United Nations - UNDP



| |United Nations | |DP/DCP/SWZ/2 |

| [pic] |Executive Board of the | |Distr.: General |

| |United Nations Development | |16 March 2010 |

| |Programme and of the | | |

| |United Nations Population Fund | |Original: English |

Annual session 2010

21 June to 2 July 2010, Geneva

Item 6 of the provisional agenda

Country programmes and related matters

Draft country programme document for Swaziland (2011-2015)

Contents

| | |Paragraphs |Page |

| Introduction |1 |2 |

| I. Situation analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |2-8 |2 |

| II. Past cooperation and lessons learned. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |9-13 |3 |

| III. Proposed programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |14-18 |4 |

|IV. Programme management, monitoring and evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |19-21 |5 |

| Annex | | |

| |6 |

|Results and resources framework for Swaziland (2011-2015) . . . . . . . . . . . . | |

| | |

Introduction

1. This draft UNDP country programme document for Swaziland is anchored in the national development frameworks and priorities – the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme, the national development strategy, and the Government Priority Development Programme, 2009-2013. The country programme also draws on extensive consultation among state and non-state actors during the formulation of the 2011-2015 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF).

I. Situation analysis

2. Despite a gross domestic product per capita of $2,780.87 in 2008, Swaziland is categorized as a lower middle income country, as it faces socio-economic challenges akin to a least developed country. These include pervasive poverty, high HIV infection rates, environmental fragility exacerbated by climate change, weak governance institutions, gender inequality, and capacity constraints at institutional and human levels. Growth declined from 8 per cent per year during the 1980s, to around 3.5 per cent in 2008, which is below the 5 per cent estimated minimum required growth to impact poverty reduction[1]. To substantially reduce poverty and put the country on a sound footing to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, much higher growth rates are needed[2].

3. According to the 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme, 69 per cent of Swazis live in poverty. Income distribution remains highly skewed, with an overall ‘Gini coefficient’ of 0.51, and the Human Development Index has fallen from its peak of 0.626 in 1995, to 0.572 in 2007.

4. The country has the highest HIV prevalence in the world – 19 per cent of the population is estimated to be infected. Women and young people are especially hardest hit with HIV prevalence rates reaching almost 50 per cent for young women aged 25 to 29. The repercussions are far reaching and are reflected in high morbidity and mortality rates, increased poverty and destitution, and plummeting Millennium Development Goal indicators, particularly in poverty and health areas.

5. Recently, the country has been affected by large variations in rainfall and recurring droughts. Preliminary analysis from climate change mapping exercises suggest that climate change will have an increasingly adverse effect on agricultural production, particularly on smaller households. Land degradation, erosion and uncontrolled bushfires contribute further to the vulnerability of the 79 per cent of the population that reside in rural communities. The result is chronic food insecurity, with many Swazi households dependent on food aid.

6. In 2005, the country adopted its first national constitution. The constitution includes a bill of rights that entrenches gender equality, freedom of speech and freedom of association. Since adoption, notable achievements include the establishment of the anti-corruption commission, the passing of legislation furthering the rights of women, and the establishment of the human rights and public administration commission.

7. The constitution provides for a dual system of government, vesting political power in a monarch and coexisting with non-party parliamentary representation through a system of governance called ‘Tinkundla’. Female participation in political processes remains minimal, with only 18 women out of 95 parliamentarians in both houses of parliament, and five female ministers out of 18 Government ministers.

8. Institutional and human capacity constraints in government and civil society have been a serious impediment to the implementation of development programmes, resulting in low levels of service delivery in critical social sectors such as health.

II. Past cooperation and lessons learned

9. The 2006-2010 Country Programme Action Plan focused on poverty reduction (incorporating environment and disaster risk reduction), HIV and AIDS, governance and gender.

10. Strengthening government capacity to implement the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme through evidence-based planning was integral to the programming cycle. The development of the ‘threshold 21’ planning model by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, increased the capacity of the Central Statistics Office to undertake a household income and expenditure survey – a critical output that strengthened national planning systems for poverty alleviation. To strengthen policy coordination and development, UNDP provided the government with technical support towards the design and implementation of sector working groups in agriculture, health, education, and water and sanitation. These working groups remain an important component of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme and constitute a first step in implementing sector wide approaches.

11. UNDP support was also central to strengthening national capacity to mainstream cross-cutting issues such as gender, disaster risk reduction, human rights, and HIV and AIDS. A national disaster management agency was established (with a national action plan for disaster risk reduction codified), and a national gender unit and climate change programme were created. UNDP was an instrumental part of establishing the anti-corruption and human rights, and public administration commissions. With the adoption of the constitution during the programming cycle, UNDP was able to support its implementation. For example, the governance programme strengthened the capacity of the parliamentary committees to undertake their legislative and oversight functions.

12. A strengthened United Nations reform agenda enhanced coordination of the United Nations country team. The development of the Joint United Nations Programme Support on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), improved collaboration in the United Nations gender theme group, and the introduction of harmonized approach to cash transfers were examples of closer cooperation. UNDP also convened periodic meetings between development partners supporting governance and poverty interventions, including the European Union, Commonwealth secretariat; the United States embassy and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Bank.

13. Key lessons learned, which were also identified in the Country Programme Action Plan midterm review, showed that: (a) while government leadership is critical in providing strategic direction and programme delivery, greater stakeholder buy-in is required through expanded space for participation by non-state actors and, in particular women, when undertaking development planning and implementation; (b) institutional and human capacities of international professional staff are critical to allowing UNDP to support attainment of national development objectives; (c) improvement of mechanisms for coordination and communication with development partners and among United Nations organizations, especially in the harmonized approach to cash transfers environment, is needed; (d) UNDP is most effective as a catalyst for policy and institutional reform, especially in sensitive areas such as governance, human rights, gender equity, partnership-building and capacity development. Supporting the latter point, UNDP has demonstrated capacities and a track record that give it clear comparative advantages.

III. Proposed programme

14. The UNDP country programme for Swaziland will be guided by the overarching objective of achieving the Millennium Development Goals and supporting implementation of the four outcomes of the 2011-2015 UNDAF, targeting areas where the organization has comparative advantages and demonstrated capacity. In this respect, UNDP will focus on: poverty, HIV and AIDS, governance and gender, and the environment and climate change. Common to all four UNDP priorities are cross cutting issues relating to gender equality, human rights, disaster risk reduction, and capacity development. UNDP will continue engaging with development partners in the areas of poverty reduction and governance, while strengthening intra-United Nations collaboration through participation in joint programmes on gender and data.

15. Poverty reduction. UNDP will support accelerated implementation of evidence-based poverty reduction measures to help the government achieve its Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme and Millennium Development Goal objectives of significantly reducing poverty by 2015. The programme also seeks to: (a) strengthen economic planning and management capacities for the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme implementation, as well as monitoring and reporting on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals; (b) assist the government in formulating and implementing policies to address structural economic inequalities; (c) undertake the collection, analysis and dissemination of data for evidence-based planning; and (d) improve aid coordination. Expected results are: strengthened capacity for pro-poor economic policy formulation; implementation and monitoring that will deliver the Millennium Development Goals; better aid tracking and coordination; and strengthened systems of results-based management.

16. Environment and climate change. The proposed interventions will strengthen national capacity to develop and coordinate a multisectoral response to the impacts of climate change. Environmental sustainability will be mainstreamed into national development interventions through the implementation of post Copenhagen adaptation and mitigation measures. Support will also be provided for full implementation of the national disaster management act and the national action plan 2008-2015. Expected results are: strengthened national capacity for implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures; and integration of disaster mitigation policies in development planning, implementation and monitoring.

17. HIV and AIDS: Guided by the national multisectoral strategic framework for HIV and AIDS, 2009-2014, UNDP will support management, coordination, and monitoring and evaluation of the national response within the UNAIDS framework. Expected results are: strengthened national/local management and coordination to improve service delivery in the prevention, treatment, care, support, and impact mitigation; and the mainstreaming of HIV and AIDS, gender, and human rights in national development plans and budgets, and scaled up multisectoral response to the pandemic.

18. Governance and gender. Proposed interventions will support the implementation of the constitution, strengthen the capacity of governance institutions (parliament, the anti-corruption commission, human rights and public administration commission, and the judiciary), and promote participation by citizens through opening space for public dialog. The programme also aims to strengthen national capacities for the promotion and protection of rights, especially gender equality, and facilitate greater involvement of women in political participation and decision-making. Expected results are: strengthened governance institutions; enhanced capacity for disadvantaged groups, especially women, to access their rights and participate in political decision-making; and strengthened transparency and accountability within the public service.

IV. Programme management, monitoring and evaluation

19. Programme implementation will be guided by a results-based management approach, with an emphasis on monitoring and evaluation. Increased government and civil society ownership will be addressed through full implementation of the harmonized approach to cash transfer. The ability of international professional staff to effectively undertake programme interventions will be facilitated through a capacity strengthening strategy. To ensure smart, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound indicators are the basis for monitoring and evaluation of country programme results, a survey of existing (as well as soon to be completed) documentation relevant to the attainment of programme objectives will be undertaken. This survey will provide baseline data and a benchmark from which progress of the 2011-2015 country programme will be measured.

20. Monitoring and evaluation will be driven by the implementation of a sector wide approach and UNDP will assist in building the capacity of the sector working groups. The measurement of progress towards the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (via implementation of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme) and UNDAF performance will continue to guide UNDP interventions and direction. There will be a conscious and determined effort to link the monitoring and evaluation systems of the country programme document and UNDAF with those of the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme. The expected result will be a harmonized system that uses smart, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound indicators while reducing duplication and strain on scarce government resources and personnel.

21. Resource mobilization will be pursued locally, with multilateral and bilateral partners. A resource mobilization strategy currently under development will be finalized, and periodic missions will be undertaken to those development partners accredited to Swaziland and based in Pretoria (South Africa) and Maputo (Mozambique) for the purposes of sensitization on the country programme and mobilization of resources.

22.

Annex. Results and resources framework for Swaziland (2011-2015)

|Programme |Country programme outcomes|Country programme outputs |Output indicators, baselines and targets |Role of partners |Regular resources by |

|component | | | | |goal |

|National priority or goals: Improve the Human Development Index of Swaziland from 0.5 in 2008 to 0.55 in 2014; |

|To completely stop any new infections, reverse the spread of HIV and reduce the vulnerability of affected individuals and families. |

|Intended UNDAF outcome #1: To contribute to reduced new HIV infections and improved quality of life of persons infected and affected by HIV by 2015 |

|HIV and AIDS |HIV and AIDS response |Planning, coordination and monitoring |Indicator: Number of civil society organizations and government |Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Public|$383,000 |

| |effectively managed at all|and evaluation of the multisectoral |plans aligned to the national strategic framework and inform the |Sector HIV and AIDS Coordinating | |

| |levels |response to HIV and AIDS improved |monitoring and evaluation database. |Committee, National Emergency Response| |

| | | | |Council on HIV/AIDS, civil society | |

| | | |Baseline: national strategic framework, weak national monitoring |organizations, World Health | |

| | | |and evaluation database. |Organization, International Labour | |

| | | | |Organization (ILO), UNAIDS, United | |

| | | |Target: Civil society organizations and government plans are gender|Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), | |

| | | |sensitive, aligned to the national strategic framework by 2015, |United States Embassy, Global Fund to | |

| | | |strengthened monitoring and evaluation database in place |Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria | |

|National priority or goals: To reduce poverty by more than 50 per cent by 2015 and then ultimately eradicate it by 2022; |

|To create an environment that will empower the poor to participate actively in uplifting their standards of living. |

|Intended UNDAF outcome #2: Increased and more equitable access of the poor to assets and other resources for sustainable livelihoods |

|Poverty |Access by the poor to |Ensure access by the poor to |Indicators: Number of pro-poor and evidence-based policies designed|Ministry of Economic Planning and |$1,000,000 |

|reduction and |productive resources |productive resources through |and implemented in an inclusive manner. |Development, Ministry of Finance, Food| |

|achievement of |increased |evidence-based policy formulation and | |and Agriculture Organization of the | |

|the Millennium | |implementation |Baseline: Pro-poor policies are not designed in an inclusive |United Nations (FAO), World Food | |

|Development | | |manner, outdated poverty data (2001) restricts the formulation of |Programme (WFP), United Nations | |

|Goals | | |evidence-based policies. |Population Fund (UNFPA), World Bank, | |

| | | | |Central Statistics Organization, civil| |

| | | |Target: At least 50 per cent of all pro-poor policies are |society organizations | |

| | | |evidence-based by 2015. | | |

|Environment and |Environmental |Capacity for mainstreaming of gender |Indicator: Number of stakeholders equipped with skills and tools on|Ministry of Economic Planning and |$413,000 |

|climate change |sustainability improved |and environment improved and climate |climate change adaptation and mainstreaming gender and environment |Development, Ministry of Finance, | |

| | |change adaptation strategy developed |in policies and programmes. |Ministry of Tourism and Environmental | |

| | |and operationalized. | |Affairs, Ministry of Natural Resources| |

| | | |Baseline: No audit of skills exists. |and Energy, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA, | |

| | | | |civil society organizations | |

| | | |Target: key stakeholders equipped with climate change adaptation | | |

| | | |and mainstreaming gender and environment in tools and policies. | | |

| |Disaster risk reduction |Capacity to establish decentralized |Indicator: Availability of management tools and procedures for |Ministry of Economic Planning and |$200,000 |

| |improved |structures for disaster risk reduction|disaster risk reduction. |Development, Ministry of Finance, | |

| | |improved | |Ministry of Tourism and Environmental | |

| | | |Baseline: Disaster management act in place. |Affairs, FAO, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA. | |

| | | | | | |

| | | |Target: Disaster management act, policy and national action plan | | |

| | | |operationalized by 2015 | | |

|National priority or goals: Improving governance and strengthening institutions |

|Intended UNDAF outcome #4: Strengthened national capacities for the promotion and protection of rights |

|Governance and |Supportive policy and |Government and parliament capacity for|Indicator: Number of pieces of legislation operationalizing key |Ministry of Justice and Constitutional|$400,000 |

|gender |legal framework for |implementing the constitution and |provisions of the constitution supported by the United Nations |Affairs, judiciary, parliament, UNDP, | |

| |improved governance in |international human rights conventions|system. |UNFPA, United Nations, ILO, UNICEF, | |

| |place |enhanced | |European Commission, Commonwealth | |

| | | |Baseline: Three bills were gazetted and four acts reviewed in 2008.|secretariat | |

| | | | |United States embassy | |

| | | | | | |

| | | |Target: At least two new bills supported by 2012. | | |

| | |Capacity for public sector management |Indicator: Number of government officers trained in integrity and |UNDP, UNFPA, United Nations |$300,000 |

| | |enhanced |public accountability systems. |Educational, Scientific, and Cultural | |

| | | | |Organization (UNESCO), ILO, UNICEF, | |

| | | |Baseline: No civil servants received integrity training – 2009. |European Commission, Commonwealth | |

| | | | |secretariat, | |

| | | |Target: 100 civil servants trained annually in integrity issues |United States embassy | |

| | | |during UNDAF period. | | |

| |Knowledge of rights by the|Civil society advocacy on human rights|Indicator: Number of civil societies with technical capacity to |Ministry of Justice and Constitutional|$300,000 |

| |people increased |strengthened |advocate, monitor and report on human rights; number of human |Affairs, human rights and public | |

| | | |rights and public administration commission staff with skills and |administration commission, | |

| | | |tools to monitor and report on implementation of human rights. |civil society organizations, | |

| | | | |UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF, | |

| | | |Baseline: Weak advocacy, monitoring and reporting on human rights |European Commission, Commonwealth | |

| | | |by non-state actors – human rights and public administration |secretariat, United States embassy | |

| | | |commission not operational and no staff recruited (2009). | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | |Target: At least five non-governmental organizations supported by | | |

| | | |2015. | | |

| |Access to justice for all |Capacities for the administration of |Indicator: Number of law enforcement and judicial officers trained |Ministry of Justice and Constitutional|$300,000 |

| |improved |justice delivery systems for all |in human rights and administration of justice. |Affairs, judiciary, UNDP, UNFPA, | |

| | |enhanced | |UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF, European | |

| | | |Baseline: Limited capacity of law enforcement and judicial |Commission, Commonwealth secretariat, | |

| | | |officials to deliver justice – 2009. |United States embassy | |

| | | | | | |

| | | |Target: At least 50 per cent of law enforcement and judicial | | |

| | | |officers trained in human rights and justice administration by | | |

| | | |2015. | | |

| |Gender equality enhanced |Enactment and implementation of gender|Indicator: Number of policies adapted and number of institutions |Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, |$500,000 |

| | |equality and gender-based violence |capacitated in promoting gender equality and preventing and |Ministry of Justice and Constitutional| |

| | |laws and policies strengthened |responding to gender-based violence. |Affairs, Swaziland Action Group | |

| | | | |Against Abuse, European Commission, | |

| | | |Baseline: Weak institutional capacity to address gender equality |UNFPA, UNICEF | |

| | | |and gender-based violence, gender policy not adapted. | | |

| | | | | | |

| | | |Target: At least eight advocacy and training initiatives on gender | | |

| | | |equality and gender-based violence conducted by 2015. | | |

Total indicative resources: $3,796,000

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[1] Government of Swaziland 2008 Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Programme, Mbabane, Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, Vol. 1, pg.37

[2] Countries that have achieved, or are on the verge of achieving, the Millennium Development Goals are on growth rates of 7 per cent and above. UNDP 2003 Human Development Report.

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