UNICEF Evaluation Management Response

Transcription

1 UNICEF Evaluation Management Response Evaluation title: Evaluation of UNICEF s Peacebuilding, and Advocacy (PBEA) Programme Outcome evaluation Region: Global Office: New York headquarters Evaluation year: 2015 Evaluation report sequence number: 2015/008 Person-in-charge for follow-up to management response: Mr. Ted Chaiban, Director, Programme Division Overall response to the evaluation: UNICEF objectives in education are focused sharply on equity so that all children, regardless of their circumstances, have equal opportunities in education; and on learning helping children to secure basic skills such as literacy and numeracy, and a range of essential social, emotional and cognitive skills to equip them not only to survive but also to thrive. The impact of conflict on education is well understood: millions of children and youth in conflict-affected countries have had their education stopped or disrupted, with immediate as well as intergenerational impacts. Less well understood is how education (and other social services) can contribute to building more peaceful and resilient societies in conflict-affected settings. The PBEA Programme provided an opportunity for UNICEF to explore, through evidence-building and practical programming, the ways in which education can promote peace and tolerance. UNICEF will continue to contribute to peacebuilding through education and other programming, while maintaining the necessary political neutrality without which our ability to contribute would become curtailed. The evaluation examined how well UNICEF engaged in peacebuilding 1 through education programming to strengthen social cohesion, resilience and human security. The evaluation, which covered the programme implementation period, , was based on programming evidence from 14 countries: Burundi, Chad, Côte d Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, State of Palestine, Uganda and Yemen, as well as global and regional research, evidence and advocacy. Evidence was gathered from a review of documentation, 2 two site visits, 3 and interviews with selected staff members and partners. The main findings of the evaluation were: (1) using a social service such as education for delivering peacebuilding results demonstrated that social service providers can address the causes of conflict in fragile and post-conflict countries; and that (2) UNICEF was well-positioned to engage in peacebuilding work based on its man and institutional strengths. The evaluation also noted that while UNICEF engagement in peacebuilding had strengthened, further work was required to incorporate peacebuilding solutions within education and other social service programmes. The evaluation also recommended that UNICEF: (a) articulate a clearer vision for its role in operationalizing peacebuilding into social service interventions; (b) include conflict analysis as a part of the programme development cycle; (c) consoli lessons learned; and (d) use the lessons learned to mobilize resources for programming in peacebuilding. UNICEF management fully agrees with five of the recommendations made and partially agrees with two of the recommendations. Planned use of evaluation: The evaluation findings are being used to inform guidance for UNICEF staff and partners on conflict analysis and risk assessment. The lessons learned have also been consolid into knowledge assets (reports, case studies, videos, online posts, etc.) which will be disseminated externally and throughout UNICEF at the headquarters, regional and country levels to inform peacebuilding programming. 1 Peacebuilding involves a range of measures to reduce the risk of a lapse or relapse into conflict, by addressing both the causes and consequences of conflict, and by strengthening national capacities for conflict management in order to lay the foundation for sustainable peace and development. Peacebuilding is multidimensional: it includes political, security, social and economic dimensions; occurs at all levels in society (from national to community level); and includes Governments, civil society, the United Nations system, as well as an array of international and national partners. (See the Report of the Secretary General on peacebuilding in the aftermath of conflict (A/67/499, 2012), and the Technical Note on Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding in UNICEF (June 2012)). 2 The evaluation employed an established methodology of outcome harvesting, which combines extensive document review with an in-person, participatory verification process. 3 The two sites included Pakistan and South Sudan. A third site visit to Burundi could not be realized due to the country s security situation prior to and after the presidential election. Instead, the Burundi evaluation component was conducted by meeting with Burundi country office stakeholders who travelled to Kenya for that purpose. 1

2 Evaluation recommendation 1: UNICEF should articulate a clearer vision for its role and contribution to peacebuilding in conflict-affected and fragile contexts, and integrate this vision into corporate strategies, global programme policy, country programme strategies, and in key messages from UNICEF leadership. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Agree. UNICEF recognizes the importance of articulating a clear vision on how to leverage social services in support of peacebuilding, and has already used multiple channels to integrate this vision into key corporate documents that guide country programming. The UNICEF Strategic Plan, highlights the importance of reducing vulnerability to disaster and conflict, and commits UNICEF to support countries in assessing and managing risks. 4 Experiences from the PBEA Programme are being fed into discussions related to the development of the Strategic Plan, To support programming, country offices have used the 2012 Technical Note on Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding in UNICEF, which describes the organization s approach to integrating conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding into programme strategies and systems. Building on the lessons learned from the PBEA Programme, guidance notes on how to operationalize risk-informed programming, peacebuilding and conflict analysis are being finalized for use by country offices. 1.1 Develop guidance notes on conflict-sensitive and peacebuilding programming. These will articulate the UNICEF contribution to peacebuilding in conflictaffected and fragile contexts and how social services may be leveraged so that they contribute to peacebuilding. Humanitarian Action and Transition Support Section, Programme Division (HATIS, PD) Hamish Young, Chief, HATIS June Two documents completed, one document under way. Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Programming Guide (completed); Guide to Conflict Analysis (completed); Guidance Note on Risk-Informed Programming (in preparation). Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Programming Guide (completed), Guide to Conflict Analysis (completed); and Guidance Note on Risk- Informed Programming (forthcoming). Recommendation 2: As a minimum programme of action, UNICEF should institutionalize conflict analysis approaches as a part of the programme development cycle, and ascertain the use of conflict analysis findings in adaptation and design of programmes and policies, including mandating strict adherence to do no harm principles. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Agree. UNICEF adheres to the do no harm principle, and at the programme development, practices such as a multilevel review of strategy notes, country programme documents (CPDs), etc. are in place to align UNICEF programming with this principle. Conflict analysis (as part of a broader risk-informed programming approach), will be included in the UNICEF Programme Policy and Procedure (PPP) Manual. UNICEF is also working on a Guidance Note on Risk Informed Programming, which will outline how to analyse and address the risks and hazards resulting from conflict, climate change, natural disasters, bio-chemical hazards and economic shocks. The organization has also developed a Guide to 4 The report on the midterm review of the Strategic Plan, and annual report of the Executive Director, 2015, cited complementary interventions, such as peacebuilding, as necessary for achieving results in conflict-affected contexts (E/ICEF/2016/6, para. 47). 2

3 Conflict Analysis and a Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding Programming Guide (both mentioned in the response to Recommendation 1 above). These materials will be complemented by training for country offices on conflict sensitivity and the design of peacebuilding programmes. UNICEF is also supporting the integration of conflict analysis into government planning processes. Together with partners, the UNICEF Section, PD, New York headquarters, is developing a chapter on Conflict and Disaster Risk Analysis of the System, as part of volume 3 of the forthcoming Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines. 5 This will help UNICEF and its partners to assess the risks and address the causes of conflict within government education systems and in the wider society, to develop education sector policies and plans that are increasingly conflict-sensitive and contribute to the mitigation of the causes of conflict Include a riskinformed programming approach (including conflict analysis) into the PPP Manual Support the development of the chapter on Conflict and Disaster Risk Analysis of the System in the forthcoming Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines, volume 3. Monitor commitment to risk-informed programming through Strategic Plan, indicator P5.c.3: Countries with an education sector plan/policy that includes risk assessment and risk management. HATIS Hamish Young, Chief, HATIS Josephine Bourne, Chief, Section 30 June 31 March (Monitoring is ongoing) Relevant chapters reviewed for revision. Draft outline of the chapter on Conflict and Disaster Risk Analysis of the System, to be published in volume 3 of the forthcoming Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines, is being drafted by the UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office and reviewed by UNICEF New York headquarters and external partners. Meeting minutes and correspondence (internal documents) that reflect ongoing internal processes to integrate risk-informed programming into the PPP Manual. Concept note for the Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines, volume 3 (2016; internal document). 5 The methodological guidelines will be a co-published by the Global Partnership for (GPE), the International Institute for al Planning/United Nations al, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IIEP/UNESCO), the World Bank and UNICEF. The document is intended to be used by Governments and development partners to undertake sector analysis as a preliminary step in developing and/or revising national education sector plans. 3

4 2.3. Develop and roll out the Guidance Note on Risk Informed Programming as well as the Guide to Conflict Analysis Develop and roll out a comprehensive, crosssectoral training package for UNICEF country offices on conflict sensitivity and peacebuilding. HATIS (with the following sections and cross-cutting areas of PD: Adolescent Participation and Development; ; Child Protection; Communication for Development; Early Childhood Development (ECD); Gender; Health, HIV/AIDS; Nutrition; and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene HATIS Hamish Young, Chief, HATIS Hamish Young, Chief, HATIS 30 December 30 June These guidance notes will continue to be rolled out in 2016-, and will be accompanied by the provision of technical support to country offices. The focus is on fragile and conflictaffected contexts. Roll out of the training package began in 2015 and will continue through June. The various modules are also being uploaded to the UNICEF learning portal Agora. Guidance Note on Risk- Informed Programming (2016); Guide to Conflict Analysis (2016) (internal documents). Conflict-sensitivity and peacebuilding training modules (internal documents; in preparation). Evaluation recommendation 3: UNICEF should consoli lessons learned from the two areas of mainstreaming peacebuilding into education programmes, and using education to deliver peacebuilding results in fragile contexts, and use them to develop resources for education sector planning. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Agree. A number of knowledge assets (reports, case studies, videos, online posts, etc.) that consoli lessons learned from the PBEA Programme will be finalized and disseminated for application by country and regional offices. 4

5 3.1 Finalize and disseminate knowledge assets and integrate lessons from the PBEA Programme into the Guidance Note on Risk- Informed Programming and the Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines, volume 3. Josephine Bourne, Chief, Section 30 June 5 All knowledge assets are being finalized for internal and external dissemination at the global, regional, and country levels. Lessons from the programme are also being integrated into resources for education sector planning, including the Guidance Note on Risk-Informed Programming and the Sector Analysis Methodological Guidelines, volume 3, as described above. See, for example: Lessons Learned for Peace: How conflict analyses informed UNICEF s peacebuilding and education programme (forthcoming) The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Learning for Peace resources page. Evaluation recommendation 4: UNICEF should develop a partnership strategy that will set parameters for its engagement with peacebuilding work, determine how to better leverage the capacities, experiences and skills of its partners (traditional and potential), and unleash the organization s influence to heighten the likelihood of achieving peacebuilding results for children and youth. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Partially Agree. UNICEF has a corporate partnership strategy. Development of a separate strategy for peacebuilding is not necessary in order to effectively integrate peacebuilding into existing programmes. Building on the existing partnership strategy, UNICEF agrees to identify new partners with expertise in both social services and peacebuilding. 4.1 Identify new partners and support partnerships with civil society organizations, both at the global and country level, that have expertise in peacebuilding as well as social service delivery. HATIS Hamish Young, Chief, HATIS 30 June UNICEF regularly participates in United Nations inter-agency meetings related to peacebuilding, including the Senior Peacebuilding, and Advocacy in Conflict- Affected Contexts Programme: UNICEF HATIS, Programme Report (internal document).

6 Peacebuilding Group, the Peacebuilding Contact Group and the Task Team on Conflict Prevention. Evaluation recommendation 5: For the next generation of peacebuilding programmes, UNICEF should continue to mobilize funding, earmarked, pooled, or other resources, to a level that will facilitate global visibility and learning, while ensuring proper financial and results accountabilities at the decentralized (country office) level. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Agree. UNICEF will continue to mobilize funding according to existing resource mobilization strategies, with a preference for non-earmarked resources. Resources will be sought against programme priorities set out in the UNICEF Strategic Plan, 2014-, as well as country programme documents (CPDs). To the extent that peacebuilding activities, such as conflict analysis, are integrated into these documents, resources will be sought to support them. 5.1 Mobilize funds for peacebuilding activities to the extent that they are integrated into the UNICEF Strategic Plan, and CPDs. Public Partnerships Division (PPD); PD Olav Kjørven, Director, PPD; Ted Chaiban, Director, PD Ongoing Ongoing The country and regional offices and headquarters sections that are implementing peacebuilding activities past the lifetime of the PBEA Programme have secured resources to build on the results achieved. See sample internal documents: Proposal from the Ethiopia country office to the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) entitled Support to refugees and migration programme in Ethiopia funding proposal from the Myanmar country office to the Dutch Committee for UNICEF, entitled for peacebuilding and social cohesion: Supporting quality education to help 6

7 peacebuilding and social cohesion. Project proposal (now funded) entitled Restoring Hope for Children through UNICEF s Peacebuilding Programs between the United States Fund for UNICEF and the jewellery and accessories company ALEX AND ANI, to fund the ECD section, New York headquarters and ECD in the Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam country offices. Evaluation recommendation 6: UNICEF should secure funding (new or unspent PBEA funding) to enable continuation of critical activities in PBEA implementing countries that are presently facing conflict and/or humanitarian crises, and to afford the rest of the country offices the opportunity to incorporate key PBEA lessons into their next UNICEF regular programming cycle. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Partially Agree. UNICEF will continue to mobilize funding according to existing resource mobilization strategies, with a preference for non-earmarked resources. Resources will be sought against programme priorities set out in the UNICEF Strategic Plan, and CPDs. To the extent that peacebuilding activities, such as conflict analysis, are integrated into these documents, resources will be sought to support them. If recommendation is rejected or partially accepted, report reasons: UNICEF does not intend to develop a separate resource mobilization strategy for peacebuilding programmes. The rationale for this decision is so that the organization may streamline conflict analysis results along with other risk analyses into the design and implementation of country programmes, and monitor results at country, regional, and global levels. 6.1 Mobilize funds for peacebuilding activities to the extent that they are integrated into the UNICEF Strategic Plan, and CPDs PPD, PD Olav Kjørven, Director, PPD; Ted Chaiban, Director, PD Ongoing Ongoing The country and regional offices and headquarters sections that are implementing peacebuilding activities past the lifetime of the PBEA Programme 7 See sample internal documents: Proposal from the Ethiopia country office to DFID entitled Support to refugees and migration programme in Ethiopia.

8 have secured resources to build on the results achieved during and beyond the programme period funding proposal from the Myanmar country office to the Dutch Committee for UNICEF, entitled for peacebuilding and social cohesion: Supporting quality education to help peacebuilding and social cohesion. Project proposal (now funded) entitled Restoring Hope for Children through UNICEF s Peacebuilding Programs between the United States Fund for UNICEF and the jewellery and accessories company ALEX AND ANI, to fund the ECD section, New York headquarters and ECD in the Cambodia, Papua New Guinea and Viet Nam country offices. Evaluation recommendation 7: The PBEA team at headquarters should identify a mechanism to up country-level result statements developed in this evaluation to ensure a full and final compilation of results for future learning, as well as make proper institutional arrangements for of PBEA research initiatives and management of knowledge products. Management response: (Agree, Partially Agree, Disagree): Agree. In addition to consolidating programme learning through various knowledge assets and integrating these lessons into guidance notes, UNICEF has made institutional arrangements to disseminate knowledge products using internal and external platforms and symposiums (UNICEF and 8

9 partners). 6 Country programme results will continue to be aggregated at the global level as part of reporting against the Strategic Plan, Disseminate knowledge assets through internal and external platforms and symposiums (UNICEF and partners) Josephine Bourne, Chief, Section 30 June All knowledge assets are undergoing finalization. This will be followed by internal and external dissemination at the global, regional and country levels. Results upd in the Peacebuilding, and Advocacy country office final reports (to be published at the end of 2016) Disseminate knowledge assets through internal and external platforms and symposiums (UNICEF and partners) Guide to Conflict Analysis 2016 (internal document) Peacebuilding, and Advocacy in Conflict- Affected Contents Programme: UNICEF Programme Report , n/files/03_web_unicef 1020_PBEA_Final_report _A4_web.pdf See, for example: the USAID Learning for Peace resources page. 6 PBEA knowledge was shared by UNICEF during the following meetings and symposiums: UNICEF, the World Bank and the Global Partnership for, The Role of in Building Social Cohesion and Sustainable Peace, Washington, D.C., 6-7 April Ministry of, Sri Lanka, the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia and UNICEF Sri Lanka, South Asia Regional Symposium on and Sustainable Peace, Colombo, 27 May Ministry of, Ethiopia, Association for the Development of in Africa (ADEA), ADEA Inter-Country Quality Node on Peace and UNICEF, Pan- African Symposium on, Resilience and Social Cohesion: Strengthening Policies and Programmes to Achieve SDGs and Africa s Agenda 2063, Addis Ababa, 1-3 June

10 Aggregate results will be reported in the UNICEF Annual Results Report Report aggregate results against the Strategic Plan, indicator P5.c.3 ( Countries with an education sector plan/policy that includes risk assessment and risk management ). Josephine Bourne, Chief, Section Ongoing Ongoing PBEA programme results have been captured as part of reporting against the Strategic Plan, (indicator P5.c.3.) Reporting on this indicator will continue for the remainder of the Strategic Plan, period. UNICEF Annual Results Report 2015 (2016, pp ) Peacebuilding, and Advocacy in Conflict- Affected Contents Programme: UNICEF Programme Report , n/files/03_web_unicef 1020_PBEA_Final_report _A4_web.pdf. 10