Central to the unified strategy which integrates the four elements of this Programme will be institutional partnerships – i.e. embedding UNICEF and its interventions in what we might think of as the ‘engine-rooms’ of results-generation and addressing the key deficit in the sub-region of the lack of implementation capacity. Tentatively entitled ‘knowledge development partnerships’, these partners will be focal points and champions for innovation and results-generation. Modalities of cooperation will be established in each of the elements appropriate to the institutional or practitioner base in that field. In the case of HIV and Lifeskills they will focus on the whole-school approach and/or youth led groups; in the ECD element the partnership may be with a health clinic or pre-primary unit which serves as a community focal point; in the child protection/juvenile justice field the partnership may be with a cross-professional group. In the field of social policy and M&E, partnerships will be with participatory and formative evaluation forums, which will be responsible for generating an evidence base related to programme goals and obligations. Child protection will be mainstreamed in the different life-cycle stages through the whole school approach.
UNICEF will concentrate its efforts on these partnerships (though not exclusively) using a ‘cascade’ approach in which training and development of one knowledge partner will be diffused by that partner to its corresponding network. This is a system-wide development strategy and a means for co-opting civil society and its institutions into the drive for key results. It is expected that the synergies created by intensive work with these institutional partners, and the partners’ success in integrating policy and action across children’s services (i.e. across the elements of this Programme) will strengthen capacity and dedication to the generation of programme results. The criterion for selection of this formative partnership is its potential as a key unit for innovation and change. Associated partnerships with universities will further leverage the knowledge development.
Partnerships will empower children and civil society. They offer, therefore, an effective means of moving beyond participation to collaboration with children and youth. The programme will rely on the capacity of young people to conduct and report enquiries into how and where programme interventions and their concerns overlap. Tentative testing of this CPAP with young people in a school is suggesting that these overlaps occur (for example, around the need for security and the insistence on freedom of expression), and a whole-school approach promises a comprehensive drive to generate change in these areas.
The partnership strategy will take place at different levels of the system, appropriate to the target results and taking into account the dual need to operate at the sub-regional and at the State level. Existing sub-regional networks, such as one for teacher-unions, have already offered opportunities for commitment to the programme result for reviewing corporal punishment in schools. New networks, such as that for heads of detention centres, youth organisations, etc. will be formed. At the political level for the sub-region we will continue and intensify cooperation with the OECS and CARICOM. Partnerships will be further strengthened with other UN agencies within the spirit of UN Coherence in all areas and aspects of the modified UNDAF, as well as with the academia, donors and the media.
Programme Management
The country programme activities will be coordinated by the appointed Ministries of Government in the Eastern Caribbean region. Coordination and collaboration with the OECS and CARICOM secretariats will continue and be strengthened. The programme will be managed from the Barbados Office based on an Annual Management Plan and Annual Workplans signed with the respective partners in line with the outcomes and outputs reflected in the CPAP and other corporate priorities which will be regularly reviewed and updated. UNICEF’s Regional Office in Panama will also provide an oversight function in this regard. Under the overall responsibility of the UNICEF Representative, appropriate mechanisms for programme management and excellence will continue to be strengthened.
All cash transfers to an Implementing Partner are based on the Annual Work Plans agreed between the Implementing Partner and UNICEF. Cash transfers for activities detailed in AWPs can be made by a UNICEF using the following modalities:
1. Cash transferred directly to the implementing Partner:
a. Prior to the start of activities (direct cash transfer), or
b. After activities have been completed (reimbursement);
2. Direct payment to vendors or third parties for obligations incurred by the Implementing Partners on the basis of requests signed by the designated official of the Implementing Partner;
3. Direct payments to vendors or third parties for obligations incurred by UN agencies in support of activities agreed with Implementing Partners.
Direct cash transfers shall be requested and released for programme implementation periods not exceeding three months. Reimbursements of previously authorized expenditures shall be requested and released quarterly or after the completion of activities. UNICEF shall not be obligated to reimburse expenditure made by the Implementing Partner over and above the authorized amounts.
Following the completion of any activity, any balance of funds shall be reprogrammed by mutual agreement between the Implementing Partner and UNICEF or refunded.
Cash transfer modalities, the size of disbursements, and the scope and frequency of assurance activities may depend on the findings of a review of the public financial management capacity in the case of a Government Implementing Partner, and of an assessment of the financial management capacity of the non-UN’4 Implementing Partner. A qualified consultant, such as a public accounting firm, selected by [UN agency] may conduct such an assessment, in which the Implementing Partner shall participate.
Cash transfer modalities, the size of disbursements, and the scope and frequency of assurance activities may be revised in the course of programme implementation based on the findings of programme monitoring, expenditure monitoring and reporting, and audits.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation will be integral to the country programme, with its focus on evidence-based and rights-oriented social policy advocacy. The systemic/professional practice approach to the shaping of social policy will be supported by an approach to monitoring and evaluation which encourages reflection, conversation and analysis among all programme participants and stakeholders.
In view of enhancing ownership and accountability, joint monitoring and evaluation of the results proposed in the Country Programme Document will be undertaking by UNICEF and the Governments. This will, in particular, take place during the mid-term and end-cycle review.
Implementing partners agree to cooperate with UNICEF for monitoring all activities supported by cash transfers and will facilitate access to relevant financial records and personnel responsible for the administration of cash provided by UNICEF. To that effect. Implementing partners agree to the following:
Periodic on-site reviews and spot checks of their financial records by UNICEF or its representatives,
Programmatic monitoring of activities following UNICEF standards and guidance for site visits and field monitoring.
Special or scheduled audits. UNICEF, in collaboration with other UN agencies (where so desired; and in consultation with the coordinating Ministry) will establish an annual audit plan, giving priority to audits of Implementing Partners with large amounts of cash assistance provided by UNICEF, and those whose financial management capacity needs strengthening.
The Supreme Audit Institution may undertake the audits of government implementing Partners. If the SAl chooses not to undertake the audits of specific implementing Partners to the frequency and scope required by UNICEF will commission the audits to be undertaken by private sector audit services.
Assessments and audits of non-government Implementing Partners will be conducted in accordance with the policies and procedures of UNICEF.
Central to monitoring and evaluation are the efforts towards ‘knowledge development partnerships’ and participatory evaluation forums which will generate formative evaluation feedback for the shaping of social policy. Formulating social policies which are responsive to professional challenges and to the realities of social pathologies can only be effective if they originate from a collaborative base with practitioners, children and civil society. Supporting schools, early childhood development centres, youth groups or professional practitioners in experimenting with new ways to deal with child vulnerability at the local level contributes to innovative practices and forms of organisation – all of which informs the shaping of policy. This is formally an evidence-based approach to policy – it may better be described as a demand-led approach to policy. Since knowledge development partnerships are holistic, ‘unit of change’ strategies they also have potential for building collaborative relationships with sister UN agencies.
In professional settings this will take place through action-learning approaches to professional development and innovation; in whole-school settings students will conduct participatory monitoring and evaluation in their community, including community mapping exercises. All information arising out of these exercises will be fed into the policy-shaping process in the form of an evidence base focused on key programme themes and formative feedback on key results. The knowledge development partners will form a sub-regional network for systems capacity development in M&E.
M&E will be guided by human rights principles, conferring information rights on young people, civil society and professional practitioners. All Studies and Evaluations sponsored by UNICEF will be made available in accessible forms to the partnerships for discussion, verification and feedback through the rights-based approach to communications. In each partnership we will establish an Evaluation Forum which will deliberate over evidence as well as serving as the focal point for qualitative monitoring of results.
DevInfo has been accepted by the CARICOM Secretariat and some of its member states as the main social statistics data dissemination platform, and is expected to be rolled out to all CARICOM member states. On at least one island UNICEF will experiment with making DevInfo available to teachers and students as a learning resource and to support student enquiry, exploring potential for generalising the experience to other islands and sharing experience.
Partners in monitoring and evaluation activities include youth-based organizations, CARICOM, OECS, universities, specifically UWI, and research institutions, other UN sister agencies, Governments, International Financial Institutions, bilateral donors and Civil Society Organisations.
The results matrix and the Integrated Monitoring and Evaluation Plan will be the main tools used during Annual Reviews and the Mid Term Review scheduled for 2009 and will be supported by a quantitative Programme Monitoring Matrix including the key context indicators, output indicators and progress outcome indicators per result. This information will be completed with qualitative data out of the participatory monitoring and evaluation initiatives. In addition to results from studies and evaluations detailed in the UNDAF and country programme matrices, these reviews will consider local data reporting on human rights attainment and recommendations of the CRC and the CEDAW Committee.
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