Quarterly Progress Report 14: October-December 2009

Government's National Capacity Development program in Iraq. The program focuses on developing national capacity in public management to improve key ministries' core management systems, raise the skill levels of a critical mass of public managers, and revive the government's training institutions' capacity. USAID/Tatweer aims to improve six core areas of public administration: fiscal management, human resources management, project management, leadership & communication, strategic planning, and information technology. Participating Ministries and Executive Offices: USAID/Tatweer teams work directly with key national ministries and offices to introduce improved management systems and capabilities. Participating ministries and executive offices include the Ministries of Planning, Electricity, Oil, Agriculture, Water Resources, Municipalities & Public Works, Health, Human Rights, and Migration & Displaced; and the executive offices of the President and Vice Presidents, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers, and the Council of Ministers Secretariat. Provincial Outreach: In addition to working with the ministries' central offices, USAID/Tatweer provides assistance to the provincial offices of the national ministries. This provincial work is facilitated by the program's offices in Erbil, Mosul, Hilla, Ramadi, Kirkuk, and Basrah. USAID/Tatweer international and Iraqi advisors provide direct mentoring workshops and technical assistance in systems improvements to provincial offices, including hands-on case work with existing projects. Over 75% of all USAID/Tatweer trainees are civil servants working in their ministries' provincial offices. USAID/Tatweer coordinates its work in the provinces with the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), the U.S. Military, and other USAID implementing partners. Training and Scholarship Program: USAID/Tatweer provides training to raise the skill levels of a critical mass of civil servants. At the end of December 2009, the program had enrolled about 90,000 trainees in over 4,000 courses on core public administration topics including budgeting, procurement, project management, human resources management, information technology, ethics & anti-corruption, strategic planning, and leadership and communication. All training is competence-based, geared towards practical skills, adult learner-centric and in Arabic. Additionally, USAID/Tatweer provides international post-graduate scholarships—Masters in Public Administration—for 120 scholars drawn from the civil service ranks and the private sector. Strengthening Government's Training Institutions: USAID/Tatweer is committed to anchoring the training capacity in Iraqi institutions. USAID/Tatweer coordinates with the NCCMD, the Al Quds School of Computers, the KRG Ministry of Planning, Salah ad Din University, and ministerial training centers, to develop and sustain a vibrant public administration training capacity throughout the country. USAID/Tatweer's training program began with direct training courses developed and delivered by international advisors who then developed a cadre of civil servants through a rigorous "training of trainers" program to take over the training delivery in their ministries. Nearly 900 of these government trainers now deliver 90% of USAID/Tatweer's basic training in public management skills. Partner ministries are assuming the costs and implementation of training delivery, adapting USAID/Tatweer training materials to meet their specific needs. The program's provincial outreach has been facilitated by the establishment of program offices in key cities across Iraq, including Erbil, Mosul, Hilla, Ramadi, Kirkuk, and Basrah. These offices provide direct mentoring workshops and technical assistance in systems improvements to provincial offices, including hands-on case work with existing projects. The program's training and scholarship program has enrolled over 90,000 trainees in over 4,000 courses on core public administration topics, with a focus on practical skills and adult learner-centric training.