- Evaluation Plan:
- 2015-2020, Afghanistan
- Evaluation Type:
- Final Project
- Planned End Date:
- 06/2019
- Completion Date:
- 07/2019
- Status:
- Completed
- Management Response:
- Yes
- Evaluation Budget(US $):
- 70,000
Final Evaluation of the project "Afghanistan Access to Justice" (AA2J)
| Document | Type | Language | Size | Status | Downloads |
|---|
| Title | Final Evaluation of the project "Afghanistan Access to Justice" (AA2J) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlas Project Number: | 00094291 | ||||||||
| Evaluation Plan: | 2015-2020, Afghanistan | ||||||||
| Evaluation Type: | Final Project | ||||||||
| Status: | Completed | ||||||||
| Completion Date: | 07/2019 | ||||||||
| Planned End Date: | 06/2019 | ||||||||
| Management Response: | Yes | ||||||||
| UNDP Signature Solution: |
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| Corporate Outcome and Output (UNDP Strategic Plan 2018-2021) |
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| SDG Goal |
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| SDG Target |
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| Evaluation Budget(US $): | 70,000 | ||||||||
| Source of Funding: | Project resources | ||||||||
| Evaluation Expenditure(US $): | 70,000 | ||||||||
| Joint Programme: | No | ||||||||
| Joint Evaluation: | No | ||||||||
| Evaluation Team members: |
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| GEF Evaluation: | No | ||||||||
| Key Stakeholders: | Ministry of Justice (MoJ) | ||||||||
| Countries: | AFGHANISTAN |
| Lessons | |
|---|---|
| Findings |
| Recommendations | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Enhanced partnerships through platform programming: The next phase of the AA2J project should be designed in an innovative manner as a “platform project “where UNDP gathers strategic partners around the same goal, without being at the center of the project design. |
| 2 | Top-down protection and bottom-up empowerment: The next phase of the project is developed in line with the human rights-based approach to programming |
| 3 | Promote Change Management Approach: The project staff is empowered with appropriate levels of responsibility combined with decision-making authority to ensure effective project implementation. The project team needs to be fit for purpose with a suitable balance of technical knowledge and project management skills. |
| 4 | Partner-orientated focus: In the next phase, the project partnership should focus more on building a higher degree of trust, adequately communicating and managing expectations and limitations, seizing opportunities and creating solutions. In addition to the already existing coordination mechanisms in the project, through the Project Board, and the Technical Working Group on Rule of Law, establishing a specific Access to Justice Policy Dialogue Platform should be considered. |
| 5 | Adaptive programming: The next phase of the project should be looking more at incubating and seeding, including with regards to the provision of free legal aid and development of a state funded and managed system of legal aid provision. |
| 6 | Implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation Recommendations: All project partners should have an M&E system at the lower and central level, with UNDP project staff backstopping them to ensure standards and quality. In addition, significant resources should be allocated for data quality assurance in the next phase of the project to ensure that the data collected in reliable and usable |
| 7 | Ownership and Sustainability: Follow a participatory approach during the development of the next phase of the project, including consultations with all relevant partners, sharing the draft project document and actively seeking their validation of the planned lines of support. |
| 8 | Upstreaming engagement: In the next phase senior management play a more active role in elevating the project profile, significance and impact as well as positioning UNDP more as policy partners at the policy dialogue level, rather than simply as providers of logistical support. |
1. Recommendation:
Enhanced partnerships through platform programming: The next phase of the AA2J project should be designed in an innovative manner as a “platform project “where UNDP gathers strategic partners around the same goal, without being at the center of the project design.
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
This recommendation was already taken forward in the design process of the new project
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform programming and consultative project design
[Added: 2019/12/18] |
ROLHS | 2019/12 | Completed | Project document submitted for donor credit proposal. Credit proposal accepted by SDC for funding 50% of the project funding. Awaiting an additional 50% support in funding |
2. Recommendation:
Top-down protection and bottom-up empowerment: The next phase of the project is developed in line with the human rights-based approach to programming
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
Agreed and the AA2J Phase II project (named AQJS project – Access to Quality Justice Services) has been designed to address both demand (bottom-up empowerment for people) and supply (government institutional support) sides of the needs to increase access to justice in Afghanistan.
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To include both demand (bottom-up empowerment for people) and supply (government institutional support for top-down protection) sides in the new project scope.
[Added: 2019/12/18] |
ROLHS | 2019/12 | Completed | Project Document completed and accepted by SDC for 50% funding. | |
| Conduct a thorough mapping and develop comprehensive criteria to identify the NGOs to partner with to pilot legal aid provision.
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2020/04/05] |
ROLHS | 2020/03 | Completed | The AA2J project is now closed and this action is being undertaken through the Access to Quality Justice Services (AQJS) project and already been initiated. History |
3. Recommendation:
Promote Change Management Approach: The project staff is empowered with appropriate levels of responsibility combined with decision-making authority to ensure effective project implementation. The project team needs to be fit for purpose with a suitable balance of technical knowledge and project management skills.
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
UNDP agreed with this recommendation and will implement the change management approach as one of the project management tools for the next phase.
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruit qualified and experienced staff for the new project with relevant technical knowledge and project management skills.
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2020/04/05] |
ROLHS | 2020/03 | Completed | The AA2J project is now closed and this action is being undertaken through the Access to Quality Justice Services (AQJS) project and already been initiated History | |
| Identify the project staff capacity gap on various technical issues and provide capacity building trainings mainly on issues related to ‘change management’
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2022/01/16] |
ROLHS | 2021/12 | No Longer Applicable |
[Justification: Financial constraints (fund shortage) triggered by the change in regime in mid-August 2021 forced UNDP senior management to close AQJS project. Accordingly, all activities of the project including staff capacity building have been terminated as of 31 December 2021. ] Financial constraints (fund shortage) triggered by the change in regime in mid-August 2021 forced UNDP senior management to close AQJS project. Accordingly, all activities of the project including staff capacity building have been terminated as of 31 December 2021. History |
4. Recommendation:
Partner-orientated focus: In the next phase, the project partnership should focus more on building a higher degree of trust, adequately communicating and managing expectations and limitations, seizing opportunities and creating solutions. In addition to the already existing coordination mechanisms in the project, through the Project Board, and the Technical Working Group on Rule of Law, establishing a specific Access to Justice Policy Dialogue Platform should be considered.
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
UNDP agreed with this recommendation.
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Establish “Access to Justice Policy Dialogue Platform”, which will be facilitated by UNDP and comprised of three components, a Policy Dialogue Group, a Donor Coordination Council and a Collaboration of relevant CSOs and NGOs.
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2022/01/16] |
AQJS/Project Team | 2021/12 | No Longer Applicable |
[Justification: Financial constraints (fund shortage) triggered by the change in regime in mid-August 2021 forced UNDP senior management to close AQJS project. Accordingly, all activities of the project including staff capacity building have been terminated as of 31 December 2021. ] Financial constraints (fund shortage) triggered by the change in regime in mid-August 2021 forced UNDP senior management to close AQJS project. Accordingly, all activities of the project including staff capacity building have been terminated as of 31 December 2021. History |
5. Recommendation:
Adaptive programming: The next phase of the project should be looking more at incubating and seeding, including with regards to the provision of free legal aid and development of a state funded and managed system of legal aid provision.
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
This recommendation has already been considered by UNDP in the new project design to pilot multiple streams of free legal aid provision approaches and identify the most successful approach in the Afghanistan socio-political context for future scaling-up.
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Consult all stakeholders and develop Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Legal Aid Provision Small Grant
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2020/04/05] |
AQJS Project Team | 2020/03 | Completed | The AA2J project is now closed and this action is being undertaken through the Access to Quality Justice Services (AQJS) project and already been initiated History | |
| Launch a call for proposals for the Legal Aid Provision Small Grant and select CSOs
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2020/04/05] |
AQJS Project Team | 2020/03 | Completed | The AA2J project is now closed and this action is being undertaken through the Access to Quality Justice Services (AQJS) project and already been initiated History |
6. Recommendation:
Implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation Recommendations: All project partners should have an M&E system at the lower and central level, with UNDP project staff backstopping them to ensure standards and quality. In addition, significant resources should be allocated for data quality assurance in the next phase of the project to ensure that the data collected in reliable and usable
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
UNDP agreed with this recommendation and Justice Perception survey was conducted in Q2 2019. More comprehensive surveys and M&E activities will be conducted together with RoLHS LOTFA M&E team .
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conduct a baseline survey in the specific provinces within which the project will be implemented to collect accurate data on the project results indicators.
[Added: 2019/12/18] |
AQJS Project Team | 2019/12 | Completed | The Access to Justice Rapid perception survey was undertaken across 12 provinces in 5 regions. Preliminary analysis from the survey was used to inform the programmatic design and interventions identified under the new AQJS project document. This perception survey will serve as baseline for the AQJS project to be implemented from 01.01.2020. | |
| Establish function and decentralized M&E system for each implementing partner of the project
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2022/01/16] |
AQJS Project Team | 2021/12 | No Longer Applicable |
[Justification: Due to the official closure of the AQJS project, the initiatives to establish functional and decentralized M&E system for government offices such as MOJ (SCD, Taqnine and HRSD), AGO and SC, as well as the three CSOs has been terminated. ] Due to the official closure of the AQJS project, the initiatives to establish functional and decentralized M&E system for government offices such as MOJ (SCD, Taqnine and HRSD), AGO and SC, as well as the three CSOs has been terminated. History |
|
| Develop data quality assurance mechanism for the project
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2022/01/16] |
AQJS Project Team | 2021/12 | No Longer Applicable |
[Justification: Due to the official closure of the AQJS project, the initiatives to establish functional and decentralized M&E system for government offices such as MOJ (SCD, Taqnine and HRSD), AGO and SC, as well as the three CSOs has been terminated. ] Due to the official closure of the AQJS project, the initiatives to establish functional and decentralized M&E system for government offices such as MOJ (SCD, Taqnine and HRSD), AGO and SC, as well as the three CSOs has been terminated. History |
7. Recommendation:
Ownership and Sustainability: Follow a participatory approach during the development of the next phase of the project, including consultations with all relevant partners, sharing the draft project document and actively seeking their validation of the planned lines of support.
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
UNDP has already considered this recommendation and engaged/consulted all relevant stakeholders in designing process of the next phase of the project
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Share the draft project document and actively seek all stakeholders input, validation and endorsement of the planned lines of support to secure buy-in and ownership right from the inception
[Added: 2019/12/18] |
ROLHS | 2019/10 | Completed | The Pro Doc for the new AQJS project (to be implemented from 01.01.2020) was finalised through comprehensive consultations, inputs and feedback from the government partners. | |
| Hold regular discussion with the Ministry of Finance and other respective institutions to secure appropriate funding for greater sustainability of the project results achieved.
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2022/01/16] |
AQJS Project Team | 2021/12 | No Longer Applicable |
[Justification: The AQJS project had been advocating for securing additional fund for the unfunded activities of the AQJS project to ensure the sustainability of the project results, particularly during the Justice Window Technical Working Group Meetings. However, all efforts of the project went in vain due to the closure of the project in December 2021. ] The AQJS project had been advocating for securing additional fund for the unfunded activities of the AQJS project to ensure the sustainability of the project results, particularly during the Justice Window Technical Working Group Meetings. However, all efforts of the project went in vain due to the closure of the project in December 2021. History |
8. Recommendation:
Upstreaming engagement: In the next phase senior management play a more active role in elevating the project profile, significance and impact as well as positioning UNDP more as policy partners at the policy dialogue level, rather than simply as providers of logistical support.
Management Response: [Added: 2019/12/18]
UNDP agreed with this recommendation to increase the commitment and engagement of the senior management of UNDP at policy dialogues related to access to justice in Afghanistan.
Key Actions:
| Key Action | Responsible | DueDate | Status | Comments | Documents |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Management of UNDP attend high level meetings with partners to advocate the issues of access justice in Afghanistan.
[Added: 2019/12/18] [Last Updated: 2022/01/16] |
ROLHS | 2022/12 | Initiated | As a part of the Senior Management of UNDP effort to advocate the issues of access to justice in Afghanistan. The UNDP (DRR) had meetings with Chief Justice and as well as with Minister of Justice during 2021. The management will continue similar meeting in 2022 as well. History |