Iraq Governance & Performance Accountability Project (Igpa/Takamul)
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IRAQ GOVERNANCE & PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT (IGPA/TAKAMUL) FY21 QUARTER-1 REPORT October 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020 Program Title Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability Project (IGPA/Takamul) Sponsoring USAID Office USAID Iraq Contract Number AID-267-H-17-00001 Contractor DAI Global LLC Date of publication January 30, 2021 Author IGPA/Takamul Project Team COVER: A water treatment plant subject to IGPA/Takamul’s assessment in Hilla City, Babil Province | Photo Credit: Pencils Creative for USAID IGPA/Takamul This publication, prepared by DAI, was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: PROJECT PROGRESS ...................................................................................................................... 3 OBJECTIVE 1: ENHANCED SERVICE DELIVERY CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ ................................................................................................................................. 3 SUCCESS STORY ...................................................................................................................................................... 21 OBJECTIVE 2: IMPROVED PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT’S PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ......................................................................................... 22 SUCCESS STORY ...................................................................................................................................................... 34 OBJECTIVE 3: STRENGTHENED MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT OF SERVICE DELIVERY AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE ................................................................... 35 SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 43 SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 44 SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 45 OBJECTIVE 4: IRAQI CHANGE AGENTS SUPPORTED ................................................................... 46 SUPPORT TO MACROECONOMIC & GOVERNANCE REFORMS ............................................... 51 TASK ORDER 4: NINEWA INVESTMENT FACILITATION INITIATIVE ....................................... 59 TASK 1: ESTABLISH BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER (BDC) ...................................................... 59 TASK 2: PROVIDE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ..................................................................... 60 TASK 3: CONDUCT NINEWA INVESTMENT FORUM ........................................................................ 66 SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 68 SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 69 SUCCESS STORY ........................................................................................................................................................ 70 CHAPTER II: MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING ............................................................. 71 IGPA/Takamul MEL System .......................................................................................................................... 71 IGPA MEL Unit Updates during FY21 Q1 ................................................................................................. 71 Public Opinion Survey .................................................................................................................................... 77 Challenges and Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................. 81 CHAPTER III: CONTEXT MONITORING OF THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GOVERNANCE OF IRAQ .......................................................................................................... 85 Political Context and Governance Challenges ......................................................................................... 85 Political Dynamics and the Prospects of Early Elections ........................................................................ 85 Impacts on IGPA/Takamul Programming ................................................................................................... 95 ANNEX 1: PROJECT SNAPSHOT ................................................................................................................................... 98 ANNEX 2: NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ATTENDING IGPA/TAKAMUL INTERVENTIONS ................. 103 ANNEX 3: NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS TRAINED ................................................................................................. 106 ANNEX 4: PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY 2020 BASIC INDICATOR FINDINGS .............................................. 109 ANNEX 5: NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES MONITORED .............................................................................................. 111 ANNEX 6: THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ..................................................................... 114 ANNEX 7: USAID CURRENT & FUTURE PROGRAMMING RESPONSES TO GOI WHITE PAPER PRIORITIES ...................................................................................................................................................... 123 ANNEX 8: IGPA SUPPORT TO THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC REFORMS ................ 128 ANNEX 9: THE MACROECONOMIC CONDITIONS & TRENDS OF THE IRAQI ECONOMY DURING 2020 ................................................................................................................................................ 136 ANNEX 10: QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION – FY21, Q-1 ................................................................ 139 ANNEX 11: OVERVIEW OF SUBCONTRACTORS .................................................................................................. 142 ANNEX 12: SUCCESS STORIES IN ARABIC ................................................................................................................ 144 ANNEX 13: CONTRACTUAL DELIVERABLES ........................................................................................................... 145 ANNEX 14: QUARTERLY SUB ACTIVITY REPORT ................................................................................................. 146 ANNEX 15: QUARTERLY MEDIA COVERAGE .......................................................................................................... 153 ACRONYMS ................................................................................................................................................ 167 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The past quarter witnessed IGPA/Takamul moving forward in all its major components while at the same time responding rigorously to the emerging priorities of the Government of Iraq (GOI) and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the areas of fiscal and economic reforms. In the area of service delivery, the Project completed several important milestones in the water sector including the implementation of a fleet management system in Basrah and Erbil and important progress in the support to the assessment and rehabilitation of water treatment plants in Anbar and Ninewa. IGPA/Takamul also focused on business process reengineering (BPR) for a wide variety of areas within service delivery in the last quarter. BPR studies and recommendations were implemented for such diverse areas as notary services and private sector social security contributions in KRG and solid waste management processes in Baghdad. Assistance to the development of legislative and regulatory frameworks also moved forward with the Project supporting discussions around a national solid waste management legislation as well as further work on developing a legal framework for Iraq’s procurement systems. Public financial management (PFM) was also a significant part of the Project’s activities during the reporting period; not only in the area mentioned above – i.e., supporting the PFM reforms detailed in the government’s White Paper – but also continuing its work at the provincial level to support these reforms. In addition, the Project’s PFM team continued its work strengthening planning and budgeting systems, through developing frameworks for public investment management and capital budgeting, feasibility study guidelines, and the development of fixed assets registries. IGPA support to increase domestic resource mobilization also continued during this quarter with technical support to a number of provinces on the vital issue of cost recovery approaches for service delivery. The highlight of the Project’s work in equity and inclusion expresses a renewed support to the Provincial Women’s Empowerment Departments, and the expansion of their authorities in the governorates. In the area of oversight and accountability, one of the most impactful