1. Afghanistan Hanoi, Vietnam
Asia Pacific Evaluation Association Conference Country Presentation
Afghanistan
Hanoi, Vietnam

2. Afghanistan Equity Focused and Gender Responsive Policy Evaluation
Background of Policies/Strategies Evaluation in Afghanistan
Current Regime
Laws and Policies for Protection of Women
NEP Development Process
Challenges
Way Forward

3. Background Interim and Transitional Governments (2001 – 2004)
First Elected Government (2004) and third elected government (2014)
Highly aid dependent, 100% development budget where less than 50% on-budget
Since then, the government and international community have focused on security, democratization and poverty reduction, lacking national level policies to evaluate the strategies comprehensively on national level with its effects on all parts of the society.

4. Development Planning Background
MDGs
ANDS
2008
Cross cutting sectors- e.g. gender
11 Sector Strategies
Ministry Strategies
22 National Priority Programs

5. Background of Policies/Strategies Evaluation in Afghanistan
Ministry of Economy is responsible for all kinds of monitoring and evaluation of national policies (yet to finalize the National Mechanism for Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Projects)
Currently the Evaluation of National Policies/Strategies (ANDS, NPPs) takes place on sectorial level (MoEc, MoF and President Office)
Gender based budgeting as pilot and mainstreamed through budget process

6. Current Regime

7. Laws and Policies for Protection of Women (Status)
Afghan Government considers Gender Equity a crosscutting issue among all sectors
The GoA is strongly committed to achieve set out targets including the gender related targets based on (SDGs, MDGs, ANDS, NPPs and ANPDF)
All budgetary units are required to state its staff and direct beneficiaries of services based on gender, or else no budget decisions are made
Moreover, Gender Responsive Budget started in 2011 with 6 ministries as pilot (MoMP, MoE, MoHE, MAIL, MRRD and MoLSAMD)
WEENPP is being finalized to serve for women empowerment and Citizen Charter to be implemented with 50% budget allocated to be transferred directly to women

8. Afghanistan NEP Development Process
Brainstorming Session with AOP
Extensive Literature Review
National M&E Stakeholders’ Assessment
Development of the RBME Policy Framework

9. National M&E Stakeholders’ Assessment (Performance Assessment Domains)
Organizational Structures with M&E
Human Capacity for M&E
M&E Plans
M&E Advocacy, communications and culture
Routine Program Monitoring
Surveys and Surveillance
M&E Databases
Supervision and Data Auditing
Evaluation and Research
Data Dissemination and Use

10. Average Performance Scores

11. Key Findings from the Assessment
About 47% of the M&E posts were vacant at time of data collection
73% of entities have a unit to carry out M&E functions
36% of the entities had a written and approved mandate to carry out its activities
43% had a written mandate to carry out its activities which was not approved by an authorized person;
21% of the entities were functioning without any written and approved mandate.
71% of entities needed external support to undertake M&E functions; however, the support was rarely provided
Most of the entities (80%) do not have a team/committee/board, responsible for coordinating and approving new research and evaluations

12. The Afghanistan RBME Policy Framework
Develop Structure for RBME
Adaptation at Entity (BU) Levels
Entity Level Roll-out Plans
Readiness Assessment for Planned Roll-outs
Identify Resources (human and Financial)
Start Piloting (Review and learning

13. Inclusion of EFGR in Afghanistan NEP
Pre-Intervention Phase
Situation Analysis
Context Analysis
Intervention Design
Budget Allocation
Ben Identification
Focus on disadvantaged
Intervention Phase
Geog. Area Selection
Ben. Selection
Implementation with identification of gender perspective and equity focus
Post Int. / Evaluation
if the EFGR aspects were sufficiently included and considered during implementation. The evaluation phase should critically look into the availability of EFGR.

14. Challenges
Lack of capacity in providing disaggregated information on progress of projects (gender sensitive information)
Many Government ministries lack databases to report on development of projects in a timely manner
No integrated database
Lack of information on progress of Off-Budget projects

15. Way Forward
MoEc has drafted National Mechanism for Monitoring and Evaluation of Development Projects that will be finalized and approved with enabling the mechanism to produce gender based reports
Based on ANPDF, Gender Strategy has five pillars as stated below:
Implementing UN Resolution 1325 (VAW);
Providing health and education services to women and girls;
Economic empowerment for poor women;
Promoting women business leader’s
Advancing women in government