizingpartnership arrangements, and introducechanges needed, if any in the focus andstrategy in the light of emergingdevelopment priorities of Pakistan”32

(Annex 8).

In essence, this exercise is to provideUNDP, EAD and its partners with anassessment of the achievements madetowards realizing the outcomes that havebeen adopted for the current CP, as hasbeen approved for the period 2004-08.This is to take into account the majorfactors that are considered to either havefacilitated or impeded such progression(including any externalities), whilededucing lessons learned and ascertainingemerging needs and opportunities. In thismanner, the MTR is to help determinethe continued relevance, effectivenessand the eventual sustainability of the CP,

T

Annex 1

OBJECTIVE, METHODOLOGY ANDORGANIZATION OF THE REVIEW

32The full set of TOR are available with EAD and UNDP and have been shared with all interlocutors of the mission.

36 37


or, alternatively, identify need foradjustments in the light of changes inthe country context, partnershiparrangements, or in policies byGovernment or UNDP. In addition, theMTR exercise may be utilized for makingan assessment and recommendations inrespect of a number of issues moredirectly related to the respective thematicareas being supported vide the CP.

Once these TOR had been concluded,and formal clearance obtained from EAD,a team of three independent consultantswas constituted comprising two seniorPakistani and one international expert,the latter being assigned the role of TeamLeader33. In addition, EAD (UNDPGovernment counterpart agency)assigned a ministry official34, whoparticipated in all activities anddeliberations undertaken by the missionteam. The direct participation by EADin the mission has in no way led to anybias as regards the mission’s findings,conclusions and recommendations. Infact, EAD’s participation has had anumber of functional advantages to themission, such as ease of access togovernment offices, understanding ofpolicy and procedural stipulations andimproved comprehension of particulardevelopment issues being reviewed.

Backstopping and logistical supportarrangements were provided by theUNDP Country Office, coordinated byits Planning, Monitoring and EvaluationUnit, as well as field- based projects.This support was organized such that the

team did not experience any undue delaysin pursuing its mission schedule.

2. Methodology

In terms of methodology, the missionfirst ascertained the expectations held onthe part of UNDP and EAD regardingthe MTR. These appeared to conformwith the TOR as articulated above.

Subsequently, the mission requestedUNDP to prepare an outcome mappingmatrix (Annex 7). This matrix provides,essentially, a systematic presentation ofthe correlation between the variousongoing interventions and the Outcomesand associated Outputs that are containedin the CP and its subsidiary instrumentthe Country Programme Action Plan(CPAP). This matrix has greatlyfacilitated the work undertaken by themission in conducting this MTR.

It is to be noted, however, that the extentto which the CP is effectively contributingtowards furthering CP-Outcomes proveddifficult to assess. The main reasons forthis are: the rather ‘macro’ level at whichthe Outcomes have been defined, theoftentimes composite structure of theseOutcomes (making their achievementdependent on the synergetic effect ofdifferent strands of poverty, gender,governance, etc.), the overall inadequatedescription of the baseline situation,while targets and indicators for measuringprogress had not in all cases beensufficiently defined. For lack ofsystematic information and assessment

regarding programmes supported byother actors, it also proved next toimpossible to attribute the actualcontributions being made specifically byUNDP. Moreover, only few Outcomeevaluations have as yet been conductedin respect of UNDP project portfolios35

while such type of evaluative evidenceis rather essential for conducting a resultsoriented review for the CP at large.

Another somewhat complicating factorin assessing CP supported Outcomes andOutputs is the following. Although theCP has been conceived in conformitywith the Results-Based Management(RBM) approach, as has been adoptedby UNDP organization wide as of 2002,a good number of projects were in factongoing at the time of CP CountryProgramme Action Plan (CPAP)formulation and thus had to be retrofittedor rationalized. Although the contributingeffect of most projects in terms of CPAPoutputs has been convincinglyestablished, the cohesion within andamong the various project clusters is notalways apparent or clear both from theviewpoint of design and actualimplementation.

The mission has, therefore, opted to focusthe MTR first and foremost on reviewingand assessing the actual results that havebeen achieved thus far and as these relateto the CPAP outputs. Attempting to doso at the level of Outcomes would at bestyield anecdotal, if not speculative,evidence and would thus be less usefulfor the purpose of conducting a MTR.

3. Organization

The mission conducted its in-countrywork from 2-22 July, 2006. Thiscomprised extensive documentary review(Annex 2), a series of consultations heldwith actors , s takeholders andbeneficiaries (Annex 3), as well as twofield visits (Peshawar and Lahore), otherthan report writing. A third visit toMansehra had to be cancelled, due to theneed for the team to best possible managethe time allotted to its mission. For thesame reason, the team members decidedto divide a number of ‘focal point’ areasamong themselves, thus keeping theworkload manageable.

The mission’s schedule as actuallyconcluded is attached as Annex 4.Debriefing were held with UNDP priorto concluding the in-country missionwork.

In appraising its own mission, the teamwishes to note the following that may beof use in organizing similar missions infuture. Given the rather tight timeschedule, UNDP would undertake anumber of preparatory activities. Thisentails principally, ensuring theavailability of updated project briefs, andself-assessments by the respectiveprogramme sections. More lead time forthe mission members is certainly neededto go th rough the ex tens ivedocumentation provided for suchreviews. Likewise, Scheduling andpreparatory activities require timelycoordination between agency, EAD andcounterpart ministries.

33 Respectively, Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali ([email protected] ), Mr. Shamim Ahmad Khan ([email protected])and Mr. Andre Klap ([email protected]).34 Ms. Yasmin Masood, Deputy Secretary, EAD ([email protected]).

35In fact, only two such Outcome Evaluations have been conducted thus far - one in respect of devolution (2002) and theother in respect of sustainable environmental development (2005).

38 39


June, 2006 by Ashraf Khan,• Gender Mainstreaming in Planning &

Development Project, Govt. of NWFP,P l ann ing and Deve lopmen tDepartment.

• Gender Justice Through MusalihatAnjuman Project (2006) by LocalGovernment & Rural DevelopmentGovernment of NWFP

• Memorandum of Understanding forthe Women’s Access to Capital &Technology Project by EconomicAffairs Division (EAD) Govt. ofPakistan and UNDP’s document.

• Institutional Strengthening of theNational Commission on the Statusof Women, Ratified by EconomicAffairs Division

• Brochure on Women’s PoliticalSchool, Government of Pakistan ,Ministry of Women Development

• Annual Report, Gender Justice throughMusalihat Anjuman Project (March2006)-Ministry of Local GovernmentRural Development Govt. of Pakistan.

• Progress Report- Support forA c h i e v i n g t h e M i l l e n n i u mDevelopment Goals.

• Addressing Gender Justice ThroughMusalihat Jirga 2004-2006

• Women’s Political School ProjectNWFP (Summary of Progress January2005 to June 2006)

• Programme Document, NationalEnvironment Action Plan, SupportProgramme, October 2001

• Environment Promotion at School andCollege Level

• Progress Report- Mountain AreasConservancy Project

• Project Document- StrengtheningElectoral Processes to Ensure GreaterParticipation in Pakistan

• Government of Pakistan/ UNDP:Strengthening Democracy ThroughParliamentary Development inPakistan

• Annual Progress Report 2005, SDEPPII, Project Management Unit, ElectionCommission of Pakistan.

• UNDAF• UN Framework for Early Recovery• Country Programme• Country Programme Action Plan• Previous Country Cooperation

Framework review Report• MYFF Reports 2004 & 2005• Thematic Evaluation Reports on

Decentralization and Energy &Environment

• National Human Development Report2003

• Pakistan Economic Survey 2006• Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper• M e d i u m - Te r m D e v e l o p m e n t

Framework• Evaluation of UNDP/ GEF Project:

Fuel Efficiency in the Road TransportSector, November 2005

• Evaluation Mission Report (Dec.2004) -Area Development ProgrammeBalochistan by M.Asif Khan, MianZaki Ullah and Shakeel Ahmad (Dec17, 2004)

• Coun t ry Rev i ew o f UNDPCooperation in Pakistan (5 Nov. 2001)

• Pakistan Millennium DevelopmentGoals Reports (2004 and 2005)CRPRID, Planning Commission ofPakistan.

• Country Strategy and Program UpdatePakistan 2006-2008, (August 2005)-Asian Development Bank.

• Mission Report (May, 2004) for theproject “Poverty Alleviation andSustainable Development Facility”,by Thomas Kelly

• M o v i n g F r o m R e l i e f ToReconstruction and Recovery (UNDPProject Briefs in Support of ERRA-UN Early Recovery Plan, May 2006)

• Outline: ERRA Social ProtectionStrategy-UNDP

• Pakistan 2005 Earthquake -EarlyR e c o v e r y F r a m e w o r k w i t hPreliminary Costs of ProposedInterventions (Nov. 2005), UnitedNation System Islamabad.

• Support to Volunteerism Initiatives inPakistan, United Nation Volunteer(UNV) Programme, and UNDP.

• Evaluation Report (May 2004) -Women’s Political ParticipationProjects, by Atif Humayun Khan andShahla Zia

• Internal Review of the Programmesof the National Commission forHuman Development, May 2004, byFarid Rehman (UNDP’s document)

• Improving Aid Effectiveness inPakistan (Issues Paper for the PakistanDevelopment Forum) 10-11 May2006, Islamabad by Tony Killick andQaim Shah.

• Annual Progress Report (2005),National Urban Poverty AlleviationProgramme,

• UNDP’s Progress Update-NationalUrban Poverty Alleviation ProgramNUPAP-NWFP, (2004-06)

• Project Brief (UNDP), (2002-2006)Poverty Alleviation and SustainableDevelopment Facility

• 2nd Quarterly Progress Report April-

Annex 2

MAIN DOCUMENTS REVIEWED

40 41


32. Mr. Iftikhar Malik, Joint Secretary,Ministry of Finance

33. Mr. Hassan Yousazai, ChiefEconomist, NWFP

34. Mr. Khalid Mumtaz Khan, R.D.,Foreign Aid. NWFP

35. Mr. Ikram Khan, AdditionalSecretary, NWFP

36. Mr. Shah Nawaz Khan, ProvincialTechnical Expert, WSP-NWFP.

37. Dr. Fakhr-ul-Islam, Director, SocialWelfare & Women Development,NWFP

38. Mr. Abdullah Khan Mehsud,D.G(D&M) L.G./Project Director,NUPAP & GJTMA, NWFP

39. M r. K h i z a r H a y a t , J o i n tSecretary(IC), Minis try ofEnvironment

40. Mr. Mehbub Elahi, Director General(E) Ministry of Environment.

41. Dr. Bashir Ahmed Wani, InspectorGeneral (Forest), Ministry ofEnvironment

42. Mr. Owais Nauman Kundi, DeputySecretary (E/A), Ministry ofEnvironment

43. Mr. Sami U l l ah , Depu tySecretary(IC), Minis try ofEnvironment

44. Flt.Lt.(Retd.) Munawar Abbas Shah,NPD/PPD, NUPAP Lahore.

45. Col. Mohammad Shahbaz, DirectorGeneral, GJTMA, Lahore

46. Mr. Haider Mehdi Syed, DirectorGeneral Social Welfare, Women’sDiv. & Bait-ul-Maal, Lahore

47. Mr. Naveed Allauddin, AdditionalSecretary, Department of Finance,Lahore

48. Mr. Ahmed Jawad, AdditionalSecretary, Economic AffairsDivision

49. Mr. Naufil Naseer, SectionOfficer(UN-II), EAD

50. Dr. Pervaiz Tahir, ManagingDirector, ENERCON

Project staff

51. Ms. Marvi Sirmed, National ProjectManager, Ministry of WomenDevelopment

52. Ms. Sofia Noreen, National ProjectManager Ministry of WomenDevelopment

53. Ms. Rehana Hashmi, NationalProject Manager, Ministry ofWomen Development

54. Mr. Hamid R. Afridi, NPM,GJTMAP, Ministry of LG&RD

55. Mian Zaki Ullah, NRM Officer,Lachi Project, NWFP

56. Mr. Khan Mohammad, ProgrammeManager Lachi Project, NWFP

57. Mr. Zafar Naeem, Sr. Credit Officer,Lachi Project, NWFP

58. Mr. Wasim Ahmad, ProgrammeEngineer, Lachi Project, NWFP

59. Mr. Alamgir Khan, SocialOrganizer, Lachi Project, NWFP

60. Mr. Haroon, Media Officer, LachiProject, NWFP

61. Mr. Mohammad Fahim, ProvincialProject Manager, GJTMA, NWFP

62. Ms. Farhat, Credit Officer LachiProject, NWFP

63. Ms. Sarwat Khattak,Female SocialOrganizer, Lachi Project, NWFP

64. Mr. Niaz Mohammad, PMEROfficer, Lachi Project, NWFP.

65. Mr. Anwar-ul-Haq, PM, NUPAP,Lahore.Mr. Tahir Aurakzai, ProjectManager, EIROP, Peshawar

66. Ch. Hasnaat Ahmad, StatisticianEconomist, GMPD, Lahore

Government Officials

1. Lt. General Nadeem Ahmed,Deputy Chairman Earthquake,ERRA

2. Mr. Daniyal Aziz, Chairman,National Reconstruction Bureau

3. Dr. M. Akram Shaikh, DeputyChairman, Planning Commission

4. Mr. Ijaz Rahim, Cabinet Secretary5. Mr. Khalid Saeed, Secretary,

Economic Affairs Division6. Mr. Malik M. Akram, Secretary,

Planning & Development Division7. Mr. Muhammad Humayun Farshori,

Secretary, Ministry of LG&RD8. Mr. Manzoor Ali Shah, Secretary,

P& D Department, NWFP9. Mr. Sharif Ahmad, Secretary,

Ministry of Environment10. Mr. Kanwar Muhammad Dilshad,

Secretary, Pakistan ElectionCommission

11. Mr. Suleman Ghani, Chairman,P&D Board, Punjab

12. Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Khero,Additional Chief Secretary, Karachi

13. Mr. Shahid Hamid, Chairman,Alternative Energy Board

14. Dr. Asad Ali Shah, MemberPlanning Commission

15. Mr. Sami ul Haq Khilji, AddditionalSecretary, Ministry of Environment

16. Dr. Arifa Syeda Zehra, Chairperson,National Commission on the Statusof Women

17. Mr. Amir Tariq Zaman, Joint

Secretary (UN/China) EAD18. Mr. Amir Khan Goraya, NPD,

SDEPP, Pakis tan Elec t ionCommission

19. Mr. Asif Sheikh, Joint ChiefE c o n o m i s t , P l a n n i n g &Development Division

20. Mr. M. Ayub, Chief (Gender),Planning & Development Division

21. Mr. M. Abdul Qayyum, Chief(Environment), Planning &Development Division

22. Mr. Mehmood Saleem Mehmood,Secretary, Ministry of WomenDevelopment

23. Ms. Suhaila Asif, Director General,Ministry of Women Development.

24. Brig. Atiq ur Rehman, DirectorGeneral, Ministry of WomenDevelopment

25. Mr. Abid Ali, Joint Secretary,Ministry of Women Development.

26. Mrs. Samar Ihsan, Section Officer( I C ) , M i n i s t r y o f Wo m e nDevelopment

27. Mr. Idrees Baig, Director, Ministryof Women Development

28. Ms. Naveeda Sultan, Media Expert,Ministry of Women Development

29. M r . L i a q a t C h a u d h r y ,M e m b e r / D . G. ( F i n a n c e ) ,Earthquake, ERRA

30. Mr. Muhammad Zafeer Abbasi,Joint Secretary (RD),Ministry ofLG&RD

31. Mr. Riaz Akhtar, Deputy Secretary(Dev)/NPD, GJTMAP

Annex 3

LIST OF PERSONS MET

102. Mr. John Moore, Counsellor, CIDA103. Mr. Alf Arne Ramslien, Minister

Counselor Deputy Head of theMission, Norwegian Embassy

104. Mr. Takao Kaibara, ResidentRepresentative, JICA

105. Ms. Kathy Schneitter, CountryDirector, Swiss Agency forDevelopment and Cooperation

106. Ms. Eli Waerum Rogerud,Programme Specialist ERP,UNESCO

107. Ms. Mehreen Saeed, ProgrammeSupport and Public InformationOfficer, ERP, UNESCO

108. Mr. Manzoor Khaliq, Sr. ProgramOfficer, ILO

109. Mr. Ronald Van Dejik, Sr.Proramme Officer, UNICEF

110. Mr. Alistair Moir, ProgrammeManager, DFID

111. Ms. Magdalena Moshi, Head ofP r o g r a m m e , Wo r l d F o o dProgramme

112. Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Awan, SpecialAdvisor to RR, JICA

113. Mr. Anne T. Sweetser, ProjectImplementation Specialist, PeopleCentered

114. Reconstruction, Asian DevelopmentBank.

115. Mr. Asad Aleem, ProgrammeOfficer, Asian Development Bank.

116. Ms. Elizabeth Loacker, AttacheDevelopment, European Union

117. Ms. Roshan Ara, ProgrammeOfficer, European Union

118. Ms. Yasmin Jawed Khan, Sr.Program Officer, Royal NetherlandsEmbassy

UNDP staff

119. Mr. Haoliang Xu, Country DirectorUNDP

120. Mr. Andrew Macleod, Advisor toUN Resident Coordinator

121. Dr. Chaudhary Inayatullah, ARRand Chief PM&E Unit

122. Mr. Farhan Sabih, ARR and Chief Governance Unit

123. Mr. Zafar Iqbal, ARR and ChiefCPR Unit

124. Ms. Faiza Effendi, ARR and ChiefPR&G Unit

125. Mr. Arif Alauddin, ARR and ChiefEnergy & Environment Unit

126. Mr. Abdul Qadir Rafiq, ProgrammeOfficer, Energy & EnvironmentUnit

127. Mr. Shakeel Ahmad, Economist,PR&G Unit

128. Ms. Rabbia Khattak, ProgrammeOfficer, PR&G Unit

129. Mr. Earl Goodyear, Sr. Advisor,CPR Unit

130. Ms. Shirin Gul, Programme Officer,Governance Unit

131. Ms. Marie Merchand, JPOGovernance Unit

42 43


67. Mr. Yasin Shah, AdministrativeOfficer, EIROP, Peshawar

68. Mr. Jamil Shah, I.T Specialist,EIROP, Peshawar

69. Mr. Feroze Shah, Finance Officer,EIROP, Peshawar

70. Mr. Ahmad , Organ iza t ionDevelopment Specialist, EIROP,Peshawar

71. Mr. Zulfiqar, Chief FinancialOfficer, NCHD

72. Mr. Muhammad Ajmal Khan,Senior Director (Operations),NCHD

73. Ms. Saira Bashir, Research OfficerCRPRID, Islamabad

74. Mr. Naeem Sarwar, ResearchOfficer, CRPRID, Islamabad

75. Ms. Lubna Shahnaz, SeniorResearch Officer, CRPRID,Islamabad

76. Mr. M. Maqsood, Project Manager,NUPAP, NWFP

77. Mr. Sajjad Haider, PPM, Women’sPolitical School-WPS, Lahore

78. Mr. Rab Nawaz, ManagementAdvisor (UNDP) Earthquake,ERRA

79. Mr. Khadim Shah, ProvincialProject Manager, GJTMA, NWFP

80. Mr. Maqsood Sadiq, ResearchOfficer, CRPRID, Islamabad

81. Mr. Nisar Ahmad Khan, Sr.M&ESpecialist, CRPRID, Islamabad

82. Mr. Iftikhar A.Cheema, Sr. PovertySpecialist CRPRID, Islamabad

83. Mr. Sajjad Akhtar, Director,CRPRID, Islamabad

84. Mr. Shaikh Murtaza Ahmad, ProjectCoordinator, CRPRID, Islamabad

85. Dr. Talat Anwar, Sr. Specialist onIncome Distribution , CRPRID

86. Ms. Ume Kalsoom, Sr. ChiefP lann ing & Deve lopmen tDepartment, NPD, NUPAP Karachi.

87. Mrs. Nasim Bukhari, Chief Health,Karachi

88. Mr. Hasan Ali Din Mohammad,Chief, Foreign Aid, P&DD Karachi.

89. Dr. Fawad Shaikh, Assistant Chief,Health, P&DD, Karachi

Civil Society representatives

90. Ms. Sadia Mariam Malik, ResearchDirector, Mehboob-ul-Haq HumanDevelopment Centre

91. Mr. Faisal Bari, Senior ResearchFellow/Associate Professor ofEconomics, LUMS, Lahore

92. Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob,Executive Director, PILDAT

93. Mr. Shoaib Sultan Khan, Chairman,Board of Directors, Rural SupportProgramme Network

94. Mr. Ali Habib, Executive Director,WWF

95. Various COs and VOs in NWFP.

UN and donor representatives

96. Mr. Abid Hasan, OperationsAdvisor, World Bank

97. Ms. Shabana Khawar, Sr. CountryOperation Officer, World Bank

98. Mr. Michael Jones, CountryDirector, World Food Programme

99. Mr. Jonathan S. Addleton, MissionDirector, USAID

100. Ms. Patricia Rader, Deputy MissionDirector, USAID

101. Mr. Tim Ahatton, Acting CountryDirector, DFID

44 45


Annex 4

MISSION SCHEDULE

46 47


Monitoring and progress reporting onthe part of individual projects variesgreatly in terms of analytical content,quality and flagging of issues requiringdecision-making. Overall, project levelmonitoring appears to be confined todescriptive analysis of implementationmanagement actions and input delivery.This may to some extent be due to thedifferent reporting formats being applied.More fundamentally, this is indicativeof the degree and quality of guidanceand oversight being provided on the partof the executing, funding and oversightagencies.

In order for project-level monitoring andreporting to become more functional,measures are needed to ensure:

(a) Substantive accountability by havingproject management better capture,substantiate and analyze actual resultsin relation to project and CP leveloutputs,

(b) Contribution to collective learning,operational and managerial decision-making and strategic thinking byengaging project management, inmonitoring and reporting, include acritical review/analysis of dynamics-at-work as regards the project’soperating environment (e.g.,opposing forces, bottlenecks,emerging opportunities, etc.),countervailing or leveragingmeasures taken in this respect, andidentification and appraisal ofalternative options/modalities thatcan possibly be adopted for achievingthe intended project results.

(c) Managerial accountability byestablishing clear-cut measures to

determine the effectiveness of projectmanagement in pursuing projectoutputs and objectives, in optimizingpartnership arrangements, inachieving cost-efficiencies andsynergies. A similar set ofperformance measurements could beenvisaged for executing agencies asthese already exist in the case of theUNDP country office and staff.

CP-level monitoring appears to berestricted to providing input to UNDP-internal reporting requirements as thisrelates to the Multi-Year FundingFramework (MYFF). MYFF reportingis, however, template-based, due onlyannually, while it has no immediatebearing on the rationale and structure ofCP-outcomes/outputs. In fact, the MYFFreporting invites a ‘mechanical’ approachto monitoring and, risks narrowing ofmonitoring to reporting.

There is no well-thought out evaluationplan aimed at appraising and synthesizingachievements at the level of CP-supported outcomes and outputs. Overall,project evaluations appear to be ad hocand far between, not well timed andstructured such as to provide an effectiveevaluative-basis for supporting clusterand outcome-level evaluations and theCP-MTR.

As a result, valuable lessons includingemerging good practices as have in factacc rued shou ld gu ide fu tu reprogramming remain, for the most part,either ‘hidden’ within individualprojects/programme-portfolios or simplyundetected.

Main Findings

§ Monitoring at the level of the CP atlarge appears to be foremost confinedto complying with UNDP internalreporting requirements; to this extentthat monitoring would seem to besubservient to reporting. Monitoringpractices with respect to individualprojects and outcome clusters variesconsiderably and so does its quality.The extent to which systematic useis being made of monitoring results(i.e., to track changes towardsachieving desired results) is notimmediately evident other than fortaking corrective actions.

§ The Country Office’s evaluation planwas found to be outdated, thusmuting the use of evaluation for thepurposes of learning, knowledgemanagemen t and s t r a t eg i cthinking/decision-making.

§ Ample knowledge has in fact beengenerated, but this would largelyappear to remain ‘locked in’ withindiv iduals , i . e . , embodiedknowledge versus organizationalknowledge. No ready repositorymechanism is as yet available forstoring, analyzing and sharing such

knowledge, while participation incommunities of best practice wouldappear to be ad hoc and passive atbest.

These findings are substantiated andelaborated with the following assessment:

As it has only recently reconstituted itsPlanning, Monitoring and EvaluationUnit UNDP Pakistan is as yet to developa more comprehensive system,corresponding set of operationalprocedures (including formats) and asolid practice for the purposes ofensuring:

(a) More systematic and in-depthrecording and assessment ofachievements and internal andcontextual factors of influencerelative to the outcomes beingsupported by the CP,

(b) Q u a l i t y c o n t r o l , p r o b l e midentification/resolution, as well asperformance appraisal in respect ofproject management, executing/implementing and backstopping/oversight agencies (other than UNDPitself), and

(c) Learning that is to guide futureprogramming and to y ie ldmeaningful participation in relevant communities of practice.

Annex 5

MTR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONSAS REGARDS MONITORING, EVALUATIONAND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT:FURTHER ELABORATION

Recommendations

1. Develop a functional M&E systemtaking into account UNDP system-wide requirements as well aspreferences held by core partners(GoP and main donors). Thedevelopment of such M&E systemwould best be initiated by thefollowing three actions:(i) Elaborate, as cohesively as

possible, correlation betweenindividual interventions (projectand non-project support) andtheir corresponding CPAP-outputs and CP-outcomes interms of targets and indicatorsbuilding onto the simpletemplate that has been preparedat the request of the mission(Annex 7). Ensure thatbenchmarks are established forall major projects. Wheneverneeded, refine/amend targetsand indicators and determinecritical gaps in required data.

(ii) Ensure harmonization ofproject work planning andprogress reporting per outcome-cluster including detection/analysis of emerging goodworking practices and designadequate operational pro-cedures including appropriateformats for doing so, and

(iii) Conduct progress-reviewsinvolving all major actors,stakeholders and/or beneficiary-representatives per outcome-

cluster, and synthesize thec o n c l u s i o n s a n drecommendations emanatingfrom these cluster-reviews inthe form of UNDP-internal(MYFF) and GoP/donorreports. As regards the latter,design a standardized annualreporting format, agreeable toall parties.

Given the relevancy and pertinence ofmost of UNDP-supported outcomes forPakistan, CP-level reviews should beconducted annually, involving selectedkey partners36. The main purposes ofconducting such Annual Reviews wouldbe to review and reach consensus on (a)the extent of output-realization andoutcome-contribution and concomitantmeasures needed given the dynamics-at-work in the country’s operatingenvironment, (b) corrective or additionalactions required, and (c) the opportunityand conditions to solidify longer-termand thus more predictable partnershipcollaborative arrangements andcontributions.

In addition, it may be considered toinstigate independent monitors andimpact assessors depending on thecapacity and time-allocation that UNDPand EAD can set aside for these functions.

2. The UNDP-CO evaluation functionneeds to be urgently strengthened.This could, initially, be focused onassessing/appraising the following:

48 49


(i) the continued relevance andv i a b i l i t y o f s u p p o r t -interventions (both project andnon-project) that are consideredto be most critical towardsachieving the CP-outcomes( i n c l u d i n g d e g r e e o finnovativeness, ‘niche’ givenUNDP’s organization-widemandate, and actual value-addition),

(ii) the effectiveness of these keysupport-interventions, and

(iii) the conditions for eventualsus ta inabi l i ty of theseinterventions.

This requires a judicious determinationand planning of the most effectivecombination of individual-project, clusterand outcome evaluations where neededsupplemented with impact assessments

or ad hoc reviews/analyses. All theseevaluations/reviews need not necessarilybe undertaken by UNDP alone (CO orRegional Centre), but preferably shoulddraws on the strengths of key GoP-donorpartners37.3. As of late, UNDP manifests itself as

a KM-agency and it has taken anumber of steps to bring this to bear.This includes a re-organization of itsvarious technical backstoppingfunctions, including the establishmentof Regional Centres38. One of thefunctions of these Centres is toestablish KM hubs and to create andfacilitate communities of bestpract ice 3 9 . I t i s , therefore ,recommended that UNDP design itsKM system supplementary to thosealready being evolved within theorganization.

36 Not all CP-supported outcomes need to be taken-up at each and every Annual Review; selection could be based on ‘critical-mass’ achieved, urgency of decision-making, and relevancy in the light of the evolving national context (in particular policychanges on the part of GoP, partner-donors or UNDP). It could also be considered to ‘un-bundle’ such reviews in the formof a technical and a policy segment.

37 For instance, DFID has provided excellent support to impact assessment in the case of the Lachi Poverty Reduction Project.38 There exist two such Centres in the Asia-Pacific region, namely in Bangkok and Colombo – other than an auxiliary Centrein the Pacific.39A “best practice” can be typified as a way of professional conduct that combines a) the use of certain techniques,methodologies and process-furthering actions, with b) seeking relevant experience and knowledge from alternative sources,various forms of analysis and peer interaction, and that (c) in a way that such conduct has proven to reliably lead to a desiredresult.

50 51


addition to the large scale multi-milliondollar programs of the two principal IFI’sand aid packages of bi-laterals, thegovernment finances poverty reductionprojects through its own budgetaryresources. In this landscape of a diversearray of poverty reduction interventions,both in program and project mode, andgiven the cross-cutting nature of someof the other UN agencies programs,UNDP’s ability to identify a ‘niche’ anda ‘value-added’ role for itself is amanifestation of its high caliberintellectual and institutional strength.

The matrix on the following pages alsoreflects recognition that an outcomecannot be achieved through a singleproject and that there are multipletrajectories from output and results tooutcomes. Outcome achievement liesbeyond the frame of a single agency, itrequires alignment of policy programs,projects, resources, etc., of multipleagencies and institutions. In thislandscape, UNDP’s selection ofinterventions represents its areas ofcomparative strength. The combinationof knowledge management, applicationof intellectual analytical skills paralleledwith demonstrative pilots in the field andthe ‘upstream’ interpretation into policyoptions, encompass micro-, meso- andmacro-level engagement. The diagram(page 58) provides a graphic asymmetrybetween the projects in the PR &Gportfolio and four of the seven outcomes. Given these paradigms and efficaciousarrangement of the portfolio, mappingof core results against indicators becomesmeaningful when viewed as a processleading to the larger overall vision ofequitable and sustainable development

articulated in the desired outcomes.Using the 3 core areas Gender Equality,Area Development and Pro-Poor PolicyPackage as the organizer, the projectsalready under implementation prior tothe CPAP were retrofitted into the CPoutputs and the 7 selected UNDAFoutcomes. This tailoring for synergy andrational linkages is entirely justifiable asthe MTR findings show.

GENDER SUPPORT PROGRAM-MidTerm Review (GSP-MTR):

A GSP Mid-term Review underwayprovides preliminary conclusions someof which are reinforced by the findingsof the CPAP MTR. Since the GSP-MTRhas had the benefit of intensiveconsultation with the unit and alsoundertaken a more meticulousexamination of the projects under theGSP umbrella, the findings are importantto note here. As an overall conclusion,the GSP-MTR finds the projects to bewell-conceived, participatory, efficientlyadministered, and assured of maintenanceand continuity; well coordinated and inharmony with each other. Furthermore,the review observes that the GSP isnot led by financial or proceduralconsiderations, but relates projects to strategic objectives and this CP review would add that the projects alsocontribute to outcomes. The GSP reviewendorses the programme vs projectapproach; this is also the CP MTR view.

Speaking to design issues, the GSP -MTR notes lack of coordinationmechanisms which could bring about synergy in process and results betweenprojects, in particular between the GRBI

General Introduction:

In attempting an assessment of theUNDP’s achievements and challengesat the mid-term juncture of CP (2004-08), it is necessary to define the goalpostsagainst which the agency’s progress isto be measured. The UNDAFencompasses an ambitious and unwieldy constellation of 42 outcomes which hasbeen intermediated by UNDP into a listof 7 relevant outcomes which relate tothe four pillars of the CP: PovertyReduction and Gender, Governance,Disaster Management and Environment.

The UNDAF perceived as the umbrellaframework for guiding developmentassistance of the UN agencies is perhapsnot the best instrument for approachingthe review of the CP of any one particularagency in the system. Hence theidentification by UNDP of a set oflimited number of outcomes iscomprehensible, particularly as theoutputs expected from projectinvestments in the core areas cancorrelate and aggregate upwards incontributing to outcomes. Aiming forbalance, relevance, coherence andachievability, the CP seeks specificity inoutputs and results along service linesand recognizes that impact accrues from

a range of direct inputs and indirectfactors of influence.

The CPAP (2004-08) presents athoughtfully calibrated set of strategicapproaches set in a results framework toachieve outputs which are expected tocontribute to the achievements ofparticular outcomes. Deducing a set of7 high priority outcomes from theambitions list of 42 contained in theUNDAF is an indicator of the agency’sintent to remain focused, develop,manage and deliver a coherent, cohesiveand ‘relevant’ program. A good exampleis the retrofitting of the PR & G envelopeof projects to the 7 outcomes through arationalized process.

Reflecting alignment with the prioritiesof government, the agency’s countryprogram illustrates a blend of knowledge-based activities, which along withinnovative pilot interventions provide astrong and credible platform to pursueadvocacy and policy dialogue withgovernment and with other developmentpartners. Poverty Reduction being thecentre piece of the government’s strategyin guiding its social and economicpolicies, virtually every donor agencyprovides assistance to government in thisarea through credit, grant and/ or TA. In

Annex 6

MORE ELABORATE ASSESSMENT, FINDINGSAND RECOMMENDATIONS IN RESPECT OFTHE CP OUTPUTS AND ASSOCIATED PROJECTSIN RESPECT OF OUTCOMES 1, 3, 4 AND 5

and GMPD, and between WPS and theGJTMA. While there is somecoordination in practice, it is not built inby design and is highly dependent uponidiosyncratic connections betweenProject Managers (PMs) / ProjectDirectors (PDs). The CP Review teamalso endorses the need to ‘design in’ thearrangements for such beneficialcoordination, especially in terms oflearning and analysis, focusing on howproject interventions have affected genderroles. The analysis function is deemedto be weak across the GSP projects withco-funding donors also not giving itpriority. An observation relates to thedifference between projects in terms ofwomen’s participation, e.g., the GRBIand GMPD are led by male PDs andPMs with very little involvement ofwomen in implementation, while otherssuch as WPS, WACT, NCSW, andNICGAP involve women both as targetsand in implementation. The GSP-MTRstrongly urges for a focus onstrengthening the poverty-gender nexus in the M&E frameworks and forinclusion of direct and proxy indicators to identify the poor. Understaffing ofthe Project Management Support Unit,especially in view of the increasingportfolio activity calls for attention.Administrative, compensation ratedifferentials and management issues arealso discussed in the GSP-MTRpreliminary conclusions.

The agency’s PR & G portfolio of

projects delivering components of PRactivities relating to outcomes #1, #3 and#4 include Lachi Poverty ReductionProgram (LPRP); 2. National UrbanPoverty Alleviation Program, Punjab;3 .Area Deve lopment ProgramBalochistan (ADPB); 4. Gender Justicethrough Musalihat Anjuman (GJTMA)and Support to Achieving theMillennium Development Goals.

Gender Justice through MusalihatAnjuman project situates the issue ofviolence against women and conflictresolution within the context ofdevolution, local government and newcommunity inclusive structures createdby the Local Government Ordinance,2002. The placement of this projecthere relates to reengineering localprocesses and introducing mechanisms which can be accessed by the poorestquintile, within which women tend tosuffer disproportionately from violence,abuse and discrimination, thus hampering their ability to participate in social,economic and political activity. TheGender Justice Project also contributestowards the attainment of Outcome #5.At a close nexus to these direct povertyreduction interventions are a range ofgender related projects which include agender and livelihood focus such asWomen and Credit contributing toOutcome #3, Gender Budgeting ,Mainstreaming and Women’s PoliticalParticipation contributing to Outcome#5.

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Poverty Reduction and Gender Projects Relating toCPAP Outcomes

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LACHI POVERTY REDUCTIONPROGRAM (LPRP)

Achievements against Outputs:The specific outputs include formationof about 800 Community Organizations(COs) with a membership of 22,000 ofwhich 30% are women; Rs 16.9 milliongenerated in savings, with lending to4,000 members , close to 350infrastructure schemes completedbenefiting 14,000 households with accessto water and sanitation and skill training provided to about 8,000 people invarious skills (managerial, vocational,Para-professional, computer, IT andschool education). All union councillorshave been trained in communitydevelopment processes. The outputsinclude the formation of CCBs anddevelopment plans. The project has donethis successfully, registering 50 CCBsof which 7 have been able to accessfunding from government. The microcredit program disbursed Rs. 32.51million among 2,486 men and 1,644women members of the communityorganizations. Increase in income fromvarious interventions ranges from US $20 to US $ 55 per month per person.

Findings:The Area Development Projectsconstitute a cluster of successfulinterventions which have delivered

remarkable results and are foremostamongst UNDP’s achievements.Designed on the central premise that empowering people through socialmobilization processes unleashesindividual and collective energies,enabling communities to draw upontheir reservoir of local knowledge and experience to address their problems,these projects have provided anenvelope of resources related to thecontext specific local economy, socialand ecological systems. Resourcescoupled with technical expertise havesown seeds of measurable change. Thesocial mobilization strategy placespeople and their capabilities at theheart of the process, empowering themfor effective participation in the planningand management of developmentactivities ( Outcome #1).

While the outputs in the Monitoringmatrix focus narrowly on the formationand activation of the Community CitizenBoards (CCBs) and their involvement inp lanning and management ofdevelopment activities, this reviewwidens the interpretation to includeCommunity Organizations fostered bythe area development programs.Evidence from project progress reports,evaluation documents, visits to projectsites, consultations with government,communities, implementing agencies,

partner NGOs reinforce the findingthat indeed, the area developmentprograms approach has deliveredmeasurable, concrete results in reducing poverty in arid and semiarid areas.

Delivering an integrated package ofinterventions the projects havecontributed to improved incomes athousehold level in particular throughthe savings and micro-credit schemes,provided livelihoods through provisionof t ra in ing in manager ia l ,paraprofessional, vocational, and ITmarket related skills, inputs for waterharvesting, agriculture, livestock,h u s b a n d r y, b u i l t c o m m u n i t yinfrastructure (dams, water channels,etc.) and empowered people forparticipation in poli t ical anddevelopment processes. The areadevelopment programmes have beeninstrumental in providing access for thepoor to water and reclaiming land forproductive use; in particular LPRP hascontributed to improving agrarianincomes in the project areas.

Focus on the water economy as an entrypoint is a distinctive feature of the areadevelopment programmes in the ruralareas. The success of both LPRP andADPB, high target achievement andoutputs validate the inclusion of wateras a nodal point for addressing ruralpover ty. The LPRP organizedcommunities and built their capacity toaddress local resource management formitigating their conditions of poverty.

The unintended positive spin-off effects indicate improved health and otherhousehold level indicators, social

cohesion, demand mobilization andhigher levels of women’s participationin economic and representationalactivities. An example of the latter is the significant number of social activists in the project communities that havebecome councillors at the union levelentering the political representationprocess which places them formally inthe local governance structures. Inaddition, the building of socialinfrastructure gave the poor communitiesboth voice and capacity to negotiate intothe planning and management processesat the local level (Outcome #1).

However, the risk of post-projectregression exists and in the absence of afollow-up effort, the gains could be lost.However, there is a need to plan forconsolidation as well as considerdeepening the intervention to encompasstriggering market and local economymechanisms, also lateral and verticallinkages with relevant marketplaces. Itis equally important to recognize thatthe increase in household level incomeis marginal in terms of size thoughexponential in terms of percentagebecause of the low base, hence both the credit and skills components need tosecure these early gains by nextgeneration of interventions.

The encouraging results of the LPRPhave led to government taking theinitiative to replicate it in 7 districts inNWFP and to DFID’s interest insupporting such a replication effort. Thisis a clear endorsement of the projectsachievements, and also of its design,strategies as well as effectivemanagement and implementation.

Outcome 1. Local authorities and communities in rural and urbanareas enabled and involved in planning and management ofdevelopment activities, including the provision of public services

Outcome 4. Secure access for the poor to land and infrastructure(e.g., irrigation); provision to the poor of affordable ICT

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Clearly this also speaks of the effectiverole of the agency represented by itsmanagers in the PR unit. DFID’sdecision to partner with UNDP and thegovernment is based on its own criticalassessment and evaluation of the projectoutputs and results.

Recommendations:Lateral replication in new areas andupscaling the current projects will requireconsideration of a varied strategy. Forreplication, specific lessons emergingfrom the LPRP will be relevant but willneed to be incorporated keeping in view the context specific conditions of eachone of the 7 districts.

Some factors for consideration inreplication and upscaling include thefollowing:

(a) Choice of place for piloting andreducing cost. The experience of theRural Support Programmes (RSPs) is that comprehensive coverage of a union council, tehsil of districtis both cost efficient and impact onpoverty indicators is at a scale tomaintain the momentum ofempowerment. Fragmentation oflocations, dispersed project sitesprovide little added value in termsof lessons, increases managementand delivery costs, isolates the impactinto small units, diminishes the‘voice’ of the community whennegotiating with government, doesnot capitalize on the opportunitythat homogenous ecological andsocial systems provide anddiminishes the abi l i ty ofcommunities to enter the marketplace.

(b) Reducing costs. Poverty reductionproject of US $ 6 million, whichaffects 100,000 people may not beviable to replicate at this cost in 7districts. Replication could learnlessons from the integrated UNICEFapproach, which is cost-effective,efficient to implement and multipliesvalue. Economies of scale need tobe applied, through arrangements,such as cost-sharing of facilities,mainstreaming into larger programs, such as Devolution Supportprogram; situating joint communityand government management andreducing the contract costs of NGOs; alternatively creating local agency could reduce costs.

(c) Feeding into policies. Making micro-finance institutions more supportiveof smal l -scale savings andcommunity contributed micro creditprograms. Formal recognition of COsas CCBs for eligibility to access localdevelopment funds could be anupstream input. d) Financing :Government’s ownership of thelateral expansion of this program isa positive development, specially asit is accompanied by a commitmentof budgetary resources to finance75% of the costs, however, the cost-sharing formula of Government(75%) and UNDP (25%) for future Area development programmesplaces a substantial financial demandon government. Rs. 580 million iscalculated as the requirement forreplication to 7 districts. Given thissize the argument for finding waysto reduce costs becomes even morecompelling. Bringing other donors

the government’s share and ensurefinancial maintainability.

Going to scale has implications for thefuture role of UNDP in terms of theraising and convening resources,management capacity, provision of TA,and its knowledge and policy advocacyrole. Historically, UNDP has beenviewed as a successful innovator, withability to pilot, convene partnerships,mobilize resources for small scaleinterventions, deliver results fromdemonstrative interventions, learn andshare lessons. It is deemed to be weakin pursuing ‘going to scale ‘. With thehuge challenge of poverty reduction thatPakistan faces, (7 million people belowthe poverty line) taking to scale is critical.A measure of a successful pilot is whenit achieves results and contributes tooutcomes on a significant enough scaleto have an impact on the incidence ofpoverty.

An example is UNDP’s extraordinarysuccess story in Andra Pradesh, whereits pilot caught the attention of the WorldBank and was taken from a base of 1000villages to 35,000 villages. The agency’s active role led to the creation of SAPAP and LPRP derived from the SAPAPexperience, but in the scaling-up UNDPdiminished its engagement andabandoned its pivotal position.

NATIONAL URBAN POVERTYALLEVIATION PROGRAM (NUPAP)

Achievements against Outputs:A total of 214 Community Organizationshave been formed with 2,903 male and1,540 female members. Under the micro-

credit components, Rs.174,470 have beendisbursed to 1,935 people. A total of 15Information and CommunicationTechnology (ICT) Centers have beenestablished where 542 males and 468females received training. The projecthas conducted 61 Vocational Skillstrainings benefiting 453 males and 938females, and provided access for 21,000households to safe drinking water andsanitation. Achievements of the project,some of which are not easilyquantifiable, but for which anecdotalevidence exists, include awareness ofrights, ability to voice demand, organize, building self-reliance and abjuringdependency, demanding accountabilityfrom government and private sector.

Findings:The NUPAP designed on the basis oflessons learnt from Orangi Pilot Project(OPP) and PLUS reveals a mixed pictureof achievements, largely due to projectmanagement and implementation issuesdiscussed below. The project aims tobenefit about 100,000 people, directly(22,500) and indirectly (78,400) of low-income communities in 7 districts in 3provinces of Pakistan. It shows somesuccess in the group savings and lendingscheme, leading to gains in householdincome, improved health, 60-70%participation of women in skills, CCBand IT training program and enhancedeconomic activity for females. Theproject is financing water purificationplants. The first one set up in Multan isto be followed by others in the other 3project districts in Punjab. An innovativewaste collection rickshaw initiative hascome out of the communities ownsolutions to the problem of waste

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collection and disposal. The involvementof the communities in planning andmanaging development activities(Outcome #1) is evident in NUPAP.

Community contribution towardsphysical infrastructure (in the case ofPunjab it is approximately 20%) isindicative of community ownership,particularly reflected in demandingquality items at competitive cost anddirect involvement in supervision forquality control and timely completion.Cutting out costs of middle-men,providing local labour, liaising withlocal authorities and taking responsibilityfor maintenance are demonstrative ofthe value of involving communitiesin development (Outcome #1).

The shortfall in funding commitmentsto NUPAP was identified as a majorreason for late initiation, uncertaintya b o u t i t s c o n t i n u i t y d u e t ounpredictability of funding; of the totalproject cost of US $10 million, only US$1.6 million has been mobilized. Theproject has been plagued by numerousfactors impeding effective delivery, ofwhich the financial factor is mosttroubling.

A notable contribution is the spontaneousreplication that appears to be taking place,with some district governments andprovincial department of localgovernment adopting the design ofNUPAP and buying into socialmobilization processes. Part of this canbe attributed to the large scale presenceof the Punjab Rural Support Programme

(PRSP) which is government’s mainpartner across the province in socialmobilization; however, NUPAP’sachievements have contributed togovernment’s interest in this integratedapproach.

Recommendations:In creating opportunities for the poor,the importance in the urban setting inlinking skill training and productionoriented small and medium enterprise tothe marketplace remains a challenge.Linkages to private sector demand for specific skills and equally linkages with micro-finance institutions to graduatefrom internal lending to a micro-credit status will be instrumental to securingthe small gains made thus far.Additionally, the effort to bring the poorurban communities into the devolutionprocess through participation and throughthe window of CCBs appears to be weak.The project’s function of bridging andlinking is vital and needs to bestrengthened if communities are to beempowered beyond the project’s life.

The project experience points to theimportance of building a triangularrelationship between training, productionand marketing. The Faisalabad exampleis instructive where the project has beenable to develop a market-basedrelationship with the textile sector, whichis prepared to provide machinery to thevocational centres and contract forproduction. The IT centres which providetraining at highly subsidized fee will betransferred to communities formanagement after the life of the project.

AREA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMBALOCHISTAN (ADPB)

Achievements:The first phase of ADPB producedsignificant results. 492 CommunityOrganizations (303 male, 189 females)were organized and made functional withmembership of 8,369 (5,382 males, 2,987females). Households’ coverage is 12,701(88,907 persons). Savings amount to Rs.3.58 million, 26 drinking and rechargewater ponds have been constructed and26 karazes rehabilitated. To harvest rainwater, 10 diversion dams and valley dikeshave been constructed heading torehabilitation of 1,7,44 acres ofrangeland. The project has trained 8, 726people (8, 498 community members, 198staff of line departments and 30 projectstaff) in various skills such as naturalresource management, livestockproduction and income generationactivities.

Findings:The 9 year ( 1997-2006) ADPB whichbenefited approximately 89,000 peopleof the targeted 130,000 pitched itsresources into water management to turn vast arid areas into arable land(outcome#4). Persistent droughts of the 1990’shad pushed the population of the 9 targetdistricts deep into poverty ; the ADBPrehabilitated watersheds, improvedagriculture and livestock productivityand brought women into mainstreameconomic activity.

While the question of coverage as a factorof impact remains a consideration,particularly in terms of influencingdevelopment decisions or government

policy, the effectiveness of project inputsin the target areas is manifest in a numberof indicators mentioned above. As in theother ADPs, the linkage with localgovernment in development planning,c o m m u n i t y i n v o l v e m e n t i nimplementation, monitoring localinfrastructure schemes, provision of non-financial resources (labor, local expertise,local knowledge) have combined todeliver results. The extension in theADPB beyond 2006 for 4 years is clearevidence of the project’s success and thegovernment’s commitment (US $ 4.2million) supplemented by co-fundingfrom World Food Program (US $700,000), UNDP (US $ 2.6 million) andexpected from other donors (US $ 5.9m). Focusing on local capital generation,agriculture and livestock productivity,the project has led to increase in incomesat household level as well as the spin-off effects on health, women’sparticipation and community role indevelopment planning (outcome #1). Inparticular making land arable andsecuring access to water and agricultureinfrastructure contributes to outcome #4.

Recommendations:As with the other ADP’s a futureconsideration in the project phase IIwould be linkages to the market, so thatagriculture productivity as it rises findsaccessible markets. Issues of going toscale and identifying lessons learnt toinform development planning, provincialand district policies are also flagged forattention. Providing access to the microcredit networks beyond the communitywould facilitate graduation to the nextlevel of savings, enterprise developmentand skill savings scheme acquisition.

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In mapping the CP against outcomes,the PR & G portfolio includes pro-poor policy advocacy support to PRSPII, creation of a Poverty Alleviation andSustainable Development Facility(CRPRID ), Women’s Access to Capital and Technology (WACT), Support tothe National Commission on HumanDevelopment as part of the MDG drivenapproach towards poverty reductionand the ADPs; all these projects aim tocontribute towards Outcome #3 above.Simultaneously, the ADPs in particularcontribute to Outcomes 1 and 4.

P O V E R T Y A L L E V I AT I O N A N DSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FACILITYCENTRE FOR RESEARCH ON POVERTYREDUCTION and INCOME DISTRIBUTION(CRPRID)

Achievements:With close to full utilization of the$1,060,400 UNDP funds for the 4 yearperiod, the CRPRID is identified by bothgovernment and donors as a singularcontribution of UNDP towards building national capacity to measure andmonitor poverty, assess the impact ofpro-poor policies and programs andcontribute towards policies andstrategies. Project enabled the Centreto produce reports on povertymeasurement, human condition, progresson MDGs , policy papers on pro-poorapproaches, sub-national mapping ofsocial sectors, and input to the PlanningCommission (PC) for policy andplanning specifically into PRSP 1 andthe development of a Social ProtectionStrategy. The Centre’s major achievement

is the determination of the poverty line(2004-05), the recently announcedpoverty head-count shows decline ofabout 10% points to 23.9%. Theseoutputs contribute to Outcome 3 andthe related 3 outputs, CRPRID has beenable to demonstrate effective use ofproject resources to achieve these results.

Findings:An acknowledged ‘comparative value‘ strength of UNDP is its ability toapply its intellectual resources and itsexpertise towards the development ofa knowledge agenda in Pakistan. Inparticular, to inform policies andframeworks relating to poverty reductionand gender through research ,measurement, analysis and monitoring.Poverty assessments have pointed to thedecline in the share of income of thebottom 10% of the population over the2001-2005 period. Pro-poor growth isnot addressing issues of distribution andequity effectively; ‘relative’ poverty isas critical a challenge as ‘chronic’ andtransitory poverty. A whole range ofissues around poverty call for inquiry,study, interpretation, and informingpolicy.

The project made it possible for theCentre to become a dedicated institutionalbase for poverty research in a situationwhere other research institutions[Mahboob-ul-Haq Human DevelopmentCentre (MHDC), Pakistan Institute ofDevelopment Economics (PIDE),Sustainable Development Policy Institute(SDPI) and Social Policy Development

Centre (SPDC)] had very limited capacityto measure poverty, analyze trends andprovide policy inputs. Additionally, thePlanning Commission’s unit on PovertyReduction also lacked capacity; thesefactors combined to point to the need forestablishing a research centre focusedon poverty reduction and incomedistribution. Since poverty reduction liesat the core of the agency’s engagementin Pakistan and also because UNDP isuniquely positioned as ‘politicallyneutral’, it was the preferred partnerof choice for government when it soughtUNDP support for establishing such afacility to build national capacity tomonitor poverty and inequality.

Support to CRPRID for ‘empirical,qualitative and policy oriented researchon various dimensions of poverty’,including assessing impact, monitoringfor results, dissemination of independentpoverty assessment and strengtheninginstitutional capacity directly relates tothe agency’s ‘enhancement ofknowledge’ function.

CRPRID actively contributed to thedevelopment of the first PRSP throughbackground papers, data analysis,providing a strong conceptual andempirical basis for the poverty reductionstrategy. Tracking of progress on MDGs,reporting on achievements andpinpointing lags and gaps, documentedin the Centre’s MDG reports 2005 and2006 is explicitly relevant to the overallpoverty reduction efforts . Theconsultative process adopted led to thefixing of benchmarks and the 2015targets. The 2005 report also assessedthe achievability of the MDG goals. Thesub-national mapping (atlas) of schools and health facilities filled a gap that

existed in the sector work; therecontinues to be a huge demand for it byministries, district governments andNational Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) even 4 years after its publication. Inaddition, pitching its research andanalyses capacities for contributing tothe Medium-Term DevelopmentFramework (MTDF) (2005-10), theEconomic Survey, Social ProtectionStrategy, Vision 2030, other documentsand to the discourse on poverty reduction,the Centre is an example of what small-scale assistance can do in buildingindigenous capacity to input into policyformulation. All these activities have,even in the short term, contributeddirectly to outcome #3.

By far, the Centre’s poverty measurementfunction has had the most visible anddirect impact on quantifying Pakistan’spoverty status. In May 2006 when thegovernment announced the revisedpoverty incidence of 34.6% for 2001 andthe adjusted figures for the poverty line,the estimation on household data wasprovided by the Centre. Informing policyhas been a central part of the Centre’sactivities.

Locating it as an ‘autonomous‘ centrewith the Planning Commission (PC)responds to the call for institutionalizinginvestment into mainstream governmentsystems, building government ownershipand increasing the likelihood ofcontinuity. However, it is evident thatthe Centre’s autonomy is heavilyinfluenced by the priorities and demandsof the PC. It is seen as an arm of thegovernment promoting the government’sresearch agenda. The advantage of thislocation is that the centre gets the firstright to data and its empirical work

Outcome 3. Reduction of human and income poverty addressedas a major concern of macroeconomic policies; improved nationalcapacity to monitor poverty and inequality

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receives planning and policy level supportof government at the highest level. Thedownside is the ever-present danger ofdictation by the PC in terms of topics andresearch priorities leading to loss ofi n d e p e n d e n c e a n d a u t o n o m y.Undoubtedly government needs to havean institution that provides credible, valid,accurate data based information, interpretsimplications and provides policy options,however, it would be unrealistic to expectthat such an institution could enjoy atotally ‘independent status’.

Following the heated debate andcontroversy around poverty numbers in2003 and 2004, building credibility is achallenge. Furthermore, there is reasonto revisit the institutional placement of the two UNDP supported research efforts(the Ministry of Finance houses thePRSP Secretariat and the Centre islocated in the PC) and seek a rationalcohesion and efficiency in the resources being applied to building nationalcapacity.

Finding appropriately qualif iedresearchers is a serious issue; during theproject life staff shortages and attritionhas been a continuous constraint.Researchers presently on deputation fromgovernment are likely to return to theirparent ministries by the end of 2006,depleting the capacity built over the 3years. There is a risk of losing institutionalcapacity unless government actively takesownership in financing it and ensuringan adequate complement of humanresources. This is a historical and chronicproblem for capacity building projectsand the CRPRID appears to be noexception.

Recommendations:Counted amongst the projects that have

built indigenous capacity in an areaneglected by most donors, the CRPRIDwill continue to need UNDP’s supportfor the medium-term to continue as aresearch centre acknowledged for rigorousintellectual work. Without donor supportthere is a strong likelihood of CRPRIDbecoming weak and irrelevant. Research institutions require long-term support,this must come both from donors andthe government; in addition, financialsustainability could also be partlyaddressed by encouraging institutionalfunding for consensually decided workprograms between government anddonors. The latter would requiremodification in CRPRID’s structure,perhaps its location and the introductionof an incentive regime. However, withthe closure of project funding by endDecember 2006, UNDP will need to useits convening agency strength and callupon other donors for co-funding.UNDP’s flexibility and responsivenessto the information needs of government’spoverty reduction agenda is its uniqueagency attribute. Influencing policy bycommitting intellectual and institutionalresources to advocating for and findingcontext appropriate solutions to alleviatepoverty is clearly related to outcome #3and should be pursued. A three year co-funding arrangement with government isstrongly recommended to nurture thisinitiative.

GENDER RELATED PROJECTS:Gender projects are contributing toOutcomes #1, 3 & 5 as has been discussedin the earlier sections; here the outputa c h i e v e m e n t , f i n d i n g s a n drecommendations relate principally tooutcome #5.

INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENINGOF NATIONAL COMMISSION ONTHE STATUS OF WOMEN (NCSW)

Achievements:The major policy review andrecommendatory role played by NCSWduring the latter half of the projectperiod , supported with the projectinputs, pertains to addressing one of the most discriminatory legislations, theHudood Ordinance. NCSW advocatedfor repeal of the ordinance and workedin coordination with the Ministry ofSocial Welfare (MoSW) to advocate forchange of government policy ondiscriminatory laws. Recent decision byGovernment to amend specific provisionsof the penal code is an achievement thatNCSW can claim credit partly. Whilethe outputs are limited, and the NCSWhas not been able to fully utilize theopportunity provided by the project, inits advocacy role and in undertakingresearch around women’s empowermentissues the project enabled the NCSW toflag women’s issues for policy attention.Policy papers have been prepared onfollowing subjects: Women’s Rights toInheritance and its Implementation”,“Home-Based Women Workers”,“Psycho-Socio-Economic FactorsResponsible for Drug Addiction inWomen”. In monitoring the NPA,(Outcome #1) the role of NCSW is weak.

Findings:Planned for a 2 year period (2004-06),

the project situated within the NCSWhas by June 2006, been able to utilizeonly about 40% of its allocation of US$515,679. Project was hindered byexternal factors, such as a 10-monthdelay in the appointment of the newNCSW Chairperson, which also led to adelay in staffing and in making thesecretariat operational. Currently theNCSW is understaffed; as the projectnears completion and uncertainty buildsaround future institutional funding, thereis risk of staff attrition, thereby reducingwhatever capacity had been built. Lack of leadership for almost a yeardebilitated the institution and despitecontinuous support provided by thePR & G unit for keeping the project onstream, the government’s weakownership remains a factor. Other externalfactors such as the weak relationship withthe MoSW also created territorial andturf frictions, hampering the process ofinstitutional strengthening. This isreflected in the lack of full autonomywith the NCSW in determining itsprogram of activities and research topics.Post-project financial sustainability ofNCSW has not been addressed bygovernment, thus leaving the fragile gainsin institutional capacity at risk.

Due to the above factors, the role of theNCSW in contr ibut ing to theimplementation of the National Plan ofAction (outcome #5), monitoringprogress particularly on key aspects ofthe legal, socio-political status of women

Outcome 5. National action plan for the advancement of womenjointly adopted, implemented and monitored by the Government,legislature and civil society according to time-bound goals

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has been limited. Similarly, except forthe Hudood Ordinance, the NCSW hasnot been able to affect legislation and or any other major policies pertaining towomen. Its ability to engage inadvocacy and build coalitions withgovernment, civil society and legislators for the women’s agenda is also limited.Building platforms for strategic advocacyfor gender issues at all levels ofgovernance is an unrealized objective.

Recommendations:UNDP will need to play a lead role ineither garnering support from otherdonors to co-finance a second phase ofinstitutional strengthening or persuading government to provide adequatebudgetary resources to NCSW.Dissemination activities of the researchproducts of NCSW require both planningand expertise. This has been a weak areaand will need strengthening in future.The capacity of the newly appointedmembers will need to be built throughtraining, orientation, interfacing withvarious stakeholders for playing anactive and effective role in recommending gender responsive policy proposals.Ensuring autonomy of NCSW is achallenge; it is placed both as a partnerwi th the Minis t ry of WomenDevelopment (MoWD) in implementingpart of the National Plan of Action (NPA)but also as a watchdog in flagging issuesand attention of government for action.This creates a tension which needs tobe negotiated deftly. Future supportprovides an opportunity to assist theNCSW in managing mul t ip lerelationships within government as wellas with civil society and politicalrepresentatives.

G E N D E R R E S P O N S I V EBUDGETING INITIATIVE (GRBI)

Achievements:GRBI has been very successful inmeeting its objectives; the outputs include a magnitude of documents (resourcekits, awareness raising material forworkshops, training manual forgovernment departments/ ministries,gender aware policy appraisal studiesin education, health and population)training and sensitization activities forthree tiers of government, beneficiarysurvey in 2 districts, and mostimportantly entering into mainstreamprocesses to make gender disaggregateddata available for gender responsivebudgeting and policy-making. Asignificant evidence of mainstreamingis inclusion in the Government of PunjabBudget Call Circular 2006-07 of sex-disaggregated information on civilservice employment. Also the inclusionof Gender Responsive Budgeting in theWhite Paper on the Provincial budgetare indicators of institutionalizingprojects outputs into the governmentsplanning and policy processes. Thisspeaks to Outcome #5 with respect tothe implementation of the NPA, whichcalls for GRB.

Findings:Prodigious in its products, this projectwill take at least another year of projectlife before evaluation against indicatorscan be meaningfully done, e.g., what hasactually changed in the budget processin terms of allocations, utilization andimpact. UNDP’s project support co-funded with Swiss DevelopmentCooperat ion (SDC) and Royal

Netherlands Embassy (RNE) providedthe operationalization of a keyrecommendation of the NPA (Outcome#5). With technical expertise, resourcefulleadership, this project has driven thegender agenda into decision-makingprocesses. Allocative efficiency as a toolfor reducing gender based inequities inthe provisioning of public services is atthe heart of this effort. The findings ofthe policy appraisal studies have providedinputs for the MTBF. All these arespecific indicators of a well designedsmall scale intervention with thepotential of a long-term impact onbudgetary decision-making aimed atreducing gender based inequities.

Utilization of about 45% of US $1,044,166 budget indicates a level ofhealthy project activity. Sensitization of government officials, though achallenging task aimed at alteringtraditional attitudes and ways of working, has received the support of senior policymakers, which indicates a level ofgovernment ownership. Adoption ofGRBI products by 2 districts is alsoevidence of the third layer ofgovernment’s awareness created throughthe training and sensitization process.

Recommendations:Linking into the ongoing PunjabFinancial reforms will make the projectinvestments more viable and sustainable.Furthermore, synergy with the GenderMainstreaming through P&DD is equallyadvisable. It will provide both projectswith management as well as cost-cuttingadvantages, maximizing inputs throughcombined planning and implementation.The P&DD is a natural client of the

outputs from the GRBI. Governmentnoted overlapping of projects attemptingto meet similar objectives and aimed atshared outcomes, for example in thedevelopment, dissemination of materials,workshops and orientation of governmentofficers, institutionalizing processes, etc.It was suggested that the projects couldundertake joint activities and present anintegrated coherent approach to the targetgroups of government officials. It isanticipated that the project will haveproduced sufficient momentum,underpinned by operational documentsthat a Phase 2 for the provincial levelwould not be required. The GRBIsincorporation into Punjab province-widedistrict-based budgeting processes mayneed some support; however the leveland requirement of grant assistance willneed to be negotiated. Taking the GRBIto national scale would seem to be thenext step. The strategy for country-widescaling may require an assessment ofpiloting options in districts in the otherthree provinces.

GENDER MAINSTREAMINGTHROUGH P&DD (GMPD)

Achievements:This project has produced sensitizationmaterials/tool kits and been successfulin incorporation of modules on gendersensitization into the training curriculumof management training institutes andin providing training to about 250government officers (46 provincialsecretaries, 106 mid-level officials, 31district Nazims and 65 DCOs). Outputon other objectives has been poor; thisincludes building capacity ofgovernment officers to conduct analyses,

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utilize gender data for planning andmoni tor ing , c rea t ing genderdisaggregated database, using ITsoftware, creating an e-groupcommunity on gender mainstreamingpractice, advocacy and institutionalisingmechanisms for accountability onmainstreaming. Furthermore theprovincial picture on achievementsappears to be mixed.

Findings:The Government of Punjab links thisproject to its commitment on GRAPwhich is also reflected in the gendercomponents of the ADB fundedDevolution Support Program. This is apositive sign for sustaining the outputscontributing to outcomes which aim atsystemic changes. An indicator of theutility of the project’s products is theadoption by the Devolution SupportProgramme (DSP) in its TA-ll of themodules produced by GMPD. Anindicator on institutionalizing gendermainstreaming is to include this in allcivil service training and in jobdescriptions as well as appraisal.

There is also a need to track applicationof the training and seek indicators forchange in practices, e.g., a fiscal indicatorcould be the number of PC-1s rejectedby the Provincial Department WorkingParty (PDWP) on the basis of gender.Suffering from lack of ownership inSindh, shortage of staff, and delayed startup, the project is slow in meeting itstargets. The project is into the last thirdof its 3 year life (2004-07) showing lowlevel of utilization of the budget (about25% of the US $ 4.5 million). This isan indication of slow pace of activities.

Co-funding by SDC, RNE and CIDAindicates donor interest in supportingmainstreaming; however if the expectedresults are not delivered within projecttime a joint appraisal may be required.

Recommendations:An overarching recommendation is tosynergize the inputs of GRBI withGMPD for reasons mentioned in theearlier para on recommendations. Closermonitoring of project progress is requiredto assist in overcoming hurdles inimplementation. While the components of the project are relevant to theoutcomes for poverty reduction and theimplementation of NPA, a country widegeneric project may need review to assessalternatives.

WOMEN’S POLITICAL SCHOOL(WPS)

Achievements:Building upon the W3P, the WPS carriesforward the agenda on enhancingcapacity of women councillors througha training program. Strengtheningcapacities of representative women toenable greater participation is part of theNPA and relates directly to Outcome #5.A revised curriculum developed throughthe project has been adopted by thegovernment’s civil service trainingacademies. This is a positive indicatorof institutionalizing and embedding intomainstream processes. Training oftrainers and of about 2,157 councillorshas taken place. There are a total of28,000 women councillors, with 48% inPunjab. Outputs to meet other objectiveshave still to materialize.

Findings:Slow start up due to external factors suchas timing of the local bodies’ elections,reduced representation of women in theunion councils, required modification ofactivities and has contributed to theproject being behind schedule. LocalBodies’ election took place in 2005, wellinto the second year of the project;training activities had therefore to bedelayed. Project adjustments were called for and made, using the interim periodto focus on building capacity of SocialWelfare, Local Government and WomenDevelopment officers to handle localprojects submitted by womencouncillors. 28% utilization of the US$4.4m budget with about a third of theproject left to go, indicates that allresources may not be used within thestipulated time.

Experience of the previous councillorspointed to the need to include malecouncillors in the programs so thatthey could be sensitized to the problems faced by women councillors and became partners in the empowerment processrather than adversaries. The flexibilityand responsiveness of UNDP and theother co-funders made projectadjustments possible. Empoweringwomen to play their representationalrole is clearly part of the political reformagenda embedded in the NPA, and theWPS project resources were pitchedfor a three year period (2004-07) toprovide the necessary enabling support. In the 2005 elections most of thecouncillors elected are ‘first timers’,which means that the councillors trainedthrough the W3P were not able to employtheir capabilities for getting re-elected.

Far too many factors influence voterchoices to link this occurrence withinadequacy in the training and capacitybuilding provided through donorfinanced projects, such as W3P, but itdoes have implications for the currentproject to the extent that the targetgroup of women councillors is firstgeneration. This phenomenon has servedto highlight the need for a tracermechanism to follow through on womencouncillors, their participation andperformance. The project is now planningto incorporate this as an instrument tomeasure the longer-term impact of WPSon women’s political participation.

The WPS is well-placed to learn lessons and to provide new learning and relatesto the NPA which includes commitments,such as to CEDAW (Outcome #5).

Recommendations:A future course could focus on buildingcapabilities within civil societyorganizations to provide supportnetworks for women councillors. As asecond generation set of activities, greaterfocus could be on system building andlinkages, located in a more decentralizedapproach. Several changes in the localgovernment environment such asreallocation of powers, new initiativessuch as DTCE’s support for CCBs,presence of an increasing number ofNGOs with programs on women’s rightsand human rights, would need to beincorporated into an environmentalanalysis. Greater involvement of localgovernment at all three tiers would assistin embedding gender responsiveness inthe permanent structures of the state. Asindicated by the Punjab Government,

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there is a call for greater autonomy anda larger role for the provincialgovernments in designing andd e t e r m i n i n g i m p l e m e n t a t i o narrangements of the gender programs.Inclusion of gender sensitive training ofmale councillors, line departments,nazims and naib-nazims in joint trainingsessions may also add value and reducesocial barriers. The project may activelyseek to pool its resources with otherinitiatives aiming at similar activities,such as the DSP and Access to Justice,for consistency in training. For financialsustainability, government contributionfrom the PSDP (provincial and districtbudgets) as an ongoing commitment forcapacity building may be sought.Linkages of councillors with institutionsand programs would act as a multiplier;these could include credit programs,education and health foundations, legal-aid centres, woman’s shelter homes,health workers, charitable foundations,IT training opportunities, etc. Tostrengthen ‘system forming‘ effectswhich contribute to , in this case, gender sensitive practices after project closure,the project should consciously seek toavoid creating parallel structures; it mustseek to involve relevant departments/agencies in a formal systematic manner to build capacity in mainline structures.

NATIONAL and INTERNATIONALCOMMITMENTS on GENDER andPOVERTY (NICGAP)

Achievement against outputs:Initiated in 2005 for a 3 year period, theproject is still in its early stages, occupiedwith staffing and preparatory activities.One specific output relating to Outcome

#5 is the preparation and submission ofthe CEDAW report to the UN.Government had been negligent inmeeting its reporting obligations oninternational commitments due largelyto weak capacity in the MoWD toundertake the task of collation ofinformation from various ministries, parastate agencies and non-governmentalrelevant institutions and to compile thereport. This output indicates that aproductive start has been made;monitoring on CEDAW and onimplementation of GRAP (nationalcommitment) together with applicationof the gender lens for policy review arecurrently ongoing activities expected toproduce outputs indicated in the CP andrelated to Outcome #5.

Findings:Historically the capacity of MoWD toimplement its mandate has been weak.UNDP’s assistance through NICGAPresponds to a real need; focusing it on apar t icular se t of ins t i tu t ionalcompetencies i.e., the monitoring ofcompliance on international and nationalcommitments provides a structuredframe for the activities and identifies thecapacity gaps in the MoWD. Theexperience of GRAP with 126implementing partners, 111 DistrictGovernments, and 6 strategic federalministries overwhelmed the ministry.Therefore, the focused intervention withsmall scale financing is a rational buildingblock to contribute to the overallresponsibilities to commitments. Whileresults-based monitoring of the projectis necessary, process monitoring inaddition to reviewing progress againstbenchmarks would be useful. The

ministry is greatly appreciative of theknowledge, expertise that the projectprovided for legislative review, as wellas for the CEDAW report, such as thelegal experts and consultants. However,bringing in of external expertise alwaysposes the question of how best toutilize it for building internal capacitybeyond the immediate task. After projectclosure what capacities have beendeveloped will be a key indicator ofthe success of the project, measurableby subsequent outputs against theshared outcome #5. With utilization atabout 20% of its US $ 281,808 budgetit is apparent that the project has not yetcome to speed.

Recommendations:The overarching role of the MoWD isto be a watchdog agency on theadvancement of the gender agenda, nowreflected through the NPA. NICGAP isappropriately aimed at assisting theministry in fulfilling its role of monitoringcompliance on commitments. It is tooearly to assess the project in terms ofoutcomes; however, it may be advisableto closely monitor the mainstreaming ofprocesses into the regular structures ofthe ministry even at this early stage andto advocate for inclusion of some staffand activities in next year’s budgets.Under the GSP, UNDP’s commitment toproviding financial and intellectualsupport and convening resources isexpected to continue beyond theseprojects, but the government’s ownershipneeds to be manifest during the projectperiod through allocation of human,financial and institutional resources. Atbest the portfolio of gender projects,including NICGAP, are making a discrete

first generation contribution towardsoutcome #5.

GENDER JUSTICE THROUGHMUSALIHAT ANJUMAN (GJMA)

Achievements:The Model Rules of Business forMusalihat Anjumans, an alternativedispute resolution mechanism forarbitration, mediation and reconciliationof dispute relating to violence and abuseauthorized by the Local GovernmentOrdinance 2001 have been endorsed andfinalized by government. In NWFP,Balochistan and Sindh the Rules ofBusiness vetted, approved and printedin official gazette. 402 Insaf Committees(ICs) and 374 Musalihat Anjumans(MAs) have been notified. MusalihatAnjuman Support Services (MASS), aconso r t i um o f C iv i l Soc i e tyOrganizations (CSO), government andstakeholders, and Musalihat AnjumanJustice Advocates (MAJA), have beenestablished in the 8 pilot districts.

Findings:Though financially small in size (US $1.546 million) and implemented over ashort time period (2004-06), the GJtMAoperating in 2 districts each of the fourprovinces has proven that embedding therights-based agenda of access to justice,participation and governance into localcommunity structures and institutionscan deliver outcomes and results.Employing gender specific instruments,such as the Social Audit on AbuseAgainst Women (SAAW) for identifyingnature of the problem and extracting themeans to address the problem from thefindings and recommendations is a very

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effective use of an evidence-basedapproach. The UNDP’s niche role forinnovative approaches is manifested inthis project; in this case design being thefactor for success.

This project contributes to the overallobjectives of the umbrella GenderSupport Program (GSP) and also speaksto Pakistan’s national and internationalcommitments.

The project aims to promote andsafeguard the rights and entitlements ofwomen and other vulnerable groups bycreating and institutionalizing communitysupported alternate dispute resolutionmechanisms, MAs. Though in terms of numbers of cases processed andconflicts resolved the figures are low,about 8 in NWFP and 2 in Punjab, thenotable contribution of this project liesin operationalizing the concept of speedyaccessible justice particularly forwomen, that has been embedded withinthe LGO and had thus far not beenactively pursued by government, otherdonors or CSOs. This vanguard role of the agency is again a pointer to its abilityto move into areas that are strategic,demonstrative, where piloting can beinstructive for the larger scaleimplementation of the gender aspectsof the devolution agenda.

But more important than the concreteoutputs enumerated above, is thestructuring of a community-basedAssessment of Development Results(ADR) mechanism into the devolutionstructures which creates the possibilityof resisting the oppressive power offeudal, patriarchal and powerful elites.

Linkages with the judicial system andpolice will need to be more clearlydefined and pursued. Traditionally ADRsdepend upon moral authority as theyhave no means of compliance exceptwhere powerful elites will obtaincompliance through the gun. Thereforethe recognition of the MAs as a paralegalarrangement is important but also likelyto be difficult. The GJMA is aboutchanging attitudes, social practices andbehaviours that perpetuates, abuse ofviolence against women. This is no easytask; however the institutionalizing inlocal community systems and structurescreates conditions for effectiveness andsustainability.

Since the project has started recently, itmay be useful to review project relatedissues as outputs are limited as is thecontribution to outcomes #1 and #5. Theproject design has been prepared acrossthe national level without keeping inconsideration geographical, cultural andhuman resource factors of the pilotdistricts. For example, the budget forall provinces is equally divided whereasPunjab has a larger number of unioncouncils; travel and logistics ofBalochistan pose a different set ofproblems. These practical and budgetrelated problems have slowed down theprogress of the project, particularly inthe initial phase.

Recommendations:The one time process of capacity buildingand knowledge enhancement activitiessuch as training of MAs and awarenessraising in communities needs to beincreased to have effective results. Alesson from the W3P relates to the need

for heavier investments into deepeningthe training components. In dispensing justice and acting as para-legalinstitutions, the MAs will need a levelof understanding of the law, in particularpertaining to the rights of women andother marginalized groups, hencetraining needs to be expanded in terms of time and content.

Budgetary provision for bridging the gapbetween the MAs, the formal justiceproviding institutions and the policeappears to be inadequate. Referrals toand from MAs will require formalrecognition in the mainline judicialsystem, especially in family and lowercourts. Once operational, these linkages

would contribute to decreasing the caseload of these courts.

Politicization and capture of MAs is acontinuing risk; hence involvement ofcommunities, human rights organizations,and media, local bar associations, districtand provincial governments as acontinual process will be required. In thepilot districts the danger of exploitation by the ruling, influential and privilegedgroups can result in abuse of the ADRmechanism; this is a risk that rights-based projects encounter and, therefore,the need to build in sufficient resources and processes for awareness, trainingand linkages arises.

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Annex 7

MAPPING OF CPAP OUTCOMESAND PROJECTS

Outcome 1. Local authorities and communities in rural and urban areas enabled and involved in planning and management ofdevelopment activities, including the provision of public services.

Output 1.1. Local government structure and systems stengthened and procedures re-engineered. Output 1.2. Tranparency mechanismsestablished at the district level, involving poor communities. Output 1.3. Legal, judicial and police reforms introduced and implementationstrtegy developed. Output 1.4 Public safety commissions and legal aid cenres established. Output 1.5. Mechamisms for formation andactivation of CCBs set up. Output 1.6. Local development plans developed by CCBs in cooperation with local authorities (at least 10 in eachUnion Council).

Benchmarks: Local government institutions established in 2002 under the Devolution Plan. Systems and procedures are evolving. Percentageof developmetn funds channeled/manaaged by LG institutions: Baseline: X%, Target: Y%. Number of CCBs, PSCs and legal aid centresfunctional: Baseline: # of CCBs, PSCs, MCs and LACs in 2003. Target: # of CCBs, PSCs, MCs and LACs in 2008.

Targets:

Indicator 1.1: 100 per cent of district governments effectively accessing and managing devolved financial resources. Indicator 1.2: Monitoringcommittees and citizen community boards (CCBs) established in 100 per cent districts. Indicator 1.3: 50 per cent public service facilitiesmade functional in a gender-balanced manner. Indicator 1.4: Perception of local government system and access to justice, including policefunctioning, by the poorest quintile improved by 50 per cent.

Contributing Projects Budget (US $ m) Progress Achieved as against Outputs and IndicatorsAllocation Delivered

Support to Good 3.63 3.42 Output 1.1. Proposals on restructuring of provincial government Secretariats andGovernance Directorates finalized; Key amendments made to LGO 2001; Proposal for creation

of district cadres finalized. Output 1.2. National Reconstruction InformationManagement Systems (NARIMS) designed and piloted in 8 districts Output 1.3.Policy recommendations for Police Reform 2002 finalized; National Safety Commissionestablished.

Support to DTCE 14.71 14.71 Output 1.4. Legal aid committees created and functional in 11 districts. Output 1.5.232% increase in CCB formation in 110 districts across the country. Output 1.6. Totalof 3577 CCB development projects approved and implemented at the three LG levels

EIROP I and II 3.46 1.83 Output 1.1. 17 enactments regarding Rules of Business (RoB), Laws and Byelawsfor district government framed; 15 amendments to LGO 2001drafted and incorporatedin the Ordinance; Formula for resource distribution to all 24 district of the province,notified by GoNWFP; Capacities of LG staff and elected representatives enhancedthrough training and exposure visits. Output 1.2. District Citizens Information Centresestablished in 3 districts of NWFP

Support to Devolution 2.86 0.78 Output 1.1. Webportal of Local Government Commission Balochistan developed;Reforms in Balochistan Capactities of LG staff and elected representatives enhanced through training, exposure

visits. Output 1.2 Participatory Information System (PIS) successfully piloted infive districts of Balochistan and Districts Management Information Centres (DMICs)established in 3 districts; GIS based model for land record computerization calledBalochistan Land Record Management Information System (BLRMIS) developedand tested successfully; Output 1.5. 235 Village Coucils and 109 CCBs establishedin two districts, Loralai and Kacchi.

Area Development 7.3 7.3 62 CCBs were registered. 12 workshops were conducted for union council NazimsProgram Balochistan and Naib Nazims on re-engineering their procedures to involve communities.

Lachi Poverty Reduction 6.6 6.4 Was the first to train all the councilors and union council Nazims in Tehsil Lachi,Project District Kohat on community based development processes. 50 CCBs registered of

which 7 accessed funding from District Govt.

National Urban Poverty 3.7 1.5 71 Community Organizations were registered as CCBs across 8 ciities of fourAlleviation Program provinces. 40% of these have accessed local government funds for various development

activities.

National Commission on 7.8 6.6 Trained 600 District Government Officials on Budgeting and Planning and 520Human Development officials Community Citizen’s Board formation

Gender Justice- MA 1.5 1.0 The MAs are 100 % notified now, in 468 Union councils. The ROBs have beennotified by all provinces’ Law departments.

Total 51.6 43.5

Outcome 2. Electoral framework with international standards; credibiltiy of parliament, private sector for sustainable development(at district level).

Output 2.1. Educated inclusive electorate. Output 2.2. Parliamentarians promoting decentralization, transparency and rightbased development. Output 2.3. Public-private partnerships established in the context of Global Cmpact. Output 2.4.National capacity for integrating human development aspects in trade agreements.

Benchmarks:

Targets:

Indicator 2.1: Women representation in parliament maintained at least at 17 per cent. Indicator 2.2: Parliamentary oversight mechanismsstrengthened: Public Accounts Committee, Human Rights, and Women Caucus. Indicator 2.3: Number of public private partnerships ofsignificance.


SDEPP I & II 3.56 1.34 Output 2.1. Policy Decision on nre computerized voters registration system; votereducation campaign designed for LG elections; NGOs mobilized nationally forimproved women’s registration and participation resulting in 35.86% female voterturnout in LG elections 2005; Umbrella body Network for Electoral Particiaption(NEP) created with current memberhip of 399 NGOs/CSOs from across Pakistan.Partnership bewteen 22 NEP members and ECP for voter education and awarenessraising related activities esepcially targetting women, minorities and youth.-coordinatedjointly at the district levels with ECP; Output 2.2. 3 (out of 22 ) NEP memberspartenred with ECP to undertake awareness rasing activities with parliamentariansand political parties to improve participation of women, youth and minorities inelectoral proceess and improve their membership and role in political parties activities

Strenghtening Democracy 2.76 0.6 Output 2.2.UNDP/IPU joint needs assessment mission conducted; Comparative Studythrough Parliament on parliamentary committee system conducted; Human resource development policy

for parliament prepared.

Trade Initiative for 2.0 1.0 Output 2.4. 6 technical support documents developed. Review conducted on PRSPsHuman Development and their relation to trade and development; Policy recommendation on trade policyPerspective (TIHP) 2006/07 through consultative seminars; Partnerhsip with prominent universities for

integrating aspects of trade and human development in course content. 120 journaliststargetted and trained through a serie of workshops for cpacity building for reportignon trade and human development issues. Policy brief on Geographical Indicators (GI)developed

Total 8.32 2.94

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Outcome 3. Reduction of human and income poverty addressed as a major concern of macroeconomic policies; improved nationalcapacity to monitor poverty and inequality.

Output 3.1. One million individuals lifted out of poverty by removing barriers and increased economic opportunities. Output 3.2. Alternativepro-poor approaches adopted addressing root causes. Output 3.3. Outcome monitoring and nationwide MDG campign, putting Pakistan ontrack.

Benchmarks:

Targets:

Indicator 1.1: Poverty head count reduced from 34 per cent to 20 per cent. Indicator 1.2: Human and income poverty data disaggregated bygender and provinces/districts. Indicator 1.3: Reduce the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 1/3.Indicator 1.4: HPI improved from 44 per cent to 30 per cent


Women's Access to 0.65 0.22 US$ 8.2 million credit has been disbursed to 17,126 clients. The credit disbursed toCapital and Technology 2,984 female in rural areas was 0.7 m. The no. of Female clients in urban areas was(WACT) 2,144 with a credit disbursment of US$ 0.6m.

Support to PRSP II 0.58 0.10 Research studies have been undertaken in the areas of environmental sustainability,Formulation gender, globalization and its impact on poverty in Pakistan; growth & inequality, and

unemployment. Recommendations arriving out of the reports as well as the consultationson the said studies, have fed into the draft PRSP II.The first draft of the PRSP II, withemployment creation and promotion identified as the main engine for pro-poor growth,has been prepared.Pakistan specific costing templates have been designed. Thelocalising aspects comes from proper identification and prioritisation of interventionsand constituent resource needs, subsequently validated through broad based consultations,for the achievements of MDGs 2,4-7 by 2015.

Area Development 7.3 7.3 Net monetary gain of US $ 0.8 million from different interventions produced. 14Program Balochistan water supply schemes established benefiting 17,150 persons in 9 districts of Baluchistan

Lachi Poverty Reduction 6.6 6.4 Incremental increase in income from various interventions ranges from US $ 20 toProject 55 per month per person (total beneficiaries 150,000 approx.). At least 7000 people

have got access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities.

National Urban Poverty 3.7 1.5 Access of more than 21,000 households to safe drinking water and sanitation facilitiesAlleviation Program made.

Centre for Research on 1.0 0.9 Reports on poverty measurement, prevalence and its determinants, inequality,MDGs,,Poverty and Income human conditions etc produced. Poverty line (2004-05) for Pakistan determined andDistribution (CRPRID) contributions made to drafting social protection strategy and sectoral framework for

Pakistan's poverty elimination strategy 2001 made. (Poverty head count reduced to23.9% as per GoP statistics)

Total 19.83 16.42

Outcome 4. Secure access for the poor to land and infrastructure (e.g. irrigation); provision to the poor of affordable ICT.

Output 4.1. 10,000 productive community schemes implemented. Output 4.2. Corp of 100,000 national volunteers established promotinghealth, education and income generating activities. Output 4.3. 100 ICT cenres established in rural areas contributing to economic developmentand poverty reduction. Output 4.4. 50,000 strengthenes SMEs for rural development and poverty reduction. Output 4.5. 0.5 million youthemployed/trained. Output 4.6. 10 sustainable credit schemes. Output 4.7. 50 katchi abadis (squatter ares) regularized. Output 2.8. IT policyinfluenced for affordability.

Benchmarks:

Targets:

Indicator 2.1: Productive assets and facilities accessed by the poor, including women. Indicator 2.2: Number of squatter settlers, includingwomen with secure tenure increased ten fold. Indicator 2.3: Number of telephone lines and Internet users increased by a factor of 10.


Area Development 7.3 7.3 26 drinking and recharge water ponds, 10 diversion dams and valley dikes of 1.12Program Balochistan million cu constructed increasing water availability by 40%. 26 karazes rehabilitated

resulting in increased fruit production at 65 acres and irrigated land by 20 acres andfodder production by 30%. A total of 1,744 acre of rangeland rehabilitated. 8,726people trained in various skills.

Lachi Poverty Reduction 6.6 6.4 378 water related productive community schemes have been implemented benefitingProject 53,628 persons (7,661 households) in terms of water availability for human and animal

drinking and irrigation. 2,854 persons trained as volunteers. 3,334 youth employed.10 ICT centres estalished in government schools benefiting 50 students daily. US $0.5 million(40% women) micro credit disbursed for SMEs.

National Urban Poverty 3.7 1.5 38 productive community schemes completed benefiting 2100 households.555 personsAlleviation Program trained as volunteers. 11 ICT centres established 662 youth. 54 SMEs strengthened.

434 youth trained. 01 squatter settlement regularized.

National Commission on 7.8 6.6 60,000 volunteers identified and reqistered across Pakistan. ICT centres establisedHuman Development where 900 females and government employees have acquired basic computer skills.

Total 25.4 21.8

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Outcome 5. National action plan for the advancement of women jointly adopted, implemented and monitored by the Government,legislature and civil society according to time-bound goals.

Output 5.1. Instituttional strengthening: sectoral & macroeconomic policies (including PRSP) programmes nd projects relfect gendermainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting; NCSW is strengthened as a policy review and recommending body. Output 5.2. Legislativecpacity development programme for woemn councilors, MNAs and MPAs. Output 5.3. Enabling social environment awareness raised amongGoP and civil society partners on commitments made in CEDAW. Output 5.4. Accessible, available, reliable gender disaggregated data.

Benchmarks:

Targets:

Indicator 1.1: Mechanisms for participatory monitoring and reporting of NPA operational. Indicator 1.2: Increase in availability and use ofgender-disaggregated data including GDI and gender empowerment measure (GEM) in analysis and decision-making. Indicator 1.3: NPAtargets for women in decision-making, politics and economy on track. Indicator 1.4: Reduced violence against women and girls


Gender Responsive 1.04 0.41 Sex disaggregated information on civil service employment was incorporated in theBudgeting Initiative Government of Punjab Budget Call Circular 2006-2007 which paved way for collection (GRBI) of sex-disaggregated data pertaining to line ministries. A full chapter on Gender

Responsive Budgeting has been incorporated in the white paper on the provincialbudget of Punjab 2006-07 . For the first time the Federal Bureau of Statistics isconducting a time use survey on a national level to identify the macroeconomicimplications of unpaid care work.Gender Aware policy Appraisals Study on health,population and eduaction has been published and disseminated.

Gender Mainstreaming 4.50 1.15 National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA) and Pakistan Institute of developmentin Planning and Economics (PIDE) have integrated UNDP project modules in their curricullum therebyDevelopment Dept. institutionalising gender sensitisation process. 248 planning officers of government(GMPnD) officers of various seniorities have been gender sensitised in the four provinces and

AJK/NAs

Institutional Strengthening 0.52 0.21 The researches on “Home based women workers”, Women’s rights to inheritance andof National Commission its implementation and “Psychological and Socio economic factors responsible foron Status of Women drug addiction in women” have been shared with stakeholders for Policy level inputs(NCSW) and would be finalised based on feedback received.

Women's Political 4.46 1.48 The curriculum for training of women councilors has been revised and institutionalisedSchool (WPS) at the local government training academies at the provincial level. 2157 women

councilors capacity has been built in all four provinces;Sindh-1024, NWFP-378,Balochistan-607 and Punjab-148.

National and International 0.28 0.55 NICGAP Team is being gainfully used to implement GRAP.Commitments on Genderand Poverty (NICGAP) .

Total 10.80 3.80

Outcome 6. National disaster reduction and response system operational.

Output 6.1 National disaster management system operational and community coping strategies developed. Output 1.2. Significantly rehablitatedrefugee hosting areas in five districts. Output 1.3. National campaign successfully completed for water conserevation resulting in water useefficienty at household, agricultural, industrial and municipality levels. Output 1.4. Groundwater monitoring system introudced in drought-stricken areas. Output 1.5. HIV/AIDS response fully integrated in the national disaster mangaemetn system.

Benchmarks:

Targets:

Indicator 1.1: 20 000 communities enabled to cope with hazards. Indicator 1.2: Significant improvement in response time to disasters andcrises Indicator 1.3: Communities and area rehabilitated in refugee hosting areas.Indicator 1.4: Water use efficiency improved by 50 per cent.


Support to Rains andSnowfall, Support toFlood Affected, ShelterSupport to Earthquake,Support to EarthquakeAJK-NWFP, RubbleRemoval and EmergencyHousing, Removal andRecycling of Rubble,Cooking and HeatingProject, Support toEarthquakeReconstructionNational VolunteerProgram, EarthquakeRelief and RecoveryProject, CommunityBased LivelihoodsRecovery Programme

Support provided to the Government of Pakistan in establishment of a National DisasterManagement Authority. The four Provincial Governments as well as the Governmentsof Northern Areas and AJK provided support for establishment of Provincial/RegionalDisaster Management setups. Government of Pakistan announced formation of theNational Disaster Management Authority.Relief and coordination support provided during a number of disasters during 2004and 2005 including floods as well as earthquakes. During the 8 October earthquake,the following support was provided: 11,654 affected families were provided withwinterized tents· 8,562 affected families were provided with kitchen sets· 1,000 winterized tents worth US$500,000 provided by China through UNDP.· Shelters provided to 34,693 families through the shelter cluster i n spontaneous campsand homesteads located in Mansehra, Batagram, Balakot, Bagh, Muzaffarabad andIslamabad.The delivery of 803,283 iron roofing sheets as well as toolkits to assist withthe construction of transitional shelters for nearly 48,750 families (72,000 additionalCGI sheets are in pipeline;Provided grants to IOM and National and International NGOs for construction oftransitional shelters for nearly 18,801 families;The provision of heating and cooking facilities to 48,000 affected families, establishmentof 52 community kitchens and heating equipment and fuel to 100 basic health units,80 UNICEF child protection centers and other medical facilities;The removal of over 554,030 cubic meters of rubble through cash-for-work andmechanized processes in concert with UNOPS;Technical, Human Resource and Financial Support to ERRA;Support to National Volunteer Movement and fielding of United Nations VolunteersThe establishment and customization of a Government-owned Development AssistanceDatabase (www.dadpak.org) to support aid coordination.

52.00 35.00

52.00 35.00Total

78 79


Outcome 7. A comprehensive approach integrating environmentally sustainable development, and global environmental concerns andcommitments in national development planning, with emphasis on poverty reduction and with quality gender analysis

Output 7.1. Effective policy, regulatory and monitoring framework for the poverty-environment nexus. Output 7.2. Commitments underglobal conventions on biodiversity, climate change, CFCs, land degradation and POPs being implemnted with adequate attention to genderissues. Output 7.3. Over 3,000 poor communities involved in environmental management by adopting sustainable practices. Output 7.4. Cleanenergy technologies introduced at the local level.

Benchmarks:

Targets:

Indicator 1.1: Environmental issues integrated in Ten-year plan and PRSP. Indicator 1.2: Zero increase in CO2 and NOX emissions (0.4per cent of world total 1998). Indicator 1.3: Forest cover from 4.8 per cent to 5.2 per cent.


National Environment 42.78 17.91 National Environment Policy; Reporting on MDG-7; Approval of new projects withAction Plan - Support a total budget of US $ 17.914 million under NEAP-SP; Approval of parallel projectProgramme of US $ 50 million by GOP with NEAP-SP support on Clean Drinking Water -

Contributes to output 7.1.

Environmental Education 0.46 0.13 Primary level school curriculum reviewed for revisions; Secondary level schoolProject curriculum under revision. Contributes to output 7.1

Enabling Activity for 0.54 0.32 National Inventory of POPs completed; National Implementation Plan being preparedPhase out of Persistent in response to Stockholm Convention. Contributes to outputs 7.1 and 7.2Organic Pollutants

Phase out of Ozone 0.23 0.12 Pakistan complying with the phase out calendar of the Montreal Protocol. ContributesDepleting Substance - to Outputs 7.1 and 7.2Montreal ProtocolPhase III

National Capacity 0.20 - Project Activities yet to commence. Project cross-cuts into International ConventionsSelf Assessment on Biodiversity, climate Change and Desertification. Contributes to Output 7.1 and

7.2

Mountain Areas 10.35 9.15 Six Conservancies established for sustainable use of natural resources in northernConservancy Project Pakistan; Illegal hunting stopped by the local communities of species of global

significance - Contributes to output 7.2 and 7.3

Pakistan Wetlands 11.79 0.60 Project commenced in late 2005; Key results yet to be achieved.- Contributes toProgramme Output 7.2 and 7.3

Conservation of Habitat 1.19 0.10 Two conservancies established in the tribal communities of Districts Kila Saif Ullahand Species in Balochistan and Naushki - Contributes to Output 7.2 and 7.3

Balochistan Junipers 1.18 - Project approved from GEF; EAD's final clearance awaited - Contributes to OutputProject 7.2 and 7.3

Suleiman Range Project 0.03 0.03 Project preparation grant utilised to develop US $ 1.9 million project for implementation.- Contributes to Output 7.2 and 7.3

Promotion of LPG to 0.75 0.05 Project commenced in late 2005; Key results yet to be achieved - Contributes toprotect natural forest in Output 7.3Ayubia

Conservation of Forest 0.20 - Project commenced in late 2006; Key results yet to be achieved - Contributes to in Distt Badin Output 7.3

Fuel Efficiency in the 7.00 7.00 Market for Instrumented Tune-up stations established; Policy studies on fuel efficiencyRoad Transport Sector completed; Revolving Loan of US $ 3.0 million operationalised. - Contributes to

Output 7.2

Utility Scale Wind Power 3.10 - Project commenced in late 2006; Key results yet to be achieved. Contributes to OutputProduction Project 7.4

Productive Use of 0.05 0.03 Project preparation grant utilised to develop US $ 3.9 million project for implementation.Renewable Energy Contributes to Output 7.4 and 7.3Technologies in theNorthern Pakistan

Energy Efficient 0.03 0.03 Project preparation grant utilised to develop US $ 2.5 million project for implementation.Housing Project Contributes to Output 7.4 and 7.3

Sustainable Land 0.34 0.15 Project preparation grant utilised to develop US $ 17.0 million project forManagement Project implementation. Contribute to Output 7.2 and 7.3

TOTAL 80.21 35.62

Summary of Total Allocations by Outcome and Disbursements

Outcome Allocation Disbursement

Outcome 1 51.56 43.54

Outcome 2 8.32 2.94

Outcome 3 19.83 16.42

Outcome 4 25.4 21.8

Outcome 5 10.80 3.80

Outcome 6 52.00 35.00

Outcome 7 80.213 35.621

Total 248.123 159.121

80 81


natural resources and to help Pakistanmeet i ts global environmentalcommitments;

• Suppor t the Government andcommunities in disaster risk reductionand mitigation;

• Strengthen and stabilize reforminitiatives, particularly those with directlinks to poverty reduction, devolution,communi ty empowerment andpromoting public-private partnership tomeet development challenges;

• Explore innovative funding mechanismsand support government leadership inresource mobilization and coordination;

• Facilitate the country’s readiness andcapacity to benefit from mechanismsemerging under the World TradeOrganization regime;

• Connect national partners to globalknowledge, experience and resourcesthrough regional cooperat ion,networking and technical cooperationamong developing countries;

• Mains t r eam in fo rma t ion andcommunications technology as a vehiclefor achieving programme goals,ne twork ing , and to p romotetransparency; and

• Work with media to contribute towardscreating awareness, and consensusbuilding, especially around theMillennium Development Goals.

The above mentioned Country Programmeobjectives are being pursued through thedevelopment/implementation of projects infull consultation with the Government. The8th October 2005, earthquake has changedthe entire development scenario and focushas been enhanced to humanitarian assistanceas well as recovery of livelihoods of theearthquake affected communities. At presentsome 42 projects are in operation in all theprovinces and Azad Jammu & Kashmir(AJK). The total financial outlay for the

Country Programme during 2004-2008 isUS $ 182 million.

2. Objectives of the Country ProgrammeReview

The objective of the mid-term review is toassess the progress in achieving the resultsof the Country Programme, its partnershipstrategy, and management arrangementsadopted so far and make recommendationsfor improving its focus, effectiveness andrelevance / strategy in the light of emergingdevelopment priorities of Pakistan.

3. Tasks to be Performed

3.1.

• Assess to what degree anticipatedresults, likely outcomes as well asprobable impacts have beenachieved as specified in the CountryProgramme Action Plan (CPAP)areas, viz., Governance, Poverty &Gender, Energy & Environment andCrisis Prevention and Recovery,mentioned in project documents andreflected in the Multi-Year FundingFramework (MYFF).

• Assess the inter-linkages among theCPAP areas and make recommenda-tions for further re-enforcement.

• Assess the continued relevance ofthe CPAP objectives, strategy andthematic focuses and determinewhether any re-directing of thestrategy is necessary for theremaining period of the CPAP.

• Assess the scope and effectivenessof the Country Office’s advocacyfor sustainable human development.

• Assess the Country Office’s role incoordination of developmentc o o p e r a t i o n ; r e v i e w t h eeffectiveness of UNDP Country

1. Background

NDP is engaged in improving thehuman development in the country by

supporting the programmes/projects focussedon improving governance, gender equality,environmental conservation and povertyreduction through policy research / advocacyand directly supporting the communitydevelopment programmes. During the lastCountry Cooperation Framework (1998-2003) significant results were achievedthrough upstream policy support, pilotinginnovative approaches for communityempowerment and capacity-building at alllevels. This is reflected in the successfuldesign of the devolution plan and itsimplementation, mainly by filling the 33 percent reserved seats for women councilors inlocal elections and capacity-building for all(36,000) elected female councilors. Inaddition, the sustained advocacy andpartnership building of UNDP with nationalinstitutions mobilized large-scale donorinterest and participation in the reconstructionprocess. Another area of impact was thepromotion of participatory approaches in allthematic areas and capacity-building of about4,000 community-based organizations, whichare anchoring community-based initiatives.

The review of the previous CountryCooperation Framework, evaluation ofprojects, various impact studies andconsultations with stakeholders all indicatedthat the sustainability and impact of UNDPassistance can be enhanced through: (a)expanding partnerships within the strategic

results framework; (b) supporting an enablingmacro framework within which micro andpilot initiatives are developed; (c)strengthening policy, oversight and local-level institutions, particularly in planning,budgeting, monitoring and coordination; (d)documenting and disseminating bestpractices systematically; (e) strengthening,consolidating and scaling up efforts alreadyunder way; (f) harnessing national ownershipand the capacity of national partners tomanage and coordinate the implementationof development programmes, recognizingthe diff icult ies that ar ise duringimplementation; (g) placing povertyreduction at centre stage in all programmeareas, with well-defined participatoryapproaches primarily involving the poor;and (h) reflecting long-term strategicconsiderations in programmes and projects.Based on the above lessons learned and insupport of national priorities, UNDP Pakistanprepared its Country Programme (2004-2008) which has adopted the followingstrategy:

• Make poverty reduction the coreobjective in all areas of cooperation,focusing on macro-policy impact on thepoor, and alternative pro-poordevelopment approaches;

• Mainstream gender in all areas andensure that gender is an integral part ofthe design, implementation, monitoringand evaluation of all programmes andprojects;

• Support the National EnvironmentAction Plan for the conservation of

U

Annex 8

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR UNDP PAKISTANCOUNTRY PROGRAMME REVIEW

82 83


foster the overall policy dialogue onpoverty reduction?

- What are the results achieved so fartowards reducing poverty throughtackling of social issues, such asdelivery of health services,development of basic education andtechnical /vocat ional ski l l s ,employment generation, delivery ofbasic services to the urban poor,HIV/AIDS, etc.

c) Environment and natural resourcemanagement:

- In what way and to what degree areprogrammes/projects contributingtowards data collection, analysis,policy processes, institutionaldevelopment, public awareness,support to Government-donordialogue as well as overallsustainable resource management?

d) Crisis prevention and recovery:- In what way the projects/

programmes have supported theformulation of national disaster plan,mobilization of resources for itsimplementation, institutionaldevelopment and public awareness?To what extent UNDP could provideand coordinate aid to earthquakeaffected areas?

3.2.2. Cross-cutting issues:

a) Capacity building:- A r e p r o g r a m m e s / p r o j e c t s

contributing substantially towardscapac i ty bu i ld ing o f keyGovernment institutions to improvegovernance, and implement povertyprogrammes? Are projects/programmes contributing localcommunities to enhance theircapacities for implementation of

sustainable human developmentactivities?

b) Gender mainstreaming:- In what way and to what degree are

programmes/projects contributingtowards increased participation ofwomen in socio-economic andgovernance activities?

c) Sustainability:- Are programmes/projects activities

likely to be sustainable on the long-term? If so, to what degree and ifnot, for what reasons?

d) Aid coordination, inter-Agencycol laborat ion and resourcemobilization:

- What role does UNDP play in aidcoordination (Resident CoordinatorSystem, preparation of the CommonCountry Assessment (CCA),preparation of the UN DevelopmentAssistance Framework (UNDAF),specific donors coordinationmeetings, etc? In what way and towhat degree is UNDP facilitatingresource mobilization for Pakistan?

4. Assessment methodology

The proposed approach towards thecollection, analysis and interpretation of thedata necessary to meet the objectives of theCountry Programme Review is as follows:

• Programme Officers (POs) will preparea summary for each project/programmein their portfolio (the bulk of informationto be extracted from Project documents,technical reports, etc.).

• POs will also collect copies of all Tri-Partite Review reports and evaluationreports in their portfolio produced duringthe period under review.

office support services for the UNsystem; assess the extent ofcollaboration with the othermembers of the UN System,especially with members of the UNDevelopment Group and the BrettonWoods Institutions, the AsianDevelopment Bank and internationalNGOs.

• Assess the overall quality ofprogramme implementation; reviewthe project execution modalitieswhich have been used and determinetheir appropriateness.

• Assess the degree of success so farin the application of the programmeapproach.

• Assess the degree of efficiency andappropriateness in the use of coreUNDP resources as against plansand targets established at the timeof formulation of the CPAP.

• Assess the degree of success ofresource mobilization as well as theuse of non-core resources.

• Assess the quality, efficiency andrelevance of programme monitoringand evaluation; and assess howrelevant the existing M&E systemsare?

• Assess the range and quality ofpartnerships with Government andcivil society.

3.2. The Review will also focus on specificareas and issues, which are of relevancefor the Country Programme as a wholeas well as for MYFF and which are ofimportance in the context of possiblere-directing of the programme as wellas preparation of the next CountryProgramme. These are as follows:

3.2.1. Thematic areas:

a) Governance and local socio-

economic development:- In what way and how far are

programme/projects strengtheninglocal governance and or influencingnational efforts towards bettergovernance and decentralization?

- How successful are programmes/projects in fostering policy dialoguebetween various parts of thegovernment and within society atlarge?

- In what way and to what degree areprogrammes/projects: (1) facilitatingempowerment of communities toassume greater decision-makingroles?; (2) contributing to thestrengthening of national institutionsand to their enhanced effectiveness(e.g., in sectors such as micro- andsmall-credit, urban poverty, disastermanagement, etc.); (3) promotinglocal socio-economic development,particularly through sectors, suchas credit, agricultural development,income generation, etc.; (4)contributing towards strengtheningthe Government’s administrativecapacity to undertake publici n v e s t m e n t p r o g r a m m i n g ,development planning and aidcoordination?

- How successful has UNDP been insupporting the preparation and theholding of the National Electionsand strengthening of the parliament?

b) Poverty:- In what way and to what degree are

programmes/projects contributingtowards establishing/consolidatingthe country’s statistical data basefor poverty situation analysis andpoverty reduction related activities? Is the data being used efficientlytowards policy formulation? Dothese programmes and projects

84


• The CO Programme Units will hold“brainstorming sessions" to collectivelyanswer the thematic area and cross-cutting issues and compile a briefingnote for the independent reviewers.

• An independent review team (3members- who have not been directlyinvolved in the formulation andmanagement of the Country Programmeand associated programmes / projects)will be contracted by UNDP Pakistan.The Economic Affairs Division, Govt.of Pakistan will provide the services ofa senior level official who will be amember of the review team.

• The team will be provided with the draftTORs and will have the opportunity to

comment and/or amend those.• Once in situ, the independent review

team will undertake an in-depth reviewand analysis of the information providedto them (see Attachment 1 for documentsto be consulted and Attachment 2 forsuggested projects to be reviewed), byorganizing, as appropriate, visits to thebeneficiaries of UNDP assistance orconsultations and meetings with all therelevant officials/colleagues fromGovernment, UN Agencies, NGOs andCountry Office.

• During the consultations and meetings,an analysis will be undertaken on theprogress status of the "intended outputs"specified in the CPAP.

5. The process

Step of the review process Deadline

1. Submission of the first draft TORs to UNDP Headquarters, toGovernment, UN Agencies and other partners 22 May

2. Receipt of comments from Headquarters and other stakeholders First week June3. Programme Officers prepare project/programme summaries Mid June4. Programme Units hold "brainstorming sessions" to collectively

discuss thematic and cross-cutting issues and to prepare short reports End June5. Collection of relevant documentation (Tri-partite Review meeting

records, evaluation reports, etc.) End June6. Completion of in-house review End June7. Independent Review team constituted End June8. Independent review team in progress 3 -22 July9. Debriefing 21 July10. Submission of the draft Review Report 22 July11. Submission of draft Review Report to Headquarters and to all partners 31 July12. Country Programme Review Meeting with the Govt. Mid August13. Submission of final Review Report End August

6. Expected outputsThe key product of this exercise will bethe Country Programme Review Report,the structure and content of which willbe in line with the format recommendedby the Evaluation Office.

7. Costs

The in-house review will be conductedmostly by UNDP staff members. Any

cost involved will be charged to therelevant project.

The independent review will beconducted, as mentioned above, by afour- person team. It is estimated thatthe team will require 3 weeks toundertake the review. The cost will bemet out of the NATCAP Project budget.

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UNRC Documents

1. Common Country Assessmenthttp://www.undp.org.pk/index.php?page=webpage&page_id=36

2. UNDAF http://www.undp.org.pk/index.php?page=webpage&page_id=363. UN Framework for Early Recovery http://www.undp.org.pk/4. Other publications from RC Office http://www.undp.org.pk/

UNDP Publications

5. Country Programmehttp://www.undp.org.pk/index.php?page=webpage&page_id=36

6. Country Programme Action Planhttp://www.undp.org.pk/index.php?page=webpage&page_id=36

7. Previous Country Cooperation Framework review Report8. MYFF Reports 2004 & 20059. Thematic Evaluation Reports

a. Governanceb. Energy & Environment

http://stone.undp.org/system2/eoerc/library/index.cfm?fuseaction=MainLibraryScreen

10. Documents of all on-going Projects11. Documents of Projects closed from 2004 onwards12. UNV Project Document13. Evaluation Reports of Projects

http://stone.undp.org/system2/eo_erc/library/index.cfm?fuseaction=MainLibraryScreen

14. Annual/ Terminal Reports of Projects operational from 2004 onwards15. Reports of technical studies supported by various projects16. National Human Development Report 2003 http://www.undp.org.pk/17. Global Human Development Report 2005 http://www.undp.org.pk/

Government Publications

18. Pakistan Economic Survey 2006 http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/home.htm19. Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper http://www.finance.gov.pk/poverty/home.html20. Medium-Term Development Framework

http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/divisions/planninganddevelopmentdivision/Data/MOPD/Medium%20Term%20Development%20Framework%202005.htm

Attachment 1

LIST OF DOCUMENTS TO BE CONSULTED

86


Crisis Prevention and Recovery• Rubble Removal and Emergency Housing Recovery• Support to Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation• Support to Volunteerism Initiatives in Pakistan

Governance• NWFP Institutional Reforms Project –II• Support to Good Governance• Support to DTCE• Trade Initiatives from Human Development Perspective• Strengthening Electoral Processes• Capacity Development for Aid Coordination

Energy & Environment• Mountain Areas Conservancy project• National Environmental Action Plan- Support Program• POPS- Enabling Activities• Conservation of Habitats and Species• Sustainable Land Management – Combating Desertification• Protection & Management of Pakistan Wetlands• Cooking & Heating Project for Earthquake Affectees• GEF/Small Grants Programme

Poverty Reduction & Gender• Women & credit• Women Political School• Gender Justice• Gender Budgeting• PRSP-2• Institutional Strengthening of NCSW• Poverty Alleviation & Development Facility (CRPRID)• Lachi Poverty Reduction Project• Support for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals (NCHD)• National Urban Poverty Alleviation Program

Attachment 2

PROPOSED PROJECTS TO BE REVIEWED