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Specifically, the project was designed to support the preparation
of regional development plans, which reflected local and
regional development priorities. At the same time, links with
the national strategic framework and financial resources were
established.
The second and the third projects are interlinked and it is difficult
to review one without also considering the other. While the two
projects are presented separately, the similarities are evident.
Introduction
Purpose, Scope and Methodology
The Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF)
was created in 2001 to provide an opportunity for UNDP
Country Offices to undertake innovative activities that could
have a catalytic effect in supporting sustainable democratic
governance.
Within a broader range of UNDP activities in Tajikistan, the
country office implemented three local governance projects,
funded by the DGTTF, in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The first project, Clean Start for Local Councils – Building
Accountability at the Local Level, with total DGTTF
contribution of US$200,000, was designed to strengthen the
capacity of local councils to work professionally, transparently
and accountably. In addition, the project supported citizens’
participation in local decision-making processes through the
implementation of citizens’ report cards and the introduction
of a Citizens’ Charter. The project supported the establishment
of participatory planning mechanisms in the pilot districts
embodied in the District Development Councils.
The second project, Building National Capacities for
Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies, supported
with US$130,000 funding from DGTTF, was designed to address
development challenges at the district level by establishing
district development plans, and connecting district authorities
to civil society and the private sector. The project also worked
to increase district authorities’ knowledge of budget planning
and financial management, and to enhance capacities for aid
coordination, especially with international donors.
The third project, Building a Framework for Local Planning
and Budgeting, also supported with US$150,000 from the
DGTTF, built on the achievements of the second project.
The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of these
projects within the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, innovation,
catalytic effect, and sustainability, defined according to these
DGTTF guidelines:
a Relevance – How relevant is the project to the country’s
priority needs, and was the right strategy applied within
the country’s specific political, economic, and social contexts?
a Effectiveness – Effectiveness is a measure of the extent
to which an aid activity attains its objectives.
a Efficiency – Efficiency measures the outputs in relation
to the inputs. Were activities cost-efficient and were objectives
achieved on time?
a Innovation – Innovative projects address recognized
critical democratic governance issues that, if resolved,
may lead to substantial improvements in democratic
governance. They are initiatives, in terms of the problem
addressed or the approach taken, that have never before
been attempted in a given country. And although they
may be potentially risky or less certain of success than traditional
projects, they will position UNDP as a key player
in democratic governance, one that ‘pushes the frontier’.
a Catalytic effect – A catalytic project has a high likelihood
of receiving support from government or other governance
institutions (including other donors) for scaling up
or following up, if the project is successful.
a Sustainability – Sustainability is concerned with measuring
whether the benefits of an activity are likely to continue
after donor funding has been withdrawn. Projects
also need to be financially sustainable.
The methodology utilized for this study consists of a preliminary
literature review of all available project documents and reports,
a political economy analysis of the situation in Tajikistan, and a
field visit to Dushanbe and Sughd province.
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