GSP/Taqadum Quarterly Performance Report (Y3Q4)

The project aimed to identify and list functions relevant to decentralization, assign them to the appropriate level of government, and perform legal, structural, administrative, and financial analysis to determine feasibility. The project supported the formation of task forces, provided capacity building and orientation, and helped form subcommittees responsible for decentralization in each directorate. Functional and administrative analysis targeted the Health, Education, and Municipalities and Public Works ministries. For example, the hiring of teachers was identified as a function that could be delegated to local governments, but required a capacity assessment to transfer the function to the provincial education directorate. Decentralization efforts were boosted by the support of Iraq's prime minister, Mr. Haider al-Abadi, who prioritized decentralization as a key theme in his platform. Al-Abadi's support was seen as a solid boost to decentralization efforts, which had previously encountered obstacles between Baghdad and the provinces regarding issues such as annual budgets, investment, security, sharing of resources, and balance of powers. GSP/Taqadum achieved its quarterly objectives in each of the five targeted Provincial Councils (PCs) and addressed some of the objectives of the PC directories, including including services improvement standards in their upcoming strategic plans, in accordance with Law 21. The project also held workshops, including the Decentralization Mapping and Analysis Tool (DMAT) Workshop in Erbil, to shorten the time and save resources to produce replicable approaches and results. The project's decentralization approach focused on identifying and listing functions relevant to decentralization, assigning them to the appropriate level of government, and performing legal, structural, administrative, and financial analysis to determine feasibility. The project also provided recommendations for short-term and long-term decentralization actions necessary for long-term sustainability of function performance. GSP/Taqadum's activities in the fourth quarter of FY2014 were focused on decentralization planning and implementation, with a focus on the Health, Education, and Municipalities and Public Works ministries. The project supported the formation of task forces, provided capacity building and orientation, and helped form subcommittees responsible for decentralization in each directorate. The project's decentralization approach was seen as a key step towards increasing provincial power and involving them more in the central government's decision-making for the whole of Iraq. The project's quarterly objectives were achieved in each of the five targeted PCs, and some of the objectives of the PC directories were addressed, including including services improvement standards in their upcoming strategic plans, in accordance with Law 21. The project's workshops, including the DMAT Workshop in Erbil, were used to shorten the time and save resources to produce replicable approaches and results.