Outcome NPL_O_5

Effective normative, programmatic and coordination products, services and processes

This output is on track and significant progress has been made in 2023. The UN Women NCO’s programming efforts were further strengthened through the use of results-based management (RBM) standards and evaluation findings and recommendations. UN Women NCO’s implementing partners have enhanced their RBM capacity as evidenced by the RBM compliant performance monitoring frameworks (PMF) and results reports submitted by them. To this end, UN Women NCO conducted a refresher training on RBM focusing on its key principles and standards to be integrated throughout the project cycle. The post-test survey result indicated that 74% of participants demonstrated increased capacity in integrating RBM into programming. Further, six implementing partners of UN Women NCO developed PMFs of their respective projects ensuring its clear alignment with UN Women’s NCO’s Strategic Note results. The Endline Perception Study on Norms and Practices of Communities towards Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership was completed in the first quarter of 2023. The study explored and analyzed discriminatory social norms and harmful practices and associated perceptions that influence women’s economic empowerment and leadership. Findings of this study is expected to inform the design of NCO’s upcoming initiatives related to women’s economic empowerment and leadership. Further, key findings of the baseline study of measuring social norms through storytelling, generated insights and analysis on patterns of behaviour for a range of social norms, affirming discriminatory practices amongst women and girls. This has contributed to reassessment of the approach, leading to the redesign of the programme and training manual. The updated training manual now specifically addresses the most prevalent harmful norms identified by the research, emphasizing group reflections and actions aimed at fostering positive norm changes within the project locations. The findings and lessons learned from evaluations were used to strengthen UN Women NCO’s proactive engagement and coordination with UN partners through joint programmes. In line with recommendation of the 2022 country portfolio evaluation and global end-term evaluation of the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards the Economic Empowerment of Rural Women (JP RWEE) – Phase I, UN Women has taken several efforts to ensure greater synergies amongst participating UN organizations (PUNO) as well as the implementing partners in the ground for JP RWEE – Phase II. These include organizing regular follow up meetings among PUNO, joint monitoring visits, joint review and reflection meeting amongst implementing partners and delivering a joint induction package to all implementing partners. The targeting exercise to select geographic area and project participants was also jointly conducted by PUNOs under the leadership of UN Women. Further, a total of 19 out of 25 action points have been initiated/implemented in response to recommendations of the Country Portfolio Evaluation conducted in 2022.

Effective normative, programmatic and coordination products, services and processes

Significant progress towards this output was made. The business process in UN Women Nepal was further strengthened to deliver its mandate through enhanced capacities on application of results-based management (RBM) standards and use of evaluations. Enhanced RBM capacity of UN Women personnel was evidenced by timely submission of five high quality reports to respective donors. Further, 14 programme partners strengthened their capacity on RBM as indicated by the post training report. These were further evidenced in the improved quality progress report submitted by them. This was facilitated through implementation of a dedicated sessions on RBM among others delivered as part of the capacity building initiative – Hamro Sahayatra. Lessons from both Country Portfolio Evaluation 2022 and the global Feminist Collaborative Evaluation on UN Women’s Approach to Social Norms were integrated in the new programme “Hamro Sahas: Feminist Movement Building for Social Norm Change”. In response to the lesson on the need to engage grassroot women’s rights organizations (WROs) in social norm change efforts, the Hamro Sahas programme, designed in 2024 aims to establish a funding modality for diverse feminist organizations/WROs led and representing marginalized identities, providing flexible grants for programmes addressing discriminatory social norms, paired with capacity strengthening to support collectivization, movement building, and cultures of care.