Management Response

: Liberia
: 2020 - 2024 , Liberia (CO)
: Final Evaluation of the project ‘Promoting Inclusive Political Participation and Elimination of Violence Against Women in Politics” implemented by UN Women and UNDP
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: Liberia
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OVERALL COMMENTS UN Women and UNDP Liberia commissioned an end-of-project evaluation of a project called “Promoting Inclusive Political Participation and Elimination of Violence Against Women in Politics”. The project supported the Government of Liberia in promoting inclusive political participation and elimination of violence against women in politics. The main purpose of this evaluation is to contribute to improving UN Women and UNDP's approach to women's participation in politics and peacebuilding mechanisms programming. Further, assess the programmatic progress and final project performance based on the evaluation criteria (Relevance, Coherence, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Sustainability and Gender Equality and Human Rights) and identify good practices and lessons learned; and develop recommendations for the next phase of the project or other similar initiatives. As a result of the final evaluation, the CO received eight broad recommendations that have been accepted fully/partially by the Country Office and key actions identified under each recommendation. The findings and the recommendations help the CO to further scale up the good practices, and consider the lessons learned for the development of the new project documents or another similar initiative. The evaluation of the Promoting Inclusive Political Participation project underscores the projects continued relevance to Liberia's peacebuilding efforts and the empowerment of its citizens. The project made progress in enhancing women's political engagement and reducing violence during elections, evidenced by women comprising over 50.06% of registered voters. Despite the absence of mandatory gender quotas, women's representation in the legislature remained steady at 10.7% post-election. The project's establishment of a national platform for addressing violence against women in elections (VAWE), capacity-building training focused on VAWE prevention, mediation and conflict resolution that targeted the security sector, political parties, National Elections Commission (NEC), women’s peace huts, civil society organizations and networks, women’s rights organizations and communities including first-time voters; targeted radio programs on Radio ECOWAS and its community radio partners facilitated a safer environment for women's participation in politics. The evaluation also highlights the effectiveness of the program in achieving its intended outcomes, including capacity building, advocacy, and coordination efforts. By strengthening peacebuilding processes and raising awareness of women's rights, the project contributed to preventing violence against women in elections and politics. Moreover, the project contributed to the collection of gender-disaggregated data, enhancing transparency and inclusivity in electoral processes, and laying the ground for evidence-based intervention in the future. Strategic allocation of resources and engagement with local stakeholders, availability of standard operating procedures and protocol (VAWE/P) ensured the project's sustainability beyond its duration. Moreover, the integration of gender and human rights considerations into the project design and implementation contributed to inclusivity and non-discrimination. Lessons learned from the project emphasize the importance of joint implementation, local partnerships, capacity building, and strategic timing. Leveraging comparative advantages, providing legal aid to women aspirants, advocacy for mandatory gender quota law, and sustaining awareness through comprehensive social norm change intervention efforts are recommended for future programming.

: Approved
Recommendation: Recommendation 1: The project team should consider institutionalization and implementation of the various SOPs and protocols developed under the project in another phase of the project to promote their effectiveness and sustainability (Findings 4 &18).
Management Response: UN Women agrees with the recommendation on the need to institutionalize SOPs and Protocols to ensure sustainable results and will continue to support institutionalization, and broadening the scope of VAWE to VAWP and implementation in a subsequent project phase in collaboration with UNDP and the National Elections Commission. Taking this into account the next phase of the project, to be implemented by UN Women, under the Liberia Electoral Support Project incorporates key interventions focused on the prevention of violence against women in politics and institutionalizing the effort to ensure sustainability.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Effectiveness
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Develop a detailed plan, support the National Elections Commission to review the VAWE protocol and implementation plan, and update it to a VAWP protocol to cover broader implications of violence against women in politics. UN Women/UNDP 2025/12 Not Initiated This will be initiated following resource mobilization and partnership with NEC.
2. Adequately secure funding and necessary approvals for the implementation phase with the NEC UN Women 2024/12 Initiated
Recommendation: Recommendation 2 &3: The project team and key institutions like NEC should consider the introduction of mandatory temporary special measures to ensure compliance with MoUs on gender quotas by political parties and penalties for non-compliance (Findings 21) Recommendation 3: Sustain advocacy on electoral reform. This is necessary given the non-approval of the electoral reform bill with a mandatory 30 percent gender quota for candidates by the executive. (Findings 4 &18)
Management Response: The support to the Government of Liberia for the adoption of temporary special measures is a key part of the UN Women’s Program intervention in Governance and Participation and was part of the project design. Therefore, management agrees with the recommendation. While MoUs are valuable for outlining commitments, they lack enforceability. Therefore, UN Women will advocate for the introduction of a mandatory temporary special measure or a mandatory gender quota law as part of the electoral reform bill through technical support to the Legislature and NEC and working closely with women’s rights organizations. This will establish a legal framework with clear consequences for non-compliance.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management, Oversight/governance, Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Support the legislature/ WLC, NEC, and women's organizations and networks to advocate for the adoption of temporary special measures including a gender quota law UN Women/UNDP 2026/12 Ongoing
2. Equip political parties parties with tools and strategies to promote gender sensitivity within their structures. UN Women/UNDP 2025/12 Initiated Initiated (funds being mobilized)
Recommendation: Recommendation 4: Sustain capacity building on mediation, and effective campaigns for women candidates. The project team should consider sustaining the advocacy and awareness-raising activities to address the underlying sociocultural norms and practices that inhibit women’s political participation and reduction of violence against women in politics through another phase of the project (Findings 2 & 18)
Management Response: Management agrees with the proposed focus on sustaining capacity building on mediation and capacity building training for women aspirants, candidates and women leaders. UN Women also agrees with this recommendation as challenging the multiple forms of discrimination including discriminatory norms and attitudes is a key component of UN Women’s Governance and Participation Programme and theories of change for projects derived thereof. UN Women Country Office in complementarity with other projects will continue advocate for and build capacity to address socio cultural norms and practices that inhibit women political participation and mitigation of violence against women in politics. For interventions focused on violence against women in politics please see recommendation 1 on management response and action plan.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Advocacy, Capacity development, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Relevance, Sustainability, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Implement a training program for aspiring women leaders, new female appointees, and past candidates to prepare a deeper pool of qualified women ready and able to lead. UN Women / UNDP 2026/12 Ongoing
2. Implement community dialogues and men engagement training programs to promote positive masculinity and challenge discriminatory gender norms to address socio-cultural barriers from the household, community and county levels. UN Women/ UNDP 2026/12 Ongoing
Recommendation: Recommendation 5: Consider continuing with the capacity building on mediation, effective campaigns for women candidates, advocacy skills for county peacebuilding structures as well as institutional strengthening of the EWER system in terms of human resource capacity (Findings 4, 7 and 16)
Management Response: Management accepts this recommendation as strengthening women’s voice and agency through capacity building to participate in peacebuilding and politics is a key aspect of UN Women’s Governance and Participation and Women, Peace, and Security Programmes and is incorporated in project theories of change derived from global programme theories of action.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Develop and implement post-election project to support women leaders, aspirants to strengthen women’s voice and agency/ promote the participation of women in politics and public life including focusing on at local level and Integrating capacity building for women in peacebuilding and politics UN Women 2026/12 Ongoing
2. Regularly monitor progress in women representation at national and local level working closely with MIA, MGCSP and CSOs to ensure effectiveness in strengthening women's voice and agency. UN Women 2026/12 No Longer Applicable
Recommendation: Recommendation 6: The project team should consider sustaining the engagement of multiple partners and other stakeholders in the project implementation either as participants or as IPs. UN Women and UNDP will ensure that the barriers to effective women’s political participation are tackled from multiple fronts contributing to the effectiveness of the intervention. It will also promote stakeholders' buy-in and ensuring the overall sustainability of the project (Findings 7).
Management Response: Management partially accepts this recommendation. While we agree that a mix of government and civil society and other stakeholders as participants and responsible parties (RPs) contributes to program effectiveness, the number of RPs ought to be smaller and more strategic in number. The number of civil society partners implementing this project was too high, increasing the number/level of partner management risks with six partners implementing across the country simultaneously. Strategic decisions over the quantity of RPs vis-à-vis the available human and financial resources has a positive effect on program quality, results-based management and monitoring, efficiency, and increased capacity of partners, ensuring the overall sustainability of the project. UN Women and UNDP will ensure the engagement of a wide range of partners as participants for advocacy and mobilization.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Partially Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Continued engagement with the legislature/ Women's Legislative Caucus, National Electoral Commission, and Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to advocate for the implementation of existing laws that promote women's participation in leadership and decision-making positions and for new measures to be taken to ensure equal representation and participation of women in leadership and decision-making positions. UN Women / UNDP 2026/12 Ongoing
2. Continued engagement with women’s rights organizations to ensure accountability among duty bearers at national and local level. UN Women 2026/12 Ongoing
Recommendation: Recommendation 7: Sustain the implementation of activities to address persistent constraints and forms of backlash such as violence against women in politics, discriminatory socio-cultural norms and financial constraints that limits women’s political participation (Findings 4 and 18).
Management Response: UN Women and UNDP recognizes the need to sustain efforts that dismantle the multifaceted barriers to women's political participation. Both acknowledge the persistent constraints women face, including harassment and intimidation, both in person and increasingly on newspaper and social media platforms. Although reporting on violence against women in elections (VAW-E) is limited, women candidates ahead of the 2023 election reported facing intimidation, including targeting their campaign teams. This underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive approach. UN Women will continue to support interventions to address these challenges.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Not applicable
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Sustainability, Impact
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Conduct a survey targeting women candidates, campaign staff, and civil society organizations UN Women, UNDP 2024/12 Ongoing
2. Hold consultations with law enforcement, political parties, and media on the outcome of the assessment and follow up action UN Women, UNDP 2024/12 Not Initiated Following the completion of the survey, this initiatives will be implemented.
3. Raise awareness on the findings of the study and support the implementation of recommendations from the study (refer action points of recommendation 1) UN Women, UNDP 2025/12 Not Initiated Following the completion of the survey, this initiatives will be implemented.
Recommendation: Recommendation 8: Adequate provisions should be made for persons with disability (PWD) such as the provision of braille for blind participants and the provision of interpreters for persons with hearing impairments as well as other marginalized groups to promote inclusivity and leaving no one behind (Findings 22).
Management Response: : UN Women and UNDP agrees with this recommendation, within the context of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN Women’s Strategic Note (2020-2025). UN-Women’s new, integrated results management system is better positioned to regularly capture LNOB results. UN Women and UNDP also supported the National Elections Commission to develop Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Policy to promote gender equality and disability inclusion by ensuring equal opportunities for participation and representation for both men and women and persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups both within the NEC, and in electoral processes throughout the electoral cycle, thereby strengthening the legitimacy, fairness, and credibility of Liberia’s elections. In addition, UN Women works in hard to reach and Counties with low or no representation of women working closely with partners to ensure long-term sustainability of efforts towards equal opportunity in these communities.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Leadership and participation in governance systems (SP 2018-2021)
Operating Principles: Not applicable, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Not applicable
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Coherence
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
1. Disaggregated data on Leave No One Behind as per BWP and projects are captured and reported. UN Women and UNDP 2026/12 Ongoing
2. Support NEC to implement gender equality and inclusion policy (prioritize disability following an intersectional approach to disability inclusion component) UNDP, UN Women 2026/12 Ongoing