Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Populations (RAMP-UP) – RC East FINAL Report – 9 June 2010-31 March 2014

The program aimed to improve the capacity of municipal governments in Regional Command East to deliver services and promote economic growth. The program's goal was to increase citizen satisfaction with municipal government services, improve the perception of local government officials working for citizens' needs, and enhance citizens' trust in municipal officials. To achieve this, RAMP-UP East implemented various activities, including capacity-building, training, and mentoring of district municipalities. Capacity-building efforts focused on developing standard operating procedures (SOPs), improving public finance management, and enhancing service delivery and infrastructure projects. The program also supported the development of municipal incentive funds, shovel-ready projects, and design and build infrastructure projects. Additionally, RAMP-UP East promoted economic development and revenue generation through business registration and licensing, property registration, and local economic development planning. The program's performance data quality was monitored through various indicators, including citizen satisfaction, perception of local government officials, and trust in municipal officials. Intermediate result indicators tracked the increased capacity of GIRoA municipal institutions, delivery of municipal services, and municipal capacity to enable economic growth. RAMP-UP East achieved significant results, including the establishment of 15 functioning performance budgeting systems, 12 functioning accounting systems, and 10 participatory citizen engagement mechanisms. The program also supported the implementation of 25 municipal service delivery projects, 10 public-private partnerships, and 5,000 person-days of employment generation. The program's lessons learned and suggestions for future programming highlighted the importance of citizen participation, gender empowerment, and youth participation. RAMP-UP East also emphasized the need for continued support to municipal governments in Regional Command East to sustain economic growth and improve service delivery. Regional Command East's municipalities showed significant improvements in service delivery, with 75% of citizens reporting increased access to municipality-provided services. The program's economic development efforts also yielded positive results, with 20 new businesses established and 10,000 person-days of employment generated. RAMP-UP East's success was attributed to its focus on building the capacity of municipal governments, promoting economic growth, and engaging citizens in the decision-making process. The program's achievements serve as a model for future initiatives aimed at improving service delivery and promoting economic development in Afghanistan.