Management Response Detail

Final Project Evaluation: Strengthening Media and Civic Education to Enhance Democracy in Bhutan

Commissioning Unit:	Bhutan
Evaluation Plan:	2008-2013
Evaluation Type:	Project
Completion Date:	07/2013
Unit Responsible for providing Management Response:	Bhutan
Documents Related to overall Management Response:

1. Recommendation: Continued support to civil society. Currently, BCMD is the only CSO in Bhutan that focuses on building professional capacity in the media and other key institutions toward building a democratic culture. With the support of UNDEF, BCMD was able to strengthen their own capacity in providing specialized knowledge and meeting the objectives of this project. However, as Bhutanese civil society continues to develop, CSOs like BCMD need continuous support in various capacities from UNDEF. Furthermore, the Bhutanese Government and the civil society need to understand the important role that CSOs have in Bhutan?s young democracy.

Management Response: [Added: 2013/12/15]

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) will, under the One Programme 2014-2018, provide continued technical and financial support to civil society organizations in Bhutan and it is acknowledged that civil society in Bhutan needs ongoing support. Information regarding UNDEF Calls for Proposals will continue to be disseminated and organisations advised on submitting applications as appropriate by UNDP Bhutan. However, UNDEF will take its own decisions on future support to Bhutanese civil society. Organisations like BCMD will need support not only to carry out activities but in strengthening capacity through training opportunities for staff in a variety of areas from project management to evaluations and facilitation skills. CSOs involved in working to develop media and democracy will also benefit from interactions with similar non-profit organisations in the region and beyond to learn from successful models. Investment in development of CSOs involved in democracy work is required as Bhutan?s experience is still new and developing five years after democratic change.

Key Actions:

Key Action	Responsible	DueDate	Status	Comments	Documents
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) will, under the One Programme 2014-2018, provide continued technical and financial support to civil society organizations in Bhutan Information regarding UNDEF Calls for Proposals will continue to be disseminated and organisations advised on submitting applications as appropriate by UNDP Bhutan [Added: 2013/12/15] [Last Updated: 2018/11/13]	UNDP	2013/12	Completed	As per the CPD, CO continues to work with CSOs and build their capacities.

2. Recommendation: Coordinated programme of training activities. CSOs, Government agencies and training institutes need to work together to develop a practical and coordinated programme of training programs and activities in the field of media and democracy development. This form of collaboration can at best result in a synergy that can be very effective, efficient and strengthen the impact of future projects, as well as avoiding possible overlaps as the number of actors in the field increases.

Management Response: [Added: 2013/12/15]

Management Response ? Recommendation 2: No single institution can take control over the development of a programme of support activities where each organization has their own mandate and priorities. CSOs have a coordinating mechanisms, but there may indeed be room for increased coordination amongst the different agencies. During 2013, UNDP Bhutan will be undertaking an assessment of civil society and media in relation to fostering participation. The outcomes of the assessment will inform the future strategy for UNDP support, which may include support to coordination mechanism as appropriate. It may be useful for BCMD or UNDP to take the lead in co-ordinating an annual meeting of stakeholders to discuss priorities and activities with the view to share and tap possible collaboration.

Key Actions:

Key Action	Responsible	DueDate	Status	Comments	Documents
Civil society and media assessment to be undertaken by UNDP, including recommendations on possible mechanisms of engagement. [Added: 2013/12/15]	Governance Unit, UNDP	2013/12	Completed	Report is currently being finalized. Recommendations will inform programming for One Programme

3. Recommendation: Dialogues between public and private institutions. The Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) and various Government and private organizations could have frequent dialogues to initiate programs that could create awareness and understanding on democracy.

Management Response: [Added: 2013/12/15]

Increased dialogue and cooperation to initiate programmes on civic education may be beneficial. While the initiation of regular dialogues will not be responsibility of UNDP Bhutan, where possible dialogues may be included in future programming. BCMD conducts regular forums on democracy and will continue to do so identifying relevant themes in the coming year. The focus has and will remain the creation of awareness and understanding of democracry. Some attention could be paid to increasing dialogue between public and civil society as well as private organisations. Again when it comes to frequency, it is possibly best to have an annual or twice yearly meeting to coordinate efforts

Key Actions:

Key Action	Responsible	DueDate	Status	Comments	Documents
In future programming, UNDP will make efforts to include and consult all relevant stakeholders. [Added: 2013/12/15] [Last Updated: 2018/11/12]	Governance Unit, UNDP	2014/12	Completed

4. Recommendation: Education on responsibilities. With democracy, people have become aware of their rights such as the right to speech and expression in the new democratic setting and they assert this right. However, there seems to be a lack of understanding where most do not wholly comprehend that democracy also encapsulates a stronger sense of responsibility for each individual. Future programs should be geared toward creating this sense of responsibility and bringing about greater awareness on the duties of citizens apart from voting.

Management Response: [Added: 2013/12/15]

The project focused on civic education which includes a sense of citizens? rights and responsibilities in a wider sense. Continued efforts in this regard will continue to be important. UNDP Bhutan intends to continue to support civic education under the upcoming programme cycle (2014-2018). BCMD has retained ?Education on responsibilities? as a priority in its next strategic plan for the next 5 years; support is needed to enable the CSO to upscale its activities and to replicate what has worked in the previous project e.g. a civic action guide, and publications on democracy.

Key Actions:

Key Action	Responsible	DueDate	Status	Comments	Documents
UNDP Bhutan will develop a programme in support of civic education and awareness of rights and duties in collaboration with partners in Bhutan, dependent on funding being available. [Added: 2013/12/15] [Last Updated: 2018/11/12]	Governance Unit, UNDP	2014/12	Completed
BCMD will maintain ?Education on responsibilities? as a priority in the next strategic plan. [Added: 2013/12/15]	BCMD	2018/12	Completed

5. Recommendation: More training at the local level. Trainings and workshops in creating awareness of rights should be brought to the level of geog coordinators and tshogpas in all the districts where they will be able to educate rural voters on their duties and rights.

Management Response: [Added: 2013/12/15]

BCMD undertook activities to strengthen understanding of democracy at the local levels with UNDEF supporting our first two pilot workshops for geog admin officers covering nearly 90 participants. These GAOs have returned to their geogs and shared some of their experiences and although no studies have been conducted, we have verbal feedback that both rights and duties of citizens and need for a more transparent system of governance has been shared with geog staff. BCMD has been able to use this experience to design and expand on the workshops for GAOs in 2013 covering another 100 GAOs and 30 locally elected officials ( gups). Continued support will enable BCMD to deepen the understanding of rights and duties and the role of citizens in the coming programme cycle beginning in 2014.

Key Actions:

Key Action	Responsible	DueDate	Status	Comments	Documents
Workshops at the local level to be continued by BCMD [Added: 2013/12/15]	BCMD	2014/12	Completed

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