Washington Evaluators Brown Bag March 17, 2015 Washington, DC

1. Alisher Nazirov
MonEvCop Tajikistan
GWU, 17 March 2015
Building Program Evaluation Capacity in Central Asia
Monitoring and Evaluation Practice in Tajikistan

2. Outline
1. Prehistory / Background
2. Central Asia and M&E
3. Country presentations
a. General information about the country
b. M&E system and PAR
 Environment for M&E
 Players in the field of M&E
 Possibilities and limitations for M&E
c. National M&E Network
 Interaction and Partnership
 Activities
 Outlook

3. Prehistory / Background
• EvalPartners P2P Support Program - Small Grant
Facility, 2014:
“Institutional and Professional Capacity Building Project
between Washington Evaluators and Central Asian
VOPEs”
• PDW “Evaluation: Context,Theory of Change, Design”,
Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, December 8-11, 2014, by: Dr
Donna M Mertens, PhD, Independent Consultant,
former President of AEA

4. M&E in Central Asia
• Limited initiation of evaluations by governments in Central
Asia
• Individuals and NGOs are most interested in learning
• Initiatives on integrating M&E in the curricula of higher
educations and public management institutions
• Good examples:
Kyrgyz Republic

5. Tajikistan
• A former Soviet Union country in the South-East of
Central Asia
• Independence in 9/9/1991
• Population: 8 161 100 - 26.5% in urban areas (Jan 2014)
• Language:Tajik (official)
• Neighbors: Uzbekistan,
China,
Afghanistan and
Kyrgyz Republic
• Landlocked country,
93% mountainous

6. • Transition to a market economy
• GDP $9,241.4 million in 2014 (137 of 184, IMF)
• HDI 133 out of 187 (0.607, 2013 est.)
81.0%
72.4%
53.5%
46.7% 45.0% 42.0% 38.3% 35.6% 32.0%
0.0%
20.0%
40.0%
60.0%
80.0%
100.0%
1999 2003 2007 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Poverty Rate
Tajikistan

7. Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan: Low income countries . .
$12,700
$10,830
$9,750
$5,680
$4,090 $3,720
$2,250
$1,530
$990 $860
World Bank data.
GNI per capita (Atlas exchange
rates, 2012)

8. Migration and remittances
Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan
27%
41%
29%
47%
31%
49%
2010
2011
2012
Tajikistan,
Kyrgyzstan are 1st, 3rd
largest recipients of
remittance inflows in
the world
IMF-WEO, World Bank data, UNDP calculations.
Remittance inflows
relative to GDP

9. M&E System and PAR
 M&E emerged upon independence
 Public Administration Reform Strategy of RT, from 15 March
2006
 Monitoring is integrated in the state programmes and
strategies (NDS 2007-2015, PRS/MTDS) – lack of linkages
between national, sectoral and local level M&E syst.
 Automated monitoring system under MEDT
 Focus mostly on monitoring
 No guidelines or methodology on M&E
 The strategies are limited with bounded logframe
 Lack of resources in official language

10. M&E System and PAR: Environment
a. Framework conditions: a law, formation of the institutional
environment
– Law of the RT “On state prognosis, concepts , strategies and
programs of socio-economic development of the RT”, 8/12/2003
– Government Decree 2/5/2008 “On monitoring and evaluation of
implementation of medium-term PRS in the RT” – “Guidelines on
monitoring and evaluation of implementation of medium-term
PRS in the RT”
– Imperfect legal framework for introducing M&E in the public
sector
– Lack of evaluation culture and environment: no demand for
evaluation with heavy focus on financial audits only
– Lack of M&E related programmes in the tertiary education system

11. M&E System and PAR: Environment cont.
b. Organizational capacity
– Existing institutions (StatAgency, Strategic Research Center)
conduct specific independent studies and research only.
– Number of independent research agencies provide services
– Capacity exist in the in the International organizations,
however, predominantly evaluations are donor-driven.
– Similar challenges exist with local NGOs.
c. Human resources
– Capacity exists in specific areas, such as research, surveys.
Limited number of local experts that can conduct evaluation
independently.

12. M&E System and PAR: Players
• Strategic Research Center under the President and
respective units of ministries and agencies;
• International Organizations;
• Few separate NGOs (Center of Sociological Research
"Zerkalo", research consulting company “M-Vector
Tajikistan”, BARS, SHARQ etc.)
• Monitoring and Evaluation Community of Practice of
Tajikistan that unites number of individuals from
different geographic areas;

13. M&E System and PAR: Possibilities and limits
Possibilities
• Demand for M&E and M&E specialists is growing
• Government recognizes the importance of M&E,
though very limited
Limitations
• Lack of specialists
• Lack of legal framework and regulations
• Country’s capacity and reliance on foreign aid
• Lack of evaluation culture and resistance

14. National M&E Network
• Established in 2008
• Voluntary platform for information sharing
– Active phase: 2008-2011 where monthly meetings were
organized
– Passive phase: 2012-2014 – communications via mailing list
• 5 executive committee members (on rotational basis)
• 118 members from all aroundTajikistan, growing on
annual basis

15. National M&E Network: Interaction and Partnership
• Member of the International Program Evaluation
Network (IPEN)
• Collaborate with the M&E networks in Central Asia and
Russian Federation;
• Partnership with EvalPartners

16. National M&E Network: Activities
• Attended the first EvalParterns Forum in Chiang Mai,
Thailand 2012
• Part of number of working groups (Advocacy in
Evaluation, Enabling Environment)
• Two members attended a workshop on “Evaluation:
Context,Theory of Change, Design” by Dr Donna
M.Mertens in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
• Regular attendance and contribution to IPEN annual
Conferences
• Full scholarship received for one member to attend an
IPDET 2014 workshop

17. National M&E Network: Outlook
• Making use of events attended by different members
• Developing partnership and expanding network:
– collaboration with neighboringVOPEs and educational
institutions;
– Building bridges betweenTajik academic / public institutions
and international counterparts
• Elaboration of resources in local language
• Launch website till the end of the year
• Registration

18. Thank you
Alisher Nazirov
MonEvCoP Tajikistan, Executive member
alisher.mn@gmail.com
Mr Farhod Khamidov
MonEvCoP Tajikistan, Founder and Coordinator
fkhamidov@gmail.com