Triangulation: All information and data collected from multiple sources was triangulated before any evaluative judgements were made. The evaluation design matrix guided how each of the questions was addressed based on the available evidence, facilitated the analysis and supported the evaluation team to draw well-substantiated findings, conclusions and recommendations. Evaluation quality assurance: The report went through a series of internal and external reviews in line with the IEO peer-review process, to ensure a sound and robust evaluation methodology and analysis of the findings, conclusions and recommendations. Following these reviews, the draft ICPE report was shared with the country office and Regional Bureau for factual corrections, and then with the Government and other national partners and key stakeholders in Moldova. Evaluation limitations: The travel restrictions posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic limited the capacity to conduct face-to-face interviews and interact with the different stakeholder groups and communities benefiting from UNDP support. Virtual technology, however, allowed the team to establish and maintain quality in-depth interactions with a diverse number of key informants. The challenges posed by remote data collection were mitigated through a broader and a more in-depth desk review and synthesis of existing data, as well as by increasing the number and quality of consultations with different stakeholders. A large number of interviews with national key informants were conducted in local languages (Romanian and Russian), which ensured a comfortable and conducive environment for interviewees to converse and fully express feedback and perceptions. The lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions in June provided the opportunity to visit project sites and interview stakeholders, particularly important for assessing the effectiveness and sustainability of capital investments and capturing the intended and unintended consequences of the achievement of results.
1.3 Country context The Republic of Moldova is a small, landlocked, low middle-income country situated in Eastern Europe, with a population of 2.59 million people in 2020, 52 percent of whom are women.6 Bordering Romania and Ukraine, Moldova emerged as an independent republic following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Moldova and Romania share a common cultural heritage and language. The territory to the east (left bank) of the Nistru River, generally known as Transnistria, is mainly inhabited by Russian and Ukrainian speakers and unilaterally declared independence from Moldova in September 1990.7 Although this has not been formally recognized, Transnistria has remained outside of the control of Moldova’s central Government ever since. Since violent clashes and a ceasefire agreement in 1992, the official peace process has not progressed, creating a “frozen conflict” situation, where political negotiations have not yet led to a comprehensive settlement and the protracted divide creates obstacles for cooperation on pressing policy and development issues.8 Geopolitical factors affect Moldova’s development trajectory, as national priorities fluctuate from seeking stronger ties with Russia to prioritizing European integration. Following the Association Agreement with the EU in June 2016, the Government of Moldova implemented market-oriented reforms that resulted in a
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See https://statbank.statistica.md/PxWeb/pxweb/ro/20%20Populatia%20si%20procesele%20demografice/20%20Populatia%20 si%20procesele%20demografice__POPrec__POP010/POP010100rcl.px/table/tableViewLayout1/?rxid=b2ff27d7-0b96-43c9-934b42e1a2a9a774. United Nations General Assembly (2018) Resolution A/72/L.58 on Transnistria, calling for a “Complete and unconditional withdrawal of foreign military forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova”. https://www.un.org/en/ga/72/resolutions.shtml. General information on the origins and developments of the Transnistria conflict can be found here: https://www.osce.org/ moldova/42308.
Chapter 1. BACKGROUND AND introduction
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