By providing $1.9 millions to the government’s projects on decentralization and local governance:UNDP promotes decentralization [Archives:2003/653/Local News]

A document was signed last week between UNDP, the Ministry of Local Administration (MOLA) and the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation MoPIC endorsing an agreement that UNDP, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the UN Dryland Development Center will jointly contribute a total of US $ 1,616,032 for decentralization and local governance projects while an additional $350,000 grant will be mobilized from other external sources. The DLDSP is a pilot program which, after an initial phrase of 16 months, should develop into a major, multi-year program financed by multiple donors and international financial institutions to provide external support to the national strategy for implementation of the decentralization reforms. This strategy, managed by a High Level Committee chaired by the Prime Minister and operationally coordinated by MOLA, addresses a major challenge of how to translate the progressive legal and regulatory framework already provided by the decentralization law 4/2000, into an effective system of Local Councils and Administrations, committed to transparent and participatory local governance, and capable of promoting local development and fighting poverty.
The DLDSP will help to move in the above direction by addressing three critical needs: (1) more robust District Councils finances, including an improved system of central – to- local fiscal transfers to which both domestic and external contributions for local development could be channeled; (2) the development and testing in 6 pilot districts of systems, guidelines and manuals for participatory and technically sound local public expenditure management, including planning, programming, budgeting, procurement, assets management, accounting and internal controls; (3) better support and supervise District Authorities and of local communities to hold them accountable. The DLDSP will be implemented in 2 Governorates (Taiz and Hadramaut), whereas District Facilitation Teams will be established in 6 pilot districts (AlMakha and Maqbanah in Taiz and Ghayl Bin Yamin, Burum, Hadibu and Qalanisyah in the Hadramaut). Each district participating in the pilot will have access to (a) logistic technical assistance for adoption of improved local public expenditures management and preparation of a strategic plan, (b) a 3-years investment program and an annual budget, (c) budgetary assistance in the form of increased fiscal transfer for local development spending.
All districts are expected to improve their capacity to invest in local infrastructure and service delivery and promote local economic development. The two districts in the Tihama region (Taiz) will also benefit from additional technical and financial assistance for the identification and implementation of good local practices of Dryland management and water conservation. The DLDSP will be executed by UNCDF on behalf of the Ministry of local Administration (MOLA). The program document was signed by H.E. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Sofan, and H.E. Sadiq Bin Amin Abu Ras, Minister of Local Administration on behalf of the Government of Yemen, and Mr. Moin Karim on behalf of UNDP.
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