Outcome: By 2020, high quality data and analytical evidence are available and used to support equity sensitive and child centered policy discussion and implementation.
Output:
By 2020, improved national data collection and monitoring system to support planning, budgeting and monitoring of the situation of children and women, in particular the most disadvantaged groups.
By 2020, improved institutional capacity on effective and child-sensitive evidence based planning and budgeting supported by policy analysis and recommendations, and an enhanced social protection system.
By 2020, policy makers, opinion leaders, general public and children with increased awareness and capacities to identify and respond to human rights and equity dimensions of social inclusion.
The Social Inclusion programme will contribute to effective advocacy for an improved social policy enabling environment for child development in Timor-Leste. This will be achieved through generating knowledge and evidence, and developing national capacity on result-based planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation in supporting to achieve towards the national Strategic Development Plan 2011-2030, the New Deal Peacebuilding and State building Goals, the Millennium Development Goals and the post 2015 global agenda. It is expected that by 2019, high quality data and analytical evidence are available and used to support equity sensitive and child centered budgeting policy discussion, planning and implementation.
The Data, Monitoring and Evaluation project will support the creation of a sound national monitoring and evaluation system to generate real-time, credible, reliable and useful evidence, enabling timely incorporation of findings, recommendations and lessons learned into the decision-making processes and support project reforms and innovations. The expected results is, by 2019, improved national data collection and monitoring system to support planning, budgeting and monitoring of the situation of children and women, in particular the most disadvantaged groups. In order to improve the availability of disaggregated child-centred data that highlight existing inequities, assistance will be provided to reinforce knowledge management and institutional capacity in the General Directorate of Statistics and social sector ministries through the expanded use of DevInfo, the introduction of innovative technological models and the establishment of a publicly accessible Child Knowledge Centre. UNICEF will also collaborate in national data collection activities, particularly the 2015 National Population and Housing Census and the 2016 Demographic and Health Survey. In supporting the De-concentration and decentralization process, UNICEF will assist with the development of subnational planning and monitoring mechanisms, including the testing of models that allow real-time data collection and monitoring. The improved data and information will also support the preparation of the government’s report to the CRC Committee, and monitoring of the implementation of CRC recommendations.
In partnership with the Ministry of Finance and key social sector ministries and in collaboration with the World Bank and other development partners, the social policy analysis for advocacy project targets improved institutional capacity on effective and child-sensitive evidence based planning and budgeting supported by policy analysis and recommendations, and enhanced social protection system. The project will provide support the conduct of high-quality policy and expenditure analysis to support the development of policies and implementation strategies. This will include documentation and evaluation of pilot models of service delivery at local level, to inform and leverage the allocation and expenditure of national budgets in the social sector, especially for programmes and activities that support children’s health, nutrition, education and protection. UNICEF will also support institutional and human capacity building in evidence-based budget planning, monitoring and execution for social sector ministries through South-South cooperation. The project will build on the existing partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity to further enhance social protection programmes which focus on disadvantaged children and families.
In partnership with the Commission on the Rights of the Child and the Secretariat of the State for Social Communication and other stakeholders, UNICEF will enhance the capacity of media professionals to advocate for the realization of child rights. UNICEF will reach out to policy makers, opinion leaders, community leaders and the media to enhance investment in children with special focus on equity. The media will be supported to enhance ethical and responsive reporting on issues affecting children’s lives. Communities will be equipped with knowledge and practices on life saving key behaviors through the implementation of behavior change and social communication initiatives. The capacity of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child and other institutions will be enhanced to provide follow up on observations and recommendations made by the Committee on the Rights.
The social inclusion programme will use a number of strategies including using evidence generated from improved data collection system, systematic situation analysis, and policy and programme evaluations. The programme will make efforts to build national and local institution and human capacity on data collection, analysis, and policy formulation, monitoring and reporting, with consideration of disaggregated information and policy for the most disadvantaged children. Knowledge management system will be developed and used to facilitate better understand of situation of children and monitoring the development progress. The programme will follow the principles of Human Rights Based Approach for Programming and consider both the claim-holders and duty-bearers, stakeholders’ role and capacity development. The Programme will ensure sex-disaggregated data are collected and used for policy development and programme monitoring.
The key partners of the social inclusion programme are the Ministry of Finance, mainly the General Directorate of Statistics, the General Directorate of Budget and the Development Partnership Management Unit. Other partners will be the Planning unit under the Prime Minister Office and Planning Departments of the Ministries of Health, Education, Justice, and Social Solidarity. The programme will also seek the collaboration with academic research institutes, International and local NGOs. At local level, the programme implementing partners will be the District Administration of each of the five focus districts. Partnerships with the growing number of private sector partners will be explored.
UNICEF will work with the Implementing Partners to develop programme activity plans, implement the programme activities and monitor and report on progress made. UNICEF will provide technical support to the Implementing Partners in developing and designing of the programme activities and introduce international experience and good practices to further enhance the technical credibility of the interventions. UNICEF will also support the Government to share its experience and good practices with other countries and partners through promoting South-South Cooperation.
