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Tajikistan Project Assessment a Although information on the effectiveness of training inputs is missing, district level actors and interviewed stakeholders from the district development committees confirmed that training provided in the process of elaborating district development plans made them better able to contribute to the planning process. Inclusion of district council members in the training proved beneficial for their understanding of the potential role of mid-term planning in the local development process. a The project helped improve the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public policy. This was done by introducing district and regional authorities to new information collection and registration tools, and aligning collected data with national indicators of MDG, National Development Strategy and Poverty Reduction Strategy targets. In addition to the main statistical data entry tool, other instruments were also introduced, such as socio-economic baseline survey and citizen report cards (these instruments were originally development within the framework of the DGTTFsupported project Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level). Efficiency In recognition of the special development situation of Tajikistan and the limited capacity of local authorities to execute the project, it was agreed to use the Direct Execution implementation modality. The project was implemented directly by UNDP Tajikistan under the umbrella of UNDP’s Communities Programme in close collaboration with the government. This arrangement ensured efficient project delivery, with the overall responsibility for the management of the project resting with the Communities Programme. The Communities Programme adapted its structures as required, and established transparent project administration procedures and operation systems. This helped ensure the scheduled delivery of inputs and production of outputs. The project’s financial management was based on UNDP procedures, and regular financial reports were prepared. Innovation In post-conflict Tajikistan, the gap between districts deepened as a consequence of the existing differences in the economy, infrastructure, employment, income, and living standards between the country’s regions. At the same time, there was a lack of a comprehensive methodological framework to address priorities at the national, regional and local level and establish links between planning and budgeting processes. The project introduced a unique and innovative approach to prepare district development plans. It used a participatory approach to identify strategic priorities and to establish specific local mechanisms, instruments and indicators, aligned with National Development Strategy and Poverty Reduction Strategy indicators, and to allocate the required financial resources to implement priorities. In addition, the project provided tailor-made capacity development programme (training and mentoring) on poverty reduction planning and monitoring, plus design of district development plans. Finally, the project supported a new approach to donor aid coordination through a comprehensive information system. This system encompassed data from the jamoats, and from the district and national level on a wide range of issues and in particular, as a matter of priority, on development and poverty reduction trends in different parts of the country. Catalytic effect The project operated within an existing partnership between UNDP and key national and international development partners, because it was implemented as a part of the Communities Programme. The positive experience and achievements of the project set the ground for the next phase of the Communities Programme. The project had secured additional funding from DGTTF (for the Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting project, which was integrated into the Communities Programme), as well as from the UK Department for International Development and the Canadian International Development Agency. In addition, the project contributed directly to enhancing partnerships between UNDP and national partners. This is reflected by the agreements signed between UNDP and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Strategic Research Centre, the Institute for the Civil Servants Training, the Ministry of Finance, the State Statistic Committee, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the Parliament. Sustainability Based on the results of the DGTTF project and following the same approach, the District Development Plans were prepared for the new six districts (in addition to those targeted by the project). At the same time, three districts that had already adopted development plans focussed on their implementation. These activities were implemented within the framework of the Communities Programme. The key role in this preparation process and implementation was and remained with the district development councils. They fulfill 19
Local Governance and Decentralization a number of functions that in a long run should become the responsibilities of district authorities and their departments (e.g. strategic development planning, decision making on resources allocation, updating, maintaining and analysing district socioeconomic database, coordination of development plans, and investments with external actors). The councils are currently supported through different projects and activities, which is why their sustainability remains critical. The sustainability of training programmes designed and tested with support of this project was ensured, because the Institute for Civil Service Training adopted them for its regular curricula. Training was delivered to district stakeholders in districts that have started to prepare development plans. However, capacities available at the district level are still weak, which affects the sustainability of the participatory planning concept. Despite intensive local capacity development efforts, the process of developing plans is being led to a large extent by national level experts, which is why further work on improving capacities at the district level is required. Improving the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring and evaluation of public policy helped to improve informed decision making and planning process. It also helped in monitoring and evaluating development inputs based on up-to-date and accurate data available at the district level. The introduction of multiple data collection and assessment tools required effort in terms of developing local partner capacities, but it currently operates well. The citizen report cards method became an attractive tool for monitoring changes based on citizens’ perception. The Centre for Strategic Research is leading and coordinating all activities related to collection of this information. Gender Gender indicators were not included at the project design stage, so gender mainstreaming was difficult to assess. The gender dimension within this project was, therefore, indirectly analysed, by reviewing activities, processes and analysing outputs. According to the training delivery reports, in all training sessions there were equal numbers of women and men. In addition, the project promoted gender balance in the district development councils. The data collected through the information system were disaggregated for men and women. This is the first required step in preparation of more gender sensitive policies. 20
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