USAID Iraq Administrative Reform Project Monthly Progress Report, February 2014

The project is working to support the devolution of authorities from central ministries to provincial entities, as decreed in the amended Article 45 of Law 21. This amendment instructs eight major ministries to decentralize their staffs, resources, and service delivery responsibilities to provincial governments within a two-year period. USAID-Tarabot representatives have met with the Speaker of Parliament, Osama Al-Nujaifi, to discuss the future of decentralized government in Iraq and the terms of Article 45 of amended Law 21. The project is working with a range of partners at the central and provincial levels to facilitate the implementation of the amended article. This effort aims to move Iraq away from centralized decision-making and empower provincial officials to exercise authorities and make decisions at the local level where services are actually being delivered. In Wasit Governorate, USAID-Tarabot advisors have been working with the Governor to implement the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) and Project Management Institute (PMI) processes. The Governor has pledged to expedite the implementation of the OSS and has offered to fund its development out of the governorate's budget. The Governor has also expressed his willingness to allocate 2 billion Iraqi dinars to support Tarabot's work in Wasit. The governorate has selected 15 additional projects for the piloting of PMI processes, bringing the total to 21. Wasit has become the first governorate to commit to the application of PMI processes throughout the entirety of the project cycle for three pilot projects, including the water treatment plant. USAID-Tarabot's Iraq Solutions for Regulatory and Administrative Reform (ISRAR) has submitted the first regulatory reform package to the Council of Representatives. This package aims to eliminate 100 unnecessary and overly complex laws and regulations, making business easier to conduct in Iraq. ISRAR has also met with the Prime Minister's Advisory Council (PMAC) to discuss its new reform package, its newly drafted construction nidham (regulation), and the status of the regulatory reform steering committee. The steering committee nominations are nearly complete, and PMAC representatives expect the committee to be established and operational by the end of the month. ISRAR has also briefed the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister on the need for legislation to enable the Council of Representatives' approval of the package of recommendations coming from ISRAR's Central Unit with a single vote.