Mid-Term Evaluation of the Regional Political Cooperation Programme (RPC)

Ref N°: 490

Detailed description of project 

Within the Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) of the 10th EDF, 2 focal areas were identified for cooperation within the SADC region: (1) Regional Economic Integration and (2) Regional Political Cooperation. The general objective of the 2nd focal area is to assure democracy, peace and security, in a framework for balanced development, through higher levels of regional political cooperation. The importance of peace, security and good governance as prerequisites for development are outlined in the Joint EU-Africa Strategy (JEAS) as well as in the main SADC Strategic Documents – Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and the Strategic Indicative Plan for the Organ (SIPO). As such, the 10th EDF Programme on Regional Political Cooperation (RPC) intends to bolster the regional pillar of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) through supporting implementation of the peace, security and conflict prevention agenda at the SADC level as well as associated flanking policies.

In order to achieve this objective, the RPC programme is centred on 4 different components – each component has a specific key result (KR) to be achieved at the end of the programme:

• Strengthening Democratic Institutions : Democratic institutions in the region are strengthened through consolidated institutionalisation of the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections;
• Conflict Prevention and Management : Regional capacities to prevent and manage conflicts reinforced
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Management: Enhanced Regional Capacity in Respect of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Disaster Management (DM) and the Coordination and Support of Humanitarian Assistance.
• Trafficking in Persons: Raised Awareness, Cooperation and Action Against Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, in the SADC Region.

The main objectives of the evaluation are to provide the EU Delegation and the SADC Secretariat with:

• A overall independent assessment of the performance to date of the Regional Political Cooperation programme, paying particularly attention to the results of the project against its objectives;
• Key lessons and (practical) recommendations in order to improve the programme’s overall performance towards meeting the expected results;
• Practical recommendations to adjust the programme’s scope, objectives and/or activities in relation to external factors and contextual developments around the programme that have not been sufficiently taken on board in the initial project design.

Type of services provided

Inception Phase

• Structuring the evaluation.

Field Phase

• Data collection;
• Analysis;
• Verification of hypothesis/preliminary findings.

Synthesis phase

• Analysis and Judgements ;
• Drafting and Finalisation of the report.

The services are provided by a team of 3 experts (Team leader, Democratisation specialist; Governance specialist).

PROMAN provides the services of the Democratisation Specialist.