Country Programme (2007-2011/2012) evaluation - UNFPA Moldova

1. Introduction
The United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA)“overall goal as an institution is to achieve universal
access to reproductive health, promote sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and reduce
maternal mortality, achieving progress towards MDG 5, in order to empower and improve thelives of
underserved populations, especially women and youth, enabled by our understanding of population
dynamics, human rights and gender equality and driven bycountry needs and tailored to country
context.” 1
This reformulated vision responds to the fact that “key elements of the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) 2 agenda remain incomplete, and while only a few years remain until
the 2015 completion date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), many of the goals are still far
from being met. Of particular concern is the fact that the Millennium Development Goal that UNFPA
most directly contributes to - MDG 5, on improving maternal health - has recently been found to be the
furthest from attainment. 3
This is also true for Moldova, where the MDG 5 indicator of maternal mortality decreased until 2007,
increased sharply in 2008 and returned to its decreasing trendin 2009. 4 Similarly, other Reproductive
Health indicators currently show a slower improvement compared to previous years meanwhile the
demographic situation worsens due to migration and an ageing population.
After having supported Moldova’s development since 1996 on a project basis, an integrated country
programme cycle was put together for the first time for the period 2007-2011. The country programme
focused on three pillars: i) reproductive health, ii) population and development and iii) gender. Thisis the
background against which outcomes of the implementation of this first Country Programme (CP) have to
be evaluated on a mandatory basis. The purposeof theexercise is to carry outan end
ofprogrammecycleevaluation toassessthe achievementsof
theCountryProgramme’sdevelopmentinterventions,thefactorsthatfacilitated/hindered
achievements,andtocompilelessonslearned toinform thedevelopmentofthenextcountry programme cycle
(2012-2016).
Inaddition,theevaluationderivesrecommendations,goodpracticesandlessons learnedfrommeasuringthe
achievements,outputsandoutcomesproducedbytheprogramme.The
evaluationalso
highlightsUNFPA’scomparative advantageand makesrecommendationson
alternativecostefficientstrategiestobe usedbyimplementingpartnersandUNFPAinplanningthenext
countryprogrammeforUNFPAsupportwithinthenextUNDAF(United Nations Development Assistance
Framework).
1 Preliminary formulation of UNFPA vision for the global strategic plan 2011-2013, restated in May 2011
2 Held in Cairo 1994
3 World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Global Monitoring Report 2011. In: UNFPA Mid Term review of
UNFPA strategic plan 2008 – 2013, Report to the Executive Director July 26, 2011.
4 UN Moldova, Second National MDG Report 2010, Chisinau.
UNFPA Moldova Extended Country Programme (2007-2011/12)
Outcome Evaluation
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