- Evaluation Plan:
- 2012-2015, Zimbabwe
- Evaluation Type:
- Outcome
- Planned End Date:
- 12/2014
- Completion Date:
- 11/2014
- Status:
- Completed
- Management Response:
- Yes
- Evaluation Budget(US $):
- 30,000
Enhanced Economic Management and Pro-poor Development Policies and Strategies
| Document | Type | Language | Size | Status | Downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ToR Economic Management Outcome Evaluation Final.docx |
tor | English | 74.40 KB | Posted | 1715 |
 Final Report-Enhanced Economic management and Pro-poor Development.pdf |
report | English | 2093.41 KB | Posted | 2538 |
| Title | Enhanced Economic Management and Pro-poor Development Policies and Strategies | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas Project Number: | |||||||||||||
| Evaluation Plan: | 2012-2015, Zimbabwe | ||||||||||||
| Evaluation Type: | Outcome | ||||||||||||
| Status: | Completed | ||||||||||||
| Completion Date: | 11/2014 | ||||||||||||
| Planned End Date: | 12/2014 | ||||||||||||
| Management Response: | Yes | ||||||||||||
| Focus Area: |
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| Corporate Outcome and Output (UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021) |
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| Evaluation Budget(US $): | 30,000 | ||||||||||||
| Source of Funding: | |||||||||||||
| Joint Programme: | No | ||||||||||||
| Joint Evaluation: | No | ||||||||||||
| Evaluation Team members: |
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| GEF Evaluation: | No | ||||||||||||
| Key Stakeholders: | GoZ, UNDP | ||||||||||||
| Countries: | ZIMBABWE |
| Lessons | |
|---|---|
| Findings |
| Recommendations | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Considering its elevated mandate to fill the gap left by many Cooperating partners, UNDP-Zimbabwe need s to strengthen its macroeconomic and sectoral advisory services, particularly during the period before other Cooperating Partners re-emerge and assume a more positive complimentary role. This calls for enhancement of in-house and short-term outsourced competence mix in economic/development planning and macroeconomic modeling. |
| 2 | Additional in-house capacity in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), especially as it relates to poverty interventions, is also needed considering the magnitude of assistance that is required within the Government in this field. Enhanced M&E expertise is also important in programme design, which is so essential for securing desirable effects especially in the area of targeting poverty reduction. |
| 3 | The use of expatriate TAs as a first choice rather than a last alternative should be discouraged since technical assistance must be designed to focus, first and foremost, on building domestic capacity and institutions. Thus, TA should be used to complement rather than displace local capacities. In the light of this and as UNDP intensifies its support to capacity enhancement, TA must be defined by, and supportive of, national efforts and that, rather than being an isolated component of aid, it ought to be carefully calibrated into, and become an integral part of, Zimbabwe?s national planning, in general, and human resource development strategy, in particular. |
| 4 | UNDP should enhance its resolve to support the renewed Government commitment to improving aid management and coordination. In this regard, the Organisation is urged to continue working closely with the Government in its renewed effort to develop an appropriate framework on Development Cooperation. In the same vein, Government should be supported in its renewed resolve to develop a framework that would facilitate positive dialogue with Cooperating Partners. |
| 5 | UNDP should increasingly rely on its strong convening power to bring together the Government, development partners and civil society organisations towards delivering a better future for Zimbabwe. In the same context and as the main Cooperating Partner active in Zimbabwe presently, UNDP is urged to assume the brokering role of facilitating the creation of an effective dialogue mechanism that brings Government and Cooperating Partners together to meaningfully initiate the much needed dialogue over the developmental route the country should take and towards which Cooperating Partners should channel resources. Such dialogue architecture should aim to simplify working relationships, foster flexibility, and facilitate better structured communication within the Government |
| 6 | There is need to have a verifiable ?feedback system? that ensures that the identified challenges during implementation and weaknesses noted in the implementation systems and processes as well as learned experiences are properly captured and used towards future improvements in project execution. An effective feedback system with a built-in follow-up mechanism is, therefore, recommended for all the projects that are supported by UNDP in Zimbabwe. In this regard, all project boards and steering committees should make a conscious effort to develop follow-up systems that track implementation and which promptly take corrective action when implementation challenges emerge on both the Government and donor sides. |
1. Recommendation: Considering its elevated mandate to fill the gap left by many Cooperating partners, UNDP-Zimbabwe need s to strengthen its macroeconomic and sectoral advisory services, particularly during the period before other Cooperating Partners re-emerge and assume a more positive complimentary role. This calls for enhancement of in-house and short-term outsourced competence mix in economic/development planning and macroeconomic modeling.
Management Response: [Added: 2014/12/04]
Recommendation noted. CO now has 2 Economic Advisors and a national economist to support the programme
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Increase CO capacities for economic policy development, planning and macroeconomic modelling
- Increase the role of the Economic Advisor in economic policy advisory, strategic planning and macro-economic modelling
b. Request assistance in these areas from the RSC and HQ as and when needed.
[Added: 2014/12/04] [Last Updated: 2016/08/01] |
PRHIV Unit and the Economic advisors | 2015/04 | Completed | The CO managed to strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Macro-Economic Planing and Investment Promotion through designing the macro-economic modeling for the 2015 national budget. In addition the Economic Advisor successfully assisted in the operationalization of the national development plan - ZIMASSET. History |
2. Recommendation: Additional in-house capacity in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), especially as it relates to poverty interventions, is also needed considering the magnitude of assistance that is required within the Government in this field. Enhanced M&E expertise is also important in programme design, which is so essential for securing desirable effects especially in the area of targeting poverty reduction.
Management Response: [Added: 2014/12/04]
CO is supporting the roll out of the country?s IRBM which will enhance capacity for planning and accountability of results
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strengthen and streamline M&E support in the area of economic management and poverty reduction
-Train Programme staff on RBM in the CO
- Support training of M&E officers within IPs
[Added: 2014/12/04] [Last Updated: 2016/08/01] |
PRHIV Unit and the M&E Specialist | 2015/04 | Completed | a training on RBM was conducted for IPs and CSOs this year and a refresher is planned for 2015 but the date is yet to determined. A training session was undertaken at Pandhari Lodge during which all IPs participated. History |
3. Recommendation: The use of expatriate TAs as a first choice rather than a last alternative should be discouraged since technical assistance must be designed to focus, first and foremost, on building domestic capacity and institutions. Thus, TA should be used to complement rather than displace local capacities. In the light of this and as UNDP intensifies its support to capacity enhancement, TA must be defined by, and supportive of, national efforts and that, rather than being an isolated component of aid, it ought to be carefully calibrated into, and become an integral part of, Zimbabwe?s national planning, in general, and human resource development strategy, in particular.
Management Response: [Added: 2014/12/04]
Recommendation is noted
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - Identify individuals to under-study the TAs at the IPs
- Assist the GOZ to develop and operationalize a capacity development plan
[Added: 2014/12/04] [Last Updated: 2017/12/19] |
Management | 2017/12 | Completed | The above recommendations have been factored into in the new 2016-2020 programme cycle for the CO, specifically with exit strategies having been included in each of the projects. These exit strategies are being refined, and hence the due date has been extended to 2017. History |
4. Recommendation: UNDP should enhance its resolve to support the renewed Government commitment to improving aid management and coordination. In this regard, the Organisation is urged to continue working closely with the Government in its renewed effort to develop an appropriate framework on Development Cooperation. In the same vein, Government should be supported in its renewed resolve to develop a framework that would facilitate positive dialogue with Cooperating Partners.
Management Response: [Added: 2014/12/04]
Noted. UNDP is already working with the MOF on this issue
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. Support the GOZ to review and operationalize the Aid Coordination policy
b. Support the establishment of the Aid Coordination secretariat under the Ministry of Finance
[Added: 2014/12/04] [Last Updated: 2017/12/19] |
Economic Advisors and National Economist | 2017/12 | Completed | A proposed framework has been drafted and submitted to government. Discussions with government are currently on-going. The Aid Coordination project document has been drafted together with the Ministry of Macro-Economic Planning, which provides the basis for the execution of the above action points. This project document is part of the new 2016-2020 programme cycle. History |
5. Recommendation: UNDP should increasingly rely on its strong convening power to bring together the Government, development partners and civil society organisations towards delivering a better future for Zimbabwe. In the same context and as the main Cooperating Partner active in Zimbabwe presently, UNDP is urged to assume the brokering role of facilitating the creation of an effective dialogue mechanism that brings Government and Cooperating Partners together to meaningfully initiate the much needed dialogue over the developmental route the country should take and towards which Cooperating Partners should channel resources. Such dialogue architecture should aim to simplify working relationships, foster flexibility, and facilitate better structured communication within the Government
Management Response: [Added: 2014/12/04]
Recommendation noted. UNDP has already started to hold talks with donors and the GOZ on this
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . Establish a donor coordination forum
b. Convene an economic development forum including donors, CSOs, government and the private sector.
[Added: 2014/12/04] [Last Updated: 2017/12/19] |
Mangement and the Economic advisors together with GoZ | 2017/12 | Completed | Discussions have begun and an indicative structure has been drafted however, the forum is yet to be established. The above action points are inco-operated in the Aid Coordination draft prodoc developed together with the Government of Zimbabwe, under the new 2016-2020 programme cycle. History |
6. Recommendation: There is need to have a verifiable ?feedback system? that ensures that the identified challenges during implementation and weaknesses noted in the implementation systems and processes as well as learned experiences are properly captured and used towards future improvements in project execution. An effective feedback system with a built-in follow-up mechanism is, therefore, recommended for all the projects that are supported by UNDP in Zimbabwe. In this regard, all project boards and steering committees should make a conscious effort to develop follow-up systems that track implementation and which promptly take corrective action when implementation challenges emerge on both the Government and donor sides.
Management Response: [Added: 2014/12/04]
Recommendation noted
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientate programme and project boards on their roles and responsibilities
[Added: 2014/12/04] [Last Updated: 2017/12/19] |
Programme Managers, Heads of Units and DCDP | 2017/12 | Completed | A comprehensive terms of reference of the project board has been devoloped and shared with Unit heads and management for review. As a follow-up to the above, this will be fully implemented in the implementation of the new programme cycle 2016-2020. This process is ongoing and was fully planned for in the current project cycle. History |