THIRD QUARTER REPORT 2014 BUILDING A NATION: ST MAARTEN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND INSTITUTIONAL STRENGTHENING Project ID: 00082820
Table of Contents Overview..2 Project Outputs and Achievements..3 Output 1&2.6 Output 3.9 Output 4 9 Output 5.10 Output 6 11 Implementation Arrangements 11 Results & Risks.11 Issues..12 Risks.13 Lessons Learned.13 Future Plans..13 Finances 14 Cover page: MAF Validation Workshop attendees September 2014. 1
I. Overview The third quarter saw progress in five output tasks: The MAF Country Action plan was validated The finalization of the technical proposal to establish the DevInfo data system and submission of the proposal to UNDP to procure appointment of CSF Induction of the Steering Committee Production of a NDP jingle for radio Induction of the Steering Committee for National Development As form the previous quarter, the project continued to build partnerships with communities in preparation for area dialogues as well as working in a cooperative arrangement with an umbrella NGO organization, SUNFED, to strengthen NGO capacity to effectively participate in dialogues for national development. The process of community leader engagement however continues to be challenging due to the sustained personal effort required to cultivate and nurture local inclusivity and momentum. This is largely due to the fact that St Maarten lacks a legitimate institutionalized structure of local governance. Consequently, the population of St Maarten remains highly disaggregated and organized personally than institutionally, and the access channels through which people are mobilized are themselves equally diverse. Despite that, the project with the assistance and guidance of community leaders was able to organize 6 areas to a stage of readiness for dialogue to commence October. They are Lowlands, Middle Region, Little Bay, Belvedre, Cay Bay and Sukergarden and Madam Estate. Planning for Thematic Dialogues is work in progress. A strategy is in place and effort is focused on Ministries, in particular VROMI,VSA and MECYS, preparing concept notes (thematic reports) that will be the basis for dialogues. Expected that dates for thematic dialogues will be scheduled next quarter. The project engagement with SUNFED is still work in progress. The work with SUNFED continues to be work in progress. An agenda is agreed to in which the project will assist SUNFED strengthen NGO coordination efforts and capacity in order to fully participate in the strategic planning and development of the country. The Steering Committee for National Development formed in the first quarter, undertook an induction workshop which involved the Committee defining its own internal procedure, developing a collaborative understanding of the Committees function and organizational focus. The Expert Group formed out of the Methodical Workshop in the first quarter completed the drafting of with the MAF Country Action Plan (CAP). The plan to the extent of bottleneck 2
identification and prioritization, solution identification and sequencing was submitted to a Validation Workshop of interested stakeholders for endorsement. The plan was unanimously adopted without major amendment. It still remains the task of the Expert Group to cost the plan. That exercise will effectively complete the CAP and the role of the Expert Group. By the fourth quarter the focus will be on the implementation of the plan commencing with two pilot projects. A new group will need to be established to oversee the implementation, planning and monitoring of the CAP. As noted in the second quarter, a Technical Group within government was formed to peruse and advise on the Technical and Financial proposal submitted by CSF, the consultant identified to implement the DevInfo data base system. The Technical Group found that the government currently lacks capacity and organization to support a central data base system and that a data base needs to be developed. With that input, the Technical and Financial proposal was amended to focus on developing a data base and build government capacity to use and manage a DevInfo data base system when introduced. The Technical and Financial Proposal was amended accordingly to enable a scoping exercise be conducted to first assess the capacity to implement and manage a DevInfo data base system. In furtherance to that, an Advice was drafted to inform the Council of Ministers of the system and administrative requirements to manage a centralized data base system within the government. It now remains for UNDP to formalize the procurement of CSF. 3
II. Project Outputs and Achievements Intended Outputs OUTPUTS 1 & 2 Annual output Targets National Dialogue completed Quarter Activities 1. Activity Result: Activity Status National Development Plan aligned with a national vision through a dialogue process National vision identified and disseminated NDPWG and SC able to engage in the dialogue process Activity Actions: Providing leadership support to assigned dialogue teams Ongoing. logistical support provided i9n readiness for dialogues NDPWG groupings informed of their roles and tasks NDPWG informed of new strategy SC appointments published and Induction conducted Partially completed. Appointment Notice completed and Induction undertaken 2. Activity Result Country thematic report on developmental issues produced Activity Actions Prepare outline thematic report on development issues Draft thematic report on development issues Not completed. However, strategy completed to hold thematic dialogues. Focus on VROMI,VSA and MECYS to have concept notes finalized Not completed 4
3. Activity Result Conduct area based community and thematic dialogues Activity Actions 20 dialogues undertaken Partially completed. Community leadership partnerships established in 7 areas of St Maarten. 4 thematic Dialogues 4. Activity Results Not completed. Receiving concept notes from Ministries continuing Technical, capacity and monitoring support to the Project Steering Committee, NDPWG and Project Team Activity Action Secretariat support to the SC and coordination of NDPWG 3 SC meetings held. Several coordination meetings with NDPWG held. OUTPUT 3 Communication awareness campaign developed Country wide communication campaign and visibility strategy developed 1.Activity Result Consultant working to an agreed work plan and timelines 2.Activity Action Operational oversight and support to consultant Partially completed. Some deliverables lagging 3. Activity Result Develop awareness and publicity materials to 5
facilitate the NDP dialogue process 4.Activity Action Awareness materials and publicity produced to support dialogues Radio jingle produced and two banners produced OUTPUT 4 Government officials trained in Result Based and Evidence Based Management (Dev-Info system) Dev-info database installed 15 government officers trained in Dev-info Potential users of Devinfo identified and trained Dev-info data base populated with 2011 census and relevant socioeconomic data 1..Activity Result Advice to CoM to support DevInfo system 2.Activity Actions Support to Advice preparation and presentation to CoM Ascertain government capacity to support the introduction of Devinfo Partially completed. Advice requiring further input from technical team Ongoing. Finalize technical and financial proposal with consultant Completed. Amended Technical and Financial Proposal produced Consultant procured Partially completed. UNDP instructed to proceed with procurement OUTPUT 5 A MAF Country Action Plan produced MDG working Group established MAF country action plan strategy prepared Activity Result: MAF Report and Action Plan produced Activity Actions 6
Two pilot projects identified and executed Operational oversight and support to the consultant Ongoing Logistic and operational support to validation workshop Completed. Validation workshop conducted Prepare ToR for consultant to prepare MDG Country Report Project Board agreed that MDG country report be prepared internally OUTPUT 6 A coordination mechanism on aid effectiveness and international support produced BAK capacities to coordinate, align and make external aid/support strengthened Government officials trained in aid effectiveness and moderation/negotiation skills Activity Result Donor coordination mechanism established, key players identified Activity Action Coordination meetings with Cooperation Funds, SMDFF, etc. Attended SIDs conference The Samoa Pathway St Maarten an Associate member Output # 1 &2: A national development plan aligned with a national vision through a dialogue process Activity Result 1. NDPWG and SC able to engage in the dialogue process Achievements: The role to define community partnerships and forge relationships to plan for area dialogues was the responsibility of the project team in BAK. The NDPWG were kept informed of progress at regular meetings. The SC for National Development undertook an induction in July. Seven out of twenty one members (including proxy members) attended the induction. Given the poor turnout another induction session will be undertaken. Suggestions from the induction in regard to future dialogues involved: The necessity to look into alternative forms of generating community input, for example using quantitative methods Incorporation of the Rights to Development within the framework of dialogues 7
Dialogues be postponed until after the general elections in late August Both the NDPWG and SC members attended a joint session in September especially convened to meet the UN Resident Coordinator, Richard Blewitt as well as Gonzalo Pizzaro, policy advisor on poverty, MDG s and Human Development from the UNDP Regional Service Centre for Latin America and the Caribbean located in Panama. The MAF consultant Sam Bluite was also in attendance. The session gave an opportunity for the UNDP representatives to exchange information and to inform members of an international development focus on the project and perspectives on development generally with an emphasis on MAF and the emerging SDG s. Activity Result 2. Conduct area based and thematic dialogue Achievements The project team was advised by the SC and community groups not to hold dialogues until after the elections to be held August 29th. The arrangements for dialogues took this consideration into account. Following from the previous quarter, the dialogue strategy continued to undergo a reevaluation with its focus on forging collaborative arrangements with community leaders / organizations in the planning for area dialogues. By September, four areas were ready for dialogues with fixed dates: They were Sukergarden October 20 Little Bay October 22 Middle Region October 23, and Belvedere 27-31 October The Belvedere dialogue is planned to be conducted in conjunction with Oasis Games ; a another dialogue tool with a focus on realizing a developmental outcome. A strategy framework is in place to conduct Thematic Dialogues. The resource for Thematic Dialogues are thematic reports prepared by Ministries. Much effort is required to ensure that reports are received in accordance with project timelines. Ministries are informed to prepare such reports through the IMWG. At this stage no reports are received. The strategy will be reviewed next quarter. In this quarter, the project team forged a close link with SUNFED, a NGO umbrella organization, in order to take advantage of the social networks of that organization to mobilize public support for dialogues. Two sessions are proposed. The first, will be an introductory session designed to inform NGO s of the rights to development, the NDP dialogue process and the positioning of the NGO sector in the future development of the country. In the second session, NGO s will group according to its thematic interest for the conduct of dialogues. The timing for the first session is set down for the second week in October. 8
OUTPUT # 3: Communication awareness campaign developed 3.2 Activity Result: Develop awareness and publicity materials to facilitate the NDP dialogue process Achievements: The communication consultants contract ended in July with a number deliverables outstanding. In this quarter, the communications were active. A NDP radio jingle, produced by Bertaux Fleming, and arranged by Mirougia, the lead singer with the Control band was completed. The focus of the jingle is on the slogan: Growing Stronger Together. A radio interview was conducted in July involving NDPWG champions. The focus was on the NDP and the MAF country plan. One hundred copies of booklet Notes on Making a Nation within a Kingdom Conceptual clarity on Nationalism, Ethnicity, and Culture as it relates to St Maarten were reproduced. This booklet arose from a project workshop earlier this year. Five hundred project folders were printed and a newspaper spread about project activities was produced in the Daily Herald in September. OUTPUT # 4: Government officials trained in Results Based and evidence Based management (Dev-info data system) This output is to implement a central data base system (Devinfo) populated with MDG and Census data. 4.1 Activity Result: Completing the Technical and Financial proposal from CSF and Advice to CoM to support DevInfo system Achievements: Work continued on refining the Technical and Financial proposal from CSF. The proposal was adjusted in May 2014 to provide for a two phased approach to set in place before a DevInfo system could be installed. The first phase involves creating a DevInfo data base (Data base structure development) and to build capacity to use and manage such a system when installed (Assessment of government capacity). The second phase, involves data profiles development and creating a web based interactive Data Dash Board. Capacity concerns to adopt a centralized data system continued to be raised by the technical group advising on the proposal. Clarity was sought as to the work required or preconditions to enable CSF come on board and implement the DevInfo as a seamless operation. The proposed scoping exercise or assessment of government capacity, was refined as incorporating 3 steps. The first step, involving the scoping exercise, will assess the overall capacity situation in order to clarify the best path to implement a 9
DEVINFO data system in St Maarten. In doing so, all existing data files are to be reviewed, as well as existing capacity of data administration and collection methods. In order to effectively undertake this task, CSF will need to be supported with the hiring of local interns. On the basis of that assessment, a plan will be developed to build a centralized data system that is synchronized and linked to existing government systems with appropriate internal protocols and policies enabling the sharing of data. The issue of cooperation and sharing of data is a known risk. The third step, will digitalize existing data and link that data to a centralized (DEVINFO) system. An updated proposal from CSF was received in August and forwarded to UNDP for procurement. A draft Advice for the Council of Ministers, encapsulating the proposal, was completed. Output # 5.1: A MAF Country action plan produced 5.1.2 Activity Result: MAF report and Action Plan Produced Achievements: By the start of the quarter the MAF country action plan was at a stage of development to enable the prioritization of activities. This exercise was the primary focus of the Experts Group in this quarter. As well, final adjustments were made to the plan in the course of this exercise. It was originally the intention to validate the country action plan in July however due to problems of coordinating attendance, country focus on the August elections and the pace to complete the ranking exercise, it was agreed to hold the Validation workshop in early September. The workshop was conducted on the 10 th September. The plan was validated with minor adjustments. An evaluation of the workshop was conducted with the following observations: Political buy in of the plan is crucial with a new government Confirm SG buy in of the plan activities into existing operational plans The need to plan for the implementation of the country action plan and complete the cost estimation of activities To have the MAF report completed by October 2014 and to launch the plan in January/February 2015 The ranking exercise required the Expert Group to identify two pilot projects (as project outputs) that implement activities in the plan relating to poverty and the environment. The environmental pilot is to undertake a terrestrial biological inventory. The poverty pilot is to undertake a study for a hospitality training programme for St Maarten. Output #6: A coordination mechanism on aid effectiveness and international support produced 10
6.1 Activity Result: Donor coordination mechanism established and key players identified Achievements: III. Issues and Risks During the THIRD quarter (July September 2014), the project encountered the following issues and risks: Issues Project Management The base idea of the dialogue strategy that volunteer members of the NDPWG are to assist in the execution of the dialogue strategy with the project team is a new risk. Working with volunteers within a RBM framework is very challenging as much time spent to coordinate volunteers and prepare them for tasks with clear lines of responsibility is becoming burdensome and time consuming. The resource deficit is taken up by members of the project team. Capacity support It is found that the installation of the DevInfo data base system should not proceed without first ascertaining and building government capacity to support such a system. An assessment of government capacity and the need to build a date base structure was not envisaged as an output in the Project Document. Timelines affected by Country events The project continues to work around and adjusting to the characteristics of the country mode of things. Most activities that affect the public must be arranged according to its convenience. In regard to this quarter, the summer vacation period in addition to the lead up to elections in August has affected community dialogue engagement. Perceptional confusion between dialogues and NDP Although awareness of the project through various communication tools has increased within the community its effectiveness remains vague especially given the heavy focus of communications on community dialogues. The issue is that dialogues (community engagement) can be perceived as an end in itself. Weak Communications Early efforts at community dialogues were frustrated by lack of a robust communication campaign. Although gaining in strength, project communications to support community dialogues remain relatively weak throughout this quarter. 11
Cooption of NDP The term national development plans is coopted by other Ministries in explaining their own planning instruments. For instance, the zoning plans are often referred to in the media as national development plans. Poor National Support The project activities depend on national counterpart support, such as the timely cooperation of the Expert Group Where established to finalize the MAF Action Plan and Ministries preparing thematic reports to facilitate Thematic Dialogues. Such support is lacking and project timelines are continuously extended. Similarly, the Technical Group to guide the DevInfo data base system maintaining group commitment and focus on timelines is an ongoing challenge. Lack of national counterpart support to contribute varies affecting the viability of the exercise and quality of outputs. Risks: The overall risk is that the original project design is proving to be overly ambitious and difficult to execute given the human resource component allocated to implement it within the prescribed time frame. Disproportionate amount of effort is focused on community dialogues as one source of information. Other activities in the dialogue strategy, such as situational analysis and thematic reports, have remained in abeyance until time is allocated to address them. This has become a serious bottleneck. V Assessment of the Dialogue Strategy As part of the project methodology the following approaches were agreed upon to mitigate risks in the execution of the dialogue strategy: Re-visit Dialogue Strategy. Assess: Time-lines in real world context of St Maarten Maintain sequence of scheduled phases in the dialogue strategy especially the activities in phase 1 Create a fifth pillar to deal with cross-cutting themes Work out a concept paper for phase 1 thematic pillar dialogues 12
Re-visit previous process flows and methodology of the dialogue strategic approach. Lessons learnt from the MAF exercise to be adopted Re-visit instruction phase 1: Community Dialogue. In particular: Activities required to be undertaken within the planning and preparation phases The method of pre-dialoguing with community leaders Identifying the structure, form and content of a NDP Carrying out an analysis per ministry with the assistance of IMWG Establish the subcomponents or sub themes for thematic pillars Seek UNDP s guidance/ direction in developing the framework and content of the NDP VI. Future Plans Following are the priority activities for the fourth quarter of 2014 A continued revision of the Dialogue Strategy The recommencement of community dialogues Completing plans for Thematic Dialogues Conclusion of the consultant evaluation and Commencement to implement the DevInfo data system Appointment of NDP consultant Completion of the MAF report 13