Review of the dfat ending Violence Against Women (evaw) Program in Afghanistan
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- Strategic Level
- Programmatic Level
- Capacity Development of Partners
3.2 SustainabilityIn consideration of the scope of the program, this review looked at sustainability at three different levels: (1) the strategic level, (2) the programmatic level, and (3) capacity development of partners. At these three levels, the review considered whether the benefits and progress of the DFAT EVAW program are likely to continue beyond the life of the program and in the absence of external support. Strategic LevelAs a whole, the program is generally aligned with the larger EVAW priorities and objectives of the government, and implementing partners noted that government partners have been largely supportive of program activities. Though the review found support for the EVAW program and evidence of ownership in a number of areas such as incorporating training materials into ministry activities and the involvement of government officials in implementation, there is still progress to be made in terms of ownership and political willingness to support EVAW sector programming, particularly through on-budget programming. Ultimately, the long-term sustainability of the program is hindered by the current nature of off-budget support to EVAW sector activities. Afghanistan has large on-budget flows, but much of this support is channeled through the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and is closely linked to foreign technical assistance.18 In Afghanistan, the issue of off-budget funding and sustainability has been addressed through the donor commitment of channeling 50 percent of assistance on-budget, which the Australian government has also committed to. At present, on-budget support from the Australian government is similarly channeled through the ARTF, and all support to the DFAT EVAW program is currently off-budget. There has been some notable progress in terms of Public Finance Management (PFM) in Afghanistan. However, Afghanistan’s one-year budget cycle, procurement issues, and inadequate institutional capacity limit the government’s ability to absorb funds, which creates bottlenecks and has resulted in a consistently low budget execution rate.19 SIGAR has also found “critical or high” risks in ministries planned to or receiving on-budget assistance. On-budget projects are generally more time and labor intensive for donors, and can have further complications for fulfilling fiduciary responsibilities and satisfying oversight agencies.20 Several government and EVAW sector stakeholders also recognized the importance of on-budget support and the need for donor commitment to continued efforts to channel off-budget support through on-budget streams as government budgeting capacities improve. Identifying clear and and effective exit strategies remains a challenge for actors across the EVAW and all development sectors in Afghanistan.
The technical support in developing systems for monitoring, documentation, registration and reporting that have been supported through the capacity building of MoWA, MoI, and the AGO have resulted in processes and frameworks that can be sustained beyond the life of the program. Anecdotal evidence from this review suggests that the forms, systems, and technical support that have been provided have been effectively adopted and utilized by these agencies, most notably MoI, and will contribute to long-term improvements in effectiveness of service provision and monitoring of services for survivors of VAW. Generally, the sustainability of the program is supported through cost-effective and time-limited activities designed to achieve specific outcomes that can be sustained beyond the activity itself through training, capacity building, and dissemination of information and resource materials. However, there are also a number of components in which the review found the sustainability component to be weak. Similarly, support to WPCs and FGCs will likely lead to challenges in the long-term, with all funding currently channeled directly to civil society partners operating the facilities. Though the Women’s Protection Directorate and the Shelter Regulations established in MoWA have helped to bring these programs more directly under the scope of government services, there is limited will and capacity to support them through on-budget means. Though MoWA stakeholders have expressed interest in operating WPCs, previously MoWA temporarily took responsibility for two shelters, but were found to lack the capacity to operate them and understanding of the services required for survivors of VAW. There are considerable external challenges to this as well in terms of political will, as the national budget ultimately must be approved by the Parliament, which has demonstrated questionable support for EVAW sector activities, most apparent in having not yet approved the EVAW Law in Parliament. Though the long-term financial sustainability of the facilities is hindered by the current nature of funding delivery, this review found that in the current context continuing to support them through local partners and focusing on the increased capacity of MoWA to monitor and regulate the facilities is likely the most effective approach, as such services have been found to be essential. Support to the AIHRC faces similar challenges, with the AIHRC currently receiving no support through the government for various reasons including concerns regarding maintaining the independence of the AIHRC and the AIHRC needing to have their tashkeel approved by the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission. However, the AIHRC explained in consultation for this review that there is a possibility of receiving on-budget funding this year, which was identified as a promising development in terms of addressing long-term sustainability concerns for AIHRC. Capacity Development of PartnersThe review found evidence that the capacity of DFAT EVAW implementing partners and their local partners that has been developed will likely be sustained beyond the duration of the program, though at present such developments appear to be ad hoc rather than strategically targeted. While DFAT is flexible in governance and management of the EVAW program, there is currently no direct technical support provided by DFAT to partners. However, partners noted the usefulness of the feedback received from DFAT throughout the program and particularly in response to monitoring reports. The program has provided support in developing formal policies and systems as well as facilitating opportunities for strengthened coordination and engagement, particularly of local partners, which supports long-term strengthening of Afghan civil society capacities. An organizational assessment of AWN has been completed through support from the DFAT EVAW program, and draft policies have been developed at this stage covering areas including communications, internal auditing, security, logistics, administration, branding, and fundraising. A capacity building department has been established, and has provided trainings to AWN staff and member organizations. Though several organizational development activities are still in process, the review has observed that there are several key areas that require further focus, especially results-based monitoring and reporting, capacity building, communications, and strategic advocacy focus. In the implementation of capacity building activities, AWN is currently utilizing in-house capacities with limited input from experts on the wide range of topics covered in developing materials, which spans from gender to advocacy to proposal writing. Though in-house capacity appears strong in terms of training delivery, AWN does not draw on specialized expert support in the development of training materials. This is a considerable limitation for AWN in developing much-needed capacity, where the materials informing the trainings and not developed with adequate expertise and with considerable limitations in terms of availability of resources to develop the materials in Dari. The EVAW IPs were found to have widely varying levels of capacity in monitoring and reporting. AWN was weak in this regard, with reporting currently very activity-focused, with linkages to the outcome level currently limited. AWN staff also demonstrated limited understanding of M&E concepts and practice. The capacity of AIHRC in terms of reporting under the project was also found to be insufficient. However, AIHRC receives core funding through this program for the overall function of the commission and the funding is not earmarked, but AIHRC is aware of DFAT’s priorities and the focus of the funding is being allocated to women’s right issues and to support of survivors of VAW. AIHRC was also noted to have insufficient staffing, which makes communication and coordination a challenge for the program. The TAF program was found to be particularly effective at supporting capacity development of local partners. TAF has provided trainings for M&E officers and in financial management for all project local partners, and has coordination meetings with all partners every month to discuss issues encountered and feedback from program participants and to discuss suggestions regarding the implementation of the project. TAF also support its partners in drafting key policies where they were found to not have them in place, particularly in developing effective financial systems, M&E, and the development of SOPs. Overall, the relationship between TAF and its partners was found to be flexible, open, and supportive. Similarly, the review found that the capacity of HEWAD has been improved through implementation of the UNFPA project. The quality of reports provided by HEWAD has improved through provision of technical feedback by UNFPA and UN policies are being followed to ensure alignment of activities, monitoring and reporting. HEWAD felt that the support they have received has enabled them to grow and expand as an organization. The interviews with the shelters reveal that the capacity of the organizations and the WPCs has improved, though as previously noted it was found that much of the direct training and technical support they have received has been through other programming, and the previously discussed capacity gaps persist. Additionally, limited financial capacity prevents them from doing their work properly, with considerable limitations in terms of transportation resources and accessibility. Positively, the UN Women partners are part of the ASN and coordinate their work and cases jointly. Through support external to DFAT EVAW programming, UN Women has also recently contracted a firm to support capacity of partners as well as MoWA in the areas of project cycle management, M&E, and reporting and organizational development. Directory: about-us -> publications -> Documents Documents -> Table of Contents 1 Introduction and Background 7 Documents -> Annual Review for 2014 Summary Report Documents -> East Asia regional development cooperation report 2009 October 2010 Documents -> East Asia Regional Organisations and Programs Annual Program Performance Report 2011 Documents -> Development Cooperation Report 2010: Afghanistan May 2012 Documents -> Independent progress report Documents -> Annual program performance report: South Asia 2008–09 September 2009 Documents -> Kuala Lumpur, 22 November 2015 Documents -> Aid Program Performance Report 2015-16 Download 392.87 Kb. Share with your friends:
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