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STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT (SDGAP) IN SRI LANKA QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 JANUARY 1, 2019- MARCH 31, 2019

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by DAI Global LLC. The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

Cover photo: SDGAP STAFF REGISTER PARTICIPANTS OF A WORKSHOP USING THE FULCRUM APPLICATION.

Photo credit: Cane Mario for USAID SDGAP

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by DAI Global LLC. The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT (SDGAP) IN SRI LANKA QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 JANUARY 1, 2019- MARCH 31, 2019

PROGRAM TITLE: USAID SDGAP IN SRI LANKA DAI PROJECT NUMBER: 1002967 SPONSORING USAID OFFICE: USAID/SRI LANKA & MALDIVES IDIQ NUMBER: AID-OAA-1-12-00003 TASK ORDER NUMBER: AID-383-TO-16-00002 CONTRACTOR: DAI GLOBAL LLC DATE OF PUBLICATION: MAY 7, 2019

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CONTENTS

ACRONYMS 1 PROGRAM OVERVIEW 3 PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS 4 PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING CONTRACT DELIVERABLES 5 SUMMARY OF PROGRESS 6 TASK 1: STRENGTHENING PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS 6 CURBING BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION 6 GREATER PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT AND LEGAL REFORM FOR STRENGTHENED DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE 9 STRENGTHENED PARLIAMENT SECRETARIAT: CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES & TECHNICAL EXPERTISE 10 SDGAP’S PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (PFM) REFORM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 12 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE (NAO): WIDENING THE PFM NET 12 OTHER AREAS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 14 TASK 2: IMPROVING STRATEGIC PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION, POLICY REFORM AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES 15 GOOD GOVERNANCE BY INSTITUTIONALIZING THE USE OF EVIDENCE IN PARLIAMENTARY FUNCTIONS 16 CAPACITY STRENGTHENING OF THE STATE SECTOR IN PLANNING FOR RESULTS 19 A DIGITAL PLATFORM TO MONITOR PROGRESS TOWARDS THE SDGS AND THE 2030 AGENDA 19 THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP) 20 A MODERN PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA CENTER 20 TASK 3: INCREASING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND UNDER REPRESENTED GROUPS IN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE 22 AN ACTION PLAN FOR THE WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS’ CAUCUS 22 LOBBYING: SOCWG & MALE GENDER CHAMPIONS FOR POLICY REFORM THROUGH PRIVATE MEMBER BILLS23 LAUNCH OF A NATIONAL LEVEL CAMPAIGN TO CELEBRATE SRI LANKAN WOMEN CHANGEMAKERS AND REDEFINE PUBLIC PERCEPTION 24 THE DIAMOND LEADERSHIP MODEL (DLM) STUDY - A RESEARCH INITIATIVE TO ASSESS WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION GOVERNMENT 25 GRANTS 26 CHALLENGES AND REMEDIAL ACTIONS 31 ACTIVITY MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING PLAN (AMELP) 33 COLLABORATING, LEARNING, ADAPTING (CLA) 37 FINANCE AND OPERATIONS 39 RECRUITMENT 39 PROCUREMENT 40 FINANCE 41 PLANS FOR QUARTER 3, YEAR 3 42 ANNEX 1 – RESULTS SUMMARY 44 SDGAP PERFORMANCE MONITORING INDICATORS, YEAR 3 QUARTER 2, JANUARY–MARCH 2019 44

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SDGAP RESULTS FRAMEWORK INDICATORS (19) 44 ANNEX 2 – PROJECT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 59 ANNEX 3 – SUCCESS STORIES 60

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ACRONYMS

AGDSL Auditor General’s Department of Sri Lanka AFRIEL Association of Friendship and Love AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan AWAW Association of War Affected Women CDF Community Development Foundation CLA Collaborating, Learning, Adapting CIABOC Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption COPA Committee on Public Accounts COPE Committee on Public Enterprises CoPF Committee on Public Finance CPA Center for Policy Alternatives DLM Diamond Leadership Model DMS Data Management Systems EIGR Evidence Informed Governance for Results GoSL Government of Sri Lanka GRB Gender Responsive Budgeting IDIQ Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity JSAC Jaffna Social Action Center KII Key Informant Interviews MfDR Managing for Development Results MoF Ministry of Finance MMDA Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act MONPEA Ministry of National Planning and Economic Affairs MOWCA Ministry of Women and Child Affairs MP Member of Parliament MSDW Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife MWRAF Muslim Women’s Research Action Forum NAO National Audit Office NAP National Action Plan NAPCC National Action Plan for Combatting Corruption NEP National Evaluation Policy NPC National Police Commission NPC National Procurement Commission OGP Open Government Partnership PBO Parliamentary Budget Office PFC Public Finance Committee PFM Public Finance Management PMC Parliamentary Media Center PRU Parliamentary Research Unit PPP Public Private Partnerships RTI Right to Information RTIC Right to Information Commission SDG Sustainable Development Goals SDGAP Strengthening Democratic Governance and Accountability Project SG Secretary General SLIDA Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administrators SLPFE Sri Lanka Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation SLPI Sri Lanka Press Institute SO Standing Orders SOC Sectoral Oversight Committee

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SOCED Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development SOCIR Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations SOCLAM Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs and Media SOCWG Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender SPSS Statistical Package for Social Scientists TISL Transparency International Sri Lanka TOR Terms of Reference ToT Trainer of Trainers UNCAC United Nations Convention against Corruption

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PROGRAM OVERVIEW In early 2019, the fledgling post-war democratic state of Sri Lanka remained on shaky ground as it began to resume key functions and cope with the repercussions of the previous quarter. The former Defense Secretary and former Speaker of Parliament signaled their presidential candidacy for Presidential elections just days into the new year. These uneasy alliances; a previous regime trying to regain its power and a loss of accountability, transparency and democratic governance structures represented a concrete threat to this post-war democracy. SDGAP’s support to the Parliament of Sri Lanka, other government counterparts, and civil society became more important than ever.

Key government functions slowly began to resume. The presentation, debate and passing of the 2019 budget began in March. It is expected that the budget will be passed by April. Work toward holding provincial council elections, which have already faced several delays with several terms having come to an end, also commenced. The call for greater representation at various levels was renewed by efforts such as amendments to the Companies Act by Member of Parliament (MP) Tharaka Balasuriya, who proposed the mandate that at least one third of a company board be represented by a female member, where practically possible. SDGAP was involved in this initiative, helping the MP secure expert advice on the subject through consultations with several subject specialists.

As a means of ensuring greater transparency and accountability, especially within various levels of government, on February 28th, five parliamentarians representing various political groups released details of their Asset Declarations. The disclosure of documents pertaining to the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities took place at a media event organized by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) - an SDGAP grantee. This marked the first time a group of MPs from multiple political parties came together to make this information public. The asset declarations of these MPs can be viewed at: www.tisrilanka.org/MPassets.

Such actions demonstrated that the Parliament of Sri Lanka recognizes the importance of transparency and accountability and is taking steps to move forward, starting with its own members. While this is a positive step towards bringing not only political stability but also overall progress and development, the breakdown of political relations also means that challenges in governance do still lie ahead.

As a return to a more stable political and economic environment slowly gathered momentum, SDGAP remained focused on forging and strengthening its relationships with key partners and revived previously delayed activities. The quarter involved a lot of work directed towards the areas of anti-corruption; supporting Parliament’s Sectoral Oversight Committees (SOCs) in opening key areas of work to both the public and civil society; and, subsequently, a greater focus on outreach, improved awareness and advocacy to ensure greater representation and accountability.

As it edges to closer to the project end date, SDGAP continues to ramp up activities and work with a range of partners to secure its contribution to strengthening public accountability, improved strategic communication and policy, and the increased political participation and representation of women and under-represented groups. SDGAP continues these efforts so it can leave behind longer lasting institutional frameworks and a legacy of having contributed to Sri Lanka’s sustained and strengthened democratic governance.

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PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

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PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING CONTRACT DELIVERABLES The table below describes the Project Deliverables, due dates and dates of SDGAP submission to USAID: Deliverable Due Date Date of Submission

Quarterly Progress and 30 days after the end of each 1/30/2019 Financial Report quarter

Weekly Updates Every Monday 12:00 PM Submitted Weekly

Annual Work Plan 30 days after completion year 3 9/26/18

Monitoring, Evaluation and 30 days after completion year 2 11/4/16 Learning Plan

Branding and Marking Plan Within 30 days of award Submitted

Communications Plan Within 30 days of award Submitted

Success Stories 30 days after the end of each Submitted with this report quarter

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SUMMARY OF PROGRESS

TASK 1: STRENGTHENING PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEMS

FIGURE 1: AREAS OF STRATEGIC FOCUS- TASK 1. Legislative oversight over the executive office is an indicator of strengthened democratic governance in democratic countries. The concept of Sectoral Oversight Committees was introduced into the Sri Lankan Parliamentary system in 2015. By supporting the Sri Lanka’s Sectorial Oversight Committees, SDGAP helped internalize better checks and balances as well as improved transparency and accountability within the Sri Lankan government.

CURBING BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION

LEGISLATIVE ACTION: THE DRAFT COMPOSITE ACT The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC), under a directive by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs and Media (SOCLAM), initiated the process of drafting a Composite Act—a new legal instrument which consolidates several existing pieces of legislation in the Bribery Act, the Asset Declaration law and the CIABOC Act. The laws related to bribery and corruption are spread across three key Acts, in addition to broader laws that relate to criminal offences, evidence and criminal procedure. Given the challenge of accessing many laws to address the issues, CIABOC and SOCLAM felt the need to consolidate the substantive law into a singular Composite Act. SDGAP’s consultant for CIABOC supported the Commission by conducting legal research to refine the Composite Act. SDGAP also facilitated three half-day consultations between the Head of the Legal Draftsman’s Department and CIABOC. These consultations were important to fostering collaboration between the two parties; as the Legal Draftsman’s Department plays a vital role in turning the policy ideas generated by CIABOC into a viable legal document.

SDGAP not only assisted the technical sessions on the draft Composite Act, but also, more importantly, the project’s assistance and facilitation in taking the Composite Act to the field under SOCLAM and CIABOC’s combined leadership, was a positive intervention which was equally welcome by the two main branches of government. The very first public stakeholder consultation was held on March 29th in the district of Gampaha with approximately 45 participants in attendance which included public servants, religious dignitaries and other interested parties. CIABOC’s Director General, his team and the law reform consultants provided by SDGAP served as key resource persons and elaborated on the evolution of the anti-corruption law in Sri Lanka, the salient features of the new proposed law, the introduction of provisions related to conflict of interest, corruption in

6 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV the field of sports, bribery and corruption in the private sector and the laws on the declaration of assets and liabilities. The DG also provided an outline of the National Action Plan for Combatting Bribery or Corruption (NAPCC) and the basis of the Draft Composite Act to engage key stakeholders and discuss the contents of the Draft Act and identify ideas and inputs for further development.

THE LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR COMBATTING BRIBERY OR CORRUPTION (NAPCC) The development and launch of the National Action Plan for Combating Bribery or Corruption was one of the SDGAP’s most significant activities during the last quarter. The event, sponsored by SDGAP, was originally planned for December 2018, but the political crisis that occurred in October and November caused the event to be postponed. The launch event for the National Action Plan for Combatting Bribery or Corruption (NAPCC) was held on March 18th and brought together over 1,250 participants, including parliamentarians, religious leaders, members of the judiciary, other public officials, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, artists, and students. His Excellency, President Sirisena was the Chief Guest. Other key Members of Parliament in attendance included the Speaker and the leader of the Opposition. In his address, the President talked of how consecutive governments have made the eradication of bribery and corruption a central part of their mandates, and how despite such efforts bribery and corruption in the past few decades have only increased. He therefore, called for political motives to be set aside and asked that all present make a pledge to move Sri Lanka as a nation forward and reinforce both integrity and prevention.

The launch event provided CIABOC with an opportunity to emphasize the importance of the Action Plan and the role each of the groups represented play in its implementation.

Along with the National Action Plan, SDGAP assisted CIABOC to develop four annexes to the NAPCC: the Integrity Handbook; Gift Rules; Conflict of Interest; and Policy Suggestions for Proposed Legal Amendments. CIABOC is currently working with the Presidential Secretariat, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Public Administration to circulate these documents to all government offices and to encourage the adoption of the principles, policies, and recommendations within them. The Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administrators (SLIDA) - one of the key government training institutes in the country will conduct these trainings which will be based on the information from the annexes.

During the last quarter, there were 18 convictions of bribery or corruption secured during the reporting period; 3 in the Magistrate’s Courts and 15 in the High Court- a 64% increase in comparison to the previous quarter which reported 11 convictions. This increased conviction rate can be attributed to the consultants provided by SDGAP to CIABOC who in addition to the work contributed to the drafting of the National Action Plan, also continued their work on legal reforms and the development of tools and processes to strengthen both prosecution and case management.

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THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION: ASSESSING SUCCESS AND YIELDING RESULTS The Right to Information (RTI) Act, passed in 2016 was an important step towards improved government transparency and accountability in Sri Lanka. The RTI Act established a process by which Sri Lankan citizens could access public information, helping them to more fully participate in holding government accountable. In the last quarter, SDGAP developed Term of Reference (TORs) to assess the impact of the RTI Act; this assessment will determine the degree to which the RTI Act has been adopted, its successes, and the challenges and barriers to its implementation. The TORs were drafted in consultation with the Ministry of Mass Media. This initiative will develop further in the next quarter when SDGAP will issue a request for proposals and identify a suitable vendor to support the Sri Lankan Government with this assessment.

The Right to Information Act established a Right to Information Commission, which is the central oversight and enforcement agency responsible for ensuring citizens’ right to information. This independent body has the authority to conduct inquiries into complaints and allegations of non- compliance with the RTI Act. It also has the ability to prosecute and recommend disciplinary actions against offending officials.

SDGAP’s technical assistance to the RTIC has helped the Commission to more quickly effectively process appeals and conduct hearings. During this quarter, 78% of appeals received were processed and 35% of cases concluded. While the processing rate is lower than the previous quarter, it should be noted that the number of appeals received increased by 20% during this quarter.

A total of 7 consultants, supported by SDGAP and seconded to the RTIC serve as both researchers and translators. In addition to conducting research on the appeals filed, these consultants also play a vital role in ensuring that information is accessible in both Sinhala and Tamil. The Project also supports an IT consultant whose main role is to ensure that all relevant related information is updated and uploaded onto the RTI website. This range of technical support provided by SDGAP’s consultants to the RTIC has helped the Commission increase its ability to process appeals. Between January and March 2019, the Right to Information Commission (RTIC) received 459 appeals and processed 358 of them. In total, the Commission conducted 450 Appeal hearings and concluded 159 of them.

The RTIC has requested that SDGAP provide support to help develop and implement an electronic tracking and workflow system for appeals. TORs have been developed and finalized with inputs from the Commission. The Project is also working in collaboration with the Ministry of Media- the RTIC’s counterpart to conduct an Impact Assessment which will review both the demand and supply side with regards to the implementation of the RTI Act. SDGAP has worked on developing a TOR which was discussed with stakeholders at a meeting chaired by Ministry. It expects to select a suitable vendor to carry out the assessment during the next quarter.

IMPROVING OUTREACH IN COLLABORATION WITH THE NATIONAL POLICE COMMISSION SDGAP resumed its work to support the outreach efforts of the National Police Commission (NPC), previously delayed due to the political crisis that took place at the end of 2018. This quarter, SDGAP’s consultant identified to develop a newsletter for NPC was introduced to the to the Secretary and other high- ranking officials of the Commission. The NPC newsletter will help the public better understand the work of Sri Lanka’ police forces and to build trust between

8 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV citizens and the police and will be distributed to the police force, the NPC and the general public. It will also be available on the NPC website.

GREATER PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT AND LEGAL REFORM FOR STRENGTHENED DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE

SDGAP also works towards strengthening Parliamentary oversight through support to sectoral oversight committees (SOCs). Below are some examples of SDGAP’s interventions to support the SOCs, significant results, and opportunities for future collaboration identified during this quarter.

SECTORAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (SOCED) SDGAP met with the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development (SOCED), including by the recently appointed ‘back-bencher’, MP Harshana Rajakaruna, to assess potential support that SDGAP could provide to the SOCED with oversight, particularly with regards to engaging with and opening sessions to the public at the sub-national level. SDGAP was invited to attend a meeting convened by the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Economic Development (SOCED) convened on April 3rd to observe its sessions. This will help SDGAP better assess where and how it can support the SOCED. The invitation by the SOCED also demonstrates that it recognizes the value added by SDGAP in its engagement with the SOC.

SECTORAL OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (SOCIR) The SDGAP team was also invited to attend a special consultation convened by the SOCIR, to obtain feedback on the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. SDGAP seized this opportunity to meet with and share the idea of working closely with SOCIR, suggesting the Project attend their monthly meetings and connect CSOs with the Committee on a regular basis.

Two SDGAP grantees were present at the meeting: the Center for Policy Alternative (CPA), responsible for the draft Bill to replace the PTA; and Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) invited by SDGAP to input on the impact of the PTA and its implications on RTI law, given its extensive work on RTI, in addition to other civil society organizations who work closely with suspects detained under the PTA. among other CSO representatives as well. Multi-party representatives were also present at the consultation, which included MP Bimal Ratnayake from the JVP who also attended SDGAP’s study tour to the Parliament of Canada in 2018.

SDGAP’s range of interventions often have both direct and indirect impacts. As a result of his experience in observing how the SOCs in Canada work, how they engage with civil society and how they ensure representation- for example, through representation from indigenous communities, MP Ratnayake requested that the Chair of the SOCIR convene this consultation to obtain input on the proposals to repeal the PTA. While the nature of this consultation is not directly in line with SDGAP’s mandate, it does provide insight into how a SOC can engage and connect with various stakeholders, including civil society during the process of reviewing a proposed law. The Project can use such learnings to strategize its assistance to other SOCs identified in its Year 3 Annual Work Plan.

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SPEARHEADING A PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BILL TO ENSURE NON-DISCRIMINATION SDGAP met with a Member of Parliament (MP) interested in presenting a few Private Members’ Bills on issues critical to ensuring non-discrimination in the field of politics and the economy/labor market. 10 topics were discussed that identified the need for either legal or regulatory reform through amendments to existing legislation. It was decided that the issues will be discussed with a wider group of MPs belonging to five pertinent sectoral oversight committees; the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender (SOCWG), SOCLAM, SOCIR, SOCED and the SOC on manufacturing. This will enable a collaborative effort across several relevant SOCs interested in such reforms. It is expected that such an intervention will strengthen the legal framework for promoting non-discrimination.

STRENGTHENED PARLIAMENT SECRETARIAT: CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES & TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

During year 2, SDGAP supported a 17-member delegation of the Parliament Secretariat on a study tour to the Lok Sabha and a state legislature in Hyderabad, India. SDGAP facilitated a follow-up discussion at the Parliament of Sri Lanka in February this year to facilitate wider knowledge sharing on best practices learned during this study tour. Three officials conducted a comparative analysis on the parliamentary proceedings between the Lok Sabha and the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The speakers highlighted that law-making processes in both countries are similar, while public engagement in the law-making process in India is remarkably higher. The speakers noted that the newly enacted Standing Orders (SO) and functions of Sectoral Oversight Committees would help improve citizens’ engagement in the legislative process in Sri Lanka gradually by inviting civil society to be a part of SOC meetings and helping the public better understand and be aware of the agreed rules under which conduct, procedure and debate of Members of the House are regulated.

Providing technical support through consultants is one of the Project’s most effective means of achieving results, in addition to its role as facilitator and convener. During this quarter, at a meeting with the Parliament Secretariat, SDGAP’s senior consultant attached to Parliament, Mr. Gunasena Hettiarachchi, reported on the progress of his work so far in relation to the restructuring of Parliament’s administration. He presented 3 reports on the Scheme of Recruitment, Restructuring Recommendations and the establishment of the Human Resource Development Unit to the Secretary General (SG) – the latter as part of a sustainable strategy for capacity development within Parliament.

The purpose of the meeting was to assess whether SDGAP could provide support to the establishment of the Human Resource Development Center based on the consultant’s recommendations. It was decided that the Center would be set up using the resources available at Parliament, based on those recommendations. SDGAP will provide support at this initiative progresses, specifically with regards to obtaining private sector consultants as needed. Meanwhile, Mr. Hettiarachchi will update the reports based on any suggestions/recommendations that arose during the meeting and continue to provide the Parliament Secretariat with the support it needs in setting up the Human Resource Development Center.

SDGAP also suggested that the consultant review the work conducted by the Parliament interns in order to develop an internship program specifically attached to the proposed Human Resource Development Unit. This initiative will not only strengthen capacity by streamlining resources but also help guarantee the sustainability of the internship program.

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In March, SDGAP also recruited a senior international affairs consultant to support the Parliament Secretariat with strengthening the SOCs. The consultant, Mr. Kariyawasam who was a member of the Foreign Service for many years, will develop a more effective communication strategy for Parliament through the Office of the Speaker. His assistance to the Sectoral Oversight Committees, especially in the form of technical and legal support for legislative activities, is expected to enhance both openness and transparency in the legislature.

These are the varied and multiple interventions which SDGAP utilizes to strengthen public accountability systems. As the Project settles into its final year of interventions, this work becomes even more vital to ensuring that frameworks and systems are put in place which can withstand political shocks and changing political regimes and thereby contribute to sustained democratic governance.

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SDGAP’S PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT (PFM) REFORM TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

FIGURE 2: AREAS OF STRATEGIC FOCUS- PFM. Initial PFM activities focused on continuing STAIR’s work on audit, procurement and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) reforms. They served as a springboard to inform SDGAP’s third-year work plan. During this quarter, SDGAP not only developed but also helped implement reforms at various levels of government with key partners, including the National Audit Office (NAO) and the National Procurement Commission (NPC).

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE (NAO): WIDENING THE PFM NET

Initially, SDGAP’s PFM activities focused on continuing work on audit, procurement and PPP reforms which served as a springboard as the Project moved into Year 3. While in previous quarters, the Project helped implement reforms at the National Audit Office (NAO) and the National Procurement Commission (NPC), during this quarter, SDGAP’s PFM team focused on capacity strengthening and the delivery of targeted trainings to NAO staff.

As a means of widening the scope of its technical assistance and in response to the NAO’s request, SDGAP’s PFM team facilitated and conducted a series of out-station trainings on Forensic Audit. The out- station training program series was conducted in Negombo, Jaffna, Galle and Badulla respectively to ensure capacity strengthening and knowledge sharing island-wide.

This series of out-station training programs began with a two-day Forensic Audit Training (FAT) Master Class Program for Senior Officers from the NAO was held in Negombo from January 17-18. 41 staff members from the NAO; 28 men and 13 women attended the training.

This was followed by a four-day training held in Jaffna from January 22- 25. 39 staff members from the NAO; 28 men and 11 women attended the training. 74% of the participants commented that this learning will help their current job role in the following ways; they stated that this will help in improving audit techniques, improve skills in gathering evidence and beginning investigations, improve skills to carry out procurement audit, investigate fraud, and further developing skills in interviewing and the preparation of reports. A case

12 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV study was used which was built around the financial statements and other relevant reports of two local enterprises under investigation by the Committee on Public Enterprise (COPE). This provided an effective means of getting across the more theoretical concepts discussed in the presentations and other materials provided to participants. The case study also proved to be a useful practical guide which showed participants how to put what was taught during the workshop into practice. As a means of demonstrating the collaborative nature of this training series, two senior officers from the NAO also served as facilitators. The PFM team expects to design and deliver a training plan in collaboration with the NAO. This will be useful in strengthening the capacity within the NAP and help meet the objectives of the National Audit Act.

The series of out-station trainings continued with a four-day training in Galle from January 29- February 1. 55 staff members from the NAO; 19 men and 36 women attended the training. Two trainers from the NAO also assisted in conducting the training which demonstrates the NAO’s commitment to ensuring that such capacity building initiatives add value to their work.

Participants were also given the opportunity to discuss their practical experiences in carrying out forensic auditing. Comments made in the evaluation forms demonstrated that participants felt that the training added value to their previously limited knowledge base on the topic. The last of these out-station training programs took place in Badulla from February 5-8. A four-day training attended by 22 NAO staff members; 11 men and 11 women.

While SDGAP was supposed to also conduct a training in Kandy as part of this series, this did not take place at the NAO’s request, as targeted participants were unavailable on the scheduled dates.

The area of forensic auditing per se is a new initiative by the NAO. While most of the participants who attended this series of FAT training do not directly engage in forensic auditing as standalone special investigations, the content of these workshops would be of use to them in terms of planning and performing financial audits, which is a part of their responsibilities as NAO officers.

The visual above shows the number of NAO staff trained through this out-station training program in 2019. The FAT training series first began in September 2018 in Colombo. To-date, a total of 225 officers from the NAO have participated in these training sessions, including the Auditor General. This represents about 15% of the total NAO staff.

Overall, the design of this series of capacity strengthening workshops on Forensic Audit provided participants with comprehensive knowledge in the theoretical and technical aspects of forensic auditing. Participants were given the opportunity to discuss their practical experiences in carrying out

13 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV forensic auditing. Evaluation forms showed that the participants felt that the training enhanced their previously limited knowledge base on the topic and added value to their areas of work.

The trainings were a success in the context that a vast majority of the participants had highly rated the workshops in the post training evaluation forms. Participants were also appreciative of USAID’s support in providing and conducting these trainings in partnership with the NAO. Continued monitoring and improvements were made throughout the training series.

Post-training results from the Colombo training indicated that participants had merely scored just above average (56%), ranging from 36% to 72% despite the questions being relatively easy and straightforward. Noting this after the very first FAT training held in Colombo, the SDGAP training team then increased their attempts to increase participants’ engagement in these trainings and thereby achieve the expected results. For example, a follow-up meeting was held with some of the participants of the Colombo training and the Head of Training of the NAO to gain a better understanding of how participants viewed the training. In addition, the use of facilitators from the NAO for the out-station workshops helped provide local examples which gave participants a better understanding of how to apply these concepts in their work.

OTHER AREAS OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SDGAP’s PFM team will continue to implement capacity strengthening initiatives with key stakeholders. A series of Auditing in a Computerized Environment (ACE) trainings are to be planned and implemented in subsequent quarters. There will also be expansion work on ACE by upgrading modules to reflect Excel’s practical audit application. SDGAP’s international PPP expert is expected to arrive in Colombo in April to deliver a series of PPP and procurement related trainings to partners, this includes both government and donor counterparts.

As the Project nears its completion, it looks to leave behind a strong legacy of strengthened capacity and a network of key players who can learn from and support each other, and cope with future developments.

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TASK 2: IMPROVING STRATEGIC PLANNING AND COMMUNICATION, POLICY REFORM AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESSES

FIGURE 3: AREAS OF STRATEGIC FOCUS- TASK 2. SDGAP contributes to policy reform, improved strategic planning and communication, and the implementation of processes related to good governance in several ways. This quarter, this results’ area, the Project’s activities focused on (1) strengthening policies, capacities and processes on evidence-informed Governance for Results within the legislature and the executive arms of government and, (2) increasing public access to parliamentary operations, publications and legislative records in the spirit of ensuring legislative transparency and parliamentary openness.

This area of work includes processes that contribute to the effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), frameworks that reinforce the value of evaluation and in holding institutions accountable to achieve longer-term good governance, and capacity strengthening that bolsters sustainability and retention of knowledge and information beyond changing political regimes.

•Strengthening PRU •Establishing a select committee on Evaluation •Instituting sustainable linkages between universities and parliament Evidence Informed •Facilitating the assessment of the fiscal, financial and economic Governance for assumptions used as bases in arriving at the budget estimates Results •Instituting an MfDR system within the legislature •Advocating for the establsihment of PBO •Strengthening committee planning processes

•Completing the modernization of the PMC •Completing the archival of Parliamentary documentation Legislative openness •Facilitating outreach activities of oversight committees •Facilitating Policy dialogue on issues of national importance

FIGURE 4: AREAS OF INTERVENTION- TASK 2.

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GOOD GOVERNANCE BY INSTITUTIONALIZING THE USE OF EVIDENCE IN PARLIAMENTARY FUNCTIONS

LAUNCH OF THE “EVIDENCE INFORMED GOVERNANCE FOR RESULTS” (EIGR) INITIATIVE The Parliament of Sri Lanka together with parliamentarians and professionals from about 70 countries signed the Colombo Declaration on Development Evaluation at the Global Parliamentarians Conference in September 2018. The Colombo Declaration committed signatories to promoting National Evaluation Policies and Systems in their countries. Through this initiative, the Parliament of Sri Lanka recognized the importance of using evidence for decision making and acknowledged the need to support the generation of credible evidence, committing to the process of building links between evidence producing institutions and the Parliament.

It is therefore a strategic and high impact intervention to equip parliamentarians, members of provincial councils, and local authorities with necessary tools and techniques to use evidence- informed governance. Reflecting a commitment to evidence-informed governance, the Parliament of Sri Lanka requested assistance for such an intervention.

To improve and promote a culture and use of evidence in parliamentary functions in line with the Parliament of Sri Lanka requested assistance, and with EvalColombo2018 commitments, the Parliament of Sri Lanka with support from SDGAP initiated a program: “Evidence Informed Governance for Results” Project. EIGR was conceived with the vision of making well-designed high-quality evaluations available in strategic development areas.

The purpose of the Evidence-Informed Governance for Results (EIGR) program is to institutionalize the use of evidence in parliamentary functions. EIGR is designed to enhance the availability of credible evidence and their access to members of parliament for their parliamentary duties. Using evidence from quality evaluations in decision making will contribute to good governance and solidify effective development results for citizens.

A meeting to launch the program: “Evidence Informed Governance for Results,” followed by a consultative meeting on the draft Evaluation Bill was held on March 28th at Parliament. It should be noted that important actions have already taken place under this program, including:

 Developing a motion for the establishment of a Select Committee on Evaluation.  A draft Bill on Evaluation was prepared for consultation with the wider community and will be submitted by the Select Committee to the Parliament for approval.  A plan of action to strengthen parliamentary research services has been prepared and its implementation has begun.  The Sri Lanka Parliamentarians’ Forum for Evaluation has taken steps to further advocate for the use of evaluation for decision-making.

STRENGTHENING THE PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH UNIT (PRU) Following on from the recommendations that emerged from EvalColombo and the Colombo Declaration, and the resulting wide acceptance of using rigorous evidence to inform public decision-making, SDGAP directed focus to

16 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV understanding how evidence is currently defined and used in the legislature, and how it could be strengthened and more effectively mobilised to support effective governance within Sri Lanka.

During the quarter, SDGAP worked towards supporting the PRU through a mix of technical support through consultants and facilitating meetings to use research to:

 support effective scrutiny and to inform policy by using research and analysis to hold the Government accountable, to scrutinize legislation or to inform the work of oversight committees;  provide background knowledge which is a vital part of being able to scrutinize policy and inform suggested changes to policy or legislation;  inform opinions enabling MPs and staff to form views based on evidence about an issue or national importance;  provide balanced information from two different sides of the debate, for example as part of parliamentary debate or committee scrutiny; and  provide credibility to the legislature and enhance public image – research could be used to enhance the credibility of arguments put forward by MPs in debates.

The Sri Lanka Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation (SLPFE) is one of the Project’s main parliamentary stakeholders in enhancing and taking forward the research and evaluation mandate within parliament and with the executive branch of government. SLPFE, established in the year 2016, plays a catalytic role in advocating for strengthening “the research and evaluation unit” within the Parliament of Sri Lanka. It has been proposed by SLPFE that the unit should:

 maintain a repository of evaluation reports of important sectors in the country;  link best practices of demand and use of evaluation by other countries;  provide technical inputs to members of parliament;  provide brief evaluation reports to members of parliament/ prepare short summary of evaluation reports; and  assist members of parliament to capture key findings of concerned evaluations.

FIGURE 5: THE INTER-LINKED AREAS OF RESEARCH, EVALUATION AND THE EXECUTIVE.

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The work and goals of the SLPFE were linked to the Parliamentary Research Unit, since the services of researchers, subject specialists and evaluators are highly required and interrelated with the process of monitoring and evaluation.

Following a detailed discussion held with the staff of the Parliament Research Unit (PRU) to assess the current activities and the unit’s needs, substantial capacity gaps were identified to be addressed for further development of the PRU. As a result, SDGAP designed a capacity building program in cooperation with the Secretary General of Parliament. Substantial capacity gaps were identified and agreed upon to further develop the PRU capacity for supporting evidence-based decisions and monitoring and evaluation of national development activities and programs. Launched on March 27th, the objective of the program is to strengthen capacity on the following areas of the PRU:

Phase 1: a. Research Methodology b. National Statistical System of Sri Lanka c. SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Scientists) d. National accounts (GDP, Growth rate, Per capita income and other macroeconomic indicators, etc.) e. Consumer price indices, inflation f. Demographic statistics: population, housing, life expectancy, ageing population g. Vital statistics of Sri Lanka (Death rates, birth rates, maternal morbidity, etc.) h. Education Statistics Phase 2: i. SMEs j. Economic units/establishments in the country k. Agriculture crop production, livestock statistics, cost of production l. Food balance sheet m. Labor force participation, employment, unemployment statistics n. Household income, expenditure, poverty o. Project approval process p. Foreign loans and grants approval process q. Functions of the Institute for Policy Studies r. Presenting data graphically and the use of tables s. Thematic Mapping/GIS (A tool to present spatial distribution of data effectively)

PUTTING THE MANAGING FOR DEVELOPMENT RESULTS (MFDR) APPROACH TO PRACTICE The current Government of Sri Lanka was ushered in on a platform of good governance and is continuously challenged to respond to the urgent need for greater accountability. The concept of Managing for Development Results is linked to a change management process that emphasizes a shift in focus from inputs, activities and outputs to outcomes and impacts. It promotes the concept of “accountability for results.”

The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL, as a signatory to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness since March 2005, is committed to institutionalize Managing for Development Results (MfDR) government-wide. The GoSL recognizes the growing international consensus that Managing for Development Results (MfDR) is an essential aspect of good governance to improve development

18 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV efficiency and effectiveness, transparency, accountability and informed decision-making. SDGAP partnered with the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs (MoNPEA) to develop an MfDR system during the Project’s second year of operations.

During the quarter under review, SDGAP planned the development process of the MfDR system. This involved several phases including:

 articulating and agreeing on objectives;  selecting Key Performance indicators (KPIs) for the identified sectors and institutions;  setting targets;  training human resources; and  developing a digital performance monitoring platform ensuring openness of government.

SDGAP is now ready to fully develop, introduce, and pilot the MfDR system among selected ministries and provinces. During quarters 3 and 4, SDGAP will work in partnership with the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs (MoNPEA) to roll out activities and begin the pilot phase.

CAPACITY STRENGTHENING OF THE STATE SECTOR IN PLANNING FOR RESULTS

During the previous quarter, SDGAP received USAID concurrence to contract the MILODA Academy of Financial Studies to create a training program and curriculum to enhance the capacity of 60 public sector officials in modern and participatory project management techniques. This program was formulated with the guidance of the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs and is fully supported by SDGAP. There was general appreciation of USAID/SDGAP support which has paved the way for the formulation of this highly structured new Diploma Program.

The Diploma Program in project monitoring and evaluation for 60 senior state sector employees and supplementary handbook was launched on February 12th at the MILODA training center. This program has been based on the premise that strong and effective democracies need well-functioning legal frameworks, institutions and processes to ensure government accountability and transparency. The curriculum was developed after identifying the gaps in the systems which required strengthening. It covers project planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation with inclusive development, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Right to Information (RTI) as cross-cutting themes. This is tailored towards training senior planning officials so that they are better able to implement modern project planning and management concepts in monitoring and evaluating development activities of the Government of Sri Lanka. Moreover, SDGAP’s partnering with a state sanctioned training institution will ensure the sustainability of democratic governance through the development and implementation of knowledge structures and frameworks.

A DIGITAL PLATFORM TO MONITOR PROGRESS TOWARDS THE SDGS AND THE 2030 AGENDA The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their successful implementation is another important area of SDGAP’s work with partners. The digital platform in support of the Sustainable Development

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Council will help facilitate coordination, communication, reporting and monitoring progress of over 425 state agencies towards SDG targets using an electronic interface. Various audiences, including the general public and others interested in progress towards the SDGs and relevant targets will be able to access current data related to SDG goals and national targets and indicators. Users will also be able to generate reports and download summaries through the website. The project also anticipates that the next phase of development will also include data visualizations using the information gathered from the various agencies.

The selected vendor, Encyte, began work in this quarter to develop a static website for the review of the steering committee established by the SDG Council. The piloting of the platform with 50 selected government institutions will begin in the next quarter with the aim of launching the live platform by the end of July.

THE OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP (OGP) Sri Lanka is the only country in South Asia that is a member of the OGP process. The first OGP National Plan (NAP) was developed in 2016 by a coalition of civil society organizations and entailed 12 commitments that hold the Government of Sri Lanka accountable. The first NAP however, has not made much progress owing to little commitment and ownership from government.

The second National Action Plan (NAP) had greater commitment due to active interest and involvement by the Presidential Secretariat, government officials and CSOs resulted in a National Action Plan that was the co-creation of all interested parties. This process was facilitated by SDGAP, with the Presidential Secretariat and Transparency International (TISL) - a SDGAP grantee - taking the lead.

The finalized 2nd National Action Plan was handed over to the Cabinet by the Presidential Secretariat during the previous quarter. The political environment, however, and the resulting short- term change of government, meant that the NAP was only approved by Cabinet during the current period of report, on January 22nd, 2019, once political stability was restored.

The participation of civil society is a driving force behind the OGP process and SDGAP’s support to both the Presidential Secretariat and TISL are fundamental to strengthening and sustaining the OGP initiative in Sri Lanka. Once the 2019 budget is passed by Parliament, Ministries will analyze their budget contribution to OGP activities.

A MODERN PARLIAMENTARY MEDIA CENTER

Being mindful of the fact that mutual recognition and respect are the cornerstones of a vibrant democracy, The Parliament of Sri Lanka is keen to build good relationships with the media, to provide media with accessible and fair working conditions.

SDGAP’s media consultant worked with the Parliamentary Secretariat to develop a plan to modernize the existing media center that includes the necessary infrastructure and updated resources to facilitate and improve the reporting capacity of parliamentary journalists.

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A series of discussions were held in recent months with lobby correspondents, media unions and a select few individual journalists to ensure that the updated plan responded to and accounted for their needs, providing both a functional and useful working space. The needs of telecast, broadcast, print and web journalists were factored in when developing the plan as most media outlets have multi-platform operations.

The modernized space will account for more floor space to accommodate over 130 registered parliamentary journalists by incorporating adjacent underutilized spaces; high speed internet connectivity for real-time uploading of audio-visual materials; modern workstations and work spaces; one sound proofed studio and an effective governing system were some of the main requirements. SDGAP expects to complete this work during the next quarter.

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TASK 3: INCREASING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND UNDER REPRESENTED GROUPS IN DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE

FIGURE 6: AREAS OF STRATEGIC FOCUS- TASK 3. While gender and social inclusion are cross-cutting areas of work, SDGAP also contributes an entire suite of activities that focus on increasing the representation and participation of women and under-represented groups in the political arena; to enable the participation of these groups in higher level decision making processes that influence their lives and livelihoods and work towards equal access for all.

During the reporting period, parliament regained its political stability and reiterated its commitment on good governance. This paved the way for SDGAP to reconnect with the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, Male Gender Champions, the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender (SOCWG) and the Secretary General’s office to work together toward policy reform, strategic planning and advocacy work. The return to political stability also created an enabling environment for SDGAP that helped the project re-engage and work closely with CSOs and other development partners to continue discourse on promoting women’s political leadership and better representation of under-represented groups.

AN ACTION PLAN FOR THE WOMEN PARLIAMENTARIANS’ CAUCUS

The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus is the only available platform of action for female parliamentarians who represent the national legislature. It has a critical role in strengthening women’s political representation at the national and sub-national levels. The mission of the Caucus is to “act together across party political, ethnic and religious affiliations and differences, ensure equality for all, especially women, by advocating, enacting and monitoring gender responsive laws and budgets in Sri Lanka.”

During this quarter, SDGAP supported the women parliamentarians’ network by providing technical expertise to develop a national level action plan. The Caucus’ vision for the action is to “create a society that accepts, respects and provides equal status and opportunities for women in all social, economic and political spheres in Sri Lanka.” The caucus action plan is based on four areas of intervention which are shown in Figure 7 below.

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FIGURE 7: FOUR AREAS OF INTERVENTION FOR THE CAUCUS ACTION PLAN.

The Action Plan proposes short, medium and long-term measures for the Caucus to tackle, based on key performance indicators. It is the result of 12 consultation meetings with Caucus members, male parliamentarians, CSO representatives and senior administration officials of parliament. At a consultation meeting, the Speaker of Parliament reiterated the fact that “creating equal opportunities for both men and women in Parliament is the prime objective of the Parliament. Parliament has always been very supportive of the Women’s Caucus….” The first draft of the action plan was shared among the Caucus members for their feedback and review. The next stage is to conduct a workshop to validate the findings of the Action Plan and launch it in June.

LOBBYING: SOCWG & MALE GENDER CHAMPIONS FOR POLICY REFORM THROUGH PRIVATE MEMBER BILLS

During the quarter, SDGAP’s task 1 and task 3 teams worked closely with the SOCWG and male gender champions to advocate for legislative reforms through two private member bills. The bills were a) to repeal section 365 of the Penal Code on unnatural offences and to decriminalize homosexuality; and b) to ensure a 30% employment quota for female employees governed under the Shop and Office Employees Act No 19 of 1954.

Article 12 (1) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees equal rights for all. This, however, is not translated into practice for certain social and/or communal groups such as those with different sexual orientations and gender identities, commonly known as the LGBTQI community. The aim of the proposed bill was to repeal Section 365 of the Penal Code, which stands in contradiction of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, and decriminalize homosexuality and reduce the social stigma on imposed on LGBTQI communities.

Despite the significant achievement of human development indicators related to health and education, statistics reveal that women’s labor force participation is and has always remained low in the 30-35th percentile during the last two decades in Sri Lanka1. The low labor force participation

1 Factors affecting women’s labour force participation in Sri Lanka / International Labour Organization, ILO Country Office for Sri Lanka and the Maldives. - Colombo: ILO, 2016.

23 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV rate can be primarily attributed to household responsibilities, gender-based segregation of occupations driven by patriarchal social norms, lower salaries and career progression compared to men and a lack of security in the informal sector; all issues related to women’s employment in general. The purpose of the proposed 30% employment quota for women under the Shop and Office Employees Act No 19 of 1954 is to increase female labor force participation by minimizing the barriers for women to enter labor markets.

SDGAP’s Task 3 team provided technical assistance and supported the SOCWG with the drafting of two policy briefs (the background papers) that support these legislative amendments. The policy briefs included inputs from the two SDGAP policy dialogues conducted in 2018 on rights of the sexual minorities and female labor force participation in Sri Lanka. The legislative amendments were drafted by SDGAP in consultation with SOCWG and male gender champions. The next stage of the activity is to submit the proposed amendments to the Attorney General’s Department to seek his advice on the constitutionality of the bill.

LAUNCH OF A NATIONAL LEVEL CAMPAIGN TO CELEBRATE SRI LANKAN WOMEN CHANGEMAKERS AND REDEFINE PUBLIC PERCEPTION

Celebrating Sri Lankan Women Changemakers is an SDGAP initiative launched in collaboration with the SOCWG and the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus under the patronage the Speaker. The first phase of this campaign included the launch of a mobile exhibit at Parliament on March 27th. The exhibit will remain at the Parliament until April 5th.

Celebrating Women ChangeMakers is a campaign in which Sri Lankan women are celebrated in order to inspire both women and men in Sri Lanka to be aware of and appreciate the vital role and significant contributions of Sri Lankan women. SDGAP developed this campaign as part of a wider outreach strategy to redefine the perception of women, their roles and contributions, and highlight the value of including women in decision making processes.

The first phase of the campaign included a mobile photo exhibition which was held at Parliament. 12 women were selected based on (1) representation from key sectors of society, politics or the economy; (2) international or national recognition received; and (3) representation of under- represented groups and vulnerable populations. Six of these ChangeMakers represent women who were Sri Lankan “firsts” in a particular field, while the other six women have contributed to Sri Lankan society in a wider context. The profiles of the women selected for the first phase of this exhibit cover various areas including politics, education, science, arts, law, sports, environment, social enterprise, social activism, and business and design, thereby demonstrating that women do not need to conform to social and traditional roles and that they deserve equal participation and representation.

The exhibition was based on a series of 12 installations that highlights the changing role of women and their contributions. Each installation includes a photo and byline that includes their name, designation and contribution. The text is available in all three languages to ensure greater accessibility by all Sri Lankan citizens. Following the initial installation at Parliament, these units will then make up part of a traveling exhibition which can be used in schools, universities and other public places. Several schools have already indicated their interest in housing such an exhibit. In addition to several articles in mainstream media on the event and the women featured, several of

24 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV the alumni associations also shared posts on those alumni who were part of the ChangeMakers’ campaign.

SDGAP hopes that this campaign continues to exhibit a living history of women in Sri Lanka and their contributions. Launched weeks after International Women’s Day as part of the Project’s contribution to recognizing women and their contributions in the month of March, it is expected that the mobile exhibition could be used as an awareness tool to inspire not only many more young women and girls but also young men and boys to better understand how women not only participate in and contribute to both social and economic development, but also the critical role they play in transforming societies. The initial exhibit will remain at the Parliament Complex until April 5th, 2019.

THE DIAMOND LEADERSHIP MODEL (DLM) STUDY - A RESEARCH INITIATIVE TO ASSESS WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION GOVERNMENT

The Diamond Leadership Model (DLM) is a global study on women’s political leadership that calculates women’s “power score” by analyzing their representation across four pillars of government: Legislature, Executive, Judiciary and Security. The DLM study is two-fold. Firstly, it calculates the women’s power score by assessing women’s leadership in four sectors of the government across high, mid and low-level positions. It also includes qualitative research work on conducting key informant interviews (KIIs) with respondents from each sector of government to identify what factors impact women climbing the leadership ladder.

Technical support to conduct the study is provided by an SDGAP global research partner, Charney Research, to guide a selected local research partner responsible for operationalizing the research. Despite the political unrest during the previous quarter, SDGAP managed to finalize a local partner to conduct this study in Sri Lanka and commissioned the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), also a current SDGAP grantee, as the local research partner to begin the study in Sri Lanka.

Work on setting up the study began in March and, and the research component will begin the first week of April with a four-day orientation for CPA research staff during which Charney Research will introduce the DLM method. The purchase order for the DLM study was approved on February 28th and work on setting up the study began in March. The research component is expected to begin during the first week of April, with a four-day orientation for CPA research staff during which Charney Research will introduce the DLM method. Prior to this however, during the month of March, the SDGAP team has facilitated discussions via Skype between CPA and Charney to introduce both parties and kick start the DLM work. CPA drafted its research guidelines and questionnaire prior to the training to be held in early April. During the orientation program, Charney Research will help the CPA team review the questionnaires and practice the interview styles. CPA aims to complete its field work in the month of May and submit the first draft of the report by second week of June. The Project will plan outreach activities once the results of the study have been collected.

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GRANTS SDGAP’s Grants Portfolio includes 18 grants issued to 16 grantees. While some of the first-round of awarded grants have already come to an end, the second round of grantees are in varying stages of implementation. As these grants achieve their objectives, significant increases to their corresponding indicators have been measured. These include the number of citizens receiving civic education through USG-assisted programs and the number of persons trained to advance public accountability systems. This is further discussed in both the M&E section and the subsequent annex on the summary of results.

These grants all contribute to the Project’s main results areas through their focus on civic engagement and citizen awareness on issues related to governance such as the rights of women and under-represented groups, mechanisms of reform and public accountability such as the Right to Information, Constitutional Reform, the OGP, and the SDGs to name a few.

Presented below is a snapshot of the grants portfolio and status of funds disbursed to date, including a breakdown by those grants related to each task area.

FIGURE 8: SNAPSHOT OF SDGAP GRANTS PORTFOLIO FUND AS OF MARCH 2019. All figures have been rounded and are in thousands of USD.

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Two of the grantees - the Association of War Affected Women (AWAW) and Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) - have both completed their grant activities.

GRANTEE SPOTLIGHT

The Association of War Affected Women (AWAW): AWAW completed its grant towards the latter stages of 2018 and conducted a well-planned and systematic training for 75 potential female politicians, better known as the SMART 75. The SMART 75 is a network which displays great potential for both leadership and a network of aspiring female politicians who can learn from each other. At the end of the grant period, AWAW documented how the women in this network had already began their social activism for example, using RTI to clarify information and raise issues of governance at local councils. AWAW also set up a Facebook group to help this network of women stay connected. In September 2018, the 75 women who were trained during the life of the project came together to receive certificates for their participation in the trainings conducted by AWAW. The certificate ceremony was held in Colombo, with the Speaker of Parliament as the Chief Guest. It was an opportunity to not only bring these women together but also to enable them to engage with members of the political community. SDGAP’s Acting Chief of Party was also present and said a few words to reiterate the importance of such training initiatives. Three representatives of the training group now known as the SMART 75 and representing Kurunegala, Puttalam and Jaffna, also talked of their experiences and the benefits they gained by participating in this initiative.

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL): TISL conducted nine island wide public consultations to solicit input and gather information that should be included in the 2nd Open Government Partnership (OGP) National Action Plan (NAP). One consultation was held in each province to cover Sri Lanka’s 9 provinces. The purpose of these consultations was to inform the public about what the OGP is and what it entails and to obtain their inputs on how to improve transparency, accountability and public participation in order to enhance open governance through the 2nd NAP. At the end of the grant, TISL not only managed to convene a workshop to document lessons learned throughout this process by civil society, government and other partners but also, despite an unstable political environment, finalized the process and submitted the 2nd NAP to Cabinet. While this process was delayed due to the constitutional crisis, the 2nd NAP was finally approved during this quarter.

SDGAP has another 16 grants which have yet to complete their milestones and ensure that those activities come to an end before the Project begins closeout.

The previous quarter’s unstable political environment had a direct result on SDGAP’s grants portfolio given the mobility and ability of civil society organizations to conduct activities without compromising the safety and security of their staff and those of partners. As seen from the charts below, a significant number of milestones have yet to be completed before the grants come to an end later this year. The SDGAP team, therefore, is working tirelessly with grantees to ensure that milestones are complete, submitted on time and of high quality.

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FIGURE 9: TASK 1: DISBURSEMENTS AND MILESTONES. FUNDS DISBURSED ARE IN THOUSANDS OF USD.

FIGURE 10: TASK 2: DISBURSEMENTS AND MILESTONES. FUNDS DISBURSED ARE IN THOUSANDS OF USD.

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FIGURE 11: TASK 3: DISBURSEMENTS AND MILESTONES. FUNDS DISBURSED ARE IN THOUSANDS OF USD.

FIGURE 12: PROGRESS OF MILESTONES.

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Seven of SDGAP’s 16 grantees work on thematic areas related to Task 2. A While Transparency International has completed its first grant with SDGAP, its second grant activity requires the completion of three more milestones. There have been delays in these activities given the previous quarter’s political environment which affected grantee activities given participants could not attend trainings, workshops and other related events, due to security concerns. In addition, grantees too face challenges such as a turnover in staff and a challenging labor market which makes it more difficult to identify high quality resource personnel.

PALTRA received significant support from the SDGAP to align activities to ensure the grantee could deliver the results mapped in its theory of change. With significant support from the SDGAP team to both assess their contract deliverables as well as better align their monitoring and evaluation to capture those results and outcomes that can be mapped to SDGAP through their grant activity, the PALTRA team ramped up activities to ensure that it can continue to complete its milestones and ensure that the grant is completed in time.

While all SDGAP’s grantees are vital to ensuring civic engagement and change at various levels from the grassroots to the national level, the Project’s portfolio of grantees who work on areas related to Task 3 contribute directly towards ensuring better representation of both women and under- represented in decision making areas and political spaces. AWAW has completed its grant. The network of 75 women that it has created as a result of its grant, if sustained will contributes towards ensuring better representation of women in political spaces as the network consists of aspiring female politicians. 2 out of the remaining 5 grants in this area are almost complete with grantees Muslim Women’s Research Action Forum (MWRAF) and Jaffna Social Action Center (JSAC) having yet to complete and submit their final milestones. Both grantees faced delays in the implementation of those activities given the obstacles in mobility and threats to safety and security given their work related to empowering Muslim women and those affected in the north.

SDGAP’s grantees work on a number of areas in terms of bringing about change on the ground. Presented below is a snapshot of some of our grantee activities which demonstrate the areas of intervention in bringing about greater representation, strengthened governance and accountability.

FIGURE 13: SELECTED GRANTEE RESULT HIGHLIGHTS.

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CHALLENGES AND REMEDIAL ACTIONS After the decision of the independent judiciary helped bring the constitutional crisis to an end after 51 days, engaging parliamentarians with SDGAP took some time to gather momentum while Sri Lanka as a nation began to resume day-to-day governmental functions.

The magnitude of the CIABOC event, the demands from the partner, time constraints and procurement processes for a single event was all consuming, in terms of time, energy and resources overall. Dividing key activities among those vendors with the appropriate expertise and resources to serve multiple demands was one solution.

Negotiations and mediation between the various vendors and the partner took a toll on the project, as the SDGAP team worked tirelessly to ensure that neither procurement benchmarks nor quality of services were compromised. The positive note however is that supporting such a monumental event also raised expectations, especially among civil society to deliver on actual action plan. USAID, and SDGAP therefore, also have a critical role to play in being the sole technical support agency to this initiative.

Much discussion is therefore ongoing to rationalize potential levers of support, coordinate better with prospective donors, and provide technical assistance at minimum cost wherever possible without compromising the quality of service, and to keep the agenda afloat and continue the momentum gained since March 18th. SDGAP understands that the litmus test is the number of prosecutions at the highest levels/profiles but will also support more long-term and cost-effective prevention strategy couched as part of a communication strategy addressing the anti-corruption work.

The National Police Commission has yet to complete the networking infrastructure upon which the workflow system will be founded. SDGAP therefore, had to postpone the start date of the initiative. The IOM who is the NPC partner on networking is expected to complete the work by the end of April and plans are underway to continue with the assessment beyond the networking, in the following quarter.

The RTIC, has yet to act to recruit legal researchers who have the capacity to undertake the research in Sinhala and Tamil, to ensure greater access to and availability of information and the processing of appeals. In addition to the difficult in recruiting those with such capacity, there also appears to be the mismatch between the demand and supply sides. Well qualified and competent personnel are required to ensure accountability and accuracy for the processing of appeals. However, the salary offered to proposed RTIC personnel as legal researchers is poorly aligned to the job demand, as is the case for management assistant and development officer positions. High staff turnover and a lack of capacity has also been a noticeable challenge. As a result of having to cope with the demands and challenges of such an environment, SDGAP has decided on a two- pronged approach. A short-term approach that will continue with the provision of technical assistance for legal research and the processing and concluding of appeals, and a longer-term intervention by establishing a workflow system, supported by SDGAP in accelerated mode, to minimize human effort, reduce the demand for copious documentation on paper and ensure better availability of such information.

Appointing a new cabinet has resulted in changes to the secretaries of Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (MOWCA) and Ministry of National Planning and Economic Affairs (MONPEA). The SDGAP team therefore, had to once more re-orient the two newly appointed secretaries on its gender responsive budgeting (GRB) and gender mainstreaming work which caused some delays in setting up

31 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV the GRB steering group. The month-long budget debate which began in March and goes through until the following month has caused further delays in conducting two capacity building trainings for the research and SOC staff of Parliament as key officials and staff are occupied with this.

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ACTIVITY MONITORING, EVALUATION AND LEARNING PLAN (AMELP) SDGAP reports on its expected outcomes against a set of 19 indicators; two of which are standard USAID indicators and continue from the Year 2 AMELP, and 17 are custom indicators. These indicators provide a gauge of SDGAP’s progress toward expected outcomes and identify challenges that may prevent the Project from achieving its outcomes. A continuous review of these indicators helps SDGAP both reinforce why its areas of intervention are necessary, and course correct as needed. The Summary of results (see Annex A), provides a detailed account of progress towards these targets.

The Project has three objective level indicators; (0.1) the number of laws, strategies, policies and standard operating procedures adopted and/or implemented with USG assistance; (0.2) the Parliamentary Effectiveness Index (PEI) Score; and (0.3) number of civil society organizations receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy, monitoring or oversight intervention.

This quarter, SDGAP reported a slightly higher target in comparison to its planned target for indicator 0.1. This was due to:

 The launch of the CIABOC National Action Plan  SDGAP’s support to the implementation of the National Evaluation Policy (NEP) by o support to the motion submitted to parliament to establish a select committee on evaluation o technical assistance to the preparation of a draft bill on evaluation o a launch event to solicit inputs to the draft bill from key stakeholders o and support to the preparation of an action plan to strengthen parliamentary research services  The approval of the OGP 2nd National Action Plan by Cabinet on January 22nd, 2019 facilitated with support from SDGAP.

Meanwhile, the Project continued to work on the following areas of intervention and support that would contribute to its overall results framework. While numbers for these activities may not have been reported during the quarter, the Project’s work with and support to partners in these areas will help ensure that it can achieve its expected outcomes and fulfil its expected results by the end of the Project’s lifetime.

 Support to the SDG Council: Because of the political turmoil during the previous quarter, the GoSL decided to change the leadership for the implementation of the SDG strategy. While it was previously led by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, this quarter saw it moved to the SDG Council. The Council functions under the office of the President. During the quarter, SDGAP supported the GoSL in two activities in this area of intervention; by preparing the way forward for the SDG Council and preparing communication coordination guidelines for all 425 institutions connected to the SDG platform.  Private members’ bills for better representation on company boards through the companies’ act. The private member bill was tabled and gazette in mid-March. The debate on the bill, however, was delayed due to the national budget process. SDGAP has directly supported the drafting of the bill through the provision of technical expertise in the areas of labor, gender, and company law to name a few areas.

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 Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA). The Project will support the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender (SoCWG) in preparing a policy paper on the uniformity in age of marriage and increasing the bar on the age of marriage to 18. The Project also expects to provide a consultant to the special sub-committee appointed for Female Genital Mutilation, under the SOCWG.

Indicator 0.2 has yet to be measured. A scope of work and related request for proposals has been developed for the Parliamentary Effectiveness Index. It is expected that a sub-grantee will develop the index, test, validate and roll it out during the next quarter. Targets will also be established now.

Indicator 0.3 was on target and even exceeded its target by Year 2 as the Project completed its grants portfolio, issuing 18 grants over the course of the Project.

Significant outcomes during the quarter include:

 358 of 459 appeals were processed and indexed, with 159 cases concluded. This can be attributed to the various levers of technical support provided by SDGAP through its consultants to the RTIC, as well as the ever-increasing awareness of RTI by the public.  SDGAP also made progress in contributed to the number of executive oversight actions. This was measured through the Project’s work with and support to sectoral oversight committees, particularly the SOCIR, where as the result of having attended a study tour to Ottawa during the previous quarter, one of the MPs spearheaded the request to open up the committee and invite civil society; in this area, the Project has also worked with SOCLAM by supporting a public stakeholder consultation, the first of this kind on the Draft Composite Act on the Eradication of Bribery and Corruption. This took place on March 29th. SDGAP also collaborated with CIABOC which also contributed to this process.  The indicator on the number of citizens receiving civic education through USG assisted programs continue to increase due to the various awareness raising programs implemented by SDGAP grantees. This quarter SDGAP grantees Association of Friendship and Love (AFRIEL), Community Development Foundation (CDF), Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and Chrysalis contributed to providing civic education through awareness raising programs for a total of 4735 participants; 3103 women and 1632 men.  849,180 parliamentary documents were scanned and archived. While the expected target for this quarter was 1.5 million documents, technical issues and internal political dynamics affected this result. SDGAP has, therefore, had to play a role in mediating this relationship

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between Parliament and the vendor to ensure that this activity is complete. The vendor DMS has asked for a no-cost extension to complete the work by August 2019.  1033 people (589 women and 444 men) were trained to advance outcomes consistent with gender equality or female empowerment through their roles in public or private sector institutions with USG assistance due to trainings carried out by SDGAP grantees CPA, ESDF, Chrysalis and FSLGA. This includes a spectrum of consultations, including training programs on governance for local elected women candidates and other officials.  The custom indicator on the number of USG supported events, trainings, meetings that advance outcomes consistent with increased engagement between women and underrepresented groups with parliament and government decision makers/duty bearers showed significant progress this quarter in that it exceeded the planned target; a combined result of SDGAP’s campaign to celebrate women changemakers and grantee activities on the ground, thereby demonstrating the powerful role that civil society plays in bringing about change.

As always, there are also challenges and consequences of a political environment that is in flux which affects the progress of the Project’s targeted outcomes. One such area impacted is the number of finalized committee plans developed through participatory procedures. Despite these challenges however, SDGAP continues to support the preparation of committee plans for the SOCWG, the Public Finance Committee, Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) & Committee on Public Accounts (COPA), the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy, the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Agriculture and the Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations. In addition, during the period of reporting, the Project helped the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus develop a first draft of the Caucus Action Plan. A draft was developed during the quarter and has been shared with relevant stakeholders for feedback and input.

The Project supports these activities with the intent of expected results that will be documented during the next quarter of reporting. Another area that was affected by the effects of political instability were the number of events that advance outcomes consistent with the effectiveness of committees and the women parliamentarians’ caucus. The Project team continued to deal with the effects of the 51 days of political standoff which impacted the planning process of such events. Ministries and other partners were still dealing with internal changes which hampered SDGAP’s ability to both plan and implement such events.

SDGAP continues to address areas where there has been stunted progress achieved owing to a lack of political stability. The Project continues to focus on ensuring that it can course correct, address gaps and lags and ensure that it leaves behind strong partners, strengthened and reinforced by technical expertise and frameworks that will contribute to ensuring strengthened accountability and governance beyond SDGAP’s lifetime.

Ensuring data quality assurance

USAID conducted its data quality assessment (DQA) for two selected indicators during the previous quarter. The SDGAP training related data continues to be updated to TraiNet. The Project also implemented Fulcrum in previous quarters to ensure better and more accurate data collection and reporting at various trainings by partners and grantees. During the quarter, the M&E specialist continued to conduct several trainings on its use and application for both grantees and SDGAP staff to help clarify issues during the data collection process.

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Another area of improvement will be with regards to building a better evidence base that helps SDGAP accurately identify its areas of intervention and support to partners which yields results. Better documentation is a part of this process and will greatly improve with additional resources to the team. The additional MEL Specialist finally joined the SDGAP team during this quarter, in late February. This helps the Project better document the process of its contribution to expected outcomes and provide technical support with regards to monitoring and evaluation to grantees.

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COLLABORATING, LEARNING, ADAPTING (CLA) Continued support to grantees. While the CLA framework underpins all of program design, it is most easily seen through the work done with grantees. As in previous quarters, the SDGAP team continued to invest a significant amount of time and work to help grantees who lack capacity. The political turmoil during the previous quarter had impacted the momentum of grantee activities. This meant that the SDGAP team had to spend a significant amount of time in supporting grantees helping to reorganize activities and reassess the pathway to achieving intended results.

The SDGAP team M&E team continued its monitoring visits. A significant visit during the quarter included a field monitoring visit to an ESDF event in Trincomalee and a Chrysalis event in Vavuniya by the SDGAP team which included the Chief of Party, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist and Communications Specialist. Both events focused on the use of forums and spaces to bring together local women councilors so that they could share their experiences and challenges, learn from each other and co-create solutions. The SDGAP team took this opportunity to monitor the overall event and provide feedback to the grantees. It also allowed for an opportunity to meet with the grantee, review progress and discuss challenges in the field. Identifying challenges, areas of improvement to overall event design and how to improve the quality of reporting and documentation were all areas that were discussed. SDGAP adopts this approach of co-creating, learning and adapting, especially with grantees to ensure that there is a focus on civic engagement that contributes to achieving longer-term results beyond its lifespan.

Diamond leadership model study. SDGAP’s task 3 team is also a part of the initiative to carry out the Diamond leadership model (DLM) - a global study on women’s political leadership that calculates women’s power score by analyzing women’s representation across four pillars of government: Legislature, Executive, Judiciary and Security. Technical support to conduct the study is provided by a global research partner- Charney research who will guide a selected local research partner responsible for operationalizing the research. The Center for Policy Alternative (CPA)- a current SDGAP grantee was selected as the local research partner during the period of reporting.

Owing to internal delays to finalize the purchase order, the study which was expected to be launched in February 2019 finally began in March. The research component will begin with a four-day orientation program during the first week of April by consultants from Charney Research to introduce the DLM method to CPA’s research staff.

Meanwhile, the SDGAP team has facilitated discussions via skype between CPA and Charney to kick start the DLM work. CPA has drafted its research guidelines and questionnaire prior to the training. During the orientation program, Charney Research will help the CPA team review the questionnaires and practice the interview styles. CPA aims to complete its field work in the month of May and submit the first draft of the report by second week of June.

Weekly Report. SDGAP submits a detailed report to USAID on a weekly basis providing a brief synopsis of the general political situation and its impact on project activities; summary of activities and progress by task/partner as well as planned activities for the next week. This provides USAID with an opportunity to regularly review progress and follow up with SDGAP on questions or course corrections as needed. SDGAP submitted samples to USAID to consider an alternative approach to the weekly which was approved. This quarter has

37 | USAID SDGAP QUARTERLY REPORT: 2019, QUARTER 2 USAID.GOV seen a more reader-friendly version that includes a synthesis of key partners, highlights and planned activities, thereby requiring less time and investment to easily identify key SDGAP achievements and challenges.

Infographics. In response to USAID’s request to provide more accessible and easier to read information in a visual manner, the SDGAP team has begun to develop a series of infographics. The first of these was developed in March and provided a status update of the Project’s PFM activities from May 2018- March 2019. The one-pager provides a visual synthesis of activities and can be used as a communications tool among the community of partners and donors to highlight SDGAP’s work in a simple and easy manner. The Project expects to continue this series and will develop a second infographic on SDGAP’s support to CIABOC, followed by a series on its support to Parliament, the RTIC, etc. The move towards creating more visually appealing summaries is a vital piece of communicating about the Project and its activities as it comes to an end.

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FINANCE AND OPERATIONS

RECRUITMENT The SDGAP team continued its efforts to recruit all outstanding LTTA positions previously approved by USAID in the corrective action and technical direction responses, in addition to supplemental positions which were created to ensure smoother project implementation. Listed below are the staff positions filled during this quarter.

Key Personnel Transition Upon receiving notice that the former Deputy Chief of Party was transitioning to another project, DAI acted with a rapid response recruitment. The recruitment process for SDGAP’s replacement DCOP began and concluded during the previous quarter. USAID approval was received during the reporting period and the new DCOP, Bradley Austin is expected to join the team in Colombo during the next quarter.

OTHER RECRUITMENT EFFORTS COMPLETED: POSITIONS START DATE

Front Office and Administrative Assistant February 7, 2019 (Subcontractors to LTTA)

Executive Support Officer (Subcontractors to February 20, 2019 LTTA)

Senior Procurement Assistant (STTA to LTTA) February 21, 2019

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Specialist February 25, 2019 (LTTA)

Senior Procurement Officer (STTA) February 26, 2019

Meanwhile, the Senior Finance Assistant and Communications Associate both resigned on January 29th and March 7th subsequently. Recruitment for both positions began immediately. The SDGAP team identified a potential candidate to support communications and outreach through a Communications Officer STTA position. All the necessary documentation was compiled by the SDGAP Human Resources team in Colombo and submitted to DAI Head Office for further processing and submission to USAID for approval. Additional recruitment efforts are provided in the table below.

RECRUITMENT EFFORTS IN PROGRESS: POSITIONS START DATE

Communications Officer Sent for approval (STTA)

Grants Officer Sent for approval (STTA)

Human Resources Assistant Sent for approval (STTA)

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The SDGAP team also moved into its new location on January 7th, 2019. The new building has adequate space to support the Project’s ever-growing team. Since the move, the operations team has worked on maintenance and other related issues to ensure that the SDGAP team here in Colombo has an improved work environment with adequate space and resources. SDGAP also secured a contract with the Ceylon Petroleum Corporate this quarter. The monthly top-up system will facilitate a smoother process for SDGAP’s transport related requirements.

PROCUREMENT SDGAP’s Procurement team has been incredibly busy during this quarter, with the additional burden of organizing procurements related to activities which were halted in the previous quarter due to the political crisis.

The total dollar value of large-scale procurements (i.e. > 7,000 USD) made this quarter is just slightly over 250,000 USD; with three complex procurements over 50,000 USD totaling slightly over 150,000 USD contributing significantly to this overall figure. Spending has slightly increased in comparison to the previous quarter’s large-scale procurements which totaled just over 225,000 USD given the restart of activities which were halted during the previous quarter. More details are provided in the table below.

DESCRIPTION ACTIVITY TITLE TOTAL USD

Forensic Auditing Training (FAT) Sectoral Committees strengthened to $7,770.46 Out-Station Training Program for conduct oversight NAO staff in Jaffna from January 22-25 (4-day training) Launch of the National Action Plan Strengthened selected Independent $7,957.71 to Combat Corruption in Sri Lanka Commissions SDG Communication Platform Sustainable Development Goals incorporated $10,948.91 into National and Sub-National Planning Processes (with a specific focus on SDGs 5 & 16) Forensic Auditing Training (FAT) Strengthened selected Independent $11,570.80 Out-Station Training Program in Commissions Galle from January 29th-February 1st (4-day training) Table Office Modification - Phase II Efficient and effective Parliament Secretariat $22,474.46 Launch of the National Action Plan Strengthened selected Independent $28,658.88 to Combat Corruption in Sri Lanka Commissions Diamond Leadership Model Study SOCWG strengthened to influence all $53,829.07 parliamentary proceedings National Consultancy firm for the Strengthened Committee Planning Processes $59,345.70 Committee on Public Finance Launch of the National Action Plan Strengthened selected Independent $59,521.42 to Combat Corruption in Sri Lanka Commissions

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FINANCE The Finance team continues to forge ahead with improvements to systems, ensuring compliance to policies and procedures and facilitating a smoother process for on-time payments to partners and vendors. The finance officer resigned in late January thereby reducing the on-site team to 2 staff members. As mentioned above, recruitment for this position has begun and it is expected that a suitable candidate will join the team during the next quarter. Despite this, the SDGAP finance team has continued with ensuring on-time payments, processing disbursements to grantees as seen in the grants section and facilitating large-scale procurements.

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PLANS FOR QUARTER 3, YEAR 3 PARTNER INSITUTION PLANNED ACTIVITY

PARLIAMENT  A seven-member delegation of Parliamentary Interpreters, all of them Tamil-speaking, will be given an opportunity to undertake a study tour of the Parliament of Singapore, the Supreme Court and given the opportunity to interact with their counterparts in Parliament and the SC. The Parliament of Singapore works in four languages, of which Tamil is one language in use. The tour will span four days (May 27-30, 2019).  Phase II of the Table Office upgrading process will continue as will staff capacity building locally as well. It is also expected that the team of interpreters visiting the Parliament of Singapore will conduct a further training and knowledge sharing round table event during this quarter.  Completion of soft skills and communication skills training series for the Research Officers and committee staff at Parliament.  Launch of the Action Plan for the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus.  Initiate at least one policy dialogue in collaboration with the SOCWG and Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus.  Recruit two consultants to assist the SOCWG and Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus on developing policy papers, support the parliamentarians with talking point, budget analysis and strengthen them to better engage with parliamentary proceedings / policy reforms.  Develop a strategic plan for the SOCWG (Working with Task 2 under strategic plan development for at least five SOCs). INDEPENDENT  Efforts to also coordinate work and forge a better understanding COMMISSIONS among the three Commissions will also be put in place during the next quarter.

CIABOC  SDGAP will continue to provide CIABOC with technical assistance, particularly under the pillars of law reform and prevention within the structure of the recently launched NAPCC. This entails work that will further contribute to a strategic communication effort against corruption.  Discussions will continue on the priority areas, rationalizing time and effort and resource mobilization both nationally and through development partners. It is expected that by the end of May this year, the Composite Act will be tabled in the Order Paper of Parliament after its final review by the SOCLAM.  During the next quarter SOCLAM and CIABOC will take the draft to three critical and representative locations of the country for debate.  In addition, as support to implementing the NAPCC (in part), SDGAP will also work with CIABOC and SLIDA to develop a public-sector capacity building program to ensure knowledge, clarity and mainstreaming of the three new tools (as an extension of the Establishment Code) that will reinforce anti-corruption within the public sector.

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NATIONAL POLICE  The NPC has approached SDGAP with a request to conduct COMMISSION (NPC) training for their Public Complaints Division officers at both the Head Office and the regions. Discussions which began in the

previous quarter will continue and a formal request from the NPC is to be received.  The gender gap report based on a study conducted by the UNDP has been finalized and will be shared with SDGAP to identify possible areas of support for mainstreaming gender into the NPC as well. MoNPEA  During quarters 3 and 4 SDGAP will work in partnership with the Ministry of National Policies to roll out the activities and commence the pilot phase. SDGAP will also review and support in upgrading and modernizing the Electronic Project Monitoring System (ePMS): which was a home-grown, user-friendly, national, Web-based electronic on-line Project Monitoring System (ePMS) established in the Department of Foreign Aid and Budget Monitoring of the Ministry of Plan Implementation (MPI) to track the implementation progress (financial/physical) and results of all development projects and programs way back in 2004.  Initiate discussions with MONPEA to launch the Gender- Responsive Budgeting steering group.

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF  The piloting of the platform with 50 selected government SDGS institutions will begin in the next quarter with the aim of launching the live platform by the end of July. WOMEN  Conduct a validation workshop to validate the findings of the PARLIAMENTARIANS’ Caucus Action Plan and launch it in June. CAUCUS  Submit proposed amendments to the Attorney General’s Department to seek his advice on the constitutionality of the bill. MOWCA AND NCW  Assist MOWCA to launch the Gender and GRB guidelines developed for mid- level government officials.  Launch the GRB capacity building program in three provincial councils.  Support MOWCA with the recruitment of a media consultant to raise awareness about its work among the general public. CHARNEY AND CPA  Complete the field research work and submit the 1st draft of the research study report. OUTREACH  Continue to Work with a series of partners including the MPCLG and civil society to carry out advocacy on increasing women’s political representation at the upcoming provincial council elections.  Develop a series of infographics to showcase areas of SDGAP’s support to its partners.

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ANNEX 1 – RESULTS SUMMARY

SDGAP PERFORMANCE MONITORING INDICATORS, YEAR 3 QUARTER 2, JANUARY–MARCH 2019

SDGAP RESULTS FRAMEWORK INDICATORS (19) Note* - 17 are customized and two standard indicators, 121 (DR.2.1-1) and 321 (GNDR 8) continues as of AMELP from year 2. Objective Level Indicators

ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Act. Plan l 01 Number of laws, Output Number Adopted/I 0 N/A N/A 6 6 1 1 2 3 2 1 6 Y3 Q2 Actual policies strategies of laws, mplemente and standard policies, d 1. CIABOC National Action Plan Launched operating strategies Result CIABOC National Action Plan was launched on 18th March 2019 with the procedures and Source participation of His Excellency the President of Sri Lanka, the Honorable adopted and/or standard Speaker, the Honorable Leader of the opposition, Parliamentarians, religious implemented with operating leaders, members of the diplomatic corps representing over 50 countries, USG assistance procedure Officials of International Organizations, senior public officials, members of the (Custom) s civil society were among the invitees representing all segments. SDGAP supported to complete the consultative process to finalize the National Action

Plan for CIABOC with the strategies for prevention and active disclosure. In addition to the NAP, four (04) Handbooks too were published, exploring certain identified areas which would shape the course of the drive against bribery and corruption in the nation. The 04 Handbooks are as follows: Draft proposal on Gift Rules, Draft proposal on Conflict of Interest Rules, Integrity Handbook for State Officials, Proposed amendments to laws related to bribery, declaration of assets and liabilities, CIABOC, regulation of election campaign finances, and whistleblower protection. The trilingual versions of these publications could be accessed and downloaded from the official CIABOC website at www.ciaboc.gov.lk. Which was financed by SDGAP. It is expected that the full implementation of the NAP will pave the way for a new generation of citizens instilled with positive values and virtues, a public and private sector imbued with integrity, and a law enforcement system which is just and equal to all.

2. National Evaluation Policy Implementation SDGAP has supported in implementation policy where actions were taken to execute the National Evaluation policy by;

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a. Submitting a motion to the Parliament for establishing a Select

Committee on Evaluation. b. Preparing of a draft Bill on Evaluation and waiting for submitting to Select Committee to the Parliament for approval as their first line of business. An event was organized to launch the “Evidence Informed Governance for Results (EIGR)” Program and to get key stakeholders inputs on the Draft Bill on Evaluation. Under this program.

c. Preparing of an action plan to strengthen the parliamentary research services

d. Sri Lanka Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation has initiated actions to further advocate for use of evaluation for decision-making.

3. OGP 2nd National Action Plan was adopted

OGP 2nd National Action Plan was approved by the Cabinet on 22nd January 2019. The said process was facilitated by SDGAP. After the passing of 2019 budget by the parliament, the Ministries will analyze their contribution of the budget to OGP activities. SDGAP facilitated the process by providing a separate grant to TISL to complete the process. Furthermore, SDGAP supported the OGP secretariat to facilitate the process.

Illustrative plans

1. Supporting the SDG Council Even though the SDG strategy was to be led by Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife (MSDW), later it was decided by GSL to implement it through the SDG Council. The cabinet approval for forming a SDG Council was obtained. As such, the SDG Council is functioning under the office of the President. SDGAP is supporting the GSL in; - Preparing the way forward for SDG Council - Preparing Communication Coordination Guidelines for all units connected to SDG platform (425 institutions)

2. Private member bill for 1/3 of board of companies formulated on company act Private member bill has been tabled and gazetted in mid-March 2019. The process for debating the bill was delayed due to national budget process. SDGAP has supported the process by consulting with experts in the sectors of labor, gender, company law etc. SDGAP has directly supported in drafting the bill.

3. MMDA SDGAP will support the SOCWG to prepare a policy paper on uniformity in age of marriage and increase the age bar to 80. The said policy paper will be

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submitted to the house. Through this policy paper, the amendment in MMDA will also be enacted.

SDGAP will also provide a consultant to the special sub-committee appointed for Female Genital mutilation under SOCWG. The said consultant will support the sub-committee to prepare a policy paper on the said subject and submit it to the house.

Y2 – Adopt National Evaluation Policy Y2 –Adopt Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) act Y2 –Adopt revised Standing orders on opening parliamentary procedures to public Y2 – Establishing Parl. Media center Y2 _Adopt CIABOC Prevention Strategy Y2 _ implementing KPI Y2 _The 25% quota and the caucus action plan Y3_Implementing National Evaluation Policy Y3_Implementing PBO Act Y3 – implementing the SDG Act Y3 – Operationalizing the Parl. Media center Y3_Implementing CIABOC Prevention strategy Y3_Adopt revisions to two anti-corruption laws

Ting Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes ID Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan 02 Parliamentary Index Parliament, 0 N/A N/A N/A NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA N/A Y3 Q2 Actual effectiveness index Score individual SDGAP MEL Specialist has developed SOW and RFP for Parliamentary score committees Effectiveness Index and shared with technical team for comments. Vendors were (Custom) and finalized to circulate the SOW. Women’s Caucus Illustrative plans Sub-grantee will develop index, test, validate and roll out by Yr3Q3. Targets will be established at same. ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan Actu Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Actua Plan al al l l 03 Number of civil Output Number Type of 0 0 12 16 NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA 0 Y3 Q2 Actual society of civil interventio SDGAP has issued 18 grants to 16 organizations from year one and two of its organizations society n implementation. SDGAP has achieved its target in year 2. receiving USG organizati (Advocacy assistance engaged ons (DR.4.2- in advocacy, 2)/Monitori monitoring or ng and

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oversight Oversight/ interventions Other? (Custom)

Intermediate Result 1.1. Mechanism for transparency, accountability and access to public information strengthened ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan Actu Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Actua Plan al al l l 111 % of appeals Percentag Public 20 N/A N/A 30 63.9 30 98.7 78 Y3 Q2 Actual processed by RTIC e of Authority (Sep RTI commission has received 459 appeals from 1st of January to 31st March 2019. (Custom) written 2017) Commission has “processed” 358 cases and indexed in the quarter and was able appeal Whether to conclude 159 cases. In overall 78% of the cases were processed and 34.6% of decisions original cases were concluded. decision is affirmed, reversed, or modified

Appeal decision announced within 30 days of receipt of appeal. ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan 112 Number of policy Number Sector 0 N/A 2 5 1 1 2 1 1 0 4 Y3 Q2 Actual and fiscal analyses of Policy/Fiscal 1. National Budget Analysis conducted with analyses Planning, SDGAP has commissioned Verite Research to analyze the National Budget USG assistance Policy which was released on March 2019. The English version of the analysis report (Custom) Developme has been submitted for translation. The two reports of the CoPF on the nt, National Budget were prepared and submitted for translation. Communic ation (Task Illustrative Plans 2) or Oversight/ 1. Analysis of National Budget to derive the contribution for Monitoring OGP (Task 1) SDGAP facilitated the analysis of National Budget 2019 to derive the contribution of Ministries to the OGP. Based on the findings of the analysis, SDGAP will facilitate a donor forum to fund the OGP initiative. This will be used

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as a strategy to ensure the sustainable implementation of OGP and an exit strategy for SDGAP.

2. Analysis of National Budget based on the Constitution of Sri Lanka

3. Diamond Leadership Model study During this quarter, SDGAP initiated the planning phase of Diamond Leadership Model (DLM) study in Sri Lanka. DLM Study will capture women’s political leadership in a broader way. The model spans three levels of leadership (high, mid, and low) and four government sectors (legislative, executive, judicial, and security) using a weighted design. The findings of the study will be used for advocacy purposes to increase Political Participation of Women in Democratic Governance. During the planning phase, CPA was selected as the local research firm (CPA) for the study and CPA submitted the Survey tool and methodology for the study. During Y3Q3, the study will be completed by CPA.

ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan Actu Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Act. Plan al al l 113 Number of Output Number Person – 0 N/A 1000 762 200 231 300 157 400 100 1000 Y3 Q2 Actual persons trained to of persons Sex, age (T - 157, M - 86, F - 71) advance public PFM team of SDGAP has conducted 4 training programs. The objective of the accountability Institution training programs was to improve knowledge in Forensic Audit and enhance systems Location – Forensic Audit skills of officials in outstation officers of National Audit Office Sri (Custom) Country, Lanka. The Training programs were conducted in Galle, Badulla, Jaffna and Province, Negombo. District, - Forensic Audit Training (FAT) Master Class Program for NAOSL on Municipality 17th January (T – 41, M – 28, F – 13) - Forensic Audit Training (FAT) Outstation Program for NAOSL on 22nd January (T – 39, M – 28, F – 11) - Forensic Audit Training (FAT) Outstation Program for NAOSL on 29th January (T – 55, M – 19, F – 36) - Forensic Audit Training (FAT) Outstation Program for NAOSL on 5th February (T – 22, M – 11, F – 11)

ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Actual Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan al 114 Number of Number Geographic 15 40 9 50 61 10 11 20 18 20 10 60 Y3 Q2 Actual convictions of location (2016 )

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secured by conviction As per the written communication with Director General’s Office, its confirmed CIABOC s Person: that 18 convictions completed from 1st January 2019 to 31st March 2019 (Custom) Sex, age, including 3 convictions with Magistrate’s Court and 15 with High Court. CIABOC webpage has yet to update full details. - Public https://www.ciaboc.gov.lk/prosecute/convictions Institution Intermediate Result 1.2. Greater parliamentary oversight of government actions and performance ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Indicator Y2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan Actu Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Actua Plan al al l l 121 Number of Outco Number Type of 0 8 4 8 6 2 2 3 2 3 2 10 Y3 Q2 Actual DR. executive me of Action 2.1- oversight actions executive Source 1. SOCIR 1 taken by oversight Gender As a result of study tour conducted to Ottawa Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, a legislature actions Under- member of SOCIR and a participant of the study tour to Ottawa in the previous receiving USG represente quarter, played a key role in asking the Chair of this SOC to open up the assistance d meeting and include civil society participation for feedback and inputs into the (Standard) criticisms associated with the CTA and whether it should remain as such, be revoked or amended.

2. SOCLAM consultation with LD & CIABOC SDGAP supported to carry out a Public Stakeholder Consultation by SOCLAM on Draft Composite Act on Eradication of Bribery and Corruption on 29th March 2019. SDGAP supported the CIABOC to carry out a Consultation for Reviewing the Draft Composite Act on Bribery & Corruption on 26th February 2019.SDGAP supported the CIABOC to carry out a Consultation for Reviewing the Draft Composite Act on Bribery & Corruption on 22nd March 2019.

Illustrative Plans

1. SOCWG SDGAP will be providing a consultant to SOCWG to analyze the reports and proceedings of SOCWG and prepare a policy paper to submit to the House.

Intermediate Result 1.3. Increased CSO engagement and participation in government oversight ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan Actu Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Act. Plan al al l 132 Number of citizens Output Number Person: 0 N/A 2000 6908 5000 6101 3000 4735 1000 500 9,500 Y3 Q2 Actual receiving civic of citizens Sex, Age (T – 4735, M – 1632, F – 3103)

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DR3 education through receiving 1. AFRIEL has conducted 133 Awareness-raising campaign with CBOs, .2-5 USG-assisted civic women’s groups, and youth leaders to improve public engagement programs education and understanding of Constitutional Reforms. (T - 2467, M - 775, F - (Standard) 1692)

2. SLPI has conducted 8 Two-day communication workshops for Youth on RTI and Communication skills required to document their experience with regard to RTI application. (T - 302, M - 137, F - 165)

3. CDF has conducted 16 awareness programs for public, youth and women on good governance. (T - 1897, M - 686, F - 1211)

4. Chrysalis has conducted 2 Capacity Building programs for CSO federations on committees and commissions (T - 69, M - 34, F-35)

Intermediate Result 2.1. Participatory Procedures for planning, policy development and lawmaking are established, including civic participation ID Performance Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Monitoring LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator Plan Actu Plan Plan Actu Plan Actual Plan ActuaPlan Act Plan al al l 211 Number of Number Person – 0 N/A 500 624 100 27 250 17 300 100 750 Y3 Q2 Actual persons trained to of persons Sex, age 1. SDGAP has conducted a Training Program for Officials of Table advance strategic trained Institution Office on Revised Standing Orders. The said training program was planning and Location – conducted on 28th February. (T – 17, M – 11, F – 6) communication, Province, policy reform and District Illustrative Plan implementation Capacity Development Program for State Planning Agencies – MILODA - (Custom) Diploma in Project Monitoring & Evaluation SDGAP has supported in the designing of Diploma Course and arranging the inauguration ceremony to launch the course. The objective of this course was to build capacities of senior public servants whose knowledge base on Project Monitoring and Evaluation policies and processes is widened and thereby ensure transparency, accountability and responsibility in project monitoring and evaluation. Under this initiative, 60 Senior Government Officials are initially selected to follow the Diploma. Through this course, the participants will be exposed to effective Project Monitoring & Evaluation practices which will enable them to achieve project objectives with minimal time and cost overruns.

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Performance Monitoring B- ID Indicators Type Unit Disagg. LINE Y1 Y2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Y3 Notes Intermediate Result 2.2. Selected parliamentary committees exercise participatory planning and processes

ID Performance Monitoring Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan ActuaPlan ActuaPlan Actu Plan Act. Plan l l al 221 Number of finalized Number Committe 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 5 Y3Q2 Actual committee plans developed of e through participatory finalized Illustrative Plans procedures committe SDGAP is supporting the preparation of Committee (Custom) e plans Plans for; . SOCWG . Public Finance Committee . COPE & COPA . Sectoral Oversight Committee on Energy . Sectoral Oversight Committee on Agriculture . Sectoral Oversight Committee on International Relations

SDGAP supported to prepare the Action Plan for Women Caucus through hiring a consultant. During Y3Q2, the Draft of the Action Plan has been sent for stakeholders’ comments. Thereafter, it will be submitted to the women caucus.

ID Performance Monitoring Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Act Plan Act. Plan Act Plan Act Plan Act Plan Act. Plan 222 Number of USG supported Number Committe 0 25 20 5 2 10 0 15 5 35 Y3 Q2 Actual events that advance of events e/Caucus outcomes consistent with During Y3 Q2, events related to this indicator were not effectiveness of Event organized as the political turmoil in the country during Y3 Parliamentary committees (Training, Q1 impacted the planning process of such events. and Women Meeting, Parliamentarian’s Caucus Committe (Custom) e hearing)

Result (Oversight , Policy/Plan ning,

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Communi cation/Ou treach, Gender/U nder- represent ed groups) Intermediate Result 2.3. Enhanced GSL strategic communication, institutionalized public engagement and public outreach ID Performance Monitoring Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Actu Plan Plan ActuaPlan ActuaPlan Act. Plan Act. Plan al l l 231 Number of visits to the Outp Number Month 0 0 0 0 0 0 200 0 400 0 400 0 1000 Y3 Q2 Actual Parliamentary Media ut of visits Center Gender Illustrative plans (Custom) Proposal for the Parliament media center was approved by the SG of the parliament on 20th December 2018. Thereafter, SDGAP started the process to procure a vendor for establishing the Parliament Media Center. Under this procurement process, the following stages were completed during this quarter; . Appointing a Consultant to prepare a RFP . Preparing the RFP . Issuing the RFP to potential vendors . Receipt of Vendor proposals . Evaluation of Vendor proposals is ongoing

In Y3Q3, the Parliament Media center establishment process will be accelerated.

ID Performance Monitoring Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan ActuaPlan ActuaPlan Act. Plan Act. Plan al l l 232 Number of parliamentary Outp Number Archived 0 0 0 1000 0 0.32 0.28 1.5M 0.84 2.5 3.27 3.27 M Y3Q2 Actual documents archived and ut of M M M M M As per the DMS progress report, 849,180 documents indexed parliamen Indexed were scanned and indexed. (Custom) tary document Illustrative plans s As per the milestone plan of DMS, they ought to complete the scanning and indexing of 1.5 million documents by Q2 of Year 3. However, due to technical issues, they were only able to scan and index 849,180 documents.

ID Type Unit Disagg. Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes

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Performance Monitoring B- Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Indicator LINE Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan ActuaPlan ActuaPlan Actu Plan Act. Plan al l l al

233 Number of USG supported Outp Number GSL 0 0 0 10 35 1 0 4 3 4 3 12 Y3Q2 Actual events held to facilitate GSL ut of USG institution 1. Policy Dialogues on Parliamentary Briefing strategic communication supporte Papers prepared by Parliament Research Unit (Custom) d events Type of (PRU) Event SDGAP supported the development of Parliamentary Briefing papers by PRU to initiate policy dialogues. Under this initiative, one Policy dialogue was carried out during Y3Q2 based on one parliamentary briefing paper developed.

2. Launch of Capacity Development Program for State Planning Agencies – MILODA (Diploma in Project Monitoring & Evaluation) SDGAP has supported in the designing of Diploma Course and arranging the inauguration ceremony to launch the course. Under this initiative, 60 Senior Government Officials are initially selected to follow the Diploma. Through this course, the participants will be exposed to effective Project Monitoring & Evaluation practices which will enable them to achieve project objectives with minimal time and cost overruns.

3. Launch of the Evidence Informed Governance for Results (EIGR)” Program An event was organized to launch the “Evidence Informed Governance for Results (EIGR)” Program and to get key stakeholders inputs on the Draft Bill on Evaluation. Under this program, the activities listed below are being undertaken; a. A Select Committee on Evaluation will be established. A motion has been submitted to the Parliament in this regard.

b. A draft Bill on Evaluation has been prepared and it will be submitted by the Select Committee to the Parliament for approval as their first line of business.

c. A plan of action to strengthen the parliamentary research services has

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been prepared and its implementation has commenced.

d. Sri Lanka Parliamentarians Forum for Evaluation has initiated actions to further advocate for use of evaluation for decision-making.

Illustrative Plans SDGAP will be supporting the Parliament Research Unit in developing 6 other Parliamentary briefing papers to steer policy dialogues on various identified topics

Intermediate Result 3.1. Increased women and underrepresented group’s engagement in parliamentary processes Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Performance Monitoring B- Y2 ID Indicator Type Unit Disagg. LINE Y1 Y2 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Actu Plan Act. Plan ActuaPlan ActuaPlan Actu Plan Act. Plan al l l al 311 Average number of times Number Gender/U 20.6 N/A N/A 4.3 2.4 Y3 Q2 Actual women MPs and MPs from of times nder- (Annu **Waiting for actual figures the from Verite report which other under-represented represent al) was not available at the time of the preparation of this groups participated in ed groups report. Parliamentary proceedings Individual (Custom) MP Type of participati on

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Intermediate Result 3.2. Increased participation of women and underrepresented groups, and substantive gender equality across GSL institutions

ID Performance Monitoring Indicator Unit Disagg. B- Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Y1 Y2 Type LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Act. Plan Act Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan Act. Plan 321 Number of persons trained to Output Number Gender 0 200 2391 500 2240 1500 1760 1000 1033 500 300 3300 Y3 Q2 Actual GNDR 8 advance outcomes consistent of Under- 0 (T- 1033, M - 444, F – 589) with gender equality or female persons represented 1. CPA 1 strengthened the capacity of empowerment through their trained Age Councilors which included Mayors, Officers, roles in public or private sector Geographic Investigation Officers, Secretaries of Councils institutions with USG assistance Location from 4 districts. (T: 714, M - 291, F - 423) (Standard) Public/Private sector 2. ESDF carried out Capacity building training on Institution democratic leadership for Elected male Grant members of Local Government Authorities in Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts (T: 93, M - 93, F - 0)

3. Chrysalis conducted capacity building programs for state officials and women councilors on committees and commissions and the responsibilities of provincial and district level officials to introduce policies and recommendations from relevant legislative entities. (T: 98, M - 19, F - 79)

4. FSLGA conducted Two Training of Trainer (ToT) programs for Investigation Officers at Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner level to develop a pool of trainers to support Local Council Information Officers in the future. This activity will empower new trainers to gain hands-on experience and work alongside lead trainers to teach at the local authority level. The said ToT programs were part of the series of trainings conducted by FSLGA in nine provinces. (T: 26, M - 13, F - 13)

5. FSLGA also conducted Two Training workshops on ‘Proactive Disclosure’ under the RTI act for officers of Local government institutions. The training workshops were

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conducted in Western and North Central Provinces of Sri Lanka. (T - 102, M - 28, F - 74) The said training workshops were part of the series of trainings conducted by FSLGA in seven provinces.

ID Performance Monitoring Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Actu Plan Act Plan ActuaPlan Actua Plan ActuPlan Act. Plan al l l al 322 % of Individual – 50 Illustrative plans complain Gender, age GBO has not being selected as the priority area of ts SDGAP. processe Institution d Intermediate Result 3.3. Increased engagement between women and under-represented groups with parliament and government decision makers/duty bearers ID Performance Monitoring Type Unit Disagg. B- Y1 Y2 Y3 Quarters Y3 Notes Indicator LINE Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Plan Act Plan Act Plan ActuaPlan Actua Plan ActuPlan Act. Plan l l al 331 Number of USG supported Output Number Type of event 0 0 0 10 51 6 9 8 29 4 2 20 Y3 Q2 Actual (29 events) events, trainings, meetings that of events (event, training, advance outcomes consistent meeting) 1. The Campaign: Celebrating Sri with increased engagement Lankan Women between women and governmental SDGAP launched a campaign on 27th March 2019 to underrepresented groups with institution celebrate women in different arenas in Sri Lanka, parliament and government (Parliament/GSL from politics to education to the arts to sports to decision makers/duty bearers ) science and technology. This was organized to (Custom) commemorate the International Women Day on 8th Gender/Under- March 2019. The event was named as “Celebrating represented Sri Lankan Women Change makers”. As a part of groups this campaign, an exhibition was organized in the Parliament with a series of 12 installations that highlight the changing role of women and their contributions. The said installations were exhibited in the Parliament from 27th March to 5th April. However, the launch of this campaign has a good public outreach via print media, electronic media and social media. Furthermore, it has triggered several sub-national and grass root level campaigns

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regarding the changing role of women and their contributions.

2. ESDF conducted 2 Consultation meetings in Batticaloa and Trincomalee to develop a position paper to set up a Local Government Level Women Caucus Committee within LGA (Batticaloa event – 21st January and Trincomalee event – 22nd January) (T – 82, M – 49, F - 33)

3. ESDF conducted 9 District level Network Meetings for Women members in Batticaloa, Ampara and Trincomalee Districts - 19th January / 18th February / 30th March - District level network meeting for women members in Ampara district - 23rd January / 21st February / 27th March - District level network meeting for women members in Trincomalee district - 26th January / 25th February / 26th March - District level network meeting for women members in Batticaloa District

4. ESDF conducted 2 Technical Review Meeting to discuss the developed Position Papers to set up a Local Government Level Women Caucus Committee within LGA (26th February & 12th March)

5. Chrysalis conducted 5 meetings in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar and Kilinochchi to establish and strengthen district local government Women Councilors Caucus. - 18th January / 14th March – Jaffna Meeting - 21st January – Vavuniya Meeting - 22nd January – Mannar Meeting - 30th March – Kilinochchi Meeting

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6. Chrysalis conducted 2 Meetings for Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu Districts to establish and strengthen grass root level CSO federations. - 7th January – For Kilinochchi District - 17th January – For Mullaithivu District

7. CPA 1 has conducted 8 Sensitizing Dialogues with District Level Political Organizers, District Political Leaders, Electorate Organizers, Women Activists of Party’s women wing and Assistant Election Commissioner. During this quarter, the said event was conducted in Monaragala, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Matale, Kandy, Kegalle, Ratnapura and Colombo Districts.

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ANNEX 2 – PROJECT ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

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ANNEX 3 – SUCCESS STORIES

Combatting Bribery and Corruption in Sri Lanka: The Launch of the National Action Plan for Combatting Bribery and Corruption 2019 –

2023 (NAPCC)

The NAP lays down a Colombo, March 2019: The National Action Plan for comprehensive strategy Combatting Bribery and Corruption in Sri Lanka 2019 – 2023 (NAP) was launched on March 18th in Colombo. His Excellency, comprised of four pillars as the Maithripala Sirisena, the President of Sri Lanka was the chief guest. foundation of the Sri Lanka’s The Speaker of Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition, anti-corruption plan over the Parliamentarians, religious leaders, members of the diplomatic next five-years. corps representing over 50 countries, Officials of International Organizations, members of the Armed Forces, senior public officials, members of the civil society and school children were among the 1250 invitees who represented the varied yet important stakeholder groups. Officials from USAID, SDGAP and the U.S. Embassy were also amongst the invitees.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), in collaboration with the Presidential Secretariat and the Ministry of Public Administration brought together different yet relevant stakeholder institutions to solicit and collate public opinion. This included state officials, professionals, civil society, and artists to name a few. His Excellency, The President Hon. Maithripala With SDGAP’s support, almost 50 consultations were conducted Sirisena and the Hon. Speaker Karu Jayasuriya throughout Sri Lanka which concluded with 4 such meetings being were among the dignitaries present at the event. held at the Parliament of Sri Lanka. The collation of all these Photo credit: SDGAP. suggestions and recommendations contributed to the formulation th of the NAP, which was approved by Cabinet on February 15 . These consultations and technical assistance through consultants supported by SDGAP played a critical role in the planning and execution of these public consultations and the formulation of the final NAP document.

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“From this day onwards, instead of The participatory process, the development and launch of the NAP demonstrate Sri Lanka’s obligations under the United staring at the gates of No.34, Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which was Malalasekara Mawatha, Colombo constitutionally recognized under the 19th Amendment to the 07 (CIABOC’s office), we must Constitution. The compulsory recommendations of UNCAC and nurture a unified conscience for the Sri Lanka’s commitments as per the Open Government development of positive Partnership, warrant the formulation of a comprehensive plan to fundamental principles and values combat bribery and corruption in Sri Lanka. as a nation.” Sarath Jayamanne, The NAP is a culmination of extensive studies of the experience Director General, CIABOC. of other nations, international best practices, a review of Sri Lanka’s own unique circumstances and nation-wide consultations with citizens, led by key champions, such as CIABOC with

direction from the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Legal Affairs (anti-corruption) and Media, and SDGAP’s technical support and facilitation. It integrates a multi-pronged strategy, based on four core strategies as the foundation of the country’s anti-corruption plan over the five-year period spanning from 2019 to 2023. The Action Plan and 4 handbooks were also translated into both Sinhalese and Tamil to ensure access by all Sri Lankans.

The Launch was successful in terms of not only participation but also the engagement of the audience with the program for the day. In his speech, CIABOC’s Director General presented the four key pillars presented by the NAP and the symbolic meaning of the NAP logo. The development of these concepts and CIABOC’s Director General presents the NAP symbols, which better portrayed the message of anti-corruption to His Excellency, Maithripala Sirisena. as espoused by CIABOC, was carried out by CIABOC in partnership and close consultation with the creative team provided by SDGAP.

“I would like to express my The Speaker, in his address, highlighted the timeliness of this heartfelt gratitude to the initiative by discussing its relevance to Sri Lanka’s pledge under Commissioners, the Director the Sustainable Development Goals. He also stated that their General of CIABOC, the Attorney- fullest support will be given to the proposed law amendments and General, and all other public and extended well wishes on behalf of the Parliament. He encouraged private sector stakeholders who all stakeholders, including all parties to come together as a nation

participated in the formulation of to eradicate the menace of bribery and corruption from Sri Lanka. the NAPCC, on behalf of the state The ceremony concluded with the Presidential address. He and the citizens of the country. Let us take our responsibilities to discussed how consecutive governments have made the heart and perform them to ensure eradication of bribery and corruption a central part of their a better tomorrow for the country” respective manifestos highlighting that despite such efforts, within - His Excellency, Maithripala the past few decades, bribery and corruption has greatly Sirisena. escalated. He concluded his address by stating how political

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motives must be set aside and a pledge be made to move this country towards integrity. The true ownership of these publications and the roadmap towards the eradication of bribery and corruption implied in the NAP rest with the individuals who represent a cross-section of society. The NAP aims to create a new generation instilled with values and virtues, a public sector as well as a private sector of integrity and a law enforcement system which is just and equal to all.

.

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Information is power: bridging a crucial knowledge gap in a post-conflict space

“Capacity building Sri Lanka’s 25-year long civil war has many repercussions. One workshops such as this, that may not be glaringly obvious however, is its impact on the help widen our knowledge access to and availability of information. As a result, there exists base. The prolonged civil a significant gap in capacity building and learning opportunities in war meant that we were not various fields. This lack of technical expertise in certain fields is a exposed to educational clear impediment to the development effort. Sri Lanka has made trainings such as this in the steady progress towards development since the end of the war past. For example, this type in 2009. of training helps us take more of an investigative A lack of capacity however, still proves to a major obstacle to approach, and help development. Aid agencies therefore, have supported initiatives improve the quality of our financial reporting” - that address this knowledge gap. USAID has provided more Manivathanan, workshop than 2 billion USD, approximately 300 billion rupees in aid participant. efforts since 1956, and continues to support the Government of Sri Lanka through initiatives such as this, which focus on the provision of technical expertise which contributes towards

good governance.

Efficient public finance management contributes towards establishing good governance. As a governing body of public finance, the National Audit Office of Sri Lanka needs access to the right training and exposure to ensure that public financing systems function in accordance with the law and help expedite Forensic Auditing is the financial crimes. With this goal in mind, SDGAP, in application of accounting and collaboration with the Auditor General’s Department of Sri auditing methods and Lanka (AGDSL) office implemented a series of trainings on the techniques, other investigative topic of Forensic Auditing which began in September 2018. skills, and a knowledge of the law to track and collect An out-station training series was kicked off in early 2019. As a forensic evidence that is part of this initiative, SDGAP together with the Auditor admissible in a court of law for General’s office conducted a workshop for its officers in the the investigation and possible Northern Province on Forensic Auditing. 45 participants from persecution of a criminal act. all 5 affiliated districts of the Northern Province participated in the four-day event. When speaking with participants, it was noted that most had only recently become familiar with the topic; some after the National Audit was passed, with amendments in July 2018.

To address varying knowledge gaps among participants, the training framed the basics of forensic skills such as identifying

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fraud, understanding its mindset and established the differences between neglect and fraud. With the use of examples, case studies and puzzles participants learnt to differentiate cases of fraud from neglect and how to conduct these different types of investigations. As the training progressed, the trainer delved deeper into subjects such as fraud hazard assessment, prevention and detection techniques, the investigation process, evidence gathering, court room operations and witness testimony. Participants made complete use of the training. The four-day training used a mix of interactive training methods. Participants made full use of the training; engaging with the trainer and ask questions to clarify any potential doubts. Post- event evaluations and regular feedback from participants showed that the training contributed to bridging this knowledge gap, as it added value to their knowledge base. Manivathanan - a senior staff officer of the National Audit Office of Sri Lanka, stated that by being trained officials, they could better contribute towards establishing more stable governance mechanisms, demonstrating how initiatives such as this contribute to SDGAP’s overall expected outcomes.

At the end of the training, participants pledged to implement the knowledge gained wherever applicable, when conducting any activities related to financial auditing. As a next step, the Deputy Auditor General and other senior staff members requested that SDGAP conduct more knowledge sharing sessions in other areas of auditing such as ‘Performing Audits in a computerized environment.

The workshop also provided an opportunity for the officers to identify other areas of capacity development. Participants iterated that they need to be specifically trained to perform audits in the field of construction, building and procurement. This is very relevant given that there an increase in construction projects in the Northern Province as a result of Sri Lanka’s post-conflict state development.

Workshops such as this not only bridge knowledge gaps but also put in place knowledge systems that remain beyond the lifetime of such initiatives, thereby contributing to longer- term development outcomes. SDGAP responded to a direct need from NAOSL staff in Jaffna and the training, therefore, was not only relevant but timely in the wake of the development in the region. As previously conflict affected regions such as Jaffna emerge, opportunities arise for both the place and its people which helps them remain competitive and on par with the rest of the world. Capacity building plays a vital role in rebuilding not only the economy but also its people. Catering to that need would be a significant step in the path to progress and not only help

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connect previously conflict affect areas such as Jaffna to the rest of the country but also the rest of the world.

Implementing sustainable knowledge mechanisms such as this is therefore, a crucial part of working towards more effective and accountable governance in Sri Lanka. SDGAP will roll out a series of similar trainings as part of its out- station training initiative, in collaboration with the NAOSL in the first quarter of 2019. Subsequent trainings will be held in Galle and Badulla to represent the Southern and Uva provinces and ensure that this training is delivered island- wide.

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Celebrating Sri Lankan Women ChangeMakers: changing the discourse on women’s political participation

In 2017, in a historic move, In 2017, in a historic move, Sri Lanka implemented the 25% Sri Lanka implemented the quota to encourage greater participation of women in decision making within the country’s economic, social and 25% quota to encourage political spheres. This however, has not been an easy path. greater participation of Sri Lanka faces the dual threat of not just discrimination but women in decision making proxy voting; nominating women for the sake of fulfilling the within the country’s quota. Surveys also show that the majority of the public does economic, social and not support women’s engagement in politics. There is doubt political spheres. about a woman’s ability to be an effective politician or official. The preferred role of women in Sri Lankan society continues to be of a more traditional nature, that of care giver and homemaker.

Giving women and under-represented groups, such as the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, etc., who are often marginalized or lack representation in decision making spaces the agency with which they can achieve a more equitable status in society must include reframing the public’s perception regarding how they perceive the role and contributions of women and The Speaker unveils the portrait of under-represented groups in Sri Lankan society. Sirima Bandaranaike, the World's First Female Prime Minister at the official With this in mind, SDGAP’s brain child- the “Celebrating Sri launch of the Celebrating Sri Lankan Lankan Women ChangeMakers” campaign is a joint initiative Women ChangeMakers exhibit. between the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus, the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender Equality and USAID’s Strengthening Democratic Governance and Accountability Project (SDGAP). The multi-pronged public outreach campaign celebrates the achievements of influential leaders who are women and under-represented groups or vulnerable populations, representing a cross-section of disciplines, from politics, education and the arts to sports, science and technology. The objective of the campaign is two-fold, 1) to raise public awareness of women and their achievements in variety of roles and encourage women and Chandrani Bandara honors Deshabandu girls, including under-represented groups to pursue careers Dr. Mrs. Wimala De Silva, Sri Lanka’s and activities that will support their future development and first female University Chancellor.

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2) to provide the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) a The 12 ChangeMakers celebrated in the public forum to highlight their initiatives and first phase of the exhibition held at the achievements in support of women, girls, under- Parliament Complex include: represented groups or vulnerable populations.  Hon. Sirima Bandaranaike, the First For the first phase of the campaign held at the Female Prime Minister of the World Parliament, 12 women were selected based on (1)  Deshabandu Dr. Mrs. Wimala De Silva, the First Female University representation from key sectors of society, politics or Chancellor in Sri Lanka the economy, (2) international or national recognition  Dr. Premala Sivaprakasapillai received, (3) impact generated, (4) awards and Sivasegaram, the First Female achievements and (5) representation of under- Engineer in Sri Lanka represented groups and vulnerable populations. Six of  Sumitra Peiris, the First Female these ChangeMakers are female firsts in a particular field Filmmaker in Sri Lanka and rest of the six are women who made significant  Prof. Savitri Goonesekere, the First contributions, both locally and globally. The women Female Professor of Law and First celebrated in the first phase are from numerous spheres Female Vice Chancellor in Sri Lanka covering politics, education, science, arts, law, sports,  Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, First Sri environment, social enterprise, social activism, business Lankan and First Sri Lankan Female and design. It is noteworthy that this is just the first to Summit Mount Everest phase of this campaign, and contributions of numerous  Dr. Asha De Vos, the Marine other women ChangeMakers will be included in the next Biologist, Ocean Educator and phases when the campaign goes to the provincial and Pioneer of Blue Whale Research in district levels profiling those women who have effected the Northern Indian Ocean change at the grassroots level.  Dr. Hasini Jayatilaka, the Breakthrough Cancer Researcher The event on March 27th – the inauguration ceremony of  Nushell de Silva, an Arts Educator the roving exhibition took place at Parliament with the and Social Entrepreneur Honorable Speaker, Members of Parliament, with the  Princy Mangalika, the Activist in the participation of the members of the Women cause of Persons Living with HIV & Parliamentarians’ Caucus, the Sectoral Oversight AIDs, Founder of the Positive Committee on Women and Gender Equality, other Women’s Network Members of Parliament, representatives from Civil  Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, the Society Organizations, invited Local Women Councilors Managing Director, Hemas Pharmaceuticals, Logistics, and and the SDGAP team. An SDGAP consultant working Maritime with the Secretariat worked closely with SDGAP’s Tasks  Irfadha Muzammil, An Interior 1 and 3 to draft talking points for the Speaker and Designer Women’s Caucus.

Four of the ChangeMakers were present at the event- Professor Savitri Goonasekere, Ms. Jayanthi Kuru- Utumpala, Dr. Asha De Vos and Ms. Princy Mangalika. Chandrani Bandara, the Minister of Women & Child Affairs and Dry Zone Development and the Chairperson of the Women Parliamentarian’s Caucus welcomed invitees and in her speech, emphasized that giving women a voice, celebrating their efforts and reminding all Sri Lankans of their contributions is just the beginning in ensuring a more sustainable and equitable future for us all.

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“…The 25% quota for women at This was then followed by Ms. Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala local government level is a huge who shared her phenomenal experience with the step in the right direction. But audience. She talked of how not all women in Sri Lanka where do we go from here? It have the space to reach their potential as not everyone takes two months to climb has an enabling environment, as she did. She emphasized Everest. After climbing for 1.5 that such an enabling environment could be brought months, we arrive at the last about through educational and legal reform combined camp, located in what is called with strong political will. the Death Zone. From here, it The Speaker, in his address, emphasized Parliament’s takes about 10 hours of climbing commitment and support to advancing the political through temperatures as low as representation of women and congratulated the efforts minus 60 degrees Celsius, to of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus and the reach the summit. At the top, we Sectoral Oversight Committee on Women and Gender rest for about 15 minutes and Equality for this commendable effort to recognize these then we must climb back down, women and their contributions and the move towards which takes another 14 hours. I’m changing public perception and the conversation on sharing this to make the point that women’s traditional roles and entry into decision making the journey does not end at the spaces. The ceremony ended with the unveiling of each top of Everest. Neither can it end portrait and bio of the ChangeMakers, available in all with the 25% quota. What more three languages to ensure accessibility by all, by a group needs to be done for this quota to of dignitaries comprised the Members of Parliament now be implemented – Present and the Secretary General of the Parliament, Mr. substantively and not in a Dhammika Dassanayake. The exhibit will remain at the tokenistic manner? This journey Parliament Complex until April 5th. must continue… It is also important to remember that there Given continued ownership by the GoSL and support are equally strong women from SDGAP, the campaign could be multi-year, adding throughout Sri Lanka who are additional profiles with targeted messaging around climbing their own ‘Everest’ and particular government initiatives. With the appropriate this is something we should messaging, this could be utilized by members as a acknowledge and remember,” Ms. constituency outreach tool by women and under- Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, First Sri represented groups for the provincial council elections, Lankan and First Sri Lankan thereby helping to reframe the debate and reinforce the Female to Summit Mount Everest. importance of ensuring representation of women and under-represented groups at various levels.

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