On the 7th January, the Ministry of finance invited the deputy mayors, executive secretaries and district department of planning and budgeting of 6 districts (Garowe, Gardo, Bossaso, Jeriban, Bayla and Eyl) in Puntland, and 2 members from the ministry of finance particular department of budgeting and JPLG consultants from ministry of interior to discuss planning policy and budget adapted in puntland local government regarding JPLG districts.

The workshop marks the beginning of the planning cycle for four Puntland districts assisted by the UN Joint Programme on Local Governance (JPLG), in which UNCDF has been participating since 2011 by helping establish and operationalize a Local Development Fund (LDF). This Fund is designed to introduce and pilot practical models of local development adapted to the post-conflict realities of Somalia in cooperation with central and local authorities. Over 300,000 people in Puntland have already benefited from the investment projects implemented with the technical assistance of UNCDF, which ranged from local clinics to markets to access roads. The workshop helped the participants to understand the principles of planning, local government development planning and the budget process in districts, challenges in planning and budget department and ways to improve in order to ensure effective local government departments.

In 2013, UNCDF will manage in Puntland a budget of over US$2.5 million to be used for improving the capacities of district administrations to plan and deliver equitable services at local level. Speaking at the workshop, the Minister of Finance of Puntland emphasized that one of the major goals of decentralization is to improve service provision by giving local governments the capacity to plan for themselves to achieve the aspirations of the local people and the district vision. He also highly assessed the UNCDF assistance to Puntland authorities at the central and local levels in making the vision for a new and peaceful Puntland to come true.

In addition to Puntland, UNCDF is also delivering technical support to the governments in South Central Somalia and Somaliland to further decentralization and improve local service delivery.             

Please read the full article on Dunida Online: https://www.dunidaonline.com/index.php?id=8451.