Situation Analysis. The situation analysis in this section is not comprehensive. It does not aim to provide a substantive political economy analysis of the electoral environment in Pakistan, or the relationships, incentives and power structures which have shaped the evolution of this environment. Rather the aperture for the analysis, for the purposes of brevity, is narrowed to the specific thematic areas that define the programme of work detailed in the pages that follow. The analysis provided focuses on the current operational context from a programming perspective. It identifies the political constraints, and the perceived political risks, in order to ensure that planned interventions are politically informed; assesses, where applicable, the institutional capacity, and appetite, for external assistance; and, in broad terms, highlights why and where specific programme interventions are required. The performance of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), as an institution, and the extent to which political parties and voters have confidence in its ability to ensure credible and legitimate elections, has a direct bearing on political stability in Pakistan. Notwithstanding the incremental progress it has made over the past five years, the ECP will continue to require international technical assistance throughout the current electoral cycle, and for at least the first quarter of the next electoral cycle. This is the estimated timeframe required for external assistance to support the ECP in addressing electoral administration and institutional development challenges, and ensuring longer term sustainability. The bullets below provide a summary of some of the core challenges that undermine the ECP’s ability to enhance the quality of elections in Pakistan.
Situation Analysis. 9. Viet Nam has enjoyed rapid economic growth since the launch of the Doi Moi reform process in 1986, with current growth rates averaging around 7-8% per annum. Viet Nam is making impressive progress toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The country has more than halved its poverty rate and seen improvements in under-five mortality, primary school enrolment, child malnutrition, maternal mortality, life expectancy, and access to clean water and sanitation. Moreover, the reforms have created space for economic, social and cultural activities beyond the confines of Government and Party institutions. As Viet Nam rapidly moves toward middle-income status, it faces a new set of challenges. The complexity of these challenges call for a comprehensive, robust and diversified response from the UN Organizations operating in Viet Nam through the One Plan.
10. The recorded poverty rate fell from 58.1 % in 1993 to 19.5 % in 2004 and to 15.9 % in 2006 as based on the international poverty line (GSO – VHLSS). According to the Vietnamese poverty line, poverty decreased from 18% in 2001 to 7% in 2005 (see SEDP). Poverty rates are however still high and extreme poverty remains heavily concentrated in remote, isolated and ethnic minority regions. Furthermore, drug and crime related problems and transnational organized crime, including human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, money laundering, corruption, and domestic violence, are closely linked to poverty and social policy issues for sustainable development.
11. Pressure to create sustainable, productive and decent employment for all, especially for youth, remains high. Shortage of skilled workers for the burgeoning manufacturing and service sectors has already emerged as a serious bottleneck. As the economy continues to grow, manufacturing and service sectors will require a rapid transfer of workers from agriculture, and an increased demand of specialised skills. Gender sensitive human resource development, vocational and skills training are primary strategies to ensure progress.
12. Helping people stay out of poverty will become increasingly important, as poverty reduction strategies will gradually give way to social policy strategies to address life cycle vulnerabilities and risks attached to ill health, disability, unemployment, maternity, old age and the costs of having and raising children.
13. The domestic private sector is increasingly the main engine of economic growth and job creation. Both inw...
Situation Analysis. This section of the plan identifies the constraints and assumptions that exist for the program. Program assumptions are statements taken for granted or truth that define the scope of the program. Constraints are restrictions that affect the scope of the program. Both are circumstances and events that need to be managed for the program to be successful but are outside the total control of the program team. The assumptions and constraints provide a historical perspective when evaluating the program’s performance and determining justification for program-related decisions and direction.
Situation Analysis. 2.1. Accession to the European Union (EU) is at the core of the country‟s development agenda. The shared common vision for joining EU generates the necessary momentum for political, economic and social reforms and contributes to building consensus on important policy issues across ethnic lines and political divides. Acceding to the EU represents tremendous opportunity, but also a challenge for the country, particularly due to the country‟s low socio-economic standing and capacity constraints1.
2.2. The country falls into the lower middle income range of countries with a per capita income of US $2,646 (2007) and HDI of 0.817 (HDR 2007). Despite the recent improvement and the likely over-estimation due to a substantial informal sector, unemployment (31.6% as of August 2009) and poverty rates (29.4 as of 2007) remain high and stagnant. Income disparities are growing, which suggest further income segregation between different social groups and geographic areas. The depth of poverty between 1997 and 2007 was on steady rise, suggesting that the living and social standards of poor were increasingly lagging behind of the rest of the population. Also, the urban poverty in secondary i.e. middle-size towns has risen2.
2.3. The global economic crisis and reduced international demand has negatively affected the country‟s economic performance, in particular in terms of reduced export opportunities, inflow of foreign capital and budget revenues. In response, the Government has undertaken a series of anti-crises policy measures and programmes for mitigating the potential impact of the crises on corporate profits, household incomes and employment opportunities.
2.4. The profound regulatory reform has improved the legal and institutional environment for doing business, however, the competitiveness of the business sector and the capacity to generate new employments is lagging behind. Entrepreneurship is still under-developed and labour market expansion has not been sufficient to re-employ workers made redundant from the economic restructuring, nor to absorb new entrants into the labour force. Young people and members of vulnerable groups including the Roma, the long-term unemployed, the disabled and women, particularly from rural areas are disproportionately disadvantaged in seeking employment or re-employment, and have hence been identified as priority target groups in national employment programmes.
2.5. The mid-point MDG analysis showed progress made in promoting gender e...
Situation Analysis. 2.1 With a human development index ranking of 126 out of 187, the Kyrgyz Republic is in the lower half of the medium human development countries. It rises seventeen places in the inequality-adjusted human development index. The country is 66 of 146 countries in UNDP’s gender inequality index.1 The country’s 2010 MDG report indicates that the country is unlikely to meet the MDGs for child and maternal mortality, tuberculosis, sanitation, and gender equality, although it is on track on extreme poverty reduction, access to basic secondary education, and access to improved water sources.2 Maternal mortality (51.2 deaths per 100,000 births in 2010) and child mortality (37 per 1,000) were relatively high by regional standards.
2.2 Since independence in 1991, Kyrgyzstan has seen periods of democratic progress and of authoritarian backlash. With the fleeing of two presidents (in 2005 and 2010) after popular uprisings against authoritarianism, corruption and human rights violations; coupled with regional disparities and the repercussions of the inter-ethnic violence of June 2010, the country is going through a difficult process of transformation. In June 2010 several serious inter-ethnic confrontations took place in the south of the country. About 420 people died and 2,000 were injured, while over 2,000 houses and 300 businesses were destroyed.
2.3 As result of June 2010 referendum a new constitution has been adopted. The new Constitution defines the Kyrgyz Republic as a parliamentary republic (during the previous 18 years, the country was a presidential republic) thus making it the only country with a parliamentary system in Central Asia. Parliamentary elections held in October 2010 were contested by 29 parties, with five winning places in Parliament and three forming a new coalition Government. Presidential elections held in October 2011 resulted in peaceful transfer of power. However, peace and social cohesion cannot be taken for granted, as the root causes of conflict, including inter-ethnic mistrust and regional tensions, eroded credibility of state institutions, social exclusion and uneven access to economic opportunities remain to be addressed.
2.4 Kyrgyzstan in the past has seen concentration of powers around the presidency, with state institutions not perceived to be efficient, transparent or accountable. There is still work to be done to support the Government to strengthen the rule of law, address justice issues, reduce the prevalence of human rights vio...
Situation Analysis. The Government of Japan (GoJ) announced a USD 5 billion assistance package including USD
Situation Analysis. We were successful in the goal to expose our students to different vocational pathways.
Situation Analysis. 2.1 Armenia's economic policy has been shaped since the mid-1990s by market-oriented reforms and macro- economic stability frameworks. These "first generation" reforms stimulated average annual growth of 12% in 2001-2007. However, growth remains narrowly based, with exports concentrated in a few products. Deficien- cies in the business environment are a particular handicap for small and medium-sized firms. The economy makes insufficient use of knowledge and innovation. Poverty reduction has relied significantly on fiscal trans- fers and private remittances. As a result, unemployment still affects one-fifth of the labor force, with rates espe- cially high outside the capital. Regional economic disparities remain pronounced. Income per capita averaged US$2,100 in 2007.
2.2 Vulnerable groups face heightened inequalities and poverty. Residents of small and medium-sized towns are most at risk and have experienced a slower reduction in poverty than have other groups. Children under 2 UNDP COUNTRY PROGRAM ACTION PLAN (C PAP) five are the most vulnerable age group, with 5.6% under the minimum level of dietary energy consumption; poverty reduction has been particularly slow for this age group. The elderly, migrants, and refugees have also benefited less from recent economic growth and often lack basic social services.
2.3 High joblessness and uneven distribution of the fruits of growth have caused social dissatisfaction, but governance weaknesses are also to blame. According to the World Bank index of "Governance Atmosphere," governance has improved overall in Armenia. However, indicators covering accountability, rule of law, cor- ruption, and media freedom are less favorable. Measures to reduce corruption, improve public services, and increase respect for human and political rights are necessary to ensure sustainable development in Armenia.
2.4 Armenia is at high risk to climate change, with lower precipitation, higher temperatures and more extreme events predicted. Increased economic activity has already put Armenian natural resources under pressure. Land conservation and biodiversity preservation are challenges. Deforestation and illegal logging persist owing to poor law enforcement. Inadequate waste management poses danger to public health and the environment. Radioactive waste from the Metzamor nuclear power plant is another concern given the possible decommis- sioning of the plant and plans for the construction of a new one. Improved water management is criti...
Situation Analysis. We are going to continue working towards increasing the MEESR Math exam success rate over the next years. Three of our teachers are going to join the 2016 cohort involved in the LCEEQ Conceptual Math intervention plan focusing on content knowledge, and conceptual learning as cornerstones to build student capacity. They will share their knowledge with the rest of the teachers. The science of robotics is introduced in grades 3 and 5 and remains in our programs. Math Olympics was a huge success in February 2015. The students from all cycles, as well as Kindergarten participated in the competition. Kindergarten was recognitions of numbers one to twenty, the cycle 1 worked on additions and subtractions, while the cycle 2 worked on multiplications and the cycle 3 did multiplications and divisions. Math Olympics should be introduced back in the school routine for the year 2016-2017. We will train interested teachers for Reflex math to improve the automatic arithmetic responses from grades 2 -6.
Situation Analysis. We will continue to provide high levels of French instruction as a staff in the cultural as well as academic areas. We need to develop rubrics for global evaluation of progress from one class and grade to another. We will continue to focus on small group reading for improving comprehension and fluency. We will continue with front loading resource support for literacy in the English language for students in grades 5 and 6 as they transfer their knowledge and abilities of reading and writing into English. We will continue to observe and regulate the two languages as at Birchwood and expose our students to various French and English cultural activities. As part of the “Culture in the Schools” grant, Xxxxxxxx Xxxxxx presented some of her books to Kindergarten, Cycles 1 and 2. Some of the books were , “Xxxx Xxxxxxx” , “Ça Commence Ici” and many more. She highlighted her illustrations and created pictures for the students. In Cycle 3, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx presented his work and explained the writing process.
