Year: 2003
Client: Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS)
Country: The Netherlands
Value TA: ? 18,000 (Teamleader)
External evaluation of Share-net, the Netherlands? network on sexual and reproductive health and AIDS. This evaluation reviewed and assessed the past three years of Share-net?s performance and provided inputs for a next phase. Share-net started functioning in the course of the year 2000 in response to recommendations of the Cairo+5 platform (1999), the Aids Coordination Group (1998-2000) and DGIS? felt need for a civil society platform as counterpart in important policy areas. The rationale for establishing the network lay in the need to strengthen (inter-) national support for S&RH and rights and the fight against HIV/AIDS, and the importance of the role of the Netherlands Government, NGOs and consultants in these fields, and the utilisation of relevant Dutch expertise. The Share-net policy framework 2002-2003 provided broad guiding principles, mission, objectives and organisation, as well as broad guidelines for strategies, outputs and activities. By 2002 Share-net membership consisted of 34 member organisations and 18 individuals. Together they contributed half of the annual budget and the other half was provided by DGIS.
The evaluation (a) assessed the appropriateness of the strategies and mechanisms used and against the background of the outputs realised, (b) priorities and expectations of the members, their participation, (c) existing complementarities and/of overlap and (d) organisational and management issues. The challenge for the evaluation mission was to arrive at conclusions and recommendations acceptable to most members of share-net and sufficiently operational to serve as a strategic input for the policy framework 2003 ? 2005. This framework was considered essential in order to secure further funding by institutional members and DGIS. In order to come to its assessments and recommendations the mission (a) reviewed existing documentation, (b) conducted interviews with resource persons, participated in two Working Group sessions and conducted a small electronic survey amongst the various members. Conclusions and recommendations were presented and discussed during a final workshop. Although, as would be expected, the conclusions and recommendations evoked many comments from various members, almost all of them were accepted in the end and subsequent financing was realised.