Exit Project Nicaragua, background (English)

En 2007 el gobierno de Suecia decidió que la cooperación para el desarrollo bilateral con Nicaragua iba a cerrarse gradualmente durante el período de 2008 a 2011. El proceso de salida paulatina incluye la documentación de las experiencias de 30 años de cooperación con Nicaragua; una valoración de los resultados del período de 2001 a 2011; la divulgación de los resultados, experiencias y aprendizajes junto con una serie de actividades de cierre en los sectores de salud, de gobernabilidad democrática y derechos humanos y de desarrollo rural. La totalidad de estas actividades se engloban en el concepto Exit Project Nicaragua El objectivo general es “contribuir a un cierre paulatino responsablede la cooperación para el desarrollo de Suecia en Nicaragua”. El proyecto constituye de cinco tareas principales: • Valoración de resultados para el período de 2001–2008 • Valoración de resultados para el período de cierre paulatino de 2008–2011 • Documentación de 30 años de cooperación • Evento en Suecia en el 2010 • Help-desk informal – de diálogo y de comunicación – para los empleados de la SCD en Managua Objectivos de la comunicación: • Informar de que Exit Project Nicaragua existe • Incentivar a los grupos de interés a participar • Incentivar a los grupos de interés de organizar sus propias actividades • Divulgar aprendizajes, así aumentando el conocimiento sobre los mismos • Crear sinergias en el proyecto Principios guías para la comunicación: • Transparencia • Diálogo con respeto • Enfoque participativo • Incentivar y fomentar actividades • “Arenas” diferentes, promoviendo compartir experiencias • Material editado de manera professional Canales, herramientasy métodos: • Sitio web, herramienta principal para la documentación • El evento mayor en Suecia • Eventos en Nicaragua • Relaciones con medios y relaciones públicas • Encuentros y entrevistas • Informes de valoración de resultados, evaluaciones y estudios • Otros productos informativos como brochures, libros, películas, etc. Meta del sitio web: • Servir como punto único de entrada de toda la documentación • Generar discusiones y aumentar contactos • Servir como inspiración y para compartir conocimientos Sigue un texto ampliado en inglés. The overall objective of the Exit Nicaragua project is “To contribute to a responsible phase-out of the Swedish Development Cooperation with Nicaragua”. The more detailed project objective is “Dissemination of results, experiences and lessons learned from the Swedish Development Cooperation with Nicaragua”. Global Reporting has been contracted (Feb 2009) to coordinate, implement and facilitate different parts of the Exit Project. The project consists of the following main tasks: • Outcome assessment for the period 2001–2008. • Outcome assessment of the phase out period 2008–2011. • Documentation of 30 years of cooperation (to be defined in collaboration with SDC and Sida). • Event in Sweden 2010 to highlight results of the cooperation. Methodology Communication is the main area of action within the Exit Project Nicaragua, besides the documentation of results and outcome assessment. Communication is an interacting tool for disseminating the results from studies and evaluations, from interviews and audio-visual documentation, but it is also as a central activity in itself to help stimulate debate and discussion. Communication is an integrated part of all the activities that take place during the project with a focus on participation and dialogue. The following are the communication objectives for Exit Nicaragua: • To inform that the Exit Project Nicaragua is taking place. • To encourage the stakeholders to participate in the Exit process by contributing their own experiences. • To encourage stakeholders to arrange their own activities in relation to the Exit Project process. • To increase knowledge of development cooperation and communication by disseminating the lessons learned from the Swedish development cooperation with Nicaragua. • To create synergies in the project while facilitating links between the areas of action, documentation and communication. Outcome assessment for the period 2001–2008. The points of departure for this assessment will be the Regional Strategy for development cooperation with Central America 2001–2005 and the Country Program for Swedish support to Nicaragua 2003–2005 (extended until 2007). The assessment will focus on programs in the three priority sectors and the research cooperation with an allocation of 10 MSEK or above. With regard to support to civil society, a sample of contributions with lower allocations will be included. The assessment will also focus on some crosscutting issues and perspectives, e.g. the rights perspective, gender equity or local participation as a method of mobilizing people. Donor coordination and alignment is another possible issue to consider. The assessment will be guided by Sida´s instructions for results assessments. Outcome assessment of the phase out period 2008–2011 The point of departure will be the Phase-out strategy for Swedish support to Nicaragua. The focus of the assessment will be on results in the three priority sectors and the research cooperation, and particularly on issues highlighted in this strategy, such as the sustainability of results, including the political and financial sustainability of institutions and civil society organizations; and the dialogue with the government and other donors on priority issues, such as gender equity and SRHR, and to what extent other donors are continuing the work Sweden has been pursuing. A special focus of this assessment will be on analysing the phasing out process as such. The interactive website The major tool for the documentation of 30 years of cooperation will be the interactive website at www.exitnicaragua.net The website serves as a node for the entire documentation process. A major purpose of the website will be the publishing of a lager number of documents from the cooperation. In this aspect, the web site will function as a database. In addition, some printed material will also be produced. The following are the principal aims of the website: • To serve as the single entry point where all documents related to the cooperation/phasing out process could be found. • To generate discussions on the cooperation and increased contact among those who have been participation in the cooperation. • To serve as inspiration and sharing of knowledge for coming phasing out processes. Cooperation with other partners Exit Nicaragua should strive to stimulate cooperation with, and between, other actors and stakeholders. Another important area for cooperation is with universities and research institutions. Exit Nicaragua will strive to stimulate students and researchers to write papers and thesis in relation to the Swedish Nicaraguan cooperation. In this process there could be a mutual benefit between students/researchers and the project. Event in Stockholm and Managua During Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 a number of events will take place in Sweden and Nicaragua. A final event will take place in Stockholm during 2010 (in coordination with a similar exit process in Honduras) and a similar process will take place in Nicaragua. One fockus will be on how experiences from the Swedish supported cooperation could be useful in future cooperation with other donors. Guiding principles for communication • Transparency is the guiding principle for all activities within Exit Project Nicaragua. Participants should feel that they are free to express their opinions. In line with the principle, the entire Exit Project Nicaragua process will be transparent as all assessments, studies, report and other related documents will be immediately published at the Nicaragua Exit website. • The dialogue should be respectful but fully opened to the expression of different opinions. It should be clear that Sida does not put any limits on what is expressed. It should also be clearly stated that opinions expressed are not the views of Sida. • The project has a participative approach. All people engaged in Nicaragua should feel that have the space to fully express their own opinion. • Exit Project Nicaragua should encourage and stimulate other activities in relation to the Swedish-Nicaraguan cooperation. • The setting up of different “arenas” (according to sector, age, political bias, civil society or government function etc.) should promote a cross-over sharing of experience and lessons learned. • The studies produced within the framework of the Exit Project will be presented and edited in a professional and comprehensive way in order to attract a broad audience. Stakeholders There is a number of stakeholders relevant for Exit Project. The stakeholders should be seen as both participants in the process, and recipients of the results generated in the process. • Institutions, central and local government and authorities, both in Sweden and Nicaragua, with responsibilities in development cooperation over the years. • Organisations, both NGOs and CSOs, in Sweden as well as in Nicaragua, committed to development cooperation and development issues, exchange and other contacts people-to-people. • Universities with exchange programmes in Sweden and Nicaragua. • Media that have published or produced audio-visual material on respectively Nicaragua and Sweden, thus shaping the view of Nicaragua in Sweden, Sweden in Nicaragua and the cooperation itself. • Staff/individuals (present and former) at Sida, Nicaraguan government, NGOs, CSOs, educators and students, trade unions, consulting companies, volunteers, journalists, film makers, cultural workers and artists, organized study trips, participants in coffee-brigades, etc. who have been engaged in any of the formerly mentioned institutions and organisations or having acted on a personal basis. • Any other institution or individual who could learn and make use of the experiences of the Swedish development cooperation with Nicaragua. Encouraging other activities One important aim of the Exit Project is to stimulate other actors to arrange their own activities. The communication activities within the project should stimulate this process. In addition, journalists should be encouraged to cover Nicaragua and reflect on the cooperation and the results. Involving civil society Civil society organisations, both in Sweden and Nicaragua, have played an important role during all the years of cooperation. In order to benefit from their knowledge, it is vital to involve them from the very beginning of the phasing out process. In order to achieve this, a network with civil society organisations in Sweden will be created, where information and experiences could be shared. For more information contact: Info@exitnicaragua.net david@globalreporting.net