أفغانستان
No. 34886. International Development Association and Bhutan
Development Credit Agreement (Second Education Project) between the Kingdom of Bhutan and the International Development Association (with schedules and General Conditions Applicable to Development Credit Agreements dated 1 January 1985). Washington, 27 March 1998
Bhutan
Bhutan is a small, landlocked country in the eastern Himalayas situated between India and China. The country is almost entirely mountainous; the southern border with India is at an elevation of around 300 meters above sea level, and the northern border with China is more than 7,500 meters above sea level (ADB 2013). Limited access to the global market, together with the rugged terrain that constrains infrastructure development, poses a significant challenge to the country’s development and diversification. Tense diplomatic relations with China, moreover, constrain the country’s ability to overcome its reliance on India. India was the destination of 94 per cent of Bhutan’s exports and the origin of 79 per cent of imports in 2012. India also accounted for 93 per cent of net capital inflows in the 2014–2015 fiscal year.
Conclusions, recommendations and management response
Conclusion 1. Strategic positioning: UNDP has made valuable contributions to the development of Bhutan. However, given limited resources (due to graduation to MIC status), UNDP has the challenge and the opportunity to reposition itself to ensure it can continue to make significant and sustainable contributions to development. UNDP currently lacks theories of change and a results-based management framework. Such frameworks are necessary to more effectively support a MIC with the systems thinking needed to determine how much and how best to invest and when, and in what sequence. The use of such frameworks will help ensure the best use of limited resources and more effective and sustainable advances towards transformational change.
Foreword
It is my pleasure to present the second Independent Country Programme Evaluation of the UNDP in Bhutan, previously called ‘Assessment of Development Results’. The evaluation, which covered the 2014-2018 programme period, was conducted by UNDP’s Independent Evaluation Office, in close collaboration with the Government of Bhutan, UNDP Bhutan country office, UNDP Office of Audit and Investigations and UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.
Executive summary
The second Independent Country Programme Evaluation (ICPE) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Bhutan, previously called ‘Assessment of Development Results’ (ADR), was conducted by UNDP’s Independent Evaluation Office.
Acknowledgements
The UNDP Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) would like to thank all who contributed to this evaluation. The evaluation team was led by Ana Rosa Soares, IEO Senior Evaluation Advisor, with the support of Youri Bless, IEO Associate Lead Evaluator, and contributions from Arild Hauge, IEO Deputy Director, and independent evaluators Thaveeporn Vasavakul and Ugen P. Norbu. We also wish to thank Sonam Choetsho, IEO Evaluation Associate, who managed logistics for the mission. As a Bhutanese, she was key in assisting team members in collecting data with the right protocol and cultural contextual understanding, particularly when engaging with high-level officials and beneficiaries in the field, including helping with translation when local dialects were used.
Introduction
This chapter presents the purpose of the evaluation, an overview of Bhutan’s development context and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) country programmes, along with an explanation of the methodology used in this evaluation.
UNDP’s strategic positioning for advancing transformational change
This chapter provides an overview of aspects relating to UNDP’s strategic positioning and UN coordination for advancing transformational change in Bhutan.
Effectiveness of UNDP’s contributions to development results
This chapter outlines the effectiveness of UNDP’s key development contributions in Bhutan, under the two main programme areas — sustainable development and democratic governance — and the three CCPD outcomes UNDP contributed to during the current programme: Outcome 1 covers sustainable development, including aspects of poverty reduction and livelihoods, environmental sustainability, climate change adaptation/mitigation, and disaster risk management. Outcome 3 covers aspects of democratic governance, focusing on the strengthening of communities and institutions to achieve enhanced gender equality and the empowerment and protection of women. Outcome 4 also covers democratic governance aspects, focusing on development planning, justice, inclusiveness, transparency and mainstreaming of the SDGs, including gender equality and women’s empowerment.