Call for stories on results and capacity development

Context

4-6 lines/100 words

The context provides an introduction to the story and includes only key information relevant to the story

Development Results

7-10 lines/150 words

This section provides the information and data on  results at outcome or impact level, which are strictly related to the story and logically follow from investments in capacities.

Enhanced performance 

15-20 lines/200 words

This section describes how the institutional performance has changed as a result of investments in capacity development; as well as prospects for sustainability of results. i.e. has service delivery improved and how; have good practices and systems been institutionalized; what improved performance have derived from innovative practices/innovations, etc…

ANAMA has established its headquarters in Baku and opened regional offices in Horadiz, Fizuli and Khanlar districts. Today, its well-trained staff applies standard operating procedures (SOPs) to perform their day-to-day functions. Looking at the cost effectiveness of ANAMA’s operations, the cost per square meter of cleared land has decreased from USD 500 in 1999 to USD 9 in 2001, and has further decreased to USD 1.5 since 2005. ANAMA conducts surveys and consults with the local population to identify mined areas and people at risk.

ANAMA’s performance has improved over time to the point that, today, it provides advice and training to institutions with similar mandates in neighboring countries, including Afghanistan, Georgia and Tajikistan. The support that it provides to neighboring institutions is delivered by the same people who have contributed to its establishment.

ANAMA has demonstrated its capacity to effectively respond to a sudden and hazardous situation. ANAMA effectively cleared the area affected by the explosion of the Soviet military ammunition warehouse in Aghstafa district. The explosion resulted in thousands of pieces of UXO scattered over an area 4,400 hectares, posing a serious threat to the local population.

The strong political support provided by the government to ANAMA’s leadership has been critical in strengthening its capacity; this includes the increased financial support through the government budget, which made up 80 percent of the institution’s budget in 2009 and ensured a continuous and reliable flow of funding.  Increased government funding has also contributed to strengthen ANAMA leadership’s upward accountability, particularly vis-à-vis the Prime Minister’s Office, to which ANAMA directly reports.

Support to the capacity development process

20-25 lines/300 words

This section describes firstly the domestic investments and processes in capacity development, which have led to the above described changes, including issues of leadership and others; secondly the donor-supported investments and processes in capacity development

a) National investments

b) Development partners’ support

a) National investments

Further impoverished by the conflict with Armenia, in 1998 Azerbaijan had not yet started exploiting its oil resources and depended on development partners, including UNDP, for financial support for the establishment of this new institution. Emerging from the USSR, the newly sovereign country lacked experience both in the area of establishing new institutions as well as de-mining. Azerbaijan’s fledgling institutions needed support to move away from the old communist system of planning and management towards needs-based planning and results-based management, more consultations with the people they served, and greater accountability. Notwithstanding the need for external support, Azerbaijan and ANAMA’s process of acquisition of new knowledge (i.e. new procedures, results-base management, needs-based planning, etc…) and skills was effective given the country’s full ownership of the process, strong support from the leadership and the enabling environment in which the efforts took place. Far from being a donors’ project, ANAMA was established in 1998 by Presidential Decree, under the State Commission for Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of war affected territories. Since its inception, ANAMA has benefited from the financial and political support of the country’s leadership, including the Prime Minister, to whom the institution directly reports to.

As a showcase of the degree of country ownership and leadership, in 2004, the Ministry of Education and ANAMA signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the integration of Mine Risk Education (MRE) into the school curriculum. The Ministry of Education still holds full responsibility for the performance of MRE programme, which now covers 52,000 children in 1,200 schools of war-affected districts every year. 

Translating new knowledge and skills into better organizational performance and institutionalizing newly introduced practices and procedures have proven to be effective given the high level of existing capacity. The former USSR had invested considerably in higher education, therefore ANAMA and Azerbaijan had an initial considerable level of capacity to build on.  The relatively quick phasing-out of UNDP-supported international advisors was due to the high level of competency of the national ANAMA staff that they were supporting.

b) Development partners’ support

Since 1999 UNDP has supported ANAMA with technical assistance, advisory services and financial resources. The core capacity development support has included a pool of international advisors, who were brought into the country to train local ANAMA staff and introduce new systems and procedures to support the management of the institution. Firstly, the institution was supported by international advisors only for a limited amount of time: more than 11 advisors were deployed starting from 1998, who had all left by 2005.  Advice was also given to the preparation of the Azerbaijan National Strategic Plan on Mine Action and adoption of International Mine Action Standards.