Capacity Development in Europe & CIS

UNDP Georgia recruited Ivane Shamugia as Capacity Assessment Specialist in late 2008 as part of its Capacity Building Fund project in order to elaborate and apply a “quick” capacity assessment methodology.

 

Answer: It should be noted from the outset, that the methodology and its application are a result of team work and collaboration. There is a lot of support for this approach.

 

The “quick” capacity assessment methodology has been designed with the aim to further support the capacity development approach in the Georgian context. It is not very comprehensive (neither it is supposed to be) and similarly, the capacity development response proposal deals only with the most priority issues. The methodology enables the country office to make rapid evaluations of capacities and propose the most priority actions. This tool has proven very useful, when a more targeted or scaled-down approach is desired in a limited time frame.

 

The methodology is used in conjunction with the UNDP corporate capacity assessment framework and is intended to promote a common frame of reference for local development practitioners and others looking to conduct a quick capacity assessment. It should also be noted, that the methodology is a living document and it gets improved along the way, reflecting lessons learned from each assessment.

 

A: As acknowledged, besides a capacity assessment or the resulting interpretation of its findings and the creation of capacity development response proposal, there is still much to accomplish in terms of implementation. It was realized that the main tenet of the approach to the quick capacity assessment is that beneficiaries and the capacity assessment specialist are collaborators at almost every stage of the process including implementation of identified and prioritized capacity development actions.

 

 

A: It is envisaged to make extensive use of the methodology with the wide-range of UNDP Georgia programming activities. It has been applied in different situations, in different institutions with different roles and missions. I have learned that the process of capacity development requires understanding of the country’s processes and the influence of social, political, economic and historical contexts; I have learned that this approach requires UNDP take on a supportive and facilitating role rather than a leadership position and that it is a demand-based approach designed to meet the needs and priorities of the institutions, which serve a specific purpose in the society.    

 

A: The issue of how much can be addressed by any single “quick” capacity assessment and capacity development process with a limited amount of time.

 

A: Before finalizing the results of the assessment it is important that findings are presented in a way that allows for the consideration of comments, validations and other forms of feedback. A validation workshop brings together all relevant stakeholders and it generally starts with a presentation of the assessment results, allowing key stakeholders to gain a common understanding on the findings along the identified core issues. This is usually followed by discussion. What is important is that all stakeholders are given an opportunity to contribute their views and to do so in an open and honest dialogue. This increases the level of trust and credibility, so that ownership of the assessment results is shared by all and a strong foundation is built for the way forward.

 

A: Keep the beneficiaries motivated. Generate a sense of ownership among them on the capacity assessment report and the capacity development strategy. Keep the senior management of the target institution satisfied. Keep all the key stakeholders informed. Keep asking: “will it make development sense if it works and is it built for the organization concerned?”