Evaluation of the First (2011-2015) and the Second (2016-2020) Country Programmes of UNFPA Belarus Final Evaluation Report – 28 December 2019 Evaluation Team Evaluation Manager Mr. Aliaksandr Davidzenka Team Leader Ms. Sheila Reed and Sexual and Reproductive Health Expert Population and Development Expert Mr. Sergei Gotin Gender Equality Expert Mr. Ulad Vialichka 1 2 Table of contents Abbreviations and acronyms ................................................................................................................... 5 Table 1: Belarus: Key facts and figures ................................................................................................. 7 Figure 1: Map of Belarus - Source United Nations 2004 ..................................................................... 10 Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 17 1.1 Purpose and Objectives of the 1st and 2nd Country Programme Evaluation ................... 17 1.2 Scope of the evaluation and users .................................................................................. 17 1.3 Evaluation management and workplan ........................................................................... 18 1.4 Methodology and process ............................................................................................... 18 Chapter 2 Belarus Country Context ...................................................................................................... 23 2.1 Development challenges and national strategies ............................................................ 23 2.1.1 Economic, social and political context of Belarus ........................................................... 23 2.1.2 Situation with regard to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights ............................ 24 2.13 Situation with regard to Population and Development .......................................................... 25 2.1 Situation with regard to Adolescents and Youth ............................................................. 26 2.1.4 Situation with regard to Gender Equality ......................................................................... 26 2.2 The role of external assistance ....................................................................................... 28 Chapter 3 The United Nations and UNFPA response and programme strategies ............................... 30 3.1 United Nations and UNFPA response .................................................................................... 30 3.2.1 UNFPA previous cycles of assistance, goals and achievements ....................................... 30 3.2.2 UNFPA Belarus 1st and 2nd Country Programmes ............................................................... 30 3.2.3 Financial structures of the programmes ............................................................................... 31 Chapter 4 Findings and answers to the evaluation questions .............................................................. 33 4.1 Relevance ............................................................................................................................... 33 4.2 Effectiveness – Sexual and Reporductive Health and Rights ................................................. 43 4.3 Effectiveness - Gender Equality .............................................................................................. 53 4.4 Effectiveness – Population Dynamics ..................................................................................... 60 4.5 Effectiveness – Emergency Preparedness ............................................................................. 69 4.6 Efficiency ................................................................................................................................. 71 4.7 Sustainability ........................................................................................................................... 76 4.8 Coordination ............................................................................................................................ 78 4.9 Added Value ................................................................................................................... 80 Chapter 5 Conclusions and Recommendations.................................................................................... 83 5.1 Conclusions 83 5.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 85 5.2. 1 Strategic Recommendations 85 5.2.2 Programmatic recommendations 87 Table 1. Belarus Key Facts and Figures Table 2. Final Evaluation Questions 3 Table 3. Evaluation limitation and mitigation measures Table 4. Stakeholder selection criteria with Belarus sampling Table 5. UNDAF (2016-2020) Monitoring and Evaluation Calendar Table 6. Subgoal 2 Indicators for Belarus Table 7. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights - Strengthened Policy and National Institutional Capacity: Output Indicators and Milestones Table 8. Output Indicators – SRHR Youth Table 9. Output indicators – Gender Equality Table 10. Output indicators – Population Dynamics Table 11. Output Indicators – Emergency Preparedness Table 12. Disbursement of UNFPA Belarus Core Resources (2014-2019) Table 13. Disbursement of Other Resources (2014-2019) Table 14. Output indicators Resources Mobilization, Communications, Partnerships, Knowledge Management Figure 1. Map of Belarus Figure 2. Population of Belarus by oblasts (regions) Figure 3. Gender and age pyramid by January 1, 2019 of the population of Belarus Figure 4. Violence against women Figure 6. External Assistance to Belarus Figure 7. Country Programme Funding Sources (2011-2015) and (2016-2020) Figure 8. Fund Allocation by Country Programme 2011-2015 Figure 9. Fund Allocation by Country Programme 2016-2020 Annexes (Separate) Annex 1: Persons Consulted Annex 2: Documents Consulted Annex 3: Stakeholder map Annex 4: Theories of Change – Belarus 1st and 2nd Country Programmes Annex 5:Terms of Reference Annex 6: Evaluation Matrix - Consolidated 4 Abbreviations and acronyms AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ANC Antenatal Care ASRH Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health AWP Annual Work Plans BELMED Project supporting the modernization of the health system in Belarus BELSTAT National Statistical Committee of Belarus CCA Common Country Assessment CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women COAR Country Office Annual Report CP Country Programme CPD Country Programme Document CPE Country Programme Evaluation CPR Contraceptive Prevalence Rate CSO Civil Society Organizations DEX Directly Executed interventions EECARO Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (UNFPA) ERG Evaluation Reference Group EU European Union FACE Funding Authorization and Certificate of Expenditure form FGD Focus Group Discussion FP Family Planning GE Gender Equality GBV Gender Based Violence G Generations GDP Gross Domestic Product HDI Human Development Index HIV Human Immuno-deficiency virus HPV Human Papillomavirus ICPD International Conference on Population and Development LGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Trans-sexual, and intersexual MDG Millennium Development Goal MH Maternal Health MICS Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey MIS Management Information System MISP Minimum Initial Service Package MMR Maternal Mortality Ratio MOST Mobility Scheme for Targeted People-to-People Contacts MSM Men Who Have Sex with Men NCDs Non-communicable disease NCLLR National Center of Legislation and Legal Research of Belarus NEX Nationally executed interventions NHRI National Human Rights Institutions NSC National Statistical Committee (Belarus) OECD-DAC Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Development Assistance Committee PHC Primary Health Care P&D Population and Development PNC Post Natal Care PPH Post-Partum Haemorrhaging PSU Psychoactive Substance User QA Quality Assurance RC UN Resident Coordinator RH Reproductive Health SDG Sustainable Development Goal SOP Standard Operating Procedure SPR Standard Progress Report SRHR Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights STIs Sexually Transmitted Infections 5 TA Technical Assistance TB Tuberculosis TFR Total Fertility Rate TOC Theory of Change TOR Terms of Reference TOT Training of Trainers UNBRAF Unified Budget, Results and Accountability Framework UNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDAF United Nations Development Assistance Framework UNECE United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNEG United Nations Evaluation Group UNOPS United Nations Office for Project Services UNPF United Nations Programmatic Framework VAW Violence Against Women VET Vocational Education and Training WHO World Health Organization 6 Table 1: Belarus: Key facts and figures Key Facts and Figures Source The Republic of Belarus borders on five countries: north-west with Lithuania; north with Latvia and the Russian Federation; north-east and east - with the Russian Federation, south - with Ukraine; and the west - with Poland. The state languages are Belarusian and Russian. Belarus is divided into six administrative regions (oblasts), each centred around a major city: Minsk (the capital), Brest, Gomel, Grodno, Mogilev, and Vitebsk. Agriculture production includes grain, potatoes, vegetables,