Parliamentary and Constitutional Support Project (Pcsp)
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United Nations Development Programme in Somalia PARLIAMENTARY AND CONSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT (PCSP) Newsletter No. 5/2015 19th May 2015 IN THIS EDITION Dear Reader, A decisive event in the reporting period was the opening of the 6th session of the National Federal LoAs signed with National Federal parliament. The high-light of the project activities during this period was the signing of Letters of Parliament, the HoR in Puntland and the HoR in Somaliland Agreement (LoAs) with all three parliaments. LoAs are the contractual basis re those resources of the Annual Work Plan which are partly or fully administered by the parliaments themselves. Introducing consultants George Through these LoAs the Parliamentary Support Project intends to deliver approximately 100% more Crawford and Austin Zvoma on technical assistance than in 2014. LoAs are accompanied by a risk mitigation and capacity devel- Being a Member of Parliament is a opment plan. Dangerous Duty in Somalia This edition of the newsletter also contains an article which describes the history of the three parlia- Capacity Building of NFP, SL HoR ments in Mogadishu, Garowe and Hargeisa. It points out that there exists a tradition of parliamen- and UNDP staff tarism at the Horn of Africa on which existing parliaments can build on. Capacity Development Action Plan to address ABRIMO findings NFP Committee Staff Trained on LoAs signed with National Federal Parliament, the HoR in Puntland and Research Work for Legislative the HoR in Somaliland Drafting Support for Improving Admin & Beginning of May UNDP signed Letters of Agree- Each LoA is divided in three parts: a) agreement Finance Regulations in the SL HoR ments (LoA) with all three parliaments and the on activities and provision of funds; b) risk mitiga- Secretariat first installment of cash advances are currently tion plan, c) capacity development plan. The risk PL HoR receives M&E Training transferred. LoAs are an important tool to build mitigation plan mirrors the findings of the administrative capacity within the secretariats ABRIMO capacity assessments and should signifi- 22 MPs from Somaliland Attend and to provide material support to parliaments’ cantly reduce the risk of funds being misused. Transformational Leadership for Results in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia activities. As described in Newsletter 4/2015 The capacity development plan has the goal to some 85 % or more of the parliaments’ budgets assist the three parliaments to address identified Delegation from Puntland HoR are spent for salaries or related costs with hardly shortcomings of the ABRIMO assessment. Find Participated in Gender and Elec- tions Training in Tunis any money left for activities or procurement. more details re planned capacity development activities in a separate article in this newsletter. The History of Parliaments of So- Taking into consideration the findings of the Parliaments have already received the first instal- malia, Puntland and Somaliland ABRIMO capacity assessment funds allocated for ment of cash advance or transfer is imminent and each parliament in the Annual Work Plan (AWP) with these funds are able to conduct activities are basically divided into three parts: Roughly like constituency visits, oversight activities, small UPCOMING EVENTS one third will be directly implemented by UNDP procurement, public outreach or cover running and is not part of the LoA. For another third of costs of key expenses (e.g. internet, office rents, Board Meeting Puntland HoR 18, the funds (which is part of the LoA) the respective and small repairs). A series of trainings of project May 2015 parliament – monitored by UNDP project staff - staff as well as parliamentary staff on how to will conduct the procurement and contracting Board Meeting Somaliland HoR properly implement the LoAs has already started 19, May 2015 and UNDP will pay directly to the vendor based and will continue into June. on a due process and after satisfactory delivery of Project board National Federal goods and services. The last third – also part of UNDP direct implementation and LoA implemen- Parliament, 21 May 2015 the LoA - consists of cash advance transferred in tation executed through national counterparts Delegation of the Somaliland HoR several instalments based on clear spending together shall achieve the goal to increase the travels to attend UNDP/WB work guidelines and limits. Subsequent instalments will delivery of technical assistance by approximately shop on parliamentary oversight, Jamaica only be transferred when there is full and satis- 100 % compared with 2014. With other words – if factory documentation of the use of the funds successful - the three parliaments in 2015 will On the Job training on monitoring against the agreed guidelines. receive twice as much support as in 2014. and evaluation for department of planning of Somaliland HoR PARLIAMENTARY AND CONSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT The UNDP Parliamentary and Constitutional Support Project is supported by the European Commission, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom (DFID), UNDP BCPR, and is managed by the United Nations Development Programme in Somalia. United Nations Development Programme in Somalia PARLIAMENTARY AND CONSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT (PCSP) Newsletter No. 5/2015 19th May 2015 Being a Member of Parliament is a Introducing consultants George Crawford and Austin Zvoma Dangerous Duty in Somalia In this and the following editions we want sional staff for Chairman Claude Pepper (D We include this article with regard to the to introduce you to the consultants which -FL) and chief of staff for Chairman Joe alarming number of MPs assassinated in are working for the Parliamentary Support Moakley (D-MA). On June 22, 2006, Mr. Somalia. Since the adoption of the Provi- Project. In order to establish continuity we Crawford received the McCormack Award sional Constitution in August 2012, Mem- have assigned consultants to work on an for Excellence, which honors longtime bers of Parliament both at the Federal level in-and-out bases for a longer period with employees of the U.S. House of Repre- and in Puntland have faced an extensive a specific parliament. sentatives. amount of attacks. An unfortunate total of George Crawford is a senior government Mr. Austin Muranganwa Zvoma is an ex- 14 MPs (11 Federal and 3 Puntland MPs) relations advisor with many years of expe- pert on Parliamentary Development with have been assassinated since 2012, of rience in the US House of Representatives. over 30 years’ experience in parliamen- which 4 have been killed in this year alone. He has been recruited by the project to tary practice and procedures. He has been provide parliamentary development ser- recruited by the project to provide capaci- It is important to note that these targeted vices to the National Federal Parliament ty development services to the Secretariat killings have mostly happened when MPs (NFP). In the past few months, George has of the Somaliland House of Representa- were leaving Mosques. Also, 10 out of the worked with NFP Committees to standard- tives (HoR). In the past couple of months 14 MPs have been either gunned down or ize committee reporting, work planning he has worked with the HoR to improve sprayed with bullets while in their cars. 2 and to train committee staff (young gradu- the organizational structure and adminis- MPs were killed by explosive devices fitted ates). trative procedures of the secretariat. underneath their cars, while 2 other MPs George is an advisor in King & Spalding’s Austin is the former Clerk of the Zimba- were killed in bomb blasts that also killed a Government Advocacy and Public Policy bwe Parliament, which in Commonwealth number of other people. Practice Group where he works with the countries is the term used for the Head of firm’s clients to develop and implement the Parliament Secretariat responsible for Members of Parliament have been targeted strategies to successfully achieve their providing administrative and procedural by Al-Shabaab due to their important role legislative policy goals. Prior to joining services. He held the latter position for 25 as law makers and political decision mak- King & Spalding, George served as Chief of years. Prior to that he worked as deputy ers. This article serves to highlight the peril Staff of House Democratic Leader, Nancy clerk, assistant clerk, senior committee which the men and women MPs are facing Pelosi (D-CA) where he was the principal clerk and committee clerk for a total of 8 who put their lives at risk for contributing advisor on policy, political and procedural years. He also worked as a Customs matters. Before joining Ms. Pelosi’s staff in Officer for the Department of Customs to the design of the future of Somalia. The August 2001, he worked on the House and Excise in Harare. project sends its sincere condolences to the Rules Committee for 18 years as profes- friends and families of the deceased MPs: National Federal Parliament: Hon. Mustafa Haji Maalim, Hon. Husein Abdisalam Ma- hamed, Hon. MaHamed Warsame Mahamed “Faysal”, Hon. Isaq Mahamed Ali “Riino”, Hon. Abdiaziiz Isaq Mursal, Hon. Mahamed Mahamud Hayd, Hon. Saado Ali Warsame, Hon. Sheikh Adan Mahamed Madeer, Hon. Abdilaahi Qayad Barre, Hon. Omar Ali nur “Furdug”, and Hon. Mahamed Ducale Muse. Puntland HoR: Hon. Abdisalan Sheikh Mo- hamoud, Hon. Adan Haji Hussain, and Hon. Said Husain Noor. George Crawford Austin Muranganwa Zvoma PARLIAMENTARY AND CONSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT PROJECT The UNDP Parliamentary and Constitutional Support Project is supported