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

health indicators related to programmes and activities supported by UNFPA show significant
improvements compared to indicators in health areas not supported by the Fund. Similarly, the
capacity building and policy advisory activities in P&D brought about important changes at the
institutional and policy formulation level, although it is yet at its early stages of implementation.
Programme and advocacy activities in the Gender, HRBA and gender equality GE component have
helped to successfully implement normative and policy changes and to institutionalize HRBA and
GE mainstreaming in policymaking and programme management. Here again, implementation is
at its early stages. Work implemented in Transnistria deserves special attention, where positive
results go far beyond technical and programme achievements in the RH component and achieve to
create confidence building measures on the ground and with Transnistrian authorities, perfectly in
line with governments strategy for reintegration of Transnistria. UNFPA carries the merit of being
a pioneer in this field.
Reproductive Health
Activities implemented under the UNFPA CP contribute to development trends that are under multiple
influences of government activities (policies and services), multi-donor activities and the participation
(e.g. behavioural change) of the people themselves who benefit from these activities. All principle
indicators for the RH sector show a positive trend and we can attribute that the implementation of the
UNFPA CP (this is joint action of UNFPA and their implementing public and private partners)
contributed to this trend. Some figures can give an impression about the general degree of change brought
about in the RH sector.
• The number of abortions(per year) dropped from 90,000 in the early 1990s to 14,000 (2008)
• This trend continues since the number of abortions for every livenew-born child dropped from 0.7
in 2000 to 0.4 in 2008
• The maternal mortality rate from dropped from 27 in 2000 to 17 in 2009
• The infant mortality rate dropped from 18 in 2000 to 12 in 2009
• The under five mortality rate dropped from 23 in 2000 to 14 in 2009
• The overall HIV incidence rate increasedfrom 4 in 2000 to 17 in 2009
• The HIV incidence rate population between 15 to 24 increased from 10 in 2000 to 19 in 2009
• National health costs/expenditure as share of GDPincreased from 3% in 2000 to 6% in 2009
These indicators show a clear positive impact on reproductive health policies and the use of
contraceptives but also show that there is still a lot of work to be done. HIV incidence increase for
adolescent population is less than half of what it is for the overall population. Even if we cannot establish
a causal link here in a scientific sense, the finding strongly suggests that peer-to-peer education has a
positive effect. Figure 2 shows in a more specific example how the capacity building in RH service
provision to vulnerable groups shows a positive impact, since HIV incidence among pregnant (screened)
women decreases constantly for the first time ever. The first year of decrease was 2007, coinciding with
the UNFPA CP cycle initiation.
UNFPA Moldova Extended Country Programme (2007-2011/12)
Outcome Evaluation
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