Copyright United Nations Rwanda, 2011

Transcription

1 United Nations Rwanda Delivering as One Annual Report 2010

2 Copyright United Nations Rwanda, 2011 Disclaimer The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries regarding its economic system or degree of development. Excerpts may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Design: Gideon Mureithi/UNON Layout: Eugene Papa/UNON Photographs: One UN Rwanda photograph database Printing: UNON, Publishing Services Section, Nairobi, June 2011, ISO 14001:2004-certified by the United Nations Office at Nairobi This publication is printed on chlorine and acid-free paper from sustainable forests. UNITED NATIONS RWANDA Office of the UN Resident Coordinator PO Box Kigali - Rwanda Tel: (+250) Fax: (+250) rcoffice.rw@one.un.org

3 Table of contents Foreword By The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning; Chair, One UN Steering Committee... iii Introductory Remarks By The Resident Coordinator... v Executive Summary...ix Chapter 1 Overview of Development Progress and Policy Trends in Rwanda...1 Chapter 2 Summary of Results and Achievements Per UNDAF Result...9 Part 1: UNDAF Result on Governance...9 Part 2a: UNDAF Result on HIV Part 2b: UNDAF Result on Health, Nutrition and Population Part 3: UNDAF Result on Education Part 4: UNDAF Result on Environment Part 5: UNDAF Result on Sustainable Growth and Social Protection Chapter 3 Progress in Delivering as One Part A: Governance and Coordination Structure Part B: The Four Pillars of Delivering as One Chapter 4 Conclusions and Way Forward Annexes Annex 1: EDPRS Strategic Outcome Indicators, EDPRS Intermediate Indicators, MDG Indicators Annex 2: Financial Reporting Annex 3: Chronological overview of the DaO Reform process in Rwanda Annex 4: List of Abbreviations Annex 5: UNCT Members i

4 The President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame with the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon The MDGs remain feasible with adequate commitment, policies, resources and effort. Collectively, the Millennium Declaration represents the most important promise ever made to the world s most vulnerable people. This promise is not based on pity or charity, but on solidarity, justice and recognition that we are increasingly dependent on one another for our shared prosperity and security. We need to ensure we are having a discussion for today and tomorrow s reality, not yesterday s. Meeting the MDGs must remain the international priority notwithstanding our ever changing circumstances and not just because it is in mode at the moment. President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon

5 Foreword By The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning; Chair, One UN Steering Committee Dear Reader, As chair of the One UN Steering Committee, it is my responsibility and pleasure to present to you the One UN Rwanda Annual Report for This report covers the third year of One UN s support to the national development goals within the framework of Delivering as One in Rwanda. It highlights the achievements and progress accomplished in the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) result areas which had been prioritized based on Rwanda s Vision 2020 and the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) It also presents progress made on the Delivering as One reform agenda. The year 2010 has been an important year for Rwanda s development agenda, marking a mid-term point for achieving the national development targets set for 2012 through the EDPRS The Government of Rwanda with the support of our Development partners has achieved substantial results as evident through our annual EDPRS review. As his Excellency President Paul Kagame has pointed out, such substantial results are obtained when Governments own the development policies and strategies and a true partnership exists between donors and partner countries. It is in this context that the Delivering as One in Rwanda builds on the principles of national ownership and leadership and aims to enhance the effective partnership among national stakeholders in support of national efforts to achieve the Vision 2020 and the EDPRS goals. The UN annual report for 2010 highlights some of the achievements as well as challenges in this regard. The report is also informed by a Country-Led Evaluation which was undertaken in April-May 2010 in order to inform how the role and the contribution of the UN system in Rwanda could be enhanced to support national policies and strategies for the achievement of national development results, focusing on effectiveness, relevance, efficiency and sustainability. The Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness (2005) and the Accra Agenda for Action (2008) were for us commitments to reform ways in which development cooperation is provided to support our national priorities so as to enhance its quality and effectiveness. In this context, the Government of Rwanda and our Development Partners have agreed on progressive actions at the 9th Government of Rwanda and Development Partners Meeting (DPM) in November 2010 in order to enhance effectiveness of aid, including increasing proportion of aid that is included in the national budget, increasing the use of country systems to deliver and execute iii

6 aid, and improving predictability of aid. In my view, these set of actions along with the recommendations from the Country-Led Evaluation and the agreed UN Division of Labour form a basis to enhance the relevance, effectiveness and efficiency of UN contribution to Rwanda in supporting our efforts to achieve national development results. With the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan approaching in November 2011, we are committed to increase our efforts to enhance aid effectiveness. Furthermore, the Government of Rwanda together with our Development Partners and national stakeholders will undertake in the next 2 years the review of the Vision 2020 as well as the EDPRS to develop the next generation of the EDPRS. In this regard, we look forward to working together with the UN Country Team to further steer the strategic direction of the UN support and the Delivering as One in support of national priorities. As a Chair of the One UN Steering Committee, I would like to reiterate our determination to play a key leading role in guiding the progress and achievements of the Delivering as One. Indeed, the next two years are of significant importance to the Government of Rwanda and the UN Country Team in accomplishing the objectives of the Delivering as One, enabling the UN System to provide a more effective and coherent response to the needs of our country in achieving our national development and poverty reduction goals. Honorable John Rwangombwa Minister of Finance and Economic Planning and Chair of the One UN Steering Committee iv

7 Introductory Remarks By The Resident Coordinator Rwanda land of a thousand possibilities Rwanda is known to have a proactive, dynamic, and innovative approach to national development and poverty reduction efforts as well as efforts to enhance quality of development cooperation. The last couple of years have seen the Government of Rwanda and its Development Partners take great steps in implementing reforms and innovations for enhancing quality of development cooperation for Rwanda s benefit. Partnerships have strengthened, and mutual trust is built. With the strong partnership and trust, we are sure we can cope with the difficult global aid environment and implement the joint aspirations to enhance quality of our cooperation in support of Rwanda s efforts to achieve the goals of its Vision Rwanda s Vision 2020 sets clear aspirations to transform Rwanda into a middle-income country, from a subsistent agricultural economy to a knowledge-based economy and aspires for Rwanda to become a modern, strong, and united nation, proud of its fundamental values, politically stable and without discrimination amongst its citizens. With the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) coming to an end in 2012, the UN family considers this as an opportune time to revitalize and strengthen our partnership in support of the Government s efforts in the development of the second generation of the EDPRS. Concurrently, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF ) along with the Common Operational Document (COD) also comes to an end in Within this context, the UN family is committed to ensuring that the next UNDAF ( ) is again fully aligned to the national planning processes as well as the priorities set out in the revised and second EDPRS. Recent Rwanda s MDGs report acknowledges that most of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets are achievable. The UN country team is encouraged by the achievements made in universal primary education and increased transition from primary to secondary education, with the introduction of the 9 year basic education program. Rwanda also continues to have a strong track record on gender equality, with a 50/50 ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary school. The ratio of women occupying parliamentary seats is indeed the highest in the world. Investing in opportunities for women, girls and children has remarkable multiplier effects, and we welcome the Government of Rwanda s continuous dedication in these areas. v

8 Rwanda s successes in the areas of education, gender and HIV and malaria control offer a strong foundation for scaled up efforts to achieve the other MDGs. Indeed, Development Partners and the UN family welcome the major effort by the Government to scale up MDG interventions through the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme, which is the flagship program aimed at accelerating the progress towards achieving the MDGs and lifting people out of extreme poverty in a cost-effective and sustainable way. I am sure, inspired by the Government s dedication, Development Partners will continue supporting the endeavour to improve the lives of the people of Rwanda. In 2010, the UN continued to provide the relevant and strategic support to the government of Rwanda within the framework of Delivering as One. Significant progress was again recorded in all of the UNDAF results areas and the work of the UNDAF theme groups continued to show marked improvements with more coherent planning and implementation of joint intervention activities. The Program Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) was again very instrumental in providing the relevant strategic policy advice to the UN Country Team as well as technical oversight to the theme groups for more coherent planning and implementation of our activities. The mid-term review of the UNDAF was conducted in 2010 with the objective to assess the extent of the implementation of the UNDAF objectives. The many identified strengths of the One UN reaffirmed that the Delivering as One framework entails significant added value to the work of the UN as well as to the country and the donor community. It was proposed in the review that the UN assistance could be further improved and aligned with government priorities by for example streamlining the UN programmes for a more coherent framework and reducing the number of outcomes, outputs, indicators and activities. Similarly in the same year, a country-led evaluation of the One UN, initiated by the Government of Rwanda, was also conducted in order to evaluate the progress made in DaO as well as to provide information to the Government and other decision makers on how the UN could further align with national priorities and strategies. I am happy to note that even though the evaluation findings were generally positive, the UN family is determined more than ever to improve financial transparency and aid predictability and would also endeavour to futher lower transaction costs. I would like to commend the Government of Rwanda and Development Partners for agreeing on the in-country Division of Labour (DoL). Rwanda s Division of Labour is a far more progressive approach to enhancing the quality of development cooperation through realignment, rationalisation and redistribution of aid. We compliment the Government of Rwanda for demonstrating strong leadership and commitment to the agreement made at Accra to lead in determining optimal roles of partners in supporting the national development efforts and to improve allocation of resources across sectors. The UN in Rwanda commits to work together with the Government to effectively implement the Division of Labour. Furthermore, the UN and Development Partners will continue to stand behind the Government of Rwanda by playing a key role in the global dialogue on aid effectiveness. vi

9 I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Rwanda and its leadership, Development Partners (multilateral and bilateral organizations), civil society, academic institutions, the media and above all, the people of Rwanda for the effective partnership relationship in Particularly, I would like to acknowledge and commend the leadership role of the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning as chair of the One UN Steering Committee. I also wish to thank the Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO) for the dedicated and tireless support to the Delivering as One reform process and the dedication to help move forward the DaO agenda at the global level. My sincere thanks go to the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) Office in New York for the valuable support and technical assistance provided with regard to One Fund processes. My profound and sincere gratitude goes to the UN Country Team and all UN staff in Rwanda for your continuous dedication to the course of the United Nations in support of the Government and people of Rwanda in their endeavour to achieve the goals and aspirations of the Vision Turi umwe, which means in Kinyarwanda we are together! Aurélien A. Agbénonci UN Resident Coordinator vii

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11 Executive Summary Rwanda s Development Progress The year 2010 was the third year of implementing the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) , which provides a mediumterm framework for achieving the country s long term development goals and aspirations to become a middle-income country by 2020, as embodied in Rwanda s Vision Rwanda s EDPRS is the main instrument through which the Government can fulfil the Millennium Summit declaration it has committed to and make substantial contribution towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The EDPRS has created the political framework to allow overarching development goals to be implemented by setting priorities and by clearly defining responsibilities and budgets. In essence, the EDPRS is the national roadmap for reaching longer-term MDG targets through short/medium-term policy reforms and budget restructuring. The MDG country reports provide the key benchmarks to judge progress in reducing poverty and fostering human development. Indeed, the importance of contextualizing the MDG agenda in local processes is paramount and much effort has been made to put in place a conducive policy environment to ensure consistency and integration of both processes. The EDPRS planned for substantial increase of resource flow into the MDG sectors, particularly education (MDG 2) and health (MDGs 4-5-6) over the period The EDPRS assessment 2010 which will be presented below has highlighted a number of achievements within the three clusters (economic, social and governance) which translates into tangible gains in the MDG framework. Rwanda is on track to achieve most of the MDGs at a time when hopes for scaled-up aid are mixed with concerns that, in the context of a post global economic crisis, aid will remain at the same levels. The progress of the EDPRS implementation is assessed on an annual basis based on the selected targets and policy actions defined in the EDPRS Results and Policy Matrix and the Country Performance Assessment Framework as agreed between the Government and development partners. ix

12 xone UN Rwanda2010 Annual Report The 2010 assessment reporting is structured under three clusters, namely Economic, Social and Governance that were established by the Government Leadership Retreat in February Each cluster implements a strategic outcome as stated in the EDPRS Results and Policy Matrix. Three years into the implementation of the EDPRS, it is evident that the GoR has shown its determined commitment to achieving the set goals in the EDPRS The Government is striving to achieve higher program performance, and consequently higher social and economic development. Out of a total of 124 policy actions planned for implementing the EDPRS in 2009/2010 fiscal year, 87 have been successfully completed, 28 were partially implemented and on track while the remaining 9 need more effort to ensure that they are on track. The corresponding targets in the EDPRS were up to 74% fully achieved (54 out of 73 targets fully achieved or exceeded), 8 partially achieved and on track, 2 targets were lagging behind and the remaining 2 were not due for assessment as they depended on the surveys that were ongoing to provide the required data. Challenges Despite significant progress over the years, a lot still remains to be done to address some of the challenges Rwanda is facing in order to ensure a steady path of sustainable development and accelerate the achievement of national priorities and the MDGs. Poverty remains a challenge for reaching the other MDG targets such as education, women, children, health and environment. Indeed, the combination of high population growth rates and poverty impose a lot of pressure on the limited natural resource base, particularly land, resulting in incidences of food insecurity in some parts of the country. Consequently, promoting shared economic growth and poverty reduction are important priorities of the Government of Rwanda in order to meet the long term national development objective of building a middleincome country by Insufficient investment in infrastructure for energy and transportation continue to pose challenges for accelerated growth coupled with the combined pressures of agricultural production. Consequently, there is need for adequate financing and capacity strengthening in order for the Government to deliver the necessary services in support of achieving its development goals. As a result of the Government s strong commitment to gender equality, women are becoming more empowered and maternal mortality is on the decline. Likewise, the rates of infant and under-five mortality are continuously reducing. Although Rwanda is on track to meet these targets there is a need for more trained health care personnel, particularly in rural areas. Education for women has turned out to be a key factor for the health of the children, as the infant mortality rate for women with secondary or higher education is significantly lower compared to the rate for uneducated women. One key challenge remains the national capacity to achieve Rwanda s Vision To that end, the Government together with Development Partners have developed a national capacity building strategy to be implemented starting Opportunities There are a number of significant opportunities for scaling up the existing development efforts to accelerate the achievements of national priorities and the MDGs. First and foremost, the Government of Rwanda has made achieving the MDGs central to its policy framework, as defined in the EDPRS The Government continues to demonstrate strong leadership and ownership of the development processes by implementing several mechanisms to enhance aid effectiveness and coordination among development partners as well as facilitating a favourable environment for effective development cooperation. This provides an immense opportunity for the One UN and other partners to support the Government in its efforts for sustainable development.

13 Furthermore, specific investment opportunities exist in the areas of modern inputs for increasing agricultural production, small scale water management, access to energy and roads, improved environmental sustainability, and scaling up basic health care, including family planning services. Delivering as One in Rwanda The One UN efforts in Rwanda focus on effective and efficient support to develop the Government s capacities in achieving the MDGs and national development targets. The UN cooperation with Rwanda is guided by the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness, the Accra Agenda for Action and the universal declaration on human rights. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) is the One Programme encompassing all active UN agencies in Rwanda. It provides the strategic framework for the One UN support to national priorities in the areas of Governance; Health, HIV, Nutrition and Population; Education; Environment; and Sustainable Growth and Social Protection. The One Programme is implemented within a clear governance and coordination structure with the highest body being the One UN Steering Committee, chaired by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning. The UN Country Team (UNCT), composed of heads of participating agencies under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, is the key decision making body and is taking necessary steps to further improve the One Programme delivery and to increase efficiency and coherency of the One UN. As second step of the three-stage process outlined by the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) outlined for evaluating the DaO pilots, the country-led evaluation of the DaO was conducted in Rwanda during the year The purpose of the evaluation was to inform decision makers on how to enhance the role and contribution of the UN system in support of national policies and strategies to achieve national development results, specifically towards the achievement of EDPRS targets and the Vision 2020 goals. Overall, the findings of the evaluation were generally positive and were presented at the Intergovernmental Meeting in Hanoi. One of the main recommendations from the evaluation was the need for One UN to further improve on financial transparency and reduction of transaction costs. The UNCT decided to undertake a voluntary mid-term review of the UNDAF after the countryled evaluation. The review concentrated on aspects related to the implementation of the UNDAF with the express aim of providing recommendations for improvements or adjustments in strategy, design and/ or implementation arrangements. With the overall guidance from the UNCT the Programme Planning and Oversight Committee facilitated the Mid-Term Review process in The report is planned to be finalized in the beginning of 2011 and is expected to provide valuable insights and recommendations for improved working modalities and increased focus in the One UN s support to national priorities. One key finding so far was that the existing results framework could be better streamlined to allow for more focussed support to national priorities. Consequently, the UNDAF results framework was revised and streamlined accordingly under the guidance of the UNCT. Rwanda is often cited as a leading country in implementing the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action. Efforts are led by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in the Development Partners Coordination Group, which is co-chaired by the UN Resident Coordinator. In the first half of 2010, consultations on the Division of Labour in Rwanda were held between the ministry and development partners with the objective to further streamline aid delivery. The first Division of Labour from 2008 observes a maximum of three sectors per donor. As a result, the One UN is adjusting and streamlining its work in Rwanda based on the agreed division of labour. Major progress has also been made within the four pillars of the Delivering as One: One Programme, One Budgetary Framework, One Office, and One Leader & One Voice. For instance, under the One Programme, joint programmes have been positively recognised in the Country Led Evaluation and the Mid-Term Review as a major contributor to achieving sustainable results. The xi

14 value of using the comparative advantages, skills and capacities of the different UN agencies and avoiding duplications was underlined. In 2010, coordination mechanisms were further improved and the PPOC continued to provide vital technical advisory services to the UNCT on key issues concerning joint planning, programming and reporting of the One UN. Crosscutting themes of human rights and gender were better mainstreamed in the One UN programming and planning through the taskforces. The One Budgetary Framework has been described as an important aspect of Delivering as One with the One Fund particularly supportive as incentive mechanism for joint programming. Despite financial crisis and unpredictability of funding, fund mobilization was exercised with some success. Yet, predictability of funding remains a challenge, partially due to donors hesitation to provide un-earmarked funding. Negotiations are ongoing on a suggestion for a dual modality in which earmarking could be allowed to some extent. The vision of the One Office pillar was further realized. Under supervision of the UN Country Team (UNCT), the Operations Management Team strengthened its work modalities and developed and implemented the 2010 work plan with focus on common services, procurement, human resources, ICT, and finance. The Terms of References for the OMT were updated and all resident agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding on common services and joint recruitment. The One UN House taskforce, which was created towards the end of 2009, became operational and made some progress on the One UN House agenda. Under the pillar of One Leader & One Voice, the UNCT has again been led by the Resident Coordinator, who remained in constant dialogue with the Government and the development partners in order to ensure transparency and accountability. The UNCT met monthly, in addition to the mid-year strategic planning retreat and the stocktaking retreat at the end of Summary of 2010 key achievements in One Programme In 2010 Rwanda continued to show strong commitment to poverty reduction and sustainable development. The Government has drafted and implemented several policies and strategies to enhance and accelerate national development. It has also taken the lead to further harmonise and align development aid with national priorities. Throughout the year the One UN was committed to support the Government s efforts towards achieving the development targets set in the EDPRS and the Vision 2020, within the overall framework of the MDGs. Significant progress during 2010 was noted in the promotion of education, health, equity and social inclusion. The following are some of the UN supported key achievements for 2010: The UN provided the National Electoral Commission and the Rwanda Civil Society platform with support to enhance the credibility and transparency of the Presidential elections; Access to justice is highly prioritised by the Government and the UN continued to strengthen the human and technical capacity in the justice sector institutions. Rwanda s commitment to international human rights principles and norms is evident in the number of treaties that have been ratified; The UN was also instrumental in rendering support to Rwanda during the drafting and subsequent submission of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) report. Under the UPR process, a mechanism of the Human Rights Council, Rwanda as a UN State Member drafted and submitted a report showcasing the Government s efforts in respect to its international commitments on human rights. The report is due for consideration in 2011 by the Human Rights Council under a peer review process; The UN was instrumental in the opening of a second One Stop Centre for survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the Gihundwe hospital in Rusizi; xii

15 The increased enrolment of children in school was promoted by the UN supported government construction of 3,172 classrooms and 10,000 blocks of latrines; The National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS, developed in partnership with the UN, was successfully implemented; During the UN supported biannual Mother and Child Health week, 1,5 million children under five years old, 48,000 post-partum mothers and three million school children were reached with critical lifesaving interventions, for example key immunizations; UN support was provided to increase the national capacity in gathering and disseminating data relevant for the different sectors; UN support was provided to implement the national settlements strategies, whereby pilot settlements were initiated in Eastern and Western Provinces with the participation and active involvement of communities; UN supported the government of Rwanda through its institutions (i.e. MINEDUC, MINIYOUTH, and TRAC PLUS), districts and umbrella organisations to develop/review plans for children and mainstreaming HIV; UN supported the GoR institution (CNLS) to convene the national advocacy event for HIV and children issues (2010 National paediatric Conference) resulting the strong involvement of key EDPRS ministries (Education, Youth, Social Protection, Agriculture, Justice, Infrastructure) on mainstreaming HIV response in their sectoral policy, strategy and plans; UN supported the government of Rwanda through TRAC PLUS and CNLS to model the male Circumcision Services in two Districts of Musanze and Nyanza; UN supported the Women, Peace and Security agenda by providing technical assistance to the development of the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan and in the organization of a regional conference on Security Forces Role in Ending Violence against Women and Girls resulting in the Kigali Declaration, signed by eleven countries in Africa. UNDAF Result 1: Governance Well-functioning, democratic institutions and processes are slowly but steadily being institutionalised in Rwanda and are fundamental for achieving the MDGs. The Presidential elections which were successfully held in August 2010 marked an important event in democratic transition, resulting in a second term in office for the incumbent President. Prior to the elections, the UN provided the National Electoral Commission and the Rwanda Civil Society platform with support to enhance the credibility and transparency of the election. The 2010 constitutional amendments were important in enforcing good governance practices and the rule of law. For instance, the 2010 constitutional amendments further entrenched the independence of judges from any other power or authority. Institutional capacities to improve business environment were strengthened, notably in the area of investment regulations. Continued efforts have been made to strengthen key institutions working to promote gender equality and women s empowerment. With support from the UN, a gender strategy for the agricultural sector was elaborated and the Gender Based Violence (GBV) policy in response to the GBV law adopted in 2009 was formulated. Building on the success of the first One Stop Centre providing comprehensive medical, judicial and psychosocial services for child, domestic and GBV survivors, a second centre was inaugurated in This was another step to upscale the holistic care model to all provinces. The GBV sensitisation training and awareness raising campaigns were also continuously supported by the One UN. The inter-ministerial treaty body project under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received UN support to clear the backlog of treaty reports due for submission to international treaty body committees. Rwanda ratified all core international treaties but was faced with a backlog of treaty reports due for submission. During the year, a workshop on human rights was held for the members of Parliament and the human rights treaty reporting backlog was significantly reduced. Training on human rights, child rights and GBV was provided to police officers, judges, lawyers and prosecutors, as well as xiii

16 training on new laws to community mediators (Abunzi). The One UN equally provided financial and technical support for the establishment of a decentralised system of children protection and GBV committees in order to improve community detection and referral. The UN played an important advocacy role in respect of the law on the age of criminal responsibility. In promoting of evidence-based policy making, the One UN continued to build the capacity of the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda to collect and analyse socio-economic data as well as to track progress in the preparations for the 2012 General Population and Housing Census. UNDAF Result 2a: HIV and AIDS Rwanda is on track towards the achievement of MDG 6, namely Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases. The low prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Rwanda can be credited to the Government s high ambition to halve the incidence of HIV by 2012, as articulated in the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV and AIDS developed in partnership with the One UN. The UN supported the Government of Rwanda institutions, two districts (Nyamasheke, Ngororero), and three umbrella organisations to develop/review plans with children and HIV issues mainstreamed. In 2010, Rwanda successfully implemented the National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS especially with the completion of an operational plan for male circumcision. The UN supported the implementation of the operational plan by the provision of communication materials with targeted messages for different population groups including men and women, policy makers, service providers, communities and community health workers. A total of 50 health providers have been trained to perform safer male circumcision services of high quality. Furthermore, the UN procured and supplied male circumcision kits for the two districts adopting the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission policy and distributed prevention packages to groups at risk. A National Accelerated Plan for Women, Girls and Gender Equality to implement the NSP was developed with the support of the One UN. The Plan has since been adopted by the Government. In order to improve the HIV response the UN and the National AIDS Control Commission jointly organised the 6th National Paediatric HIV Conference on Children and HIV around the theme EDPRS sectors response to HIV and AIDS- focus on the Education sector. The conference resulted in strong involvement of key EDPRS ministries (Education, Youth, Social Protection, Agriculture, Justice, Infrastructure) on mainstreaming HIV response in their sectoral policy, strategy and plans based on identified gaps in their HIV response. Additionally, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also received capacity building training with regard to HIV response as well as support to attend regional training and meetings. The Government s effort to combat HIV/AIDS was supported by the UN through measures to promote protective behaviours and preventive services. To further build the capacity of the health sector, the UN in collaboration with district hospitals and CSOs supported training in family planning services and HIV prevention programs for marginalised and at risk groups. Alternative income generating activities and education on HIV prevention for commercial sex workers were also supported. Mitigation of AIDS has been targeted through efforts to improve the care and treatment of HIV in areas. Food support, nutrition and agricultural training have been provided in refugee camps in addition to 26 Districts, reaching over 13,000 people living with HIV. The combination of nutrition and agricultural support has re-enforced national mitigation efforts by empowering women and other vulnerable groups affected by HIV. Through advocacy, technical and financial support and leveraging of strategic partnerships, key equity gaps in the national HIV care and treatment programs were addressed. Paediatric HIV care was also used as an entry point to design an integrated quality improvement model, targeting child survival focused health services at decentralised level. This model will be implemented in 2011 and Results are expected to contribute to operationalization of the national quality improvement policy for health services towards attainment of MDG 4, 5 and 6. Furthermore, 3,000 vulnerable children including xiv

17 those infected and affected by HIV were reached with a minimum package of basic social services, in line with the national orphans and vulnerable children Policy. UNDAF Result 2b: Health, Population and Nutrition Rwanda has made good progress in the areas of health, population and nutrition. Particularly, significant progress has been made towards the MDG targets on child mortality, and HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Notwithstanding this progress, poor health still poses a huge challenge to the development. The Government has during 2010 developed policies and strategies aimed at eliminating malnutrition and accelerating the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality, among other priorities for health. The Government has also undertaken studies and research to enhance family planning and human resources within the health sector. To address the need for better access to health care for all in particular the poorest the Government updated the Database on Ubudehe socio-economic categories in line with the implementation of the new Mutuelle de Santé Policy on paying premiums based on capacity to pay. The development of the above mentioned policies, strategies and research was supported by the One UN. Furthermore, financial support was given to 21 district hospitals for the provision of medical equipment and nine ambulances. In addition to institutional capacity building, the UN also developed the capacity of health providers through training. The UN has supported the accelerated use of RapidSMS, which has proved helpful in tracking maternal health. In line with improving maternal health the UN contributed to enhanced family planning services, including the new technology on none-scalpel vasectomy as well as provided support to the implementation of maternal and child deaths audits. During the UN supported biannual Mother and Child Health week, 1.5 million children under five years old, 48,000 post-partum mothers and three million school children were reached with critical lifesaving interventions, for example key immunizations. Access to health care was promoted through the provision of community based healthcare facilities, which provides the majority (85% in 2009) of the population with access to healthcare services and drugs after an annual payment of 1,000 Rwandan francs to the scheme. UNDAF Result 3: Education Rwanda is on track to achieve universal access to primary education both boys and girls by The primary school enrolment rate is 95% and the transition rate from primary to secondary school increased from 88% in 2008 to 95% in All children are entitled to nine years of schooling which has led to a large influx of pupils. The need for more classrooms has been met by the Government. A total of 3,172 classrooms and 10,000 blocks of latrines were built with the support from the One UN. An improved teaching and learning environment was further promoted through the establishment of 44 child-friendly schools by the Government in partnership with the One UN. The development of a draft Nutrition School policy and a School Health Package were other achievements of this partnership. The retention of children was promoted through the provision of food commodities to 335,486 children. Further improvements in the quality of education were made by providing English trainings to teachers, for example and through the distribution of 1,027,201 books to primary schools. The Ministry of Education developed a school monitoring tool and the Education Sector Strategic Plan with assistance from the UN. The input from the UN to the strategy is esteemed as instrumental in terms of assuring equity and inclusion of vulnerable groups. Furthermore, NGOs working in the education sector were supported by the One UN in setting up a coordination mechanism and implementing a joint action plan on education. UNDAF Result 4: Environment While some progress has been made, environmental sustainability remains a distant target. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, resulting in immense human pressure on natural resources. A total of 80% of the population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. It is against this background that the Government has promoted sustainable economic growth built on a responsible use of the natural resources. xv

18 In 2010, the One UN provided financial and technical support through the Global Environment Project to sustain the protected areas in the Volcano National Park, targeting the capacity and collaborative framework of policies and laws relevant for long-term maintenance of the area. The Kagera River Basin project on management of natural resources in the Kagera River Basin in Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda was launched in 2010 with the support from the UN. Additionally, the One UN technically supported the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) and the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) to harmonise their policies as a measure to rehabilitate critical ecosystems. The rehabilitation of Mt. Rubavu was achieved through the resettlement of 1,200 households that were supported from UN to build new homes. In 2010, REMA and RDB developed a tourism revenue policy with technical advice and support of the One UN to give financial support to local communities. UNDAF Result 5: Sustainable Growth and Social Protection Rwanda has made a tremendous recovery from 1994 and the Government gives very high priority to achieving sustainable economic growth for all, a requirement for achieving the MDGs. The agricultural sector represents nearly half (48%) of Rwanda s GDP, making it a vital sector in order to reach the targets set in EDPRS and Vision In 2010, remarkable progress was made in the agricultural sector with 90% of EDPRS targets reached. The Government has adopted a number of policies and strategies to enhance agricultural productivity. Key components in this have been improvement of nutrition, food and security, diversification and increase of household income through commercialisation of the agricultural sector. The Government s strong interest in enhancing productivity along with the membership in the East African Community have been the driving force for a more market oriented agricultural sector. In partnership with the Government, the One UN Social Protection Programme has strengthened the income support mechanisms for vulnerable households through food/cash for work-schemes and the Labour Intensive Approaches aiming to enhance their work opportunities. Alternative income-generating activities were supported by the UN through provision of training on production, processing and new technologies. In addition, food packaging material and input on food processing and agriculture was provided. A new minimum package for orphans and vulnerable children provided 5,400 children with education, health care, psychosocial support, shelter and income generating activities, through the UN partnership with the Minister of Gender and Family Promotion. The protection of children in three refugee camps was promoted through training and sensitisation. Notable progress was also made in mainstreaming children s rights and gender based violence into the work of UN partners, such as the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGEPROF) and at community/district levels. Looking ahead In partnership with the Government, the One UN will seek new ways and innovative methods to enhance and accelerate the positive progress towards the MDGs. The UN is well positioned to make an impact in the development progress, thanks to the alignment with the national priorities and a good dialogue and cooperation with the Government. In 2011, the One UN is committed to stepping up its efforts to further strengthen its cooperation with Rwanda in order to achieve the national targets. The mid-term review and the country led evaluation have provided a benchmark for improvement. The reviews concluded that the One UN Programme is well aligned to the national priorities and that the Delivering as One reform process has added value to the aid context in Rwanda. A priority for the UNCT will be to address the recommendations made in the reviews, not least in the preparation of the new UNDAF cycle, a process that will commence in A major milestone in the DaO process will be the Independent Evaluation, which is the third step of the evaluation framework for DaO. The findings of the evaluation will provide input to the General Assembly s decision on the future of DaO. xvi

19 The fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness will take place in Busan, the Republic of Korea, in November This is globally seen as a major springboard for a more effective development agenda. The conference will assess the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action. A key input to this meeting will be Rwanda s third survey for monitoring progress towards the targets set in the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action, undertaken by the Government. In relation to the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action, The UN will in partnership with the Government continue to work for equitable and sustainable development in The responsible phasing-out of the UN presence in certain sectors in order to better align with the Division of Labor and improve aid effectiveness is currently in progress. A recent Paris Declaration Survey indicates that 46% of UN support is directed to Programme Based Approaches, i.e. provided to the Government-led sector/thematic programme with a comprehensive programme and budget framework, which uses the country s development system. Among many other support activities in 2011, the One UN is committed to support the Government of Rwanda in the following areas: Strategic support will be provided to improve the quality of education at primary level, for example through training of teachers, review of school curriculum and building of 40 new child-friendly schools. Enhanced standard of living for vulnerable households remains a priority. In 2010, the UN launched a major joint intervention with the city of Kigali through the Government s Agaseke project to empower women through income-generating activities. This initiative will continue in 2011 to enhance the economic security of 2,000 resource poor women. An increased focus will also be on the Government s newly developed integrated development initiative in Kayonza and Mutobo. In the framework of these initiatives, development is seen as interconnected and is supported in a holistic way, i.e. taking into account the multiple facets and causes of poverty. In Kayonza and Mutobo the UN will support the Umurenge Savings and Credits Cooperatives aiming to increase access to financial services, the establishment of greenhouses for vegetables and a milk collection center, among many other activities. In 2011, UN Women, UNDP, UNECA and ILO will implement a joint programme designed to support women in informal cross-border trade. The proposal is formulated with the overarching goal to create wealth and reduce poverty and exclusion among women in informal crossborder trade in the great lakes region (Burundi, DRC and Rwanda). The first year of the programme will focus on Rwanda, chosen as the pilot country. A joint UN programme on HIV prevention will provide HIV prevention packages for key populations as part of the health services in selected districts. The UN will also support the Government s investment in improving the capacity of health facilities and its personnel. The UN is committed to support the Government of Rwanda to implement its national capacity building initiative launched by the Head of State. The UN will also continue in 2011 to provide capacity-building support to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) for the preparations of the General Population and Housing Census scheduled to take place in The strengthening of capacity of NISR to collect, analyze and disseminate gender statistics for evidence based policy advice and advocacy will also be a major focus of the One UN s work in Another example of capacity-building for promoting gender equality is the training in gender sensitive planning and budgeting for newly elected local leaders, to be held after the local elections in Efforts to mainstream environment into policies, strategies, guidelines, standards and regulations will be supported at national and local level. The UN supported activities would be carried out in close collaboration with the Government, donor partners, and civil society organisations, including international and national NGOs, to contribute to the development of national capacities in order to reach Rwanda s development targets. By cooperating with many complementing actors and development partners, the One UN enhances the effectiveness of the development cooperation in the interest of Rwanda s development. xvii

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21 Chapter 1 Overview of Development Progress and Policy Trends in Rwanda The year 2010 was the third year of implementing the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) , which provides a medium-term framework for achieving the country s long term development goals and aspirations to become a middle-income country by 2020, as embodied in Rwanda s Vision The EDPRS identifies the country s development objectives, priorities and policies through three flagship programs, namely (i) growth for jobs and exports, (ii) governance, and (iii) Vision 2020 Umurenge. These programs are fully supported by stakeholders, including the One UN and other development partners. Rwanda s EDPRS is the main instrument through which the Government can fulfil the Millennium Summit declaration it has committed to and make substantial contribution towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The EDPRS has created the political framework to allow overarching development goals to be implemented by setting priorities and by clearly defining responsibilities and budgets. In essence, the EDPRS is the national roadmap for reaching longer-term MDG targets through short/medium-term policy reforms and budget restructuring. The MDG country reports provide the key benchmarks to judge progress in reducing poverty and fostering human development. 1

22 The importance of contextualizing the MDG agenda in local processes is paramount and much effort has been made to put in place a conducive policy environment to ensure consistency and integration of both processes. The EDPRS planned for substantial increase of resource flow into the MDG sectors, particularly education (MDG 2) and health (MDGs 4-5-6) over the period The EDPRS assessment for 2010 which will be presented below has highlighted a number of achievements within the three clusters (economic, social and governance) which translates into tangible gains in the MDG framework. As such, an improvement in the access to clean water and sanitation has benefited the health of the population, thereby reducing child and maternal mortality while an improvement in the health of the young in turn affected education outcomes positively. Government spending on different sectors has so far been made with concerted efforts. Rwanda is on track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals at a time when hopes for scaled-up aid are mixed with concerns that, in the context of a post global economic crisis, aid will remain at the same levels. The progress of the EDPRS implementation is assessed on an annual basis based on the selected targets and policy actions defined in the EDPRS Results and Policy Matrix and the Country Performance Assessment Framework (CPAF) as agreed between the Government and development partners. The 2010 assessment reporting is structured under three clusters, namely Economic, Social and Governance that were established at the Government Leadership Retreat in February Each cluster implements a strategic outcome as stated in the EDPRS Results and Policy Matrix as follows: 2

23 EDPRS Strategic Objective Cluster 1 Increased GDP Growth Economic 2 Managing population growth rate and Social enhancing population development 3 Enhanced gains through good governance Governance Three years into the implementation of the EDPRS, it is evident that the GoR has shown its commitment to achieving the set goals in the EDPRS The Government is striving to achieve higher program performance, and consequently higher social and economic development. Out of a total of 124 policy actions planned for implementing the EDPRS in 2009/2010 fiscal year, 87 have been successfully completed, 28 were partially implemented and on track while the remaining 9 need more effort to ensure that they are on track. The corresponding targets in the EDPRS were up to 74% fully achieved (54 out of 73 targets fully achieved or exceeded), 8 partially achieved and on track, 2 targets were lagging behind and the remaining 2 were not due for assessment as they depended on the surveys that were ongoing to provide the required data. Economic trends The economic cluster covers the macro economic and financial sector and the economic sectors of agriculture, infrastructure (energy, transport), private sector development as well as environment and natural resources management. In 2010, Rwanda s economy showed clear signs of recovery from the external and domestic shocks, while inflation has remained low. Real GDP growth is estimated to reach 6.5%, compared to 4.1% 1 in 2009, driven by the growth of the three main sectors which are agriculture (5.9%); 7% increase in the food crop production; industry (0.6%) and services (7.6%) in which public administration grew by 10% and business services by 13%. Measures taken to facilitate business were acknowledged by the World Bank which declared Rwanda as the World s top performer in business regulation in the Doing Business Report Rwanda is the first country in Sub-Saharan Africa to achieve this position. The country has made big strides in becoming business friendly by introducing reforms in seven out of the 10 categories, rising to 67th position out of 183 countries on the Doing Business rankings. Rwanda has for example made it easier to start a business, register property, protect investors, trade across borders, and access credit. The good economic progress during the latest decade was also apparent in the Economist s index over the world s fastest growing economies , where Rwanda was ranked at 10th place with an annual average growth of 7.6%. The inflation rate declined to under 5% for the first time in many years and the corruption rate remains the lowest in the region. The decline of inflation is particularly thanks to the 1 IMF Mission Report, October

24 improvement in agriculture production, stable food and non-alcoholic beverages and energy prices. The key challenges facing the macro-economic and financial sector are particularly insufficient long term financing and low investment in key sectors. Mortgage and real estate as well as agri-business are the least well financed through bank loans, despite their importance to the country s economic development. The total amount of loans distributed in the agri-business sector represented just 1% of all loans granted by banks, even though the agriculture sector represents around 33% of the GDP. Over 80% of economically active women are involved in agricultural activities, with only 14.8% of women earning actual cash incomes. Due to existing inequalities in development opportunities, as well as in the management and control over economic resources and services women are still economically dependent on men - a contributing factor in women s vulnerability to Gender Based Violence. Social trends Rwanda has made tremendous efforts in the social protection sector which contributes towards the EDPRS targets by providing effective social safety nets and integrated social protection programming, with a focus on combating extreme poverty. Thanks to an integrated social protection programming, significant results have been made in promoting equity and socio-economic inclusion, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. The Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) programme aiming at reducing inequality and poverty, has been successfully scaled up to 60 sectors which exceeded the targets. Of the households eligible for support, the percentage granted public works was fully realized at 35%. The percentage of households eligible for support and granted direct support in VUP sectors reached 100%. From poverty reduction to environment sustainability and health improvement, impressive efforts have been registered and contributed significantly to reduced population vulnerability. Gender equality is strongly promoted at all levels. Currently women constitute 56% of elected Parliamentarians and 30% of appointed Ministers in Government. The infant mortality rate has decreased from 86 to 62 per 1,000 live births while the under-five mortality rate has decreased from 152 to 103 per 1,000 live births. A strong decline in the maternal mortality ratio was also noted, with a decrease from 750/100,000 live births to 383/100,000 live births in The case fatality of patients hospitalized with malaria has significantly reduced particularly due to the insecticide treated bed nets which have been distributed countrywide especially to the under-five children through the week campaign in April The utilization rate of primary health care services has increased from 70% to 86% in advance of the 80% target that was set for 2010, while immunization coverage has increased to above 80% for all antigens since end of In 2009/10, 76.2% Rwandans had access to safe drinking water supply within 500 meters in rural areas and 200 meters distance in urban areas. The EDPRS targets access to clean drinking water within 500m in rural areas to be 86% by The nine year basic education was successfully implemented for the first year to scale-up access to education. The overall completion rate for P6 - sixth grade - has increased from 52% to 75% in Technical and vocational training were given more attention as a significant number of trainers were trained in Singapore and Philippines while teachers were trained locally in vocational training. Governance trends With regard to governance, the targeted percentage of strengthened local Government capacities to improve access to quality services, sustain socio-economic development, manage and coordinate sector strategies was 65% in 2009/10. 4

25 The performance contracts, known as Imihigo, are elaborated by the local Governments, with local objectives and priorities, and aim to make the public agencies more effective. The monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of district performance contracts in 30 districts showed an average score of 67.2%, while the best performed district scored 79.3%. A Citizen Report and Community Score Card an exercise, in which citizens rate the quantity and quality of the public service was conducted and validated in March This assisted in assessing capacity (institutional, organizational, and operational) at all levels in order to strengthen and improve access to quality services and sustain socio-economic development. The Joint Governance Assessment results indicated that about 86% of the population was happy with service delivery, while 72% of the population rated Local Government Accountability and responsiveness of local leaders as very good. An internship programme for new graduates from different Rwanda Universities and outside Rwanda was launched in March 2010 with the aim of building national capacity, providing opportunities for students to gain work experience, improve employability skills and ease the transition between school and the workforce. While the Commercial Court structure is established and fully operational, significant efforts towards promoting justice have been registered. Efforts are, among others, the adoption of the Justice, Reconciliation Law and Order Sector in December 2009 and trainings for members of different committees covering security, reconciliation, and justice issues on district level have been carried out. Policy response (by sector) Education: The education sector continues to be a key to Rwanda s economic growth. It is currently reformed with the aim of increased relevance for social and economic progress. The Government has planned to achieve this through the establishment of a curriculum that imparts basic skills in traditional subjects, while also promoting social cohesion and making closer links between the content of education and the needs of the labour market. Within this reform framework lays the Nine Year Basic Education policy that was successfully implemented for the first year in The quality of education has been targeted through the distribution of Education Quality standards to all users, while the Girls Education Strategic Plan has been validated with all stakeholders; and the Girls Education Policy disseminated at District level. In upper secondary education, the Ministry has developed and provided a good number of infrastructures in various schools, colleges of education, Technical and Vocational Training and Higher Learning Institutions. This has allowed for the very first time to organize and successfully conduct practical sciences examinations in secondary education. Approximately 40,000 teachers have been trained in English as the language of instruction, this fiscal year. The transfer of the responsibility for science & technology, research and innovation from the Office of the President to the Ministry of Education (Directorate 5

26 General of Science & Technology, Research and Innovation) in July 2009 has been an important factor for supporting the area of research. In line with the EDPRS priorities, investment in education continues to be high. In the fiscal year 2009/2010, spending on education at about RWF 132 billion constituted 19% of total outlays. A large share went to the implementation of the Nine Year Basic Education policy. Energy: Significant efforts have been made towards increasing the capacity in the energy sector, particularly with regards to increasing the share of renewable energy and the diversification of energy sources. Emphasis has been put on cost-effective and environmentalfriendly energy sources with solar energy (Solar Water Heaters) and micro-hydro centres being set up as offgrid solutions for communities and administrative and health centres in rural areas. Energy efficiency has been targeted through a grid audit to improve energy savings measures. The Government has also put in place mandatory management for safe and sustainable methane gas extraction from Lake Kivu. Also, prisons have started to use biogas to avoid deforestation and environmental degradation in general. Water and Sanitation: Although the overall access to safe water is 76%, there is still a high production cost resulting from destruction of water sources due to erosion, landslides causing siltation, floods and pollution. A dispersed habitat causing a delay in accessing water supply systems by rural households is an additional challenge. The technology used in most sanitation projects is based on Ecological Sanitation which is perceived as a good methodology that does not pollute fresh, surface and ground water. It reduces waste materials to near zero and promotes the idea of a clean and safe environment for everyone. Health: The Ministry of Health continues to improve the health sector by accelerating significant progress registered in the services delivery, despite the low human and financial resources available to address the health key needs in the country. The following key policy objectives are still under implementation in 2009/10: (i) (ii) to improve the availability of human resources, to improve the availability of quality drugs, vaccines and consumables, (iii) to expand geographical accessibility to health services, (iv) to improve the financial accessibility to health services, (v) to improve the quality of and demand for services in the control of disease, (vi) to strengthen national referral hospitals and research and treatment institutions, and (vii) to reinforce institutional capacity. Agriculture and Environment: The Ministry of agriculture (MINAGRI) is currently in the process of drafting its gender strategy, which will further guide the Ministry in taking both men and women s needs into account in service provision. Particular areas of focus of the strategy include ensuring women benefit from crop intensification and land consolidation, from export crop production as well as from the livestock sector. Regarding environment and climate change, important common tools have been applied such as the Environment Impact Assessment in order to mitigate impact of different interventions on environment. The use of environment impact assessments as tools to assess the environmental impact of projects was institutionalized by publishing Environment Impact Assessment sectoral guidelines for fuel stations, slaughter-houses and tanneries. More than 100 projects have received certificates by Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA). 6

27 For the first time after the launching of EDPRS, the Environment Public Expenditure Review was conducted as a baseline review that seeks to support the implementation of Environment and Natural Resources Sector Strategic Plan and Joint Sector Reviews. The overall purpose was: Raising the profile of environment in sustainable development agenda; Improving equity, efficiency, effectiveness of public spending for pro-poor growth; Demonstrate the contribution of environment to national growth; Drawing lessons to improve sectoral planning and resource use. Under the supervision of REMA, all sector engagements, including private sector, are reviewing strategic plans and policies aimed at integrating environment as cross cutting issue. Further investments are required to reduce climate change impacts by adaptation and mitigation. 7

28 High level participants of the Development Partners Meeting 2010 (first row from left to right) Izumi Kobayashi, Vice-President - MIGA, Koos Richelle Representing EU/ Co-chair WP-EFF - E.U, John Rwangombwa Minister of Finance and Economic Planning - MINECOFIN, H.E. Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E Obiageli Ezekwesili Vice President for Africa - World Bank, Aurelien Agbenonci, Resident Coordinator - UN, Bobby Pittman Jr., Vice President for Infrastructure - AfDB

29 Chapter 2 UNDAF Results and Achievements Part 1: UNDAF Result on Governance Summary of Significant National Achievements Good or democratic governance is both a means and an end. It is a means to achieve the goals of human development, the main elements of which are articulated through the set of MDGs. The Government of Rwanda continues to demonstrate strong leadership in advancing and consolidating its governance achievements, processes and institutions. In a bid to achieve an equitable and inclusive development, the Government of Rwanda embarked on advancing further the gender equality agenda in Efforts were made to enhance the functioning of institutional mechanisms created by the government (such as the Ministry in charge of Gender and Family Promotion, the National Women s Council, the Gender Monitoring Office, the One Stop Center, etc.) in order to ensure that commitments taken to promote gender equality and women s empowerment were implemented and monitored. The country maintained the momentum in the protection of women s human rights through its comprehensive and holistic gender based violence (GBV) prevention and response strategy and also through using legislation to end violence against women and girls. Notably and in accordance with provisions of the Constitution of Rwanda, the second national presidential elections were held in a free, fair and peaceful environment in August 2010 with an overwhelming majority vote resulting in a second term for His Excellency Paul Kagame. The 2010 Presidential Election in Rwanda was significant because it represented the second transfer of power from one civilian government to another since Indeed, of equal importance was the impact of the outcome of 9

30 the elections on the Great Lakes Region in support of electoral and democratic consolidation. UN Specific Contribution Outcome 1: Rule of law, Access to Justice and Peace consolidation With regards to access to justice, the UN continued to provide the needed and relevant ongoing human and institutional technical support to the justice sector institutions. For instance, with UN support, a capacity building training activity on child rights and gender based violence (GBV) was conducted for judicial police officers, judges, lawyers and prosecutors. In partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion (MIGERPROF) and AJPRODHO, a youth association engaged in human rights promotion and development, the UN provided technical and financial support for the Examples of UN Contribution to Governance Joint Youth Program: Trainings targeting youths (506 girls and 674 boys in the Karongi youth center) on sexual and reproductive health, communication, and gender mainstreaming. Joint youth training on Democratization and Election: Young leaders as well as over 50 young people were trained on issues related to the international and African human rights system, the role of youths in good governance and fair elections, and conflict prevention and dispute settling, Access to justice: A nationwide training for community mediators (abunzi) on new laws to better respond to the needs of the Rwanda citizens. Technical support given to the National Institute of Legal Practice and Development in form of legal manuals and materials 500 children in conflict with the law received legal assistance in partnership with Avocat Sans Frontier and the Rwandan Bar Association. establishment of Child Protection and GBV Committees at the sector level in all 37 sectors in three districts (Huye, Nyanza and Gisagara). Furthermore, the UN continued to partner with Haguruka in the provision of legal aid and judicial support services through the mobile legal clinic approach designed specifically to ensure outreach to women and girls in remote areas who hitherto did not have access to legal and judicial services. Through these mobile legal clinics, people were sensitized on the GBV law as well as on women s rights to succession and inheritance. A joint UN workshop on human rights conventions was for the first time held for members of Parliament and senior officials of government especially Permanent Secretaries of ministries. The Government produced the first Universal Periodic Review as part of its Treaty Body Reporting obligation. Notably also was the finalization of a number of human rights reports resulting in a Presidential Elections In August 2010, Presidential Elections were held, which were properly conducted, according to the international community. A Peaceful climate and democratic environment allowed a successful organization of these elections which also demonstrated a political maturity that Rwanda has reached. In this regard, the United Nations, in partnership with other development partners and stakeholders, provided strategic and technical support to the Rwanda National Electoral Commission in support of its constitutional mandate to conduct and manage credible, free, fair and transparent elections in a peaceful environment. The UN supported the civic education component by providing technical assistance and civic education materials in order to enhance capacity building activities for the National Electoral Commission. Financial support has been disbursed by UN to train more than 15,000 polling agents. Furthermore, one of the significant points of the 2010 presidential elections was the high percentage of youth voters. Through training provided by the United Nations, young leaders have been empowered and have gained awareness to the principles of human rights, democratization and elections concepts, and the main role that they should play in good governance. 10

31 significant reduction of the reporting backlog. The UN supported establishment of the treaty body reporting mechanism at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has contributed greatly to these achievements. Outcome 2: Evidence based policy making & accountability In the area of evidence based policy making, the UN continued to support the Government through the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) to strengthen its capacity to gather and disseminate socioeconomic data to improve evidence based policy making and tracking of progress. The UN joint intervention programme in support of the NISR contributed to increased capacity to plan for the fourth General and Population Housing Census due in 2012 and to implement national surveys, database management, analysis, reports, graphs and maps in for example in the areas of agriculture, land management and trade. The UN also advocated for continuous generation of sex, age and spatial disaggregated data to support equity focused analysis and evidence-based policy making and advocacy. In 2010, the Ministry of Local Government with support from UNDP successfully undertook an evaluation of the national decentralization policy. The main objective of the evaluation was to assess the extent to which some critical decentralization dimensions such as political decentralization, fiscal decentralization, and local Government accountability have resulted in increased participation of Rwandan citizens in decision making processes. The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) commissioned the first Reconciliation Barometer in 2010 with the support of the UN. This barometer represents a unique and innovative tool for measuring the level of trust and reconciliation of Rwanda citizens 16 years after the 1994 genocide. The main objective is to contribute towards the process of national unity and reconciliation through an improved understanding of how ordinary Rwandans perceive and respond to efforts to promote it. In 2010, the Ministry of Infrastructure with technical support from UNHABITAT, put in place the Rwanda Housing Authority with the objective to effectively improve urban planning needs and housing regulations. Outcome 3: Decentralization & Participation In advance of the 2010 Presidential Elections, the UN provided strategic support to the National Electoral Commission in support of its constitutional mandate to conduct and manage credible, fair, free and transparent elections. In addition to ongoing support for capacity building activities for National Electoral Commission, the UN supported the civic education component by providing technical assistance for electoral and civic education materials. Furthermore, about 15,000 polling agents were trained with funding support provided by the UN. Domestic observation through the Rwanda Civil Society Platform was formalized by the UN in cooperation with DfiD. The 2010 Annual Children Summit was successfully organized in November. The UN provided financial and technical assistance to the Government and civil society to host this event in line with the UN commitment in support of increasing people s participation in democratic governance processes and structures. This year s Children Summit brought together about 438 children from all across Rwanda as well as children from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Burundi. Of particular importance was the participation of many disabled youth in the summit and the recommendations related to the need for prioritizing interventions in support of Early Childhood Development. Outcome 4: Gender Equality The UN continued to show commitment in support of the Government s efforts to achieve political, social and economic transformation with regards to gender equality and women s empowerment. Building on the success of the first One Stop Centre providing comprehensive medical, judicial and psychosocial services for child, domestic and GBV survivors, a second centre was inaugurated in 2010 with the support of the One UN. This was another step to upscale the holistic care model to all provinces. 11

32 Strategic support was given for GBV sensitization efforts at decentralized levels through enhanced training and awareness campaigns of different categories of stakeholders with particular focus on boys and men. The UN has also taken part in drawing up mechanisms to implement the recommendations from the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) concluding observations. With UN support, a draft GBV policy envisioning a zero tolerance to violence against women and girls has been elaborated to further strengthen the capacity of the GoR in providing an orientation framework for a coordinated fight against GBV. Furthermore, in order to sustain the platform for dialogue and strategic orientation of the Government s momentum towards gender equality, a national strategic plan was developed and adopted for the National Gender Cluster. With support from the UN, a gender strategy for the agricultural sector was elaborated and the Gender Based Violence (GBV) policy in response to the GBV law adopted in 2009 was formulated. Within the framework of the UNiTE Global Campaign to End Violence Against Women launched by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in 2008, the Rwanda National Police and Rwanda Defence Forces Gender Desk in partnership with the One UN hosted a High Level international Conference on the Role of Security Organs in Ending Violence against Women. The conference was attended by Police Commissioners, Directors of the > Criminal Investigation Department, Senior Police and Military Officers as well as the donor community, civil society organisations and the UN. Significant outcomes from the conference were the adoption of The Kigali Declaration to end Violence Against Women signed by eleven countries in Africa and the establishment of the UNiTE secretariat responsible for implementing the declaration. Partnerships The productive partnership with state institutions in Rwanda has continued throughout Some of the major implementing partners have been: the Parliament; the Supreme Court; relevant ministries; the institutions promoting gender equality; the Rwanda National Police and the Rwanda Defense Force; human rights and democracy institutions; the National Institute of Statistics in Rwanda; financial institutions and agencies; local Government organs and implementing agencies. Good governance and national ownership of the development process have also been promoted through the UN partnership with civil society organizations. The partnerships with CSOs, the human rights organizations, different media and journalists were aimed at strengthening the capacity of these organizations to increase their contribution to the development of Rwanda as well as enhance their relationship and interaction with the Government. Improving quality and effective utilisation of aid Maximum development results for Rwanda population Rwanda s aid portfolio has evolved quite rapidly following post-1994 and the humanitarian crisis that ensued. It emerged from one characterised in the mid- to late-1990s by large volumes of humanitarian and relief aid, channelled through multilateral and non-governmental organisations, to one characterised by a growing volume of ODA channelled to and through government in support of Rwanda s first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper ( ) and now its successor (the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS) ). Improving quality of aid that supports Rwanda s social and economic transformation has become one of the national agenda since early In this context, the Government of Rwanda takes > 12

33 > a strong leading role in promoting effective use of aid and reforming the way aid is provided along the lines of the key principles on aid effectiveness agreed through the Rome Declarations on Aid Coordination, Harmonisation and Alignment, the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action. Rwanda is globally known to implement homegrown innovations to addressing the development challenges and problems. Such innovations with regard to aid effectiveness include annual Government and Development Partners Retreat (DPR), Donor Performance Assessment Framework (DPAF), and a progressive agreement made between the Government and its Development Partners and Donors Division of Labour (DoL), which observes the principles of maximum three active sector engagements per donor. The Development Partners Coordination Group (DPCG) has been providing a coordination forum to spearhead these aid effectiveness innovations. This forum is chaired by the Permanent Secretary/Secretary to Treasury, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and cochaired by the UN Resident Coordinator. Rwanda s efforts on aid effectiveness have resulted in improved Government and its Development Partners performance on aid effectiveness, as indicated by the third round monitoring survey of the Paris Declaration (PD) Indicators undertaken in the beginning of The results of the PD survey outlined that Rwanda has made considerable improvements on a number of areas, including increasing the portion of aid that is included in the national annual budget, use of Public Financial Management systems and procurement, and use of Programme-Based Approaches in delivering aid, while they are still below Rwanda s targets set for implementation of the Paris Declaration. The UN System through Delivering as One has been contributing to Rwanda s achievements by providing advisory, technical and coordination support to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. This support through the Project Support on Aid Coordination, Harmonisation and Alignment for Development Effectiveness in Rwanda is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) building on its global mandate and expertise on aid coordination. The support contributes to strengthening development cooperation and coordination dialogue through providing jointsecretariat support to the DPCG, while supporting the UN Resident Coordinator s role as a DPCG cochair. It continues to provide capacity strengthening support to the Government of Rwanda in its leadership role over aid coordination and enhancing mutual accountability and transparency. This includes clarifying and strengthening aid management procedures for increased integration of aid into national planning and budgeting processes and strengthening aid information management system for enhancing accountability and aid transparency. The UN s Delivering as One in Rwanda also contributes to Rwanda s achievements by spearheading the UN reform in simplification, harmonisation and improved coherence within the context of national aid reform agenda. The agreement made between the Government and the UN System in Rwanda on the Division of Labour (DoL) is an example of UN s efforts to enhance quality and effectiveness of UN contributions in support of national priorities. As stated by Mr John Rwangombwa, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning at the 7th Government of Rwanda and Development Partners Retreat, it requires us all to embrace the aid effectiveness agenda to reduce unnecessary implementation costs through the use of country systems and making aid more predictable in line with mutual accountability. Strengthening mutual accountability lies at the heart of Rwanda s efforts on aid effectiveness in order to translate mutual commitments into results. The UN System continues to support Rwanda s efforts in enhancing the mutual accountability framework and systems in order to contribute to making aid effective in delivering development results for the benefit of the Rwandan population. 13

34 Key Challenges and Opportunities During the reporting year, the continuous low human capacities, coupled with weak infrastructure and institutional capacities of implementing partners posed significant challenges to the Government and impeded the ability of implementing partners to perform their mandates. In most institutions, there is a capacity challenge in terms of policy analysis and gender mainstreaming. The lack of sex disaggregated data and baselines against which to measure progress equally posed a challenge with regard to accountability. The insufficient dissemination of policies and laws prevents right-holders from demanding their rights and duty bearers from fulfilling these rights. There was also an apparent poor coordination of activities between UN agencies on the one hand with regards to joint interventions and implementing partners on the other. Furthermore, the delayed disbursement of funds and differences in funding modalities and reporting requirements delayed implementation of some joint initiatives. Notwithstanding the above challenges, the political will and commitment of the Government coupled with the demonstrated interest and ownership by implementing partners presented significant opportunities for the UN in its quest to Deliver as One. Key Priorities for 2011 In the coming year, the UN will continue to provide the relevant technical, financial and strategic policy advisory support services to the Government in the intervention areas outlined in the UNDAF and corresponding Common Operational Document (COD) in support of the Governance result area. 14

35 The UN is committed to continue supporting the country s efforts in promoting gender equality through (i) up scaling of the One Stop Center model; (ii) ensuring accountability for gender equality using sex disaggregated data/monitoring and evaluation (M&E) frameworks; and (iii) development of research-based curricula and delivery of training on relevant issue areas such as Civilian Protection and Gender-based Violence in support of Africa UNiTE Campaign and UN Security Council Resolution The UN intends to provide strategic technical and financial support to the Government for the conduct of the fourth General and Population Housing Census in In this regard, continuous capacity building support will be provided to the NISR both at the national and district levels for this purpose and also to strengthen their capacity for gathering and disseminating statistical data in order to allow for evidence-based policy making and advocacy. Finally, in the coming year, through a UN joint intervention activity on decentralization, the UN will seek to engage in capacity building for local Governments through various activities for newly elected local leaders. The UN will equally strengthen its programming in support of the justice sector and human rights institutions as well as civil society. Above all, the UN will ensure that major emphasis will be placed on the protection of the most vulnerable groups, including elderly, women, and girls. 15

36 Part 2a: UNDAF Result on HIV Summary of Significant National Achievements Rwanda is on track to achieving the target to halt and reverse HIV/AIDS by The HIV prevalence in the general population in Rwanda is estimated at 3% with urban prevalence (7.3%) much higher than rural (2.2%) and HIV prevalence in women (3.6%) significantly higher than in men (2.3%). These prevalence rates are amongst the lowest in the Sub-Saharan region. Identified population groups most at risk of HIV in Rwanda are HIV sero-discordant couples, sex workers, men who have sex with men, truck drivers and prisoners. Rwanda s response to HIV and AIDS is articulated in the National Strategic Plan (NSP). The National AIDS Control Commission (NAC) is responsible for implementing, monitoring and evaluating activities related to HIV and AIDS. Civil society organizations are also included in the response and are actively engaged in the planning, implementation and monitoring of national programmes. The main focus of the NSP is to halve the incidence of HIV in the general population by 2012; reduce morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV and ensure the same opportunities for those infected and affected by HIV as the general population. The year 2010 was characterized by positive progress in the response to HIV and AIDS in Rwanda. The successful National Strategy Application resulted in the almost complete funding of the NSP thus calling for reinvigorated support to the NAC in its implementation. The rolling out of the Male Circumcision operational plan; finalization of the Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) policy as well as the development of various prevention packages for key populations and the release of new data to inform planning and response provide a real opportunity for the NSP and Universal Access targets to be achieved. The UN through the HIV thematic group, contributed to these national achievements guided by the three HIV outcome areas of focus as outlined below. UN Specific Contribution Outcome 1: Coordination, planning, M&E and partnership: In line with the Three Ones principles, leadership and oversight for an expanded HIV response by national and local coordinating institutions strengthened and sustained The NAC developed and launched the National Accelerated Plan for Women, Girls and Gender Equality with support from UN agencies, including provision of a Gender HIV Technical Adviser in NAC. Rwanda is the third country globally to have developed an accelerated country action plan for addressing gender and HIV. The UN also actively participated in the development of an operational plan to address stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS. The Rwanda Universal Access Aide Memoire supported by the One UN was completed in July 2010 with the support of the UN and presents challenges and recommendations to ensure achievement of NSP and Universal Access targets. The review engaged more than 200 partners from the public sector, civil society and others in collaboration at the 2010 Partnership Forum meeting. Joint support was provided by the One UN to NAC in the organisation of the 2010 Paediatric Conference at which over 200 participants examined the progress made in mainstreaming HIV in the Education, Youth, Social Protection, Agriculture, Justice and Infrastructure sectors. Key recommendations were made to each of the sectors in closing identified gaps with regard to HIV mainstreaming specifically with regard to the development and implementation of workplace programs. The second National Early Infant Diagnosis symposium was held on the theme Towards Universal Access to Early Infant diagnosis and treatment of HIV with support from the UN. To further complement the national framework, support was provided to the development and implementation of the operational plans ( ) of umbrella organizations (NGO Forum, Private Sector, Abasirwa (Rwanda Media Network Against AIDS/HIV), RPP+ (network of people living with HIV) at district level. 16

37 A national M&E plan and M&E operational plan are now available as an integral part of the NSP The integration of M&E provides a very good opportunity for more efficient, coherent data collection and evidence-based planning. The new M&E tools and database focus on results-progress against set targets rather than activities. During the reporting period the UN further supported the collection of data on key populations, specifically, the Behaviour Surveillance Survey on the three target groups (youth, sex workers and truck drivers), a qualitative study on men who have sex with men in Kigali and a study on youth out of school specifically to establish their sexual and reproductive health concerns. During the reporting period, the UN supported more than 60 representatives from District AIDS Control Committees, CSO umbrella organizations and EDPRS sectors in coordination/leadership/partnership skills while 20 HIV representatives from NAC, Country Coordinating Mechanism and CSOs attended orientation sessions on Global Fund mechanisms. The UN continued to support high-level advocacy for the removal of punitive laws. Having been successful in the removal of punitive provisions related to men who have sex with men, the focus in 2010 was on strengthened partnership to advocate for the removal of punitive laws (provision of criminalizing sex workers in draft Penal code, the laws related to sex work and the criminalization of sex work). This advocacy will continue in Outcome 2: Protective behaviours adopted and effective preventive services utilized by HIVexposed population especially the youth and the women HIV prevention remains one of the Government s top priorities and as such the focus of the UN theme group on HIV in 2010 was to support the various national HIV prevention initiatives, such as the development, validation and launch of the male circumcision Operational Plan which sets a target of having 2 million men circumcised by Joint support was provided to scale up male circumcision activities in two districts through the Training of Trainers on male circumcision. 50 Medical Doctors and Nurses were trained and more than 300 male circumcisions conducted. The National Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission scale-up plan was also reviewed and validated in May The UN contributed to increased awareness on HIV prevention through the Sinigurisha campaign which was rolled out in 25 secondary schools reaching 2400 students aged years with HIV prevention information. Progress in the area of prevention was made with 79% of Kigali based Hotel Association members signing a commitment with the Private Sector Federation to avail condoms in their premises. Four civil society organisations were supported to advocate and strengthen initiatives for the promotion of condom use at the district level, while support was provided to strengthen capacity of community leaders and NGOs to accelerate HIV prevention for cross borders truck drivers and sex workers in Eastern province corridor. The World AIDS Day campaign 2010 focused on advocating for the increased use of condoms as a strategy for HIV prevention. 17

38 Direct support to service provision and the technical and operational capacity building of health staff in collaboration with district hospitals was provided in nine sites through training on maternal and child health, nutrition and prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) comprehensive services. 61 health service providers now have strengthened capacity to conduct HIV couples counselling in five districts, while 20 PMTCT supported sites are providing effective antiretroviral (ARV) regimens (including for eligible women during pregnancy) and routine early infant diagnosis of HIV. A further six PMTCT sites were assessed for implementation of the new PMTCT ARV regimen and early infant diagnosis. The capacity of 122 health service providers was strengthened in integration approach of HIV and family planning services. CSOs in Rusizi were further supported to accelerate HIV prevention programs for marginalized groups with a particular focus on family dialogue around HIV and family planning. The National PMTCT ARV guidelines were revised in 2010 based on WHO recommendations and provide options to prevent post-natal HIV transmission during breastfeeding. An operational plan for virtual elimination of mother to child transmission in Bugesera District and Mayange Sector was developed with involvement of all stakeholders. A draft acceleration plan on elimination was developed, validated and is under finalization. Preventive services and appropriate commodities were provided to ensure that vulnerable groups and populations at higher risk of exposure to HIV have increased access to a comprehensive package of HIV prevention. 506 HIV infected lactating mothers and 344 HIV infected pregnant mothers received food support. 4,760,000 male condoms were procured by UNFPA in ,816 people living with HIV (3,746 women and 2070 men) were sensitized on correct condom use as double protection in four districts. Outcome 3: Mitigation of AIDS. Quality care, treatment and support for people living with HIV, orphans and vulnerable children, and communities/ individuals affected by AIDS improved The UN theme group worked to improve the quality of care treatment and support for people living with HIV and AIDS by facilitating the in-service capacity development of more than 200 health workers including support to their participation at regional workshops related to the provision of quality care. Technical and financial assistance was also provided to the Treatment and Research Aids Center and for the various data collection exercises required for the national HIV response. Direct support was provided to ensure that 550 people living with HIV (PLHIV) from refugee camps received food support and 143 health providers received capacity development. Food support and nutrition training reached 12,765 people living with HIV, while 197 PLHIV received training on nutrition and agricultural production and 1,990 PLHIV received agricultural inputs to reinforce their food security. Partnerships The UN has established partnerships with ministries, institutions, civil society and donors to support the health sector. 250 commercial sex workers were supported in four districts with income generating activities respectively HIV prevention interventions, including sensitization and peer education. (Assessment of Rwandan Legislative Environment, the National HIV Response and Human Rights validated 1,545 youth (694 male and 851 girls) for HIV. The response to HIV/AIDS is coordinated by the National Aids Commission at the national and, through the District AIDS Control Committees at the decentralised level. The National Aids Commission is a major partner for the UN. Key partner ministries are the Ministry of Health/TRAC plus, the Ministry of Education, the 18

39 Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, the Ministry of Local Government, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Justice. In partnership with the civil society, notably the Network for People Living with HIV, an umbrella organisation for 1,300 associations at national level, the UN has supported income-generating activities, awarenessbuilding workshops and HIV prevention activities and packages. Together with other donors, especially USAID and DFID and support of UNICEF and WHO, UNFPA supports the GoR in different health programs especially those related to ensuring access to Reproductive Health including HIV/Aids to all populations especially youth and key populations. Areas of support include: Family planning, Maternal Health, Reproductive Health Commodities Security, child health-mchip and HIV/Aids, across gender and youth programs. Key Challenges and Opportunities Challenges encountered during the reporting period relate primarily to the evolving capacity of the national system to respond to the ambitious targets especially with regard to implementing partner capacity and procurement processes; limited availability of gender disaggregated data for planning and advocacy respectively and delayed disbursement of One UN funds for the implementation of joint interventions. The reporting period presented a number of opportunities on which the UN can build on to support the national response, including (i) (ii) the collection of new data on key populations, the development of comprehensive packages for HIV services for vulnerable populations, and (iii) the continued high level leadership and commitment at the national level in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Within the UN the midterm review of the UNDAF provided an opportunity to revise the HIV results framework leading to more focused support to the national agenda in Priorities for 2011 In the area of improving the HIV response the focus for 2011 will be on supporting the strategic planning, modeling and documentation for the elimination of MTCT. Support to the collection of strategic information and routine reporting and the development and implementation, in selected districts, of the sex workers operational plan will continue. To prevent the spread of HIV, the promotion of the use of condoms and the implementation of the male circumcision operational plan in three additional districts will be supported. With regards to mitigation of AIDS impact, the UN will develop the provision of services for HIV positive adolescents and continue to provide nutrition and agriculture support to PLHIV. Measures to empower women living with HIV will also be taken. 19

40 Part 2b: UNDAF Result on Health, Nutrition and Population Summary of Significant National Achievements Significant progress has been made in the areas of health, nutrition and population during the last decade, with Rwanda making particularly remarkable achievements towards the MDG targets on child mortality and HIV/ AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Maternal mortality ratio declined from 1,071 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to an estimated 383 deaths per 100,000 live births in Nonetheless, only 52% of all births are attended by skilled attendants and only 45% of births occurring in health facilities. The infant mortality ratio decreased from 103 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2,000 to 62 per 1,000 live births in 2008 and the under-five mortality ratio has fallen from 170 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 103 per 1,000 live births in Over the same period of time, neonatal mortality declined from 32 deaths per 1,000 live births to 28 deaths per 1,000 live births. Steady progress has also been recorded under access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation in Rwanda. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme report (JMP 2010) has estimated water and sanitation use among Rwanda s rural population at 62% and 55% respectively. The current water and sanitation use is said to be 76.2% and 58% 2 according to government officials. The Government has implemented many critical lifesaving high impact initiatives aimed at fast tracking the progress towards the development targets. Several policies and strategies were developed during the reporting period. The Government adopted a national multi-sectoral strategic plan for elimination of malnutrition, a health promotion strategic plan and a Mutual Health Insurance policy, among other policies and strategies targeting key aspects for improving health in Rwanda. Moreover, the roadmap on accelerating the reduction of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity was disseminated to stakeholders. An analysis of the human resource situation was conducted with the support from the UN. Family planning continues to be a national priority receiving UN support. In 2010, research on family planning needs was done and a new technology of family planning introduced (the none-scalpel vasectomy). The family planning services were scaled up through the establishment of secondary posts. Efforts made to reduce the infant mortality rate in 2010 include the implementation of rapid SMS (used to register and monitor expecting mothers) and the initiation of child death audit and verbal autopsy in the community. Furthermore, the UN has supported the community based provision of health services as this continues to be a key instrument in improving the health of the people. UN Specific Contribution Outcome 1: Effective Health System: Quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the health system including nutrition, reproductive health, maternal and child health and family planning services improved Capacity building activities in 2010 targeted the health institutions and health personnel. Technical and financial assistance was provided to develop the above mentioned multi-sectoral strategic plan for elimination of malnutrition, the health promotion strategic plan and the Mutuelle Health Insurance policy. Support was also provided in the development of the following policies, strategies and studies: SWAp procedures manual, legislation on the use of psychotropic drugs, the national plan for epidemic preparedness and response, and, the integrated disease surveillance strategic plan and guidelines. Additionally, the UN contributed to facilitate the review of the training curricula for schools of nursing and successfully advocated for the integration of mother and child health nutrition strategies in the curricula. The good progress towards the MDGs on child mortality, maternal health and HIV/AIDS, malaria 2 Defined as access to at least 20l/person/day within 500 meters in rural areas, and to at least 80 l/person/day within 200 meters in the urban areas 20

41 and other diseases was further promoted by the Government with the support from the UN. The use of Integrated Management of Neonatal and Child Illnesses at community level in nine districts, including the use of rapid SMS for pregnancy, neonatal and infancy life cycle tracking, was implemented with UN support. Along the same line, the Government received support to conduct the maternal and child deaths audits and to promote universal access to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria services. During the biannual mother and child health week 1.5 million children less than five years old, 48,000 post-partum mothers and three million school children were reached with critical lifesaving interventions. Furthermore, the capacity of 21 district hospitals has been strengthened in terms of provision of equipment (nine ambulances and medical equipment) and mother and child health tools. The UN also contributed to the coordination of the health sector through support to the Ministry of Health for the health sector reviews as well as support to the technical working groups and the corresponding logistics committees. Through the partnership with the World Bank in the Water and Sanitation Programme, the updated Water Supply and Sanitation services national policy and strategy was enacted by Parliament in March 2010 and the local manufacturing in Rwanda of colloidal silver coated ceramic water filters was initiated. This was done in collaboration with the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) which supported the association of indigenous potters. The UN also contributed to the development of a toolkit and two training manuals to support lasting behavioural change of communities as streamlined under the Community-Based Environmental Health Promotion Programme which was launched late 2009 by the Ministry of Health. Outcome 2: Health practices. Health care, nutrition and hygiene practices at family and community level improved Technical and financial support was provided for the training of health providers in emergency obstetric and neonatal care, family planning, maternal, neonatal and child deaths audit and verbal autopsy, integrated management of neonatal and childhood illnesses. A number of 334 managers of pharmacy stocks received training in reproductive health commodity security. Health care personnel at community level received capacity-building in management of mothers and newborns and were provided a complete and integrated package for maternal and neonatal care. Technical and financial support was also provided to the GoR to develop a National Multisectoral Strategy for the Elimination of Malnutrition with an implementation plan for In addition, the Ministry of Health (MINISANTE) was supported to organize four provincial workshops during which all 30 districts in the country developed draft District Plans for the Elimination of Malnutrition. These plans will be the basis for operationalizing the national multisectoral strategy and will guide implementation of multisectoral nutrition 21

42 interventions and the provision of nutrition services at decentralized level. These activities were in line with the recommendations of the 2009 First National Nutrition Summit and aim at strengthening equitable access to nutrition services at facility and community levels. Concomitantly, the UN provided a package of essential nutrition supplies for the management of malnutrition countrywide with over 15,000 severely malnourished children receiving therapeutic and supplementary feeding services at the health facilities qualified to provide these services throughout the country. Furthermore, the UN supported the umbrella organization of religious leaders in Rwanda for the mobilisation and advocacy of religious leaders on maternal/child health. The parliamentarian network received financial and technical support in support of reproductive health commodity security and family planning initiatives. In response to the humanitarian needs the UN assisted more than 400 households affected by heavy rains. Some were resettled in the sites of Karukogo, Murambi, Bushengo and Kanembwe (Rubavu) and others in Bikingi (Nyabihu). In all cases, they were provided with safe drinking water, shelter and were mobilized and guided to build their own latrines. In the districts of Rubavu, Nyabihu, Burera and Musanze, five new water supply schemes were completed to serve a total of 57,137 beneficiaries; one water supply scheme was rehabilitated to serve a total of 16,000 beneficiaries; rainwater collection tanks were installed in 182 schools for at least 140,000 children and 21 health centres. Approximately 10,000 people had access to improved sanitation, including 500 vulnerable families enabled to access for the first time appropriate family Ecological Sanitation latrines in Rusizi and Nyamasheke districts. A new approach has been introduced to raise access to drinking water in poor peri-urban settings of Kigali city through vulnerable household connections where around 1,000 people benefited from the intervention. This initiative is to be scaled up to other poor periurban settlements through the microcredit finance mechanism with the technical support of UN Habitat and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Outcome 3: Disease control and epidemic prevention. Prevention and response to communicable and non-communicable diseases and major epidemics improved Promoting health by preventing diseases is at the core of the Ministry of Health s work. An example of the efforts undertaken by the Ministry, with contribution from the UN, to improve the health system in this respect is the implementation of integrated disease surveillance, including provision of surveillance tools, materials and equipment for expanded programme on immunisation (polio and measles campaign). UN support was provided to the development of the tuberculosis strategic plan, health promotion tools against tobacco abuse and the Government s review of malaria. The capacity-building of religious leaders mentioned under outcome 2, also included knowledge on how to prevent tobacco abuse and response to communicable and non-communicable diseases. Partnerships The major partners are the Ministry of Health as well as the Ministry of Infrastructure. The Government has, through the Ministry of Health, shown strong leadership and developed policies and strategies on evidence-based studies to further develop the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the health sector. Support to the capacity of the health sector institutions have mainly been directed to the Kigali Health Institute. Civil society has been an important partner, especially in the areas of family planning, youth health, hygiene practices and HIV/AIDS. An example is the UN partnership with religious leaders through the Rwanda National Faith-based Organizations Network against AIDS to mobilize and sensitize the communities on health. Within the donor community the UN has partnered with a number of development partners in the health sector, including GTZ, DfiD, the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, USAID, BTZ and the 22

43 World Bank. The partnership with the World Bank in the Water and Sanitation Programme provided significant impetus in 2010 leading to the ratification of the Water Supply and Sanitation services policy which has been translated into Kinyarwanda. Key Challenges and Opportunities Limited human resources continue to pose a challenge within the health sector and are continuously addressed through capacity development. Room for improvement is also in the coherency and efficiency of the One UN programme which is planned to be addressed for instance by increasing the number of joint reviews and joint field visits and stabilizing the participation in theme groups. Limited budget resources are limiting the capacity to provide full support to the Government in all areas planned. An alignment between Government fiscal year and UN cycle would also improve partnerships and ease yearly planning. Key opportunities in Rwanda are the strong engagement of the Government in the health sector and the ownership of the Delivering as One initiative. The One UN programmes have contributed to significant developments in the health sector, notably through the use of each agency s comparative advantage and the One UN strength in advocacy, and reduced the duplication of activities. Key Priorities for 2011 In 2011 support will be provided to coordinate and scaleup activities in the following areas: maternal and child health activities, further measures to improve nutrition, emphasis on community based health insurance, the human resources for health, non-communicable diseases and school related services. The UN will continue to provide the relevant support for evidence-based policy making to the Ministry of Health. This includes support to teaching institutions and civil 23

44 society organisations to carry out evidence-based planning, pre- and in-service training in maternal and child health related systems, service delivery in refugee camps and in strengthening the quality management systems. The UN will contribute to the development and/ or review of national policies, standards and strategies on reproductive, maternal and child health, including the Human Papilloma Virus (a virus that can predispose women to cervical cancer). The UN is planning to contribute to high level advocacy events and increased access at community level to information on maternal and child health, water supply and sanitation services. Enhanced equitable access to critical life-saving interventions and maternal and child health commodities, reaching target groups, will receive UN support through key ministries. > New hope in combating #1 killer of children By Sam Nkurunziza It s just a little over a year since Rwanda introduced a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine known as Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine -7, which protects children against one of the most severe causes of pneumonia, and the results seem positive. Particularly in Nyamata, Bugesera an hour from Kigali, Rwanda s capital, both residents and health workers admit that a significant change has been registered. As Dr Dariya Mukamusoni, the director at the hospital explains: The rate of hospitalization for pneumonia amongst infants has certainly declined suggesting that the decrease in infection rates in younger children is due to the vaccine. Of course as it is just one year after introduction of the vaccine, the full impact of the vaccine is still difficult to evaluate, she adds. Dr Mukamusoni reckons that as much as the administration of the vaccine is a very important factor in the reduction of pneumonia and its associated complications, community health education also helps parents to understand the importance of immunisation. Health facilities, such as district hospitals, health centres, refugee camp-based health centres and health care personnel at decentralised level will receive support to deliver the integrated package of health and nutrition services. Capacity building support to key ministries will be provided in the areas of effective preparedness and response mechanisms in order to ensure access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for populations affected by emergencies. Support for the implementation of the national integrated emergency and contingency plan (health and nutrition) will also be a priority. The UN contribution aims at strengthening disease surveillance system and coordination, early detection and effective response at national and decentralized levels. She stresses that the more educated the parents are, the less the level of reported infections. Rwanda Introduced PCV7 in April 2009 thanks to lobbying by UNICEF and Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and a generous donation from Wyeth Corporation. A nurse injects a baby with the measles vaccine UNICEF, WHO, GAVI and other partners have been supporting the Ministry of Health to strengthen systems for child health delivery, which has enabled Rwanda to be amongst the first developing countries to benefit from PCV7. > 24

45 > And a typical immunization day at Nyamata health centre attests to that fact. Here, as in other health centres, hundreds of parents turn up on designated days in Nyamata on Wednesday and Friday to have their children immunized and hear from nurses and community health workers about various topics, including breastfeeding, nutrition, family planning, etc. Pierre Rwigamba is one of the fathers who had turned up with his 4-month old son, Kecy Rwigamba. When my wife is busy, he explains, I find it responsible to bring the baby for immunization. I understand that the good growth and development of a child is a collective responsibility of both parents. A driver by profession, Rwigamba is keen to benefit from the opportunity of having Rwanda as the first developing country to have the pneumococcal vaccine because he is sure that if other developing countries do the same, it would be beneficial for the future generation. Available statistics indicate that pneumonia claims nearly one million lives each year - more than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. Projections show that if all other countries followed suit, 5.4 million child deaths could be prevented in the next 20 years. According to Doune Porter, a spokesperson of the GAVI, it is important to let wealthy countries know that more than 1.5 million children needlessly die of pneumonia around the world each year, despite the fact that the disease is both is both treatable and preventable. Most people in the western world think that pneumonia only kills old people yet in Africa it s the number one killer of children, explains Porter. This should be a reason for all donor governments to work hard and make sure that children in all these developing countries get access to these vaccines. After touring and talking to parents, health workers and having had a first-hand experience of the health service delivery in Rwanda s hospitals and health centres, Porter confessed, I am very impressed with the health education and the work of the community outreach health workers. She said she hoped government investments in vaccines to prevent these child deaths would increase in the next few years. Many private partners are also working to deliver vaccines where they are most needed. Earlier this year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced it would make an investment of $10 billion in the next 10 years towards immunization. If Rwanda continues along the path to accelerate child health, it is sure to be amongst the top countries to reach the MDG4 to improve child survival in the years to come. 25

46 Part 3: UNDAF Result on Education Summary of Significant National Achievements For both boys and girls, Rwanda is on track to achieve universal access to primary education by There has been continuing good progress in access to education with the Primary Net Enrolment Rate increasing to 95% in 2010 as a result of the nine year basic education reforms. The transition rate from primary to secondary education increased from 88% in 2008 to almost 91% in The promotion rate within primary education increased from 69.5% (2008) to 73.8% (2009), with the rate for girls marginally higher than for boys. Both the repetition (14%) and dropout rates (12.2%) have been reduced thanks in large part to the success of back to school campaigns for parents and communities to send and keep their children, especially girls, in school. Gender parity at primary level has been achieved, with girls net enrolment rate at of 96.5% which is marginally higher than for boys (94%). Primary Completion Rates for both boys and girls continued to increase, moving from 52% in 2008 to 75.6% in 2010 with girls primary completion (79.8%) greater than for boys (71.4%). The Ministry of Education has put in place a number of initiatives during 2010 to ensure gender parity and equity across the system, including tracking of key gender sensitive indicators through Education Management Information Systems as well as the elaboration and dissemination of the Girls Education Policy, in partnership with the UN. The Education Sector Strategic Plan was finalised in 2010 with support from the UN, setting out the Ministry of Education s key goals and strategies for next five years. It also sets specific targets which will be basis of monitoring and evaluating results. UN Specific Contribution Outcome 1: Enrolment and retention. Enrolment for all children, especially girls, vulnerable children and children in emergency situation The One UN supported the Ministry of Education in the fast-tracking of the nine years basic education programme, which requires a rapid increase in the number of classrooms and school facilities. The UN supported the Government to implement a programme to construct over 3,172 classrooms and more than 10,000 blocks of latrines in the nine year basic education schools with an approximate enrolment of 750,000 children. This construction, which began in 2009, was completed during A second phase in the construction began in July 2010, with the One UN fund providing a US$2.7 million contribution. During this current phase, 2,950 classrooms and 5,883 latrines are being constructed, to be completed during The UN also provided financial support and technical orientation on child friendly school designs and monitoring tools to government engineers in 30 districts in order to plan and monitor the construction. Working directly with 17 districts, financial support was provided to complete or initiate the construction of 160 classrooms and rehabilitation of 155 classrooms in 44 child friendly model schools with a total enrolment of approximately 50,000 children. In partnership with the Government of Japan, the construction of a further 21 schools was finalised in the two earthquake-affected Districts of Rusizi and Nymasheke using child friendly school designs, accommodating approximately 20,000 children. Capacity within the eight most disaster prone districts to prepare for and provide effective response to education-related emergencies was enhanced through training of 30 district and Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) officials and partners in the development of preparedness and contingency plans and response structures. The continued education of approximately 12,000 refugee children was also supported through the provision of uniforms and teaching and learning materials. 26

47 The UN supported the MINEDUC to develop a school health package and teacher training module based on the revised School Health Policy. The package focuses on six main areas: (1) epidemics and infectious diseases; (2) reproductive health and family planning; (3) nutrition; (4) hygiene and sanitation; (5) sports and; (6) mental health, with training of school health committees beginning in the Eastern Province, to be rolled out in schools nationwide during 2011 to promote healthy and safe learning environments for all children. Outcome 2: Retention and completion rates for all children in primary and lower secondary increased The UN supported the MINEDUC to develop the draft School Nutrition Policy, playing a prominent role on the School Nutrition Taskforce. The UN brought its experience and expertise to the policy table, particularly in the areas of school feeding and school gardening. The UN also supported the retention of children through the provision of food commodities to 335,486 children in 300 schools and built national capacity for the management of school feeding programmes through a study tour to Ghana involving officials from key Ministries. School Gardens were also established in 53 model schools, to support improved school nutrition. Outcome 3: Key learning outcomes for children including life skills and competencies for lifelong learning achieved The One UN played a leading role in the Quality Implementation Working Group chaired by the Inspectorate General, supporting the development of the three-year Quality Action Plan, to sustain the implementation of the qualitative aspects of the Education Sector Strategic Plan, a key challenge identified by Government in view of the Nine Year Basic Education plan. An Active Learning and Life Skills teacher training manual was developed and pre-tested and the capacity of 12 national trainers of trainers as well as a cadre of 60 teacher trainers from the 10 teacher training colleges were trained on its use. The manual focuses on active learning and quality education, life skills and life skills-based education, knowing the learners, caring for the vulnerable and application active learning and life skills in the classroom. This was achieved in partnership with the MINEDUC /Teachers Service Commission and Teacher Training Colleges. 27

48 The capacity of the MINEDUC to develop a learning assessment/monitoring tool and system was enhanced through support for the development of the assessment design and framework as well as through capacity building of an assessment technical team in drafting assessment tools. In the context of the new shift to English as the language of instruction, the National Curriculum Development Centre was supported to identify and procure relevant English and Kinyarwanda readers for primary schools in support of the learning and teaching materials policy. A total of 1,027,201 books where purchased for distribution to primary schools across the country. Outcome 4: Effective education management system established and operational The UN worked with DfiD and the MINEDUC to develop a sector capacity building plan and provided financing and technical support for its implementation, targeting key priorities which had been identified jointly with the development partners. Many of these priorities are essential for achieving the Education Sector Strategic Plan , such as Education Management Information Systems development, central and district planning, and strengthening teachers and Ministry Officials proficiency in English. The central role played by the UN in the development of the Education Sector Strategic Plan , which was finalised during 2010, ensured that key issues of equity and inclusion were given priority. These issues include access to education for vulnerable children, quality of education following the model of the Child Friendly School and the inclusion of Early Childhood Development as a new priority area. A Special Needs Strategic Plan was developed and support was provided for the orientation and dissemination in all districts of the Girls Education Policy and Girls Education Strategic Plan, both of which were developed with UNICEF support. An additional 70 million US dollars over the next three years was secured by MINEDUC through a successful application for fast-track initiative funding, supported by the development partners, including the One UN. Together with DfiD and support from the World Bank, the UN helped coordinate an equity and inclusion study of the education sector, which was part of the fast-track initiative application. The findings from the study will inform on the sector s approach to ensure full access for all children to quality learning standards, provision and outcomes over the course of the Education Sector Strategic Plan. The UN continued to co-chair the Education Development Partner group within the SWAp, with DfiD acting as chair. While the nomination of co-chair rests with UNICEF, this allows for the UN system as a whole, and the Education Theme Group in particular, feed into and influence policy dialogue at the most appropriate and relevant level. Technical and financial support was provided to the MINEDUC to conduct two sector reviews in 2010, bringing together all the sector stakeholders to review progress, coordinate and prioritise actions for the year to come. In 2010, the UN supported the NGO community to set up a co-ordination mechanism and provided financial and technical support for the implementation of its action plan. Successful advocacy for MINEDUC s formal recognition of the group was also undertaken. This partnership has strengthened the role played by civil society in the education sector and will further support the linking up of field realities with education policy development and implementation. Financial and technical assistance was provided to the annual national First Lady Awards, which recognised over 450 girls for their education achievements. The same initiative conducted peer empowerment workshops for 100 girls organised a national reading day and held education holiday camps for 1,000 orphans and vulnerable children. National and 30 district-level Girls Education Taskforces were also supported and strengthened to work with schools and teachers to support the implementation of the girls education strategic plan and to support the functioning of Tuseme clubs (Tuseme means let s speak out in Swahili) in the Child Friendly Schools. 28

49 Partnerships The MINEDUC continues to be the key implementing partner along with its institutions, most notably the National Curriculum Development Center and the Teacher Service Commission. Other UN partnerships with ministries include MIGEPROF, MINISANTE and MINIYOUTH. At decentralised levels the UN continued to work with the districts as well as schools administrators, parent teacher associations and children. Through cooperation within the Education Development Partner group within the SWAp, partnerships were enhanced with other major donors in the health sector. Strong bi- and multilateral partnerships continued with DfiD, USAID, CIDA, GTZ, BTC, JICA and the Dutch Embassy, respectively with the World Bank and the African Development Bank. Key Challenges and Opportunities The rapid expansion achieved under Nine-Year Basic Education has resulted in several challenges in the education sector. National teacher recruitment targets for 2010 were not achieved, resulting in a slightly worsening qualified teacher to pupil ratio of 68:1 (from 67:1 in 2008) against a target of 65:1. The double shift system is now widely used, reducing the contact hours for learners and putting strain on infrastructure as well as teachers. The switch to English as the language of instruction in 2009, whilst being responded to admirably by MINEDUC, will clearly impact the quality of education for the immediate future. The MINEDUC recognises this as a key challenge and has strategies and programmes in place to address the proficiency of teachers and learners and a coordinated and cohesive strategy to address broader issues of the quality of education, including major investments in teacher training and development, which are being supported by the One UN. The MINEDUC has a small staffing structure with responsibility for planning and overseeing a large sector, currently undergoing several reforms, resulting in human resource constraints in implementing key initiatives. Existing capacity within the Teacher Training Colleges to prepare teachers to teach effectively is weak and thus additional strategies to support the development and implementation of improved pre and in service system are required. The One UN cooperated with a range of international and national CSOs. The civil society organisations knowledge and experience were drawn upon in many of the UN supported activities. In return, the UN contributed to develop the organisations capacity and augment their influence in policy making, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. In the area of construction the approach is based on government ownership and capacity building which can be time-consuming vis-à-vis direct implementation, as government procurement procedures are followed. A high turnover of the responsible staff in districts, especially the planning, procurement and infrastructure units, many of whom had received capacity development support, meant that the programme 29

50 often lacked an element of continuity. Delays between fund disbursement between UN agency and district, or between district and construction companies were also encountered. Key Priorities for 2011 The focus will remain on ensuring that the entire education system is geared towards providing a quality education for all and that the most vulnerable children, including refugees, can access a quality basic education. Support to government will continue to increase access capacity of schools through direct contribution to the construction of child friendly schools as well as financial and technical support for the nine year basic education construction. The UN will support the Ministry of Education to establish and manage an Innovation Fund for Science and Technology, which will help coordinate and promote all education initiatives to promote ICT in education. To support retention and to promote child friendly school environments, the School Health Package will be produced and disseminated in each District and the quality education standards will be disseminated to all schools in 15 Districts together with the capacity development of teachers and schools to implement the standards. School readiness will also be promoted through support for the implementation of the Early Childhood Development strategic plan, including the modelling of integrated, community-based Early Childhood Development centres. The Government will be supported to finalise and adopt the school nutrition policy and models will be further developed to support the national implementation of the new policy. A total of 10 teacher training colleges will be provided with capacity, resources and equipment to roll out child friendly school active teaching and learning methodology to at least 10 primary schools within their cluster. The Government will also be supported to develop and test national learning assessment (literacy and numeracy) tools at P3 (third lower primary level). Support will again be provided to the MINEDUC to implement a Capacity Building Plan focusing on planning and coordination of the sector as well as for the development of a strategy for school construction and embedding key equity and inclusion related policies within the system. 30

51 Part 4: UNDAF Result on Environment Summary of Significant National Achievements Rwanda s environment is directly linked to the livelihoods of its people. The poor, in particular, are very dependent on the environment and the natural resources. The prevalence of subsistence farming, the high population density and poverty itself have contributed to limited sustainability in the use of natural resources resulting in deforestation, land degradation and soil erosion. There is also a correlation between the availability of resources and poverty. Limited sustainability in the use of the natural resources contributes to land degradation with a negative impact on food security. The state of the environment and natural resources directly affects growth in most sectors, such as agriculture, tourism and mining. Sustainable environmental management is therefore at the core of development in Rwanda. The Rwanda Vision 2020 sets out the aspiration to achieve sustainable economic development through sound biodiversity policies and adequate land and water management techniques. The Vision 2020 includes environmental and natural resource management as goals worthy of pursuing in their own right and stresses their importance for reaching the overall goals of Vision The direct correlation between environment and economic growth was further recognized in the EDPRS where environment is treated as a cross-cutting issue and a priority sector. The inclusion of the environment relates directly to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular MDG 7 ensure environmental sustainability. Environment also influences the other MDGs, from food security in eradicating hunger and extreme poverty; in the amount of time it takes girls to collect firewood and universal primary education, to waterborne diseases and infant mortality. The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) has been at the forefront of environmental management. Gorilla conservation earned the country international recognition and this is why the country was selected to host the World Environment Day 2010 by the United Nations Environment Programme. The World Environment Day was held on 5th June 2010 under the theme Many Species, One Planet, One Future in conjunction with the annual Kwita Izina ceremony. Kwita Izina which means giving names to baby gorillas in Kinyarwanda has since 2005 been held to raise awareness of the conservation of the endangered mountain gorillas. Furthermore, it is worth noting that for the last consecutive 16 years, the country has been commemorating and organizing a National Environmental Week. In 2010 all districts celebrated the National Environment Week by undertaking several activities including environmental restoration activities. UN Specific Contribution Outcome 1: An enabling policy framework to support an effective system for environment management and ecosystem conservation established The UN provided capacity and financial support to REMA and the Rwanda Tourism Board-RDB (Tourism and Conservation Department) to harmonise their policies and implementation of activities at the national and decentralized levels. This was done as part of the strategy and actions for rehabilitating critical ecosystems through UNDP technical support. Specifically, the UN support contributed to ensuring that forests management and agricultural practices in protected areas were conserved and that conservation was integrated in districts surrounding the parks. With UNDP s technical advice and financial support, REMA and RDB developed a revenue sharing policy to disseminate tourism revenue to local communities. The management of Nyungwe national park established a data monitoring policy to facilitate information management and processing for prompt decision making by policy makers and decentralized governments. The One UN through WHO provided technical and financial support to the Ministry of Health towards the development of the national strategic plan ( ) and the national operational plan for healthcare waste management. A total of 14 people from private and public institutions were trained on healthcare risk waste 31

52 and the incineration method adopted as the best option for elimination of infectious organisms and reduction of waste volume by 95%. The WHO provided financial and technical support to conduct an assessment of injection safety and health care waste management in the context of the introduction of the pneumococcal vaccine and injection. A consultative workshop convened by REMA and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on the proposed Strategic Environmental Assessment guidelines for Rwanda was held in Kigali on the 10th of November The main objectives of the workshop were to: (i) strengthen knowledge of environmental assessment concepts, methodologies, and best practices including Environmental Security Assessment and its potential to enhance the Strategic Environmental Assessment; (ii) establish the relevance and benefits of applying the integrated Strategic Environmental Assessment guidelines to policies, plans, and programs and development priorities in Rwanda; and (iii) identify gaps in the current draft guidelines and recommend steps to be taken to ensure the effective application of the Strategic Environmental Assessment. A training workshop for 27 experts from different state institutions and civil society was also held in Kigali, Rwanda from November 2010 on the proposed Strategic Environmental Assessment guidelines with linkages to Environmental Security Assessment. This workshop inaugurated a series of additional training which will take place in The training workshop was co-facilitated by REMA and the Foundation for Environmental Security and Sustainability which also produced a course syllabus with training modules to be used for future training sessions. A detailed compendium was developed on existing environmental policy frameworks with a special focus on environmental assessments in Rwanda, East African Community and the Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries (CEPGL) frameworks, through a joint project on mainstreaming environment jointly implemented by UNECA, UNESCO and UNDP. An information sharing workshop convened by REMA and the Ministry of the East African Community was held in October 2010 in Gisenyi, Rwanda. It was attended by experts from key Ministries involved in environmental related issues and the civil society in Rwanda as well as representatives from Ministries of Environment, Ministries of the East African Community and focal points of the CEPGL. An important outcome of the meeting was the recommendation to use the Rwanda framework on the development of guidelines for the application of Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) to key policy frameworks, as a case study for potential up-scaling in the sub-region. 32

53 Outcome 2: Capacity at national, district and community levels to restore and protect ecosystems of national and global importance against potential degradation Rwanda s Volcanoes National Park (NP) and Nyungwe National Park are recognized sites of global importance for their biodiversity and endemism values. They are also seen as primary sources of tourism revenue and ecological services. This forest estate remains under threat from the land and resource needs of a growing human population that occupies the rural landscape at an average density of 345 persons per km, reaching 600 square kilometres around Volcanoes NP. The UN through the Global Environment Facility project provided financial and capacity support to assure the long-term maintenance of the protected areas (PA) for their biodiversity, ecological functions, environmental and economic benefits. The project targeted three key areas: (1) central government policies and laws, staff capacities, and collaborative frameworks; (2) local district capacity to plan, co-manage, and benefit from appropriate development activities on PA-adjacent lands; and (3) PA adaptive management capacity to assure longterm biodiversity values through applied research, monitoring, and evaluation. In the area of urban environmental management, REMA with the technical and financial support of One UN through UN Habitat has reallocated 1,184 high risky households who used to live in the Rubavu hillside down town to Karukogo and Kanembwe settlements. A total of 20 households identified as the most vulnerable among the reallocated population were granted houses constructed in these new settlements under REMA intervention with support from UN Habitat. Sector (Umurenge) environmental advisors have been trained in urban environment protection and management. According to the rehabilitation work plan, these trainers support the district in the restoration of the hillside in the coming year. Further to this intervention the rehabilitation of Rubavu hill side ecosystem is the next deliverable. In addition to the urban audit survey conducted during the previous year, a number of slums in Rusizi and Karongi districts were upgraded through provision of basic infrastructures services namely public water points, public sanitation facilities and rain water harvesting systems. In the area of urban socio-economic development, a trading post equipped with refrigerant installations for vegetable and fish has been constructed in Rusizi District to boost the revenues of women associations operating in fish selling business. The trans-boundary agro-ecosystem management project for the Kagera River Basin was launched as part of FAO s portfolio in This is a regional project targeting management of natural resources in the Kagera River Basin in Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda. In 2010, activities in Rwanda included the organization of the first National Policy Steering Committee meeting of the project; sensitization of Community and Government Officials in all six districts of the project; establishment of eight Farmer Field Schools and trainings of facilitators, trainings in preparation of Land Use Systems, assessing land degradation and sustainable land management. A national steering committee for the Kagera River Basin project has been set up by the Government. The One UN joint intervention Support to the creation of a regional Centre of excellence on Biodiversity took important steps in the appointment of the project steering committee and the organisation of a stakeholder meeting in Kigali to gather opinions and comments on the structure of the Centre of Excellence and to identify potential participating institutions. An assessment of institutions dealing with biodiversity will be done in early 2011 as well as a draft project document with a proposed budget and funding modality to be endorsed by the government. Outcome 3: Economic productivity enhanced using natural resources in an environmentally friendly way The One UN provided support for building technical capacities to five staff and ten students from the National University of Rwanda (NUR) on use of biological and 33

54 socio-economic inventory methods. The UN provided advocacy support for the development of the Man and Biosphere National Committee which is the coordinating body of the programme at the national level. Two members of the interim national committee attended the regional meeting of the African network of Biosphere reserves. At the meeting, a technical training session on carbon market financing and business plan was held. The main outcome from the meeting was the adoption of the charter and the rules of the network by 17 countries. The UN supported the development of the industrial eco briquette products made from saw dust, maize and rice husks as an alternative heating source for residences and industries. The construction of two power stations of 200 KW (Mutobo and Gatobwe) have been finalised with the support from the UN. These stations are now producing energy to local communities. Six new industries implemented the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production approach and in depth assessments have been done in three of them. Partnerships The One UN by making use of agencies mandate and comparative advantage continued to work in partnership with government counterparts, notably MINAGRI, MINELA, MINEAC, REMA, Rwanda Agriculture Development Authority, and MINECOFIN, in the planning and implementation of the environment programmes. The partnerships have also strengthened synergies between One UN and other development partners. The different expertise of the partners has been an advantage in terms of joint planning for common goals and minimizing duplication of activities. UN internally, joint programming has made it possible to pool financial, technical and human resources with other UN agencies in delivering visible results under the One Programme, based on sound situational analysis discussed at theme group level. This has facilitated the theme group to respond to the emerging national needs and priorities. Key Challenges and Opportunities Rwanda s landscape faces a unique set of challenges; due to the country s high population density, land is a scarce commodity. As a result, soil fertility has deteriorated dramatically overtime and the risk of erosion is high. When erosion increases it also has a negative impact on the risk of floods, landslides and the continued degrading of the soil quality. Landslides in particular, can happen with little warning and cause extreme devastation. Aside from landslides, erosion can result in reduced agricultural production by the washing away of soil and the loss of essential nutrients. The aim to mainstream environment into all sectors in Rwanda and the recognition of environment as a pillar for sustainable development in the EDPRS and the Vision 2020 are signs of serious commitment from the Government to protect the environment. Since the environment is a common utility shared by the other countries within the region, it is therefore important for well coordinated cross-country actions to meet the environmental challenges. The increasing number of regional joint initiatives to protect the environment provides an opportunity to enhance the development within this area. Internally, the UN improved its coordination through the division of labour among UN agencies, which is critical for coherent planning and implementation of activities and reducing duplications. Delayed planning and disbursement of funds has affected planning and the implementation of joint programmes. Key Priorities for 2011 Key priorities for 2011 are as follows: Institutionalize integration of environment into policies, plans and programs and ensure accuracy of environmental data; Invest in strengthening the capacity to assess the costs of environmental degradation; Conduct in-depth analysis of the total value of the natural resources, especially forests and natural parks, and promote the use of resource valuation in decision making and economic planning; Review the potential for innovative institutional, financing and financing incentive mechanisms for long-term sustainable use of natural resources. 34

55 Part 5: UNDAF Result on Sustainable Growth and Social Protection Summary of Significant National Achievements The Government is leading the development and promotion of a long-term, sustainable economic and social progress program to reduce poverty and achieve food and nutrition security in the country. The agricultural sector alone is responsible for generating approximately 47% of Rwanda s GDP, making it one of the country s most important economic sectors and integral to achieving the goals set out in the MDGs and the national strategies, Vision 2020 and the EDPRS. By aligning budget, trade, and immigration policies with its regional partners, improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, Rwanda has begun the transformation to market oriented agriculture. The Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture (PSTA II) constitutes an essential framework for achieving the objectives related to food and nutrition security and to increase and diversify household incomes. In line with national sustainable development objectives, the Government has adopted a number of policies and strategies to enhance agricultural productivity generate off farm employment and promote value added export. Of direct relevance to this UNDAF Result is Target 3 of MDG 1, namely to halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Thanks to the Government of Rwanda s efforts and commitment, production has exceeded consumption for both seasons of The agricultural sector has made good progress in achieving the Vision 2020 goals and has in some cases exceeded them. Agricultural GDP growth in 2010 was 7.2%, close to the 6% target for Rwanda is on track in reaching the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development programme target of public investment in agriculture by a minimum of 10% of their national budgets. Currently 9.6% of the national budget goes to the agricultural sector in Rwanda. The most important achievements related to the EDPRS targets, is availability of and increased access to inputs. A new fertilizer voucher system was introduced in 2010, ensuring that subsidies are correctly targeted. Soil conservation and water management has progressed well, with just over 80% of land now sustainably managed. This is largely due to MINAGRI s Land Husbandry, Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation Project. Following the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme compact meeting, organized in Kigali in December 2009, development partners were invited to assess the status of implementation of the Agricultural Sector Investment Plan Development partners committed to mobilize support for additional financing for the implementation of PSTA II. Following revision and updates by FAO, a grant of 50 million USD was accessed by MINAGRI through the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, administered by the World Bank, which will be used to expand the Land Husbandry, Water Harvesting and Hillside Irrigation Project. Crop production has continued to follow an upward trend in 2010, seeing an increase in production levels of both seasons. Statistics show that total agricultural output has increased from approximately 7 to 10 million megatons, largely driven by an increase in production of roots and tubers. The increase in production has had a positive impact on food security in Rwanda, measured in terms of availability. Commodity chain and agri-business development has become a high priority, as a result of the good harvest achieved both in 2009 and The Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) has thus put a Post-Harvest Handling and Storage Taskforce in place that is expected to address these issues and ensure a stable and profitable price for producers. A further step towards alignment consisted of the progress of the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) between the MINAGRI and 10 development partners. Policy review in a fully operational SWAp and the SWAp implementation structures are progressing. On Social Protection, the year 2010 has seen a lot of progress, notably, the finalization of the National Social Protection Strategy; the up scaling of Vision 35

56 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) to 30 more sectors, reaching the coverage of 90 sectors; the national census of people living with disability; the update and review of the Ubudehe database as a joint partnership between MINALOC-MINISANTE, that will allow improved targeting of Social Protection programmes beneficiaries and the development of a national health insurance scheme reaching all the population, including out-of-reach and rural populations. Households receiving social protection report improvements in human development outcomes (health, education, nutrition) and economic development (increased assets and investments in productive activity), as well as increased social cohesion and community participation (people are interacting more with others in the community and in many cases working together to earn an income and to solve problems). The scale-up of VUP is on track, with the expansion to a fourth sector per district in 2011, which would enlarge VUP coverage to 120 sectors. The financial services component was launched during 2010, in addition to Public Works and Direct Support, so that all three VUP components are now operational in 90 Sectors. The VUP Appeals and Complaints Mechanism were designed and pilot-tested in 5 Sectors. The VUP has been recognised a central component of Rwanda s National Social Protection Strategy, which was drafted during Support from development partners is increasing alongside DFID, the EU, the World Bank, and Sida; the UN signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support the VUP. The VUP has provided social protection support to 9,692 households through Direct Support and 78,004 households through Public Works. In addition, 55,675 households have received access to Financial Services loans through the Ubudehe Credit Scheme. The positive impacts on household welfare include household consumption (food, utensils, clothes), human capital (health education), asset 36

57 accumulation (livestock), house building/renovation, income generation (agriculture, business), and savings. The One UN supported the Genocide Survivors Support and Assistance Fund to provide 46,128 students with school materials and scholarships, 196,960 survivors with primary health care through mutuelles de santé, 23,360 with monthly social assistance, and 2,000 households with income generating support. Finally, the UN provided technical and financial support to the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission. This allowed providing monthly social assistance to 1,957 severely disabled ex combatants to categorize disabled ex-combatants through medical screening in order for them to access disability benefits. UN Specific Contribution The UN is supporting the Government in achieving the goals set forward in the national frameworks. The UN is working to ensure that the Rwandan population benefits from food security and economic growth, including a productive employment, and is less vulnerable to natural, social and economic shocks. Following revisions of the UNDAF results framework this year, the UN contributions will be better aligned with government priorities and targeted, particularly in the areas of economic growth, agri-business development, financial access, marketing and regional integration, as well as in social protection. Outcome 1: Disaster Management established and operational Key achievements from the One UN in 2010 have been (i) the development of training programs for maintaining and managing an early warning system; (ii) strengthening the management of food reserve system through training of staff working in food reserves/warehouse and depots; (iii) capacity building for managing National strategic food & nutrition monitoring systems; training of selected NGOs in Child Protection in Emergencies; (iv) supporting the Disaster Management Centre to develop and implement the national Contingency plan, including coordination meetings; (v) production of an awareness leaflet on risks of heavy rains and flooding with the aim of increasing the general public s knowledge of disaster management. Outcome 2: Effective safety nets for protection of the most vulnerable implemented Social protection efforts in 2010 met over 80% of the targets set in the EDPRS. The One UN contributed to implementing, targeting and monitoring the Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) through support to the updating of the national Ubudehe (meaning communal work in Kinyarwanda) socio-economic stratification database. The MIGEPROF was supported to test a model for provision of a minimum package for orphans and vulnerable children. The minimum package reached 5,400 children with education, health care, psychosocial support, shelter, and income generating activities. Key government personnel received training to increase their knowledge and skills in designing and implementing child-sensitive social protection programmes. Successful advocacy by the UN led to increased involvement of MIGEPROF and an establishment of a civil society platform on social protection. Despite these efforts an internal survey of the VUP showed that child-and women-headed households are graduating from poverty much slower than men-headed households. This has raised concern and the One UN through UNICEF will focus on evidencegeneration, quality monitoring and reporting of VUP. A Child Protection working group was established and co-chaired by MIGEPROF and UNICEF on behalf of One UN to strengthen coordination, ensure joint planning and improve quality. Child Protection Systems, including sensitization and training to reinforce a protective environment for children, were supported in Gatsibo district, in three refugee camps and for urban refugees for more than 30,000 refugee children. A Child Protection System mapping exercise using the internationally approved toolkit was initiated as part of a regional nine 37

58 country study. A sustainable model for family reintegration of children-on-the-street was successfully tested and adopted by the MIGEPROF for use at national level. The model is being used to transform the Government-run Gitagata centre into a centre of excellence, open to communities and with a Child Friendly School. The access to decent shelter for Tanzanian returnees and other low income and vulnerable households in Bugesera District has been a priority of UN Habitat. About 200 selected people from these populations benefited from a technical training in construction and relevant skills in basic construction materials production. As a result of this training 50 houses were constructed by the trainees and allocated to the most vulnerable households identified by local authorities. Rwanda continued to host 54,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo. For 16 year, the UN has supported their daily needs in terms of food and none food items mainly through UNHCR and WFP. The WFP is delivering a food basket each month while other agencies, especially UNHCR, are ensuring nonfood items and others, particularly UNHCR and UNICEF, social protection. In collaboration with the Government of Rwanda, the UN also is supporting the reintegration of returnees from neighbouring countries. The WFP and FAO in a joint project addressed the food and nutrition needs of people living with HIV (PLHIV), while seeking to improve the social capacity of patients and households affected by HIV. The objective to reduce malnutrition and morbidity for women, men, adolescents (girls and boys), was realised by promoting food security, better nutrition through the transfer of skills related to food production (fruits, vegetables and small animal rearing). The intervention is designed to encourage income-generating activities and contribute to: (i) (ii) the EDPRS with regards to the mainstreaming of HIV into the agriculture sector; supporting farmer associations and cooperatives of people infected and affected by HIV in living a healthy and productive life; and (iii) the impact of the National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS by reducing morbidity and mortality among PLHIV through the provision of food according to needs. Outcome 3: Improved incomes and food security with diversified and greater value added production Regarding improving incomes and food security with diversified and greater value added production, the One UN is supporting and financing activities in direct support of the PSTA II. For instance, the Project for the Strategic Transformation of Agriculture and Kirehe communitybased Watershed Management Project (an agricultural investment project), have both been co-financed by the UN through IFAD. Furthermore, MINAGRI was provided substantial support to implement rub halls (storing facility for food crops) at provincial, district and community level, and 200 ton of lime was purchased and delivered to MINAGRI as part of the Food for Work initiative spearheaded by WFP. The UN has also strengthened value-addition processes, through studies of cooperative development, upgrading and establishment of processing and pilot plants. In order to enhance quality production and create learning facilities for Rwandans, appropriate training sessions have been conducted in several sectors. With the aim at promoting mechanisms of product diversification and alternative income-generating activities, the UN has supported a number of Micro-Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in 2010 with agricultural and food processing inputs, packaging materials as well as with training on production, processing and new technologies. Outcome 4: Productivity improved and access to markets enhanced for small producers and Micro- Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) With regards to improving productivity and access to markets for small producers and MSMEs, the UN has strengthened the income support mechanisms for vulnerable households through food/cash for work schemes, and worked with labour intensive approaches to enhance the opportunity for vulnerable people to obtain labour and access markets. Two stocktaking 38

59 analyses of the market information system in Rwanda and the market linkages in the region have been accomplished and made available to relevant Ministries. The Purchase for Progress (P4P) programme piloted by WFP has been successfully conducted. It increased skills of the small farmers on post-harvest handling of grains commodity, quality required by the market. Most importantly, the information sharing on market price and professionalization using contract to sell their products was built. The WFP procured 4168Mt of maize and beans through 15 contracts, in the process strengthened the capacities of the supplying farmers cooperatives and their members to deliver quality products within the terms of commercial contracts. In partnership with relevant ministries, the UN organized training of trainers on labour market access, expansion and management of MSMEs, entrepreneurship, and business development. Through creating and strengthening enquiry points and notification authorities, the UN supported the compliance of World Trade Organization Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Trade Agreements. To enhance consumer and private sector operators awareness in food safety, a national food safety week was supported by the UN, and an assessment regarding Food Safety Management System certification for local companies realized. Rwanda Microfinance Institutions have been supported with training and capacity building. The UN has also introduced large flagship programmes within the area of economic growth. For instance, in collaboration with the City Council of Kigali, the UN Joint Intervention Agaseke was launched in This initiative is aimed at creating formal employment, economic security and enhancing life skills for 2,000 poor and unskilled women in Kigali City, through Agaseke production and sales (love baskets, fruit baskets, and inkangara). Through this project poor women will have access to both local and international markets, finances and food supplies, while at the same time being sensitized on women s rights, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS. Partnerships The UN continued to work with its main implementing ministries being MINAGRI, MINALOC, MINICOM, MINECOFIN, MINISANTE, MIGEPROF and MININTER, and continued its partnerships at the decentralised levels, especially districts and local associations of farmers and producers. The One UN is working in close association with CSOs to deliver results and to build CSOs capacity to influence policy formulation, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. The UN is also increasingly working with the 39

60 private sector in the area of sustainable growth, to help stimulate to private sector growth in terms of increased productivity and income generation. As a collaborator in the SWAp the UN strengthened its partnership with a range of bilateral and multilateral donors including DfiD, European Commission, the World Bank, the GTZ, BTC, JICA, USAID, CIDA and Sida. Key Challenges and Opportunities Some challenges affected the implementation in As such, the challenge exists to ensure that trainings and advocacy conducted have an impact on the ground. Limited resources and delays in planning and resource allocation can impede programme delivery. There is limited access and supply of certain raw materials such as seeds and seedlings, seasonings, herbs, preservatives, packaging material etc. The need to outsource from the international markets takes time and increase the cost of the projects. Some cooperatives and enterprises have limited capacities to effectively manage the production operation for higher productivity and sustainability. The National Social Protection Strategy was not approved resulting in lack of guidance for partners working in the sector. The change to a systemic approach for supporting vulnerable children is slow with most implementing partners (mainly NGOs) still focusing on delivery of a minimum orphans and vulnerable children package. Sensitivity to data, for example regarding Child Protection, has resulted in some delays in validation of situation analysis and other studies. Capacity limitations were also noted on Government side. On the other hand, many opportunities exist, including a strong political will on Government side in the area of Agaseke Project economic growth and privatization, and policies in place to strengthen these sectors. A number of demonstration units and training pilot plants have been established and equipped/upgraded, and constitute a good opportunity for further capacity building. A number of new affordable processing technologies have been implemented recently. The processing of fruit and vegetables constitutes a big export opportunity from Rwanda, especially as the East African Community opens for trade across borders. There is a large mass of leather artisans in the country, ready for training and upgrading to competitive operators in the region. Joint programming and partnerships between UN and implementing partners constitute a very effective way of looking at production and value-addition in a more holistic manner. Key Priorities for 2011 In 2011 the UN is planning to put in place a holistic model for UN support to the GoR s Integrated Development Initiative, and implementation is expected to start in two project sites. Another priority is to ensure, through Agaseke production, that at least 2,000 women entrepreneurs in the city of Kigali are empowered to produce and market handicrafts and other products. Also, refugee entrepreneurs in camps and in Kigali are planned to be empowered to produce items for income generation. Furthermore, at least 10 income generation initiatives focusing on value-chain development in agri-business targeting MSMEs are expected to be established with One UN support in The UN also prioritizes the revision of policies, strategies and laws facilitating production, diversification and value addition in 2011, including the food safety laws. Involving Women in income generating projects is a practical initiative and an important policy for the Government of Rwanda and the United Nations. In order to strengthen the income of more than 2,000 poor and vulnerable women, the UN joint Intervention Agaseke project was initiated in 2010 in support to Kigali City Council aiming at empowering women by establishing and running economic scheme. Through the Agaseke project, cooperatives have been created with formal employment and giving to unqualified women access to local and international market by selling baskets, earrings, necklaces, bangles, jewelry, table runners, table and glass mats made with untreated materials such as grass and raffia. 40

61 To improve and foster economic governance, focusing on competition, industry, regional integration, investment promotion and trade, the UN aims at putting 3-4 initiatives in place at national and community levels. It is also a priority that Rwanda advances towards regional integration and that regional integration dimensions are mainstreamed in Rwanda s policies, legal and regulatory frameworks, standards and practices. In relation to this, the UN seeks to strengthen a harmonised market information system in Rwanda to address regional treaties and agreements, such as cross-border trade. The UN aims that at least 30,000 low-income people (men and women) have increased access to financial services, such as savings and loans, in Furthermore, economic governance towards competitive industries should be enhanced, and mechanisms for public-private dialogue developed, established and operational. In support to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, UNIFEM/ UN Women, ILO, UNECA and UNDP have initiated a joint intervention to support women in informal cross border trade in the great lakes region. The social protection sector has developed rapidly becoming one of the priorities of the Government of Rwanda. The VUP is one of the flagship programmes of the Government. Therefore, during the UNDAF mid-term review conducted in 2010 the need to give enough space and visibility to both economic growth and social protection became clear and resulted in the split of the Result 5 in two outcomes coordinated by two sub-groups. This gives room to the UN to increase its upstream support to the Ministry of Local Government in the implementation of the social protection policy and strategy in the benefit of the most vulnerable households. Support will be provided to UBEDEHE database for social stratification, which will allow more accurate targeting of Social Protection programmes as well as the implementation of a Community Based Health Insurance reform based on differential contributions proportional to individuals income. Evidence will also be generated on equity and sustainability of the system. The UNDP, ILO and UNICEF are planning to jointly support the social protection sector by strengthening the coordination role of MINALOC, building capacity of key stakeholders in social protection, and supporting the involvement of civil society organisations in monitoring and advocacy and the implementation progress of VUP program. The agencies UNFPA, UNICEF, UNIFEM/UN Women and UNDP are planning to support Rwanda National Police and other partners to study, coordinate, and scale up the One Stop Centre model, finalize procedures manual and reinforce training in multidisciplinary interview and intervention techniques. The Government s and other partners efforts to strengthen the Child Protection System in refugee settings will also receive technical and financial support in order to provide sensitization, training and child friendly spaces to 30,000 refugee children. Furthermore, the UN is planning to provide technical and financial support to identify and address five critical issues in Child Protection, including violence against children, child labour, and psychosocial support and to apply innovative, equitable and sustainable communitybased models of reinsertion of children without parental care and/or with disabilities (children in the streets, ex combatants, children in institutions). The FAO, WFP and UNHCR are preparing to support voluntary repatriation and reintegration of Rwandan refugees by providing them with adequate humanitarian assistance in order to meet the returnees basic need. The UNHCR UNFPA, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO will support Ministry of Disaster Management and Refugee Affairs (MIDIMAR) to build capacity of national and local authorities by providing technical and financial support for the development of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Policy and Strategy. The project aims also at building capacities of National and Local Disaster Management Committees at district and sector levels. 41

62 > The One Stop Centre: Transforming the lives of survivors of Gender Based Violence in Rwanda By Alexandra Williams A woman waits patiently at the One Stop Centre May 2010, Rwanda - Mary is 32 years old with 4 children. She was married for 17 years to a man who emotionally and physically abused her. She first came to the Isange One Stop Centre in October 2009, when her husband broke her arm. She was so traumatized she could not speak. But thanks to the support she received, she is almost back to being a woman she can be proud of. Set up in July 2009 by UNICEF, UNIFEM/UN Women, UNFPA and other partners, the Isange One Stop Centre which means feel welcome in Kinyarwanda - provides free services for survivors of child domestic abuse and gender-based violence (GBV). The centre operates a free phone hotline for help, protection from further violence, investigation of crimes, medical and psychosocial care and support and collection of forensic evidence. My unemployed husband used to torture me and after I left, sought me out to tell me he was going to kill me, recalls Mary. He did the same to my children. Mental abuse was frequent in our marriage; he told me I was useless and no longer capable of anything let alone holding down a job. I am distressed that my twelve year old son may have picked up ugly traits from my husband and he will abuse his wife one day. Dr Oreste Tuganeyezu is one of the doctors at Isange who helped treat Mary. I have worked with many sad cases, he says, but, I find it difficult to sleep at night when I think about a two year girl who was raped. The family brought the child to our centre where I found the child s insides destroyed (medically she was suffering a fistula - where the urinary tract had been squashed) as well as infection. She was since operated on and lives back in the community with her parents but the offender remains known to the family and who knows how the future for this little girl will turn out, he adds. According to one survey, one-third of all women in Rwanda report experiencing violence since the age of fifteen. While the country is putting in place a system to protect children and women from all forms of violence, including recently passing a GBV law, setting up gender desks at police stations round the country and looking into replicating the one stop centre, financial and skilled human resources challenges remain. The UN is very committed to supporting the Government of Rwanda to set up mechanisms to both prevent and address violence, explains Francesca Morandini, Chief of Child Protection with UNICEF Rwanda. Isange has been very well received and its case load is increasing by the day, which means more and more women are hearing about it and feel comfortable to come forward, she adds. Prior to the Isange One Stop Centre there was nowhere for woman to go for help. > 42

63 > Thanks to the Isange One Stop Centre, women like me have doctors and psychologists who can sit for a long time to talk women about their abuse physical and mental, recounts Mary. I thank God for this every day. Also I want to say thank-you to the doctor who helped treat my injuries. There is no way to say how this centre has helped me. I have been helped with transport fees. I have a place to stay if I feel unsafe. I am gaining strength although it is taking time. The centre has provided me with hope and a place to start recovering - without it I would have nothing not even a life worth living, she reflects as tears well up in her eyes. With support from Isange, Mary is seeking a divorce and seeing a counsellor to bring back her self-confidence so she can start living again and providing for her children. It is not always possible for us to stop the origin of the abuse, explains Dr Oreste, but in Mary s case, our staff tracked down her husband. He refused to attend counselling although the son is now getting treatment. For many women and children who have suffered even obtaining a small bus fare to come to the Isange Centre is an enormous challenge. But if women like Mary feel welcome, it means we are doing something good. Dr Oreste Tuganeyezu outside the Isange One Stop Centre 43

64 The President of the Republic H.E. Paul Kagame with Government officials, members of the Executive Boards UNDP/UNFPA, UNICEF and WFP, and the Representatives of the four agencies in Rwanda

65 Chapter 3 Progress In Delivering As One Part A: Governance and Coordination Structure Upon request of the Government, Rwanda became one of the eight pilot countries for Delivering as One UN in 2007 together with Albania, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uruguay and Viet Nam. The basic principles of the Delivering as One reform in Rwanda were defined during a workshop in 2007 with the active participation of the Government and Development Partners. The concept paper was signed on 5 April 2007 by the RC and UNCT (UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, WFP, WHO, UNAIDS, FAO, UNECA, UNIFEM now UN Women and UNHCR as resident agencies and by ILO, UNESCO, UNIDO, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, IFAD, ITC, OHCHR, UNCTAD, ITU as non-resident agencies). The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Honorable James Musoni (since end 2009 Minister of Local Government and replaced by Honorable John Rwangombwa), signed the concept paper on behalf of the Government of Rwanda showing the Government s leadership and ownership in the reform process. The year 2010 has again been a significant year for the Delivering as One (DaO) reform marking the midpoint of the UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) cycle , which commenced together with the DaO reform process. Two years into the DaO reform process, multiple achievements have been accomplished. Achievements have been made thanks to the Government s commitment and leadership and improved governance structures and coordination mechanisms adopted in the One UN system with the overall goal to improve the supporting of Rwanda s national efforts. 45

66 The One UN Steering Committee, chaired by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, gives the overall strategic orientation and guidance to the UN DaO reform process. In addition to the Chair, three other Government Ministers, the UN Resident Coordinator, four UN agencies (in 2010: UNICEF, UNFPA, FAO, WHO), and three Development Partners are members of the committee. The European Commission represents the multilateral donors whereas Sweden and Japan replaced UK and Germany in 2010 to represent bilateral donors. Considering the importance of this One UN Steering Committee in ensuring national ownership and leadership of the One UN Programme, regularity of the One UN Steering Committee can be improved further in order to guarantee a transparent decision making and information sharing process at highest level. The UN Country Team (UNCT) operates under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator and is the key decision making body in the One UN governance structure. The UNCT is responsible for ensuring and overseeing the achievement of results and adherence to the One UN Programme. It has been one of the key strengths of the DaO process by demonstrating leadership and commitment. With regular monthly meetings and two retreats held in July and December 2010, the UNCT was enabled to adopt and implement an ambitious work plan. The Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) continued to serve as secretariat for the UNCT and to support the UN RC in the overall coordination of the One UN in Rwanda. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning was assisted in its secretarial function for the One UN Steering Committee. In 2010, a Senior Policy Adviser was added to the team and the Special Assistant to the RC (SARC) funded by Sweden was replaced by SARC funded by Spain who will be in charge of supporting the implementation of UN Cares work plan. Delays were experienced in the recruitment of an M&E Adviser in 2010 and the finalization of the recruitment of the same is expected in The UN Country Team in Akagera, Rwanda, at the mid-year retreat

67 Part B: The four Pillars of Delivering as One The Delivering as One reform is built on four pillars, namely the One Programme, One Budgetary Framework, One Office, and One Leader & One Voice. They involve all UN agencies for a strengthened UN system with increased transparency, effectiveness and efficiency. The DaO reform aims at delivering assistance in a more coherent and coordinated way with increased impact, and to develop more effective and efficient development operations. Successful results have been noticed under these four pillars and are indicated below. Annex 3 lists specific events and milestones achieved in the framework of DaO in One Programme The One Programme is one of the four pillars of DaO. The United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which is the common strategic framework of the UN at country level, covers the programming period of , the same time period as Rwanda s Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS). The Common Operational Document (COD) is a programmatic document signed on 20 November 2007 and specifies how the UN in Rwanda will operationalize the UNDAF. The UNDAF result areas were identified by the Government of Rwanda and UNCT in line with national priorities outlined in the EDPRS and Vision 2010 and based on UN s comparative advantage. The result areas are: (1) Governance, (2) Health, Nutrition, HIV, and Population, (3) Education, (4) Environment, (5) Sustainable Growth and Social Protection. All resident and non-resident UN agencies are based on agencies mandates organized in thematic groups around these UNDAF results. Each thematic group is cochaired by two agencies according to specific mandates. The three inter-agency taskforces on gender, human rights and monitoring & evaluation support all thematic groups to ensure mainstreaming of the crosscutting issues. The Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) is an advisory body to the UNCT and brings together all deputies/heads of programmes, theme group policy advisers, taskforce coordinators and RCO for better coherence, effectiveness and efficiency in the One Programme delivery. With close partnership between the Government, development partners, other stakeholders and the One UN, the DaO has increased the impact yielded through the implementation of the One Programme. The Gender taskforce, co-chaired by UNFPA and UNIFEM (now UNWomen), provided technical guidance during the programme cycle ensuring that gender was actively mainstreamed across all UNDAF thematic areas. The inter-agency taskforce also engaged with national partners by holding thematic meetings jointly with government and civil society to encourage dialogue and debate for better informed programming. For the first time, all Consolidated Annual Work Plans (CAPs) and joint intervention proposals were systematically reviewed based on a checklist jointly elaborated by the gender and human rights taskforces. The Human Rights Taskforce was further strengthened in 2010 with the appointment of a UNCT liaison, showing an increased commitment on the part of the UNCT. For the first time, a human rights training was jointly organized by the UN and the parliament and conducted for members of parliament of the senate and the chamber of deputies. This marked a positive step towards future collaboration. Under the supervision of the Human Rights Adviser, the interagency taskforce organised training for the judiciary on the domestication of international human rights laws in adjudication. Validation workshops were carried out for government treaty body taskforce and ministerial officials on international treaty reporting obligations and the launching of the Universal Periodic Review. For the civil society organizations, the review process was launched and the report validated with 47

68 participation of the taskforce. The taskforce coordinator participated in the Programming Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) and provided specific advice on the mainstreaming of human rights in the programming cycle. Annual report, programming and reporting templates and processes were technically supported by the taskforce. The team participated in the review of the 2011 CAPs and joint intervention proposals so as to ensure human rights mainstreaming across all UN program activities. Additionally, a human rights strategic plan was developed by the taskforce. The M&E taskforce provided technical guidance and support to the planning, monitoring and evaluation process in During the planning process, the inter-agency taskforce ensured that the CAPs were fully aligned to the UNDAF results framework and ensured that the 2010 CAPs were of high quality in respect of RBM and SMART principles. The taskforce supported the development of guidelines for assessing joint proposals and helped in the review of the joint proposals based on UN s comparative advantage. The taskforce supported the One Programme evaluations in 2010, specifically the ToRs for the Country-Led Evaluation and provided quality assurance support. The taskforce supported the UNDAF Mid-Term Review process by providing technical support to the development of the ToRs for the review, the tools for agencies and One UN working groups. Members of the M&E taskforce from UNICEF, UNDP and UNFPA initiated and developed a joint programme within the Governance result area to support national planning, monitoring and evaluation capacities. Technical support was provided in developing the intervention strategy based on gaps identified by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. a critical role in the planning, implementation and reporting processes for the One Programme. Regular and ad-hoc meetings, an annual retreat, and continued practicing of thinking out of the box ensured high participation and dynamic movement on the agenda. Agencies were brought closer together and the culture of Delivering as One was further promoted. Theme groups were overseen in the planning, implementation and monitoring of joint interventions that proofed to be of higher quality and better coordinated. The PPOC was very instrumental in providing technical guidance in support of the Mid Term Review process leading to the revision of the UNDAF results framework for increased focus of the UN s programme activities. The PPOC intends to play a more focused role in creating the right platform for policy dialogue in support of the UNCT s upstream policy advisory services to the Government. Key achievement under the One Programme was the development of the One UN Programme Monitor. The web based inter-agency monitoring and reporting system is funded and hosted by the RCO and technically supported by the PPOC and M&E taskforce. Database administrators were trained and users from all UN agencies acquainted with the system for active use. Tables and graphs produced in the system proved to be a powerful tool for budgetary and spending tracking analysis, planning and implementation trend and performance analysis and were effectively used in One Budgetary Framework The One Budgetary Framework encompasses core, non-core and One UN Funds. Globally, the UN system is stepping up its efforts to enhance coherence and efficiency at the country level through increased use of MDTFs. In Rwanda, UNDP acts as the Administrative Agent of the One UN Fund for Rwanda with the support of the MDTF office in New York. 48 The Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) established by UNCT in 2009 to bring together agencies and One UN working groups continuously proved to be significant breakthrough in the Delivering as One process in Rwanda. With the mandate to provide upstream advisory services to the UNCT as well as technical oversight to the UNDAF Theme Groups, the PPOC played The One Fund allows for increased transparency with regard to the financial situation and planning of the One UN Rwanda both UN internally and externally. The joint management of resources is an opportunity to test in reality the possibility of an integrated financing of the One Programme. In Rwanda, it already proofed to boost the Delivering as One spirit.

69 Since the beginning of DaO, the One Fund became very important to close funding gaps, identified in the One Budgetary Framework. Resources are continuously mobilized to close the funding gap so that the One Programme remains results-driven, instead of donordriven. Despite the financial crisis which has caused unexpected constraints to donors, Sida contributed 1.72m USD to the One UN Fund, The Netherlands contributed 1.45m USD and through the Expanded DaO Funding Window, the One UN Rwanda received 17,219m USD un-earmarked funding for the One UN Fund. The Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) Office in New York has again provided valuable support and technical assistance in the financial allocation and transfer processes. Annex 2 gives a detailed financial report on the source and use of One Funds in In 2010, the One Fund was again used as strong incentive mechanism for joint programming. About 80% of existing funds were used to exclusively support Joint Interventions. This has boosted the joint programming spirit and resulting in agencies ability and willingness to increasingly programme, implement and monitor jointly in support of common goals. Key benefit of the One UN Fund was also realized in the central management of the One Fund which allows for flexible, rapid responsiveness on emerging development needs. One key challenge remains the limited predictability of funding. Overall, there is a risk of non-replenishment of the One Fund basket, not only due to global financial crisis. The expectation brought towards the UNCT of using the full amount of contributions before the end of the year and leaves the UNCT with high unpredictability vis-à-vis available funding for the following year. This also challenges the building of strong partnerships with mutual obligations. In response to some donors hesitation to provide unearmarked funding, negotiations are ongoing on a suggestion for a dual modality in which earmarking could be allowed to some extent. One Leader & One Voice The One Leader & One Voice is another important pillar of the Delivering as One reform specifically with regard to joint communications on DaO and committed leadership at senior management level. In 2010 and in close cooperation with the UN Country Team (UNCT), the Resident Coordinator (RC) again successfully guided and effectively led the implementation of the One Programme, resource mobilization, and advocacy for Delivering as One at country, regional and global level. By promoting a one leadership concept, the RC increasingly delegated authority to UNCT members and ensured continuous information flow, exchange and dialogue among heads of agencies, not only through regular monthly meetings and two retreats in July and December This led to a further strengthened Unity in Diversity among UN agencies at country level. The UN Resident Coordinator also effectively advocated and represented the broader UN agenda in the country and represented the UN system at national development fora. As co-chair of the Development Partners Coordination Group, he supported the Government in dialogues to move forward the aid coordination agenda, especially with regard to donor harmonisation and division of labour. The UN Secretary General with the Resident Coordinators of Delivering as One pilot countries, November 2010 in New York The UN communications and advocacy strategy continued to be implemented with the dedicated support of the UN Communication Group and under close supervision of the UNCT: Joint Publications were produced; PPOC trained on communications; the 49

70 One UN documentation center maintained; Advocacy campaigns supported; and the One UN website kept updated. The strategy aims at increasing the visibility of the One UN s work in supporting the five UNDAF results and moving forward the DaO agenda, as well as improving information sharing between agencies. Despite sensitive events that suggested for a light UN presence in Rwanda s media, the UN week was celebrated with few events and a reception with all staff and UN partners. Speeches were held by the RC and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation as guest of honor. The reception also served as winner ceremony for the arts competition whereby Rwandan artists creatively produced arts pieces around UNDAF result areas. International events were again strategically used to represent the One UN Rwanda and further promote the Delivering as One reform. As such UN representatives accompanied the Government delegation to the Intergovernmental Meeting on DaO in Hanoi, experience on DaO was shared with new diplomats at UNITAR training in New York. Several external study tours on DaO were hosted, such as from Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo and Togo. UN representatives met with various donor delegations during their visits to Rwanda. High level visits were supported in respect to the objectives and level of mission. As such the Deputy Secretary General visited Rwanda in May 2010 to participate in the Government s International Forum on the Role of Leadership in Promoting Gender Equality. Highlight in 2010 was also the 10-days joint visit of Executive Boards UNDP/UNFPA, WFP and UNICEF which was successfully carried-out in March The Executive Boards were offered a rich programme with sessions on DaO, meetings with stakeholders and officials of the Government of Rwanda, paid a courtesy call to HE Paul Kagame, and visited One UN joint support initiatives. The report of the boards says: The delegation gathered positive feedback from government officials and development partners regarding the One UN approach; they felt it enhanced the United Nations impact and efficiency and simplified interactions with the United Nations. In September 2010, the visit of the UN Secretary General linked to the leaked UN report on the mapping exercise allowed for high-level consultation between the UN and the Government of Rwanda and ensured continued good partnership between both parties. One Office Common Services are an integral part of the One UN concept. The UN Secretary-General emphasized the need to pursue harmonized business practices and strengthened common services and his call was reiterated by the General Assembly. The One Office pillar of the One UN therefore has the objective to assure that support services are cost-effective, high quality, timely, and provided on a competitive basis, resulting in full client satisfaction. 3 The UNCT in Rwanda is committed to follow the call. In 2010, a number of achievements have been accomplished in One House and common services areas through the inter-agency Operations Management Team (OMT) under close supervision of the UNCT. The team is composed of operations officers/managers or unit head for finance, administration and human resources.in 2010, the chairmanship of OMT moved from UNICEF to UNDP. Key mandate of the OMT is to identify and implement appropriate common services and areas of improvement with regard to harmonized business practices, where appropriate, and provide regular updates to the UNCT. During the UNCT retreat in October 2009, a UNCT liaison was appointed to strengthen the work of the OMT. The OMT started the year 2010 with a clear commitment for improved working modalities. Needs were identified for updating the existing Terms of References (ToRs) for the OMT, a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the common services was identified, and the re-establishment of various working groups for procurement, ICT, human resource, and finance. All working groups work under the supervision of the OMT, which reports to and is supervised by the RC/UNCT. 3 Source: 50

71 Significant progress has particularly been made in restructuring management of human resources, procurement, ICT, moving forward the One UN House agenda with greater emphasis on reduction of transaction costs and quantification of the same. Common Services Key success in 2010 was the development of a MoU for the implementation of common services which was endorsed by UNCT and signed by all resident agencies towards the end of the year. This marked a key milestone in improving efficiency in programme delivery and reducing transaction costs. The UN agencies that have expressed their intention to participate in the Common Premises have entrusted the UNDP with the duty to contract for and administer the premises. Human Resources The improved management of human resources was technically developed by the Human Resource working group supervised by the OMT. The benefit for Joint recruitment management are: Reduction of parallel processes and transaction costs; Reduced processing time to fill a position through improved consolidated recruitment planning, professional profile, reference check; Improved coordination, consistency and planning across agencies; Efficiency and effectiveness gains through information sharing; Faster program implementation; Increased professionalization of HR staff; Improved transparency and objectivity of selection processes; Peer review and better recruitment risk management; Interagency collaboration and interviewing panels from a wider pool of talent. The year was highlighted by the development of a formalized joint recruitment framework, with a MoU signed by all resident agencies at the end of The purpose of this MoU was to establish the terms and conditions among UN agencies in Rwanda for the provision of staff recruitment activities related to national positions. The arrangement puts in place that after a joint recruitment process, best candidates are retained in a roster so that other agencies can tap on this available pool in case a same position is vacant. The MoU recommends that for the recruitment of international positions inter-agency panels are created and used as much as possible. Procurement In 2010, a procurement working group was created, the chair nominated and an annual work plan developed. In 2010, performance indicators that will help to assess efficiency gain (time/money) of common services in procurement were developed. Out of nine common services that have been initiated in 2010, five long term agreements have been signed and three are under signature. Also, a database for local vendors and existing long term agreements was developed which allowed UN agencies to piggy back on the procurement process of other agencies and thereby saving on transaction costs. ICT In 2010 the ICT working group produced and submitted a project proposal for the Knowledge Management and Collaboration System (KMCS). The project proposal was presented in the form of a business case, which was approved by the UNCT and signed by the RC. In follow up, the ICT working group produced the ToRs for a business analyst for the development of the KMCS based on SharePoint technology and other project related documentation. A common network infrastructure that is expected to provide connectivity and support the KMCS was defined together with other common computerized services. The ToRs of the request for proposal for the IT maintenance services was developed. 51

72 One UN House Since the signing of the land-agreement between the GoR and the UN on 13 April 2009, a security survey of the plot was conducted, and a One UN House Taskforce established by the UNCT in their retreat in October Since its creation, the One UN House taskforce, together with other resource persons and the focal point in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, supported the implementation of the One UN House roadmap in Rwanda and regularly reported to the UNCT. In January 2010, a preliminary study on One UN House was carried out by a senior consultant and MINECOFIN launched request for Transaction Advisor Services to set up Public-Private-Partnership framework. The RCO brought the core team of the taskforce in contact with the Task Team on Common Premises (TTCP) in New York for technical guidance. At the midyear UNCT retreat in July 2010, the UNCT underlined their full commitment to the project by signing a joint letter to their respective principals. The letter indicates the strong zeal of all agencies to realize and move into the One UN House and seeks approval/authorization to sign the inter-agency letter of interest, which is needed to move ahead. In the course of the year, the RC held several formal and informal meetings with various stakeholders and the Government to identify the best modality for the operationalization of the UN House. With the guidance of the TTCP a space and cost estimation survey is currently conducted to define the design parameters. The source and amount of funding for the preliminary expenses are under study and clarification of the roles and responsibilities between the Government of Rwanda and the UN need to be further clarified. It is planned to recruit a Project Manager for the One UN House in the RCO in 2011 to have fulltime support in the implementation of the One UN House roadmap. Priorities for 2011 The year 2010 has been very labour intensive for the One UN with regard to the One Office pillar. its quantification. This was translated into a call from the Government and donors to the One UN to develop a roadmap that will allow showing concrete results. Close working relationships were therefore established with the respective focal point in the Development Operations Coordination Office and a support mission is expected in the country beginning In 2011, the OMT will therefore build on the 2010 achievements, further move forward what has been started, and support the UNCT in responding to the call from the Government and donors. The support mission is expected to provide opportunity for knowledge and experience sharing and to develop an action plan for implementation in Examples of Concrete Achievements in the Delivering as One Initiative Hanoi Conference The High-Level Tripartite Conference in Hanoi in 2010 had been announced by the Government of Viet Nam at the 2009 Intergovernmental Meeting on DaO held in Kigali, which was the second after the first one held in Maputo, Mozambique, in The Hanoi Conference was held on June 2010 and provided opportunity for the Governments of Dao pilots, self-starters and donors to review the achievements made and the challenges faced during the first two to three years of implementation of the Delivering as One reform. The conference was fed with the results of a country-led evaluation that were conducted in seven of the eight pilot countries, including in Rwanda, with the purpose to assess the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of DaO. During the conference, Governments and Evaluation Management Groups shared the findings and conclusions from the evalution and the experiences drawn from pilot countries. The conference produced a statement of lessons learnt and further actions required to enhance, heighten and expand the Delivering as One reform initiative. 52 The Country Led Evaluation revealed that further focus should be put on the reduction of transaction costs and The statement delivered by the Government of Rwanda at the conference read: The Delivering as

73 One in Rwanda is working well and as was reported in unambiguous terms in the Outcome statement of the 2009 Inter Governmental consultations in Kigali, there is no going back to doing business as prior to the Delivering as One. The UN in Rwanda has now become more effective, relevant, and responsive to national needs and priorities than ever before. There is strong ownership, support and commitment at country level from the Government, the UN and Donors for this reform. This commitment needs to be mirrored at regional and global level to ensure better results are achieved. At the meeting it was widely underlined that the Delivering as One process contributes to a better integrated UN system in national development processes. Likewise, the UN became more responsive to the national needs and priorities in the DaO countries. The One UN also played an important role in advancing the aid effectiveness agenda in terms of coherence, improved strategic focus and simplified programming at country-level. The One UN funds were described as important factor for a coherent and coordinated One UN. However, it was underlined that there is a need for predictable funding from the donors. In order to reduce administrative costs it was recommended that the UN align its budgeting processes with that of the Governments. The Government of Uruguay offered to host the next Intergovernmental Meeting on DaO in Country Led Evaluation The UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) outlined a three-stage process for evaluating the DaO pilots as follows: (i) assessment of the evaluability of DaO, to provide the basis for the second and third stages. This was conducted by the UN Development Group and completed in March 2008; (ii) a country self-evaluation of the DaO; (iii) in independent evaluation of the results and impacts of the pilots. The current country-led evaluation was the second stage of the evaluation process and conducted in seven of the eight pilot countries. In Rwanda, the evaluation was conducted in April to May The evaluation intended to inform decision makers on how to enhance the role and contribution of the UN system in support of national policies and strategies to achieve national development results, specifically towards the achievement of EDPRS targets and Vision 2020 goals. Within this context, the evaluation also aimed at assessing the progress made against the strategic intent of the DaO and identified areas for improvements and remaining challenges. The evaluation provided evidence on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the four pillars of DaO in Rwanda (One Programme, One Office, One Budgetary Framework, and One Leader & One Voice). The evaluation criteria were defined as follows: (i) relevance responsiveness to the needs and priorities of the countries; (ii) effectiveness progress towards the achievement of development results and implementation of better processes to achieve those results; (iii) efficiency reduction of transaction cost for countries and the UN in comparison to previous arrangements; and (iv) sustainability the probability of benefits to continue over time. Key findings were as follows (copied from the final evaluation report): Finding 1: Over the past two years, UN DaO s focus on results through theme groups has contributed to enhancing programme effectiveness towards development results in Rwanda. Finding 2: Theme groups and taskforce have enhanced cooperation among individual agencies to improve both operational and development effectiveness and coordination on policy and technical issues. 53

74 Finding 3: At this early stage, there are mixed views on whether DaO efforts in coordination and harmonization, seen by the UN internally, have met the expectations of Government and Development Partners in terms of development results. Finding 4: DaO s stronger emphasis on harmonizing monitoring, reporting and evaluation of programme results has not fully taken root, leading to a missed opportunity to more fully align with government and capture the benefits of coordination under DaO. Finding 5: DaO is relevant to Rwanda s priorities and its strategic intent responds at the appropriate levels to Rwanda s needs. Finding 6: There are the beginnings of a more coherent and strategic relationship between government and the UN, due in part to DaO. More work, however, needs to be done to fully align with the Rwanda Aid Policy. Finding 7: The joint planning environment favored by DaO has had an overall beneficial effect on programme efficiency, largely due to the reduction in duplication. Finding 8: Joint interventions are laying the groundwork for testing the overall cost benefits of DaO. Finding 9: While still in its infancy, the Programme Planning Oversight Committee (PPOC) appears to be an innovative and effective DaO mechanism to guide One UN programming decisions. Finding 10: The piloting of the Programme Monitor Zoho software is the type of innovative practice that has the potential to greatly advance UN programming and reporting. Finding 11: The GoR is leading the way to ensure sustainability by placing an emphasis on capacity building in line with the Rwanda Aid Policy and recognized priorities of the UN. Finding 12: While most DaO interventions in Rwanda are ongoing and it is too early to assess their sustainability, only a few interventions have defined exit strategies. Finding 13: Allocation of the One UN fund has progressed since inception of DaO, however, delays in financial transactions continue to slow implementation of some One UN fund activities. Finding 14: Clear and transparent UN financial reporting remains a challenge under DaO. Finding 15: It does not appear that multi-year allocations of the One Fund are permitted, hampering efficient programme planning. Finding 16: Programme funding under the One Fund does not meet the demand for funds planned in the UNDAF. Finding 17: Some legitimate concerns exist about the progress of One UN at Regional Offices and Headquarters, weakening development impacts and creating duplication. Finding 18: The GoR and the UNCT have begun to see better coordination at HQ level, particularly in terms of joint HQ missions. Finding 19: DaO has benefitted from the strong commitment of all levels of government as well as the UNCT and most Development Partners. Finding 20: The effective functioning of the RCO and the sharing of duties amongst UN agencies has provided some measurable efficiency gains for the UN. Finding 21: The RC and UNCT have yet to systematize a performance review of the One UN pillars, which has hindered the prioritization and sharing of key DaO results. Finding 22: The UN DaO leadership in Rwanda has shown the ability to adjust and adapt to changing needs. Finding 23: The DaO systems in place promote internal sustainability and reduce the risk that leadership changes will impact the DaO approach. 54

75 Finding 24: Agency-specific policies sometimes hinder the functioning of One Office. Finding 25: The lack of evidence of substantial cost efficiencies or of a specific plan for reducing transaction costs due to shared services thus far constitutes a risk to the overall success of DaO in Rwanda. Finding 26: The identification of priority areas for operations harmonization and reduction in transaction costs will serve as overall targets for future gains in efficiency. Finding 27: The UN Communication Group has made a number of key achievements in both internal and external communication about DaO and also in advocacy. The UNCT is currently preparing the management response to the recommendations given in the evaluation report. The evaluation findings and the management response will be key input to the Independent Evaluation expected to be carried-out in 2011 which will determine the General Assembly s decision on the future of DaO. Voluntary UNDAF Mid-term review In Rwanda, the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) also marked the implementation of the DaO reform initiative. The UNDAF is the strategic framework that guides the work of all UN agencies at country level towards a common vision and strategy in line with national needs and priorities as outlined in the Rwandan EDPRS and Vision The operationalization of the UNDAF is outlined in the Common Operational Document (COD), which provided the vision of the DaO implementation, work modalities to implement the One Programme, One Budgetary Framework, the code of conduct for UNCT, ToRs for the bodies in the governance structure, and other details. The UNCT decided to undertake a voluntary mid-term review after the country-led evaluation. The review concentrated on aspects related to the implementation of the UNDAF with the express aim of providing recommendations for improvements or adjustments in strategy, design and/or implementation arrangements. The voluntary review served as a formative exercise aimed at enabling the UNCT to make the necessary adjustments in the substance of the UNDAF and processes established to implement its objectives for the second half of the UNDAF implementation and beyond that. The specific objectives of the voluntary mid-term review were: To assess the effectiveness with which the UNCT has implemented the objectives of the UNDAF and responded to the demands of DaO; To assess the relevance and effectiveness of the strategies used to address the 5 UNDAF Results in terms of the policy assumptions made during the design of the current UNDAF; To assess the governance mechanisms established by the UNCT; To provide insights on the directions for the next UNDAF programming cycle taking into account the emerging development situation in the country and emerging lessons learned from this process and the Country-led Evaluation. With the overall guidance from the UNCT, the Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) facilitated the Mid-Term Review process in The report is planned to be finalized in the beginning of 2011 and is expected to provide valuable insights and recommendations for improved working modalities and increased focus in the One UN s support to national priorities. One key finding so far was that the existing results framework could be better streamlined to allow for more focussed support from One UN to national priorities. The UNCT took immediate action at the end of 2010 and reviewed the UNDAF results framework with support of the Programme Planning and Oversight Committee and the M&E taskforce. Once the final report is available, the UNCT plans to holistically respond to the findings and recommendation identified. 55

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77 Chapter 4 Conclusions And Way Forward In 2010, the One UN effectively supported the Government of Rwanda in reaching the national development targets, particularly in the areas of governance, HIV/ AIDS, health, population and nutrition, education, environment and sustainable growth & social protection. Significant progress has been made in all areas during the year with a special focus on national capacity development. Key highlights can be summarized as follows: Within governance, the Government made progress in building the capacity at key ministries and at the National Institute for Statistics to better promote gender equality and collect gender sensitive data. Prevention and mitigation of HIV/AIDS have been enhanced through capacitybuilding of health personnel, awareness raising campaigns, implementation of gender sensitive planning and the male circumcision plan. In the area of health, population and nutrition, the rapid SMS, health community workers and the community based health insurance stand out as important innovations. The implementation of the nine years basic education reform has significantly increased the enrolment rate, making it very likely that Rwanda reaches the MDG on education. Major efforts have also been made to improve the quality of education. Policies and guidelines have been adopted to protect the environment in Rwanda. In sustainable growth and social protection, the Government has initiated equity enhancing policies such as the Vision 2020 Umurenge programme which was scaled up in 2010 and reaching 60 sectors. The One UN supported Rwanda in all of the above mentioned achievements. 57

78 In 2011, the UN will again be committed to support Rwanda to achieve its national development targets and its vision of becoming a middle-income country by Along that way, the UN is committed to support the Government s national capacity building initiative which will target one of the main challenges in national development. The UN will also continuously support the Joint Governance Assessment, jointly undertaken by the Government and development partners since In 2011, UN Women, UNDP, UNECA and ILO will implement a joint programme designed to support women in informal cross-border trade. The proposal is formulated with the overarching goal to create wealth and reduce poverty and exclusion among women in informal cross-border trade in the great lakes region (Burundi, DRC and Rwanda). The first year of the programme will focus on Rwanda, chosen as the pilot country. A joint UN programme will provide HIV prevention packages for key populations as part of the health services in selected districts. The UN will also support the Government s investment in improving the capacity of health facilities and its personnel. The strategic support will continue for improved quality of education at primary level. Enhanced standard of living for vulnerable households also remains a priority. In 2010 the Kigali City Council together with One UN launched a joint intervention to support the Government s Agaseke project. Implementation will commence in 2011 to empower poor women through incomegenerating activities. Support to the Government s integrated development initiatives in Kayonza and Mutobo, following the Songhai model in Benin, will be a UN priority. The integrated development project takes a broad approach to poverty and targets the interconnected causes of poverty in a holistic way. The One UN will in 2011 provide financial and technical support to the National Institute of Statistics (NISR) for the preparation of the upcoming fourth General and Population Housing Census in To strengthen the capacity of NISR to collect, analyze and apply sexdisaggregated data and gender related statistics will be one key point of focus in order to allow for evidencebased policy advice and advocacy. Another example of capacity-building for promoting gender equality is the training in gender sensitive planning for newly elected local politicians, to be held after the local elections in Efforts to mainstream environment into policies, strategies, guidelines, standards and regulations will be supported at the national and local levels. Institutional capacity of the country is seen as a key component for achieving the development targets. In this respect, the UN will continue to provide crosssector support in data-collection for improved policymaking in Rwanda. With regard to UN internal working modalities, the Programme Planning and Oversight Committee (PPOC) intends to play an even more focused role in the coming year in creating the right platform for policy dialogue in support of the UNCT s upstream policy advisory services to the Government. In addition, the PPOC is currently developing tools to improve joint implementation and joint monitoring of the Delivering as One. The joint programmes should not only be about joint planning but be jointly implemented and monitored. It is believed that the UN, by working more jointly, could improve results and impact of the development cooperation. Consequently, there is need for more regular interagency meetings to share information on the progress and next steps of programme implementation, organise joint field missions for shared monitoring, among other initiatives. Equally, the One UN Rwanda is planning to take efforts to increase the impact and efficiency of the organisation through knowledge management. At the RCO level, the plan is to fill and add positions that were identified as strategically important to move forward the DaO agenda. These positions include an M&E adviser, a project manager for the UN house and a UN communication adviser. With the country-led evaluation and the voluntary mid-term review, the DaO reform process and UNDAF implementation was profoundly reviewed and evaluated. Stakeholders and the One UN received valuable feedback which is used to further improve ongoing efforts to better support the Government of Rwanda. The country-led evaluation revealed that the DaO in 58

79 Rwanda has brought along positive changes realized at various levels. It also confirmed the importance of a Government driven and owned DaO process and identified the strong national ownership in Rwanda as the key to success. In the same evaluation, it was observed that the DaO framework had enhanced the national ownership and leadership of the development agenda and improved the alignment and response to national development priorities. It was highlighted in the evaluation and the voluntary mid-term review that the One UN s support to Rwanda could be more effective and efficient through improvements in the following three areas: result, transparency and efficiency, and accountability. The One UN will reflect upon these findings and find innovative ways to improve in these identified areas in Result The recommendation to streamline the UNDAF results framework was implemented and the framework reviewed for more focussed and effective support to the Government in Transparency and accountability A coherent framework for quarterly reporting in line with the other development partners and the Government was recommended to improve the transparency of the One UN fund allocations. The online One UN Programme Monitor was commended as innovative and valuable move into this direction. A key action for improving financial transparency will be to quantify and reduce transaction costs in One UN operations. A support mission on this from the UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO) is planned in the beginning of 2011 and expected to result in a feasible action plan for Accountability A stronger focus on long-term activities would enhance the accountability of the UN. A longer timeframe of activities would also have a positive impact on result measurement. As outlined in Chapter 3, after the country-led evaluations, the third step of evaluating the DaO will be the Independent Evaluation of the eight DaO pilot countries in The management response of the UNCT to the country-led evaluation will be of particular interest for the evaluation. The findings and recommendations from the evaluation will have great impact on decision of the UN General Assembly on the future of the Delivering as One. The One UN together with the Government is therefore committed to improve 59

80 in the areas of concern. The Government and the One UN Rwanda are convinced and have declared on several occasions that there is no way back to business as usual. National ownership and priorities through harmonization and alignment, in the spirit of the Paris declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action, continue to be overarching in the work of the UN. The division of labour is vital for donor coordination in Rwanda and the One UN is committed to continue efforts to align with the agreed division of labour by moving out of certain sectors, while scaling up the engagement in others. This is also a step from the Government towards streamlining foreign aid to provide a more efficient support within the areas of UN s comparative advantage. The global progress made in implementing the Paris Declaration will be discussed at the fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness which will take place in Busan in November In Rwanda, a third Paris Declaration survey will be undertaken in 2011 to feed into the assessment of the targets set in the declaration. The survey will be mainly based on information from the development assistance database which was established by the Government with the support from the UN to promote transparency, accountability resultsdriven decision-making and aid effectiveness. The fourth Intergovernmental Meeting of the eight DaO pilot countries Governments, self-starters and donors will be held in Montevideo, Uruguay, in The meeting will be an opportunity to deepen the reflection that emerged from Hanoi about the experiences and lessons learned from the DaO initiatives, to share findings, concrete results and recommendations emerging from the country-led evaluations, and to identify common characteristics of the DaO experience. As 2012 will be the last year of the current UNDAF, preparations for the new UNDAF cycle will commence in 2011 closely tied to the revision of the EDPRS, which will also be supported by the One UN. Lessons learned in 60

81 the first years of DaO implementation, as outlined in the annual reports, country-led evaluation, mid-term review and the independent evaluation will be key references in the process. The preparation process will be conducted with a focus on moving forward the DaO agenda and will be accompanied by a joint communication strategy for transparency, inclusiveness and accountability. A regional UNDAF planning workshop is planned to be hosted in Rwanda in the first quarter of 2011 with the purpose to train UNDAF roll-out countries from the region on the UNDAF planning/preparation process. Thinking outside the box -solutions are emphasised as the preparations of the new UNDAF commences. 61

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