Skip to main content

Community Alerts Project (CAP) RFQ141017-1630 Final Evaluation

Countries
Dominica
+ 3 more
Sources
UNDP
Publication date
Origin
View original

Executive summary

UNDP CAP initiative considers that alerting communities is a process characterised by multiple challenges: an effective alert must be issued in multiple formats to reach the larger proportion of the population and must be consistent, intelligible and trusted. Current existing systems are challenged to reach all publics segments in all time and in a coherent and effective manner. While "scientific" components of Early Warning Systems are being addressed by several regional projects reinforcing forecasting capacities such as the CIMHlead ERC project and the DEWETRA platform, much remains to be done to achieve a hazard information flow from forecaster to population at risk, through coordinated national mechanisms.

This Community Alert Project (CAP), financed by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection DIPECHO program, targeted six pilot communities within three countries (Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) to enhance community resilience and demonstrate a coherent approach to emergency alerting. The project sought specifically to:

  • Improve awareness of natural hazards and the associated preparation and response protocols in 6 pilot communities.

  • Demonstrate the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) as a process to improve community alerting with a view to wider application within the pilot countries and other Caribbean states.

These outputs, covering a broad range of Comprehensive Disaster Management elements, aim to contribute to the intended United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) outcome of “Enhanced capacity of national, sub-regional and regional institutions and stakeholders to effectively manage natural resources, build resilience to the adverse impacts of climate change and natural and anthropogenic hazards; improved energy efficiency and use of renewable energy; improved policy, legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks for environmental and energy governance.” The present exercise is the final project evaluation, which is intended to establish the level of change in the measured variables and the level of success of the outputs achieved and contributions to outcome level changes. Additionally, the evaluation assesses the contribution of the project to the outcome level results, normally demonstrated as changes in the performance of institutions or changes in behaviour.

This evaluation identifies the outputs produced and the contributions to results at outcome level as well as positive or negative changes produced along the way, including possible unexpected results.

Key elements observed are:

  • The relevance of the project, and in particular its regional dimensions

  • The effectiveness of the achievement of results at output level and efficiency with which the ECHO resources have been used

  • The usefulness and sustainability of the results/project targets for the beneficiaries

  • UNDP’s performance as development partners and added value to the expected results Conclusions:

  1. According to the criteria presented by interviewed actors, and the analysis of the project’s context, it is considered that the type of action selected is highly relevant to the needs of the countries covered, and in line with DIPECHO and UNDP outcomes and goals.

  2. By mid-December 2014, the project has partially achieved its intended outputs and objectives. Very important actions have been implemented and should be considered as key contributions to the medium and long-term process of resilience building and disaster preparedness.

  3. The project followed UNDP rules and procedures in terms of the efficient use of funds.
    According to the minutes of Project Board meetings, there were no concerns in regards to these terms. In terms of the use of resources, it can be observed that the level of expenditures and commitments is 90%.

  4. In terms of management, the role of the Project Coordinator has been considered as key element for the process, as well as UNDP and the Project Board.

  5. One of the key characteristics of this action is its level of expected continuity and sustainability, namely at regional scale given the level of CDEMA’s and UNDP’s regional office commitment. At the local level, sustainability will require additional technical and financial efforts in order to consolidate the results.