CONCEPT NOTE

BACKGROUND

The direct support, Public Works (PWs) projects and financial services are three components of the Vision 2020 Umurenge Program (VUP), introduced in 2008 as a flagship of the EDPRS1&2. VUP was established to tackle the challenge of poverty that hinders the quick achievement of socio-economic development, mainly identified in rural areas. It has contributed to significant decrease of poverty levels in Rwanda as the extreme poverty dropped from 40% in 2000/01 to 16.0% in 2016/17 while poverty dropped from 58.9% in 2000/01 to 38.2% in 2016/17.

In the framework of providing sound informing policy review of the current Ubudehe categorization, TI-RW decided to conduct the Mapping and situational analysis of current status VUP-PWs projects. This serves as integral part of the overall objective of TI-RW’s project which is to “enhance transparency and accountability in the implementation of social protection schemes particularly in the new ubudehe categorization implementation and related social protection programs”.

As documented by various researches (TI-RW, Basel Institute of Governance, IRDP etc.), the implementation of the current Ubudehe through its associated poverty alleviation programmes including tracing roads under VUP-PWs projects among others have experienced various challenges in its current implementation settings.

Keeping in mind that the intention of social protection schemes to alleviating poverty in Rwandan communities through the implementation of VUP-PWs projects starting from citizens with no or with very limited resources, the above mentioned harmful practices can deter the overall success of VUP-PWs if significant number of beneficiaries continues to claim being negatively affected by the implementation process.

More specifically, the TI-RW (2018) Citizens’ Satisfaction Survey report Community Satisfaction with Service Delivery in VUP-PW revealed a low level (43.6%) of accountability among local leaders, more particularly, in responding to citizen complaints related to the management of VUP-PW projects. As far as corruption in Ubudehe categorization is concerned, the report for VUP-PW project exhibited that the level of corruption perception in PWs is 73.7% in the selection and approval of VUP-PWs beneficiaries while the same report revealed that 21.7% of respondents under the concerned study were dissatisfied with compensation of damaged properties during the implementation of VUP-PW projects.

OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH
The core objective of TI-RW is to provide a broader picture through mapping and analyse current status from VUP-PWs projects’ implementation.
 
This assessment specifically deals with the following specific objectives :

Objective 1 : Mapping VUP-PWs’projects related to infrastructure-only roads in 30 districts
Objective 2 : Conduct a situational analysis of VUP-PWs’ effects on beneficiaries ‘properties
Objective 3 : Conduct the valuation of damaged assets
Objective 4 : Formulate Policy Recommendations on how to fairly implement VUP-PWs projects, especially when tracing Roads
 
OBJECTIVES OF THE EVENT
This meeting will provide an opportunity to exchange on TI-RW’s research findings, in order to come up with actionable recommendations to address identified challenges in the implementation of VUP-PWs projects in the new phase of Ubudehe programmes currently under review.
 
DATE, PLACE, TIME
This dialogue event will take place on 11th February 2020 from 08:30 – 12:40 at Ubumwe Hotel.