evaluation of verifin training programme, 10 november 2011

EVALUATION OF VERIFIN TRAINING PROGRAMME

BYTUIJA STENBÄCK, CONSTELLE

BIRGIT AURELA, VTT Expert Services Ltd MARJA TUOMINEN, VTT Expert Servoces Ltd

Evaluation of VERIFIN training 2

TRAINING IMPLEMENTED BY THE FINNISH INSTITUTE FOR VERIFICATION OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (VERIFIN) - A UNIT UNDER THE UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY

VERIFIN TRAINING HAS SUPPORTED THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CHEMICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION (ADOPTED IN 1992) IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS

THE ANNUAL FINANCIAL ALLOCATION FROM THE ODA-FUNDS HAS BEEN 450 000 DURING THE LAST DECADE

EVALUATION FOCUSES ON THE TRAINING DURING THE LAST 10 YEARS

EVALUATION WAS UNDERTAKEN BETWEEN NOV. 2010-JUNE 2011

BACKGROUND

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UPDATE THE INFORMATION ON THE TRAINING SINCE THE MTR-2000

FOCUS ON THE PROGRAMME DIMENSIONS PROGRAMME CONCEPT INSTITUTIONAL SET UP CONTENTS AND MODALITIES ACHIEVEMENT OF THE OBJECTIVES

EVALUATION CRITERIA RELEVANCE, EFFICIENCY, EFFECTIVENESS, IMPACT,

SUSTAINABILITY FINNISH VALUE-ADDED CROSS-CUTTING ISSUES

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

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DOCUMENT REVIEW

INTERVIEWS MFA , VERIFIN STAFF, OPCW IN HAGUE, EMBASSY OF FINLAND, HAGUE,

CMC TRAINEES AT VERIFIN

ELECTRONIC SURVEY OF ALL BASIC COURSE PARTICIPANTS DURING TEN YEARS

FIELD MISSIONS TO SIX COUNTRIES ETHIOPIA, KENYA, MALAYSIA, VIETNAM, MEXICO, PANAMA, WHERE INTERVIEWS WITH NAs, FORMER TRAINEES LABORATORIES VISITED UNIVERSITIES VISITED INDUSTRIES VISITED

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METHODOLOGY

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KEY FINDINGS


STRENGTHS TRAINING GIVEN IN FINLAND WITH HIGH LEVEL TRAINING FACILITIES,

HIGHLY COMPETENT STAFF AND SMALL INTAKES (4/COURSE) HAS ALLLOWED INDIVIDUALISED LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND PRODUCED GOOD LEARNING RESULTS

HANDS-ON TRAINING METHOD COMBINED WITH THEORETICAL TRAINING CONTRIBUTED TO GOOD LEARNING RESULTS

CWC ARTICLE XI PURPOSE SERVED WELL

WEAKNESSES TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS NOT DONE IN RELATION TO THE

DIVERSIFIED SET OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION GOALS AND PRINCIPLES NOT GUIDED

THE TRAINING CONCEPT AND MODALITY RESULTED IN SUPPLY-BASED TRAINING MODALITY INSTEAD OF

DEMAND-BASED

ON TRAINING CONCEPT AND SCOPE

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STUDENT SELECTION EMPHASISES ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, GENDER EQUALITY – ACHIEVEMENT - ONE THIRD OF FEMALE TRAINEES ALL DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (CWC SIGNATORIES) ELIGIBLE – NO PRIORITY

FOR THE 2 LOWEST INCOME LEVEL COUNTRIES

GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT DUAL ROLE OF VERIFIN IN CWC WITH TWO SOURCES OF FUNDING

1. NATIONAL AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF MFA – FUNDING FROM THE POL-20

2. TRAINING – FROM ODA FUNDS POL-20 RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFIN GOVERNANCE AND ADMINISTRATION HENCE, DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES NOT

BEEN LEADING WHEN USING ODA-FUNDS

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ON THE PROCESS


USING ODA FUNDS TWO 3-MONTHS COURSES (BASIC AND ADVANCED) IMPLEMENTED

ANNUALLY WITH 4 TRAINEES IN EACH• HIGH UNIT COSTS DUE TO LOW NUMBER OF TRAINEES

SHORT COURSE FOR NATIONAL AUTHORITIES • CWC REQUIRED DECLARATIONS - NOT DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION

MONITORING AND REPORTING FEEDBACK FROM THE TRAINEES WITH QUESTIONNAIRES - POSITIVE NO FOLLOW-UP OF THE TRAINEES IN THEIR HOME COUNTRIES

AFTERWARDS-DUE TO LARGE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES ANNUAL REPORTS PREPARED – DESCRIPTIVE - NOT ANALYTICAL

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ON THE TRAINING PROGRAMME


CONCLUSIONS ON EVALUATION CRITERIA

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TRAINING HAS BEEN RELEVANT IN RELATION WITH THE CWC REQUIREMENTS PARTICULARLY THE COURSE FOR THE NATIONAL

AUTHORITIES IN PREPARING THE REQUIRED DECLARATIONS

RELEVANT ALSO FOR PREPARATION FOR THE PROFICIENCY TEST

RELEVANCE HAS BEEN QUESTIONABLE IN RELATION WITH THE NEEDS AND PRIORITIES OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

WEAK ALIGNMENT WITH FINLAND’S DEVELOPMENT POLICIES

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RELEVANCE


TRAINING PROGRAMME MANAGED EFFICIENTLY DUE TO 20 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND HIGHLY

PORFESSIONAL STAFF & FACILITIES IN HELSINKI

HIGH UNIT COSTS OF HELSINKI-BASED TRAINING DUE TO LOW NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AND HIGH ADMIN COSTS AS A RESULT MAINLY OF THE HIGH RENT OF SPACE AT

THE UNIVERSITY

NEARLY HALF OF THE TRAINING FUNDS USED FOR RESEARCH (2008&2009) THAT SUPPORTS THE CWC AND VERIFIN’S STATUS AS THE DESIGNATED LABORATORY

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EFFICIENCY


POSITIVE GOOD LEARNING RESULTS – HOMOGENOUS GROUPS EQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF THE CONTINENTS SHARE OF WOMEN INCREASED OVER THE YEARS HIGH QUALITY TRAINING MATERIALS HANDS-ON TRAINING METHODOLOGY APPRECIATED BY THE

TRAINEES

PROBLEMATIC NO MONITORING/FOLLOW-UP AFTER THE TRAINING PROGRAMMES NOT BASED ON ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUES AND

NEEDS OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES SUPPLY-BASED TRAINING MODALITY GUIDED BY THE CWC NOT

DEVELOPMENT POLICY

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EFFECTIVENESS


POSITIVE CAPACITY TO PREPARE DECLARATIONS TO OPCW IMPROVED

NATIONAL AUTHORITY AND CHEMICAL DATABASES COURSE (NACD)

CHALLENGES WEALTHIER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES PRIORITISE PASSING

THE PROFICIENCY TEST AND SET UP A DESIGNATED LABORATORY- NO YET ACHIEVED

SKILLS TO USE SOPHISTICATED EQUIPMENT IMPROVED – TRAINEES OFTEN DO NOT USE THESE SKILLS – DUE TO COMING FROM ”WRONG” LABS.

IMPACT WEAKENED BY THE TRAINING CONCEPT- INDIVIDUAL BASED TRAINING-NOT INSTITUTION BASED CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

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IMPACT


POSITIVE NACD TRAINING PRODUCED MOST SUSTAINABLE RESULTS-

DECLARATIONS TO OPCW

CHALLENGES ROLE OF THE NA CRITICAL IN PRODUCING SUSTAINABILITY PRE-SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FROM RELEVANT

LABORATORIES FOR TRAINING – ETHIOPIA AND MALAYSIA STRONG INVOLVEMENT AND NATIONAL SELECTION POLICY

WEAKEST LINK WITH THE NA AND PRE-SELECTION IN MEXICO AND PANAMA WHERE TRAINEES DID NOT WORK IN RELEVANT FIELDS OF CHEMISTRY

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SUSTAINABILITY


OPCW AND MEMBER STATES HAVE RELIED FOR 20 YEARS ON TRAINING AVAILABLE IN FINLAND BY VERIFIN

VERIFIN EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE GROWN OVER THE YEARS AND HIGHLY APPRECIATED BY THE PARTNERS

NO OTHER MEMBER STATE HAS PROVIDED TRAINING ON LONG-TERM BASIS

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FINNISH VALUE ADDED

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RECOMMENDATIONS


ODA FUNDS NOT TO BE USED FOR CWC IMPLEMENTATION PURELY, E.G. SHORT COURSES FOR ATTAINMENT OF THE DESIGNATED LABORATORY STATUS FUNDING FOR THESE COURSES ENTIRELY FROM OPCW

ODA FUNDS TO BE USED FOR CAPACITY BUILDING IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY IN SELECTED COUNTRIES BETTER ALIGNMENT WITH THE DEVELOPMENT POLICY LINK REMAINS WITH THE CWC IN SELECTION OF THE

TARGETED LABS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

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1. DIVIDE TRAINING INTO TWO CATEGORIES; CWC IMPLEMENTATION AND DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION


RESEARCH CAN BE DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES:

1) RESEARCH FOR VERIFIN ITSELF TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS OF HIGHEST RANKING DESIGNATED LABORATORY

2) RESEARCH RELATED TO DEVELOPMENT OF SOPHISTICATED METHODS OF ANALYSING CWAs – NOT A PRIORITY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

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2. FINANCE THE RESEARCH FROM THE POLITICAL DEPARTMENT


PRIORITISE THE TWO LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRY CATEGORIES IN THE ODA-FUNDED PROJECT- INITIALLY PERHAPS FROM FINLAND’S MAIN TARGET COUNTRIES

MOVE FROM HELSINKI-BASED TRAINING TO IN-COUNTRY TRAINING TRANSFER FUNDS FROM THE BASIC AND ADVANCED COURSES

(WITH A PHASING OUT PERIOD) TO DEVELOP CAPACITY OF SELECTED LABORATORIES IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

SELECT 2-3 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR A 1-2 YEAR PROJECT - LINK WITH THE CWC REMAINS THROUGH SELECTION OF THE LABORATORIES IN COOPERATION WITH THE NA

COUNTRY-SPECIFIC NEEDS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN PLANNING THE PROJECT/S-DEMAND-BASED TRAINING

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3. PLAN A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT USING ODA FUNDS


CAPACITY BUILDING IN DEVELOPING COUNTRY CAN BE COMPLEMENTED WITH OTHER MODALITIES AS THE FUNDING FRAME WOULD MOST LIKELY REMAIN THE SAME

POSSIBLE OTHER INSTRUMENTS: MASTERS SCHOLARASHIP PROGRAMME TWINNING ARRANGEMENTS WITH UNIVERSITIES ICI-INSTRUMENT NORTH-SOUTH-SOUTH UNIVERSITY NETWORK

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4. IDENTIFYING COMPLEMENTARY AID MODALITIES


EXPLORE NETWORKS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY THAT CAN BE USED AND BENEFIT FROM REGIONAL COOPERATION

E.G. EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA LABORATORY MANAGERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCES CAN BE SUPPORTED BY EXPERTS

6. STRENGHTEN DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE DEVELOPMENT POLICY DEPARTMENT, POLITICAL DEPARTMENT OF MFA AND VERIFIN GUIDANCE ON PLANNING, MONITORING AND REPORTING

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5. SUPPORT TO EXISTING REGIONAL NETWORKS


VERIFIN’S DUAL ROLE AND DUAL FUNDING SOURCES HAS LED TO A SITUATION WHERE A SINGLE TRAINING MODALITY HAS TRIED TO FULLFILL TWO SETS OF POLICY DEMANDS

BOTH POLICY REQUIREMENTS WOULD REQUIRE A DIFFERENT APPROACH IN TRAINING

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THIS EVALUATION TRIES TO ADJUST THE TRAINING CONCEPT AND MODALITIES WITH CWC AND ODA REQUIREMENTS

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LESSONS LEARNED

evaluation of verifin training programme, 10 november 2011

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