Brief Description

UNDP through the Joint UNCT and Development Partners Support Towards the Establishment of A national Monitoring and Evaluation System and Strengthening of the Statistical System to Monitor Development Progress in Lesotho has provided strategic support and facilitation towards the establishment of an effective monitoring mechanism for national level Plans and programmes.

This is being achieved through the following areas of support:

Through this project, UNDP supported the establishment of viable mechanisms for a National Monitoring and Evaluation System (NMES) and a comprehensive process in developing an efficient system of integrated surveys with techniques of data collection, processing, dissemination and data exchange

Under the NMES, with the leadership of the Government an exit strategy to ensure sustainable and seamless transition of the project activities has been designed and is geared for implementation in 2011. In 2010 this component of the project conducted a Statistical and Monitoring & evaluation capacity assessment survey, the report highlights recommendations that would be applied to build capacity and enhance programme planning and implementation process in the country.

As part of the capacity building initiative, the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning have assigned nine senior staff members to support the three UNDP recruited Staff carry out the function of the NMES. In addition, a team of five people attended training programme on Monitoring and evaluation with specific linkages to the Performance Assessment Framework in Uganda and then went on to Tanzania to share experience. The recommendation of this study will help to map out and guide the implementation of the exit strategy until 2012 when this project cycle ends

This year the Bureau of Statistics embanked on the 2010/2011 Household Budget Survey, to update the poverty index of 2002/03. Data collection which runs over a 12 months period has been collected for six months June to December 2010. The data entry and analysis process will commence in by the end of January 2011. UNDP has been providing technical and financial support to the bureau through the provision of 14 enumerators for the data collection activity since June 2010

With the support of the office of the RC through the Development Partners Consultative Forum (DPCF) this project is initiating the process of providing coordinated support to the Statistical System in the country. The Bureau of Statistics has designed a National Strategy for Developmental Statistics (NSDS) and its implementation strategy.  Donors and development partners, such as the World Bank, AFD, and EU have indicated interest in supporting the implementation of the NSDS.

The project also provided technical facilitation support towards the production of the 2010 Millennium Development Addendum and progress Reports. Work is also initiated with the Millennium Development Goals Generation, which constitutes of youths who have volunteered to work on enhancing the advocacy component of the MDG in the country.  

Contact

Ms Alka Bhatia
alka.bhatia@undp.org