LESSONS FROM EVALUATIONS UNDP LOCAL GOVERNANCE SUPPORT TO

LESSONS FROM EVALUATIONS: UNDP LOCAL GOVERNANCE SUPPORT TO COUNTRIES IN CRISIS 1

Reflections - IEO’s knowledge products § Look into past evaluations and capture lessons learned from UNDP’s work across its programmes. § Provide evaluative evidence for improved decisionmaking and better development results. § The first edition of these papers highlights lessons from evaluations of UNDP’s work in crisis settings. 2

Methodology § Rapid evidence assessment § Independent country-level, thematic evaluations and high-quality decentralized evaluations commissioned by the country offices considered § Emphasis on identifying relevant lessons for UNDP § The analysis seeks to offer practical and timely insights to support UNDP’s decision-makers for effective crisis response Context – UNDP support to local governance UNDP’s COVID-19 local governance support response includes services delivery (clean water, sanitation, housing, and citizen security), decentralization and power devolution, economic development, and accountability of government action 3

At a glance – Lessons learned 1 Local governance programming is an effective way to build blocks and assist in crisis recovery and prevention efforts. 4 Rapid assessments of local needs are good tools to prioritize needs and develop appropriate responses in the aftermath of crisis. 2 5 7 A holistic approach to local governance programming works well to reduce fragmentation, create synergies and enhance efficiencies at the local level. Decentralization reforms are important investments towards better-structured municipalities to address crisis but require an early start and long-term commitment. 3 6 Improving local infrastructure and capacities is critical to enable host communities cope with demands created by refugees and IDPs. Linking successful individual interventions at the local level to national policy reform is an effective way to scale up interventions and enable wider impact. Inclusive and bottom-up approaches promote the engagement of local stakeholders in planning and build-backbetter processes and contribute to achieving lasting results. 4

Lesson 1. Local governance programming is an effective way to build blocks and assist in crisis recovery and prevention efforts § UNDP has supported improvements in service delivery, revenue collection, housing and basic infrastructure and simplification of government services (e-governance) § UNDP has assisted on increasing awareness among civil society and subnational governments, and provided capacity building to municipal and district levels on public oversight of budgeting and local development planning Examples: Angola, Cuba, Equatorial Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Guinea Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Bissau Cameroon, and Zimbabwe Lebanon, Turkey § UNDP has supported livelihoods, strenghtened municipal police services and waste management, and assisted central governments on decentralization and power devolution 5

Lesson 2. A holistic approach to local governance programming works well to reduce fragmentation, create synergies and enhance efficiencies at the local level § The range and types of services needed provide opportunities to integrate efforts and combine projects, which can generate synergies and enhance efficiencies in UNDP local governance programming § UNDP has adopted a holistic approach towards building communities with a combination of economic development projects and investments in governance, and (re)constructing social infrastructure Examples: Angola, Cuba, Equatorial Tajikistan, Guinea Bangladesh Bissau and Zimbabwe § Consideration needs to be given to proper resourcing these efforts 6

Lesson 3. Improving local infrastructure and capacities is critical to enable host communities cope with demands created by refugees and IDPs Examples: § Through 3 RP country programmes, UNDP has helped governments to expand services (energy, solid waste, job creation and social protection) to cope with the influx of displaced persons § UNDP has supported community-focused housing and livelihood-related social infrastructure to enhance opportunities for vulnerable communities, including women and IDPs Examples: Angola, Jordan, Turkey, Cuba, Equatorial Egypt, Iraq, Guinea Lebanon, Bissau and Zimbabwe Sri Lanka, Somalia § UNDP has built capacities at the local level to deal with tension and conflict (e. g. Mechanisms for Social Stability) 7

Lesson 4. Rapid assessments of local needs are good tools to prioritize needs and develop appropriate responses in the aftermath of crisis § UNDP has shown a high-level responsiveness to disaster events at local level, by providing expeditious support for recovery and reconstruction in the aftermath of earthquakes, and a rapid postdisaster needs assessment Examples: Angola, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Bhutan, Guinea Bissau and Uganda Zimbabwe § Coordination of rapid assessments with those of other agencies is important to avoid raising unrealistic resources expectations among the local population and delaying responses 8

Lesson 5. Decentralization reforms are important investments towards better-structured municipalities to address crisis but require an early start and long-term commitment § Supporting countries efforts to decentralize and improve municipal capacities is key to enable them to better respond and recover from crisis but a long-term strategy well in advance is needed Examples: Angola, Cuba, Equatorial Somalia, Guinea Bangladesh, Bissau and Iraq Zimbabwe § UNDP has assisted national policymaking, by drafting policy studies, strategies, regulations, rules and guidelines to support implementation of local government acts § In many cases, national government commitment is slow, and it takes time to engage centralized states resisting to transferring resources and autonomy to local government 9

Lesson 6. Linking successful individual interventions at the local level to national policy reform is an effective way to scale up interventions and enable wider impact § UNDP programmes tend to support diverse and small-scale activities that are individually successful but do not add up to systemic change or have links to policy reform Examples: Angola, Examples: Cuba, Equatorial Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Guinea Turkey, Guatemala Bissau and Zimbabwe § It is critical to leverage government policies or institutionalize successful pilot initiatives for broader application by governments and development agencies § In disaster risk management, national process guide actions but it is important to validate strategies, strengthen local regulatory frameworks, and build local capacities for implementation 10

Lesson 7. Inclusive and bottom-up approaches promote the engagement of local stakeholders in planning and build-backbetter processes and contribute to achieving more lasting results § UNDP has used inclusive and bottom-up approaches to bring communities together to undertake conflict assessments and identify solutions § UNDP has involved communities and worked with municipalities in water supply management, housing design and construction, and obtained positive results in increasing ownership and accountability Examples: Angola, Lebanon, Cuba, Equatorial Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Guinea Nicaragua, Bissau and Timor Leste, Zimbabwe Somalia § Using a bottom-up planning and budgeting process at the local level, UNDP has contributed to develop capacities, systems, tools and processes for local planning, programming, implementation and public expenditure management 11

Thank You @undp_evaluation @ieoundp http: //web. undp. org/evaluation/reflection s