Battelle project in Peru

Evaluation covers the period ending 9/8l, is based on site visits and interviews with project staff and potential subcontractors, and is attached to a special evaluation (PD-AAJ-063) and three other trip reports. Project efforts have and will likely continue to improve the quality and dissemination of policy-relevant research. Moreover, the 1980 transition from a military to a democratic government has increased acceptance of population and family planning (FP) programs, as evidenced by inclusion of FP services in a proposed national primary health program, creation of the National Council of Population, and shifting of the National Institute of Statistics from the Ministry of Planning to a separate autonomous organization dealing directly with the more powerful Ministry of Economics and Finance. Nonetheless, PDP II activities will not necessarily change the Peruvian Government's current population policy. Many of the population-oriented research institutions developed or strengthened under Phase I of the PDP project are now being considered for PDP II funding (e.g., the Andean Institute for Studies in Population and Development, the Institute of Peruvian Studies, the National Institute of Statistics, the National Council on Population, and the Peruvian Association of Medical Schools). The contractor, Battelle Memorial Institute (BMI) has already approved funds to assist the Multidisciplinary Association for Research and Training in Population (AMIDEP) to publish a bimonthly newsletter, conduct conferences and forums on Peruvian population issues, and critically review research on biomedical aspects of population. To date, AMIDEP has published two high quality newsletters. Relations between USAID/P and BMI have improved under PDP II, but since BMI's key role in developing a workable institutional infrastructure is complete, the evaluators support A.I.D.'s plan to phase out BMI involvement in favor of direct bilateral support.