Independent External Evaluation UN Peacebuilding Fund Project Portfolio in Burundi 2007 – 2013 1 February 2014 Written by Susanna Campbell (Team Lead), Tracy Dexter, Michael Findley, Stephanie Hofmann, Josiah Marineau, and Daniel Walker Field research conducted by Susanna Campbell, Anne Marie Bihirabake, Tracy Dexter, Stephanie Hofmann, and René Manirakiza 1 About the Evaluation Team The UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) and the PBF Joint Steering Committee (JSC) in Burundi commissioned this independent external evaluation. The Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) at The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva put together the evaluation team, which included: Susanna Campbell (Team Lead), Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva ([email protected]); Tracy Dexter, Independent Consultant, Bujumbura ([email protected]); Michael Findley, University of Texas at Austin ([email protected]); Stephanie Hofmann, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva ([email protected]); Josiah Marineau, University of Texas at Austin ([email protected]); and Daniel Walker, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign ([email protected]). The CCDP Team also benefitted from the excellent research skills of two independent Burundian evaluators that the UN in Burundi contracted for this evaluation: Anne Marie Bihirabake ([email protected]), who carried out the colline-level semi-structured interviews, and René Manirakiza ([email protected]), who managed the household-level survey. Jamie Pring ([email protected]) and Natasha White ([email protected]), both from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, provided superb research assistance. Last, but certainly not least, three excellent Burundian surveyors conducted the household-level surveys, Dieudonne Ndayiziga, Ferdinand Niyoyankunze, and James Simbizi. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE EVALUATION TEAM ...................................................................................................... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................... 5 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 7 1.1 SYNTHESIS OF PBF’S INVOLVEMENT IN BURUNDI ................................................................................... 7 1.2 THE PURPOSE OF THE UN PEACEBUILDING ARCHITECTURE AND THE PBF ...................................... 8 1.3 EVALUATION CRITERIA, RESEARCH DESIGN, AND METHODOLOGY .................................................. 10 1.3.1 Evaluation Criteria ............................................................................................................................. 10 1.3.2 Methodology and Research Design .............................................................................................. 10 1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE EVALUATION REPORT ............................................................................................ 11 2. RELEVANCE AND CONTRIBUTION OF THE PBF PORTFOLIO TO BURUNDI’S WAR-TO- PEACE TRANSITION ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.1 THE CONTEXT OF THE PBF IN BURUNDI ................................................................................................ 12 2.2 RELEVANCE OF THE PBF PORTFOLIO TO KEY CONFLICT AND PEACE TRENDS IN BURUNDI BETWEEN 2007 AND 2013 .................................................................................................................................. 13 2.2.1 Period I – Deadlock in Parliament ............................................................................................... 13 2.2.2 Period II – Deadlock in Negotiations with the FNL .............................................................. 13 2.2.3 Period III – 2010 election period .................................................................................................. 13 2.2.4 Period IV – The consolidation of political power in the post-2010 phase .................. 14 2.3 THE CONTRIBUTION OF PBF I AND II TO PEACE CONSOLIDATION IN BURUNDI BY SECTOR ....... 15 2.3.1 Democracy and good governance ................................................................................................ 15 2.3.2 Security sector ...................................................................................................................................... 17 2.3.3 Justice and the promotion of human rights ............................................................................. 18 2.3.4 Land issues .............................................................................................................................................. 19 2.3.5 Reintegration ........................................................................................................................................ 20 2.3.6 Gender Mainstreaming in PBF I and II ....................................................................................... 21 3. ASSESSMENT OF THE SECOND TRANCHE OF PBF SUPPORT TO BURUNDI ............. 23 3.1 OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................................... 23 3.1.1 The example of UNDP’s 3x6 Approach ....................................................................................... 24 3.1.2 A Program with six projects ............................................................................................................ 25 3.2 ASSESSING THE ‘ENDS’ OF PBF II – RELEVANCE, EFFECTIVENESS, CATALYTIC EFFECT, AND SUSTAINABILITY ...................................................................................................................................................... 27 3.2.1 Relevance ................................................................................................................................................ 28 3.2.2 Effectiveness, Catalytic Effect, and Sustainability ................................................................. 28 3.3 ASSESSING THE ‘MEANS’ OF PBF II – EFFICIENCY, NATIONAL OWNERSHIP, TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND OUTREACH ..................................................................................................................... 34 3.4 SYNTHESIS OF THE FINDINGS FROM SURVEY IN BUBANZA, BUJUMUBURA RURAL, AND CIBITOKE ON THE EFFECT OF PBF I AND II INTERVENTIONS IN THESE PROVINCES ..................................................... 36 4. ANALYSIS OF PBF OVERSIGHT, GUIDANCE, SUPPORT, AND IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS AND INSTRUMENTS ................................................................................................ 38 4.1 THE PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION ......................................................................................................... 39 4.2 PBF FUNDING INSTRUMENTS – IRF AND PRF ..................................................................................... 40 4.3 THE UN PEACEBUILDING SUPPORT OFFICE .......................................................................................... 42 4.4 THE COUNTRY-BASED MECHANISMS ...................................................................................................... 46 5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................... 51 3 OVERALL RECOMMENDATION 1: ENSURE THAT RUNOS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, AND MONITOR HIGH QUALITY PEACEBUILDING PROGRAMMING. .................................................................... 52 1.1 PBSO .............................................................................................................................................................. 52 1.2 RUNOs .......................................................................................................................................................... 52 1.3 JSC .................................................................................................................................................................. 53 1.4 MPTF Office ............................................................................................................................................... 53 OVERALL RECOMMENDATION 2: ENSURE THAT BOTH HEADQUARTERS AND COUNTRY-BASED MECHANISMS ACCOMPANY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PBF ACTIVITIES AND SUPPORT CRITICAL REFLECTION. ............................................................................................................................................................ 53 2.1 PBSO ............................................................................................................................................................. 53 2.2 RUNOs .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 2.3 Senior UN Leadership and RUNO leadership in country ........................................................ 54 2.4 JSC .................................................................................................................................................................. 54 OVERALL RECOMMENDATION 3: COLLECT AND TRANSFER LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT