USAID IGPA/TAKAMUL
IRAQ GOVERNANCE & PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT (IGPA/TAKAMUL) FY20 QUARTER-2 REPORT JANUARY 1, 2020 – MARCH 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 April 30, 2020 Author IGPA/Takamul Project Team Cover Administrator Loa’ay Rasmi Hameed at the Health Directorate’s quarantine location in Anbar.
This publication 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
PROJECT SNAPSHOT 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1 3 الموجز التنفيذي CHAPTER 1: PROJECT PROGRESS 4 OBJECTIVE 1: ENHANCE THE SERVICE DELIVERY CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ 4 RESULT 1.1 IMPROVE SERVICE DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN SECTORS WITH HIGH IMPACT/VISIBILITY 5 RESULT 1.2 STRENGTHEN THE STRATEGIC APPROACH AND CAPACITY OF THE FEDERAL LINE MINISTRIES AND PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATES TO BETTER ALIGN SERVICE DELIVERY OUTCOMES WITH THE PRIORITIES OF PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS AND LOCAL POPULATIONS 23 RESULT 1.3 ENHANCE REGULATORY AND PROCEDURAL CERTAINTY TO ATTRACT PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENT 27 SUCCESS STORY New bidding procedure speeds up development undertakings 28 SUCCESS STORY Citizen clamor turned dump pit into a playground in Najaf neighborhood 29 OBJECTIVE 2: IMPROVE PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT 30 RESULT 2.1 STRENGTHEN CAPACITIES OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL AFFAIRS DIRECTORATES AND SUPPORT THEIR CONVERSION INTO FULLY OPERATIONAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT OFFICES 32 RESULT 2.2 SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FEDERAL OVERSIGHT MECHANISMS SUCH AS FINANCIAL PROCEDURES OF PROVINCES’ FINANCES 37 RESULT 2.3 ENHANCE PROVINCIAL REVENUE GENERATION, COLLECTION, AND MANAGEMENT OUTSIDE OF THE OIL SECTOR 38 RESULT 2.4 ENHANCE BUDGET-CYCLE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXECUTION AGAINST DECENTRALIZED EXPENDITURE ASSIGNMENTS 43 OBJECTIVE 3: SERVICE DELIVERY AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT 48 RESULT 3.1 STRENGTHEN THE CAPACITY OF SELECTED PROVINCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION AND OUTREACH MECHANISMS. 50 RESULT 3.2 ENHANCE PUBLIC CAPABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN PLANNING, MONITORING, AND EVALUATING PUBLIC SERVICES. 62 SUCCESS STORY Access to information gives voice to communities 69 SUCCESS STORY CSO: Iraq’s other frontliner in the fight against COVID-19 70 OBJECTIVE 4: SUPPORTING IRAQI CHANGE AGENTS 75 RESULT 4.1 ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF CHANGE AGENTS 75 RESULT 4.2 ENHANCE THE CAPACITY OF WOMEN AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS TO REPRESENT THEIR NEEDS WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKING PROCESSES 77 TASK ORDER 1: ASSISTANCE TO MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND MINISTRY OF OIL 80 SUBTASK 1: TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO IRAQ’S MINISTRY OF FINANCE TO IMPLEMENT A COMMITMENT CONTROL SYSTEM AND TO DESIGN AND OPERATIONALIZE AN IMPROVED CASH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 80 SUBTASK 4: SUPPORT TO THE ECONOMIC REFORM UNIT 83 TASK ORDER 3: KRG INFORMATION SYSTEMS REFORMS 85 SUBTASK 1: IRAQI KURDISTAN REGION REFORM COORDINATOR 85 SUBTASK 2: KRG CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER ADVISORY SUPPORT 87 TASK ORDER 4: NINEWA INVESTMENT FACILITATION INITIATIVE 90 TASK ORDER 5: ANTI-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEGISLATION 95 CHAPTER II: MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING 102 IGPA/TAKAMUL MEL SYSTEM 102 PROJECT LEARNING 102 CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNED 102 AMELP INDICATORS CHANGE LOG 111 COMPLEXITY AWARE MONITORING 112 CONCURRENT SENTINEL INDICATORS 112 LONG-TERM SENTINEL INDICATORS 114 CHAPTER III: CONTEXT MONITORING THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GOVERNANCE IN IRAQ 120
POLITICAL CONTEXT AND GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES 120 IMPACTS ON IGPA/TAKAMUL PROGRAMMING 128 ANNEX 1: PROJECT SNAPSHOTS 131 ANNEX 2: MONITORING & EVALUATION DISAGGREGATED TRAINING DATA, EVALUATION FINDINGS, SURVEYS 136 ANNEX 3: QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION – FY20, Q2 143 ANNEX 4: OVERVIEW OF SUBCONTRACTORS 146 ANNEX 5: SUCCESS STORIES IN ARABIC 149 ANNEX 6: CONTRACT DELIVERABLES 154 ANNEX 7: QUARTERLY SUB-ACTIVITY REPORT 155 ANNEX 8: QUARTERLY MEDIA COVERAGE 163 ANNEX 9: TASK ORDER 3 SUBTASK 2 PROGRESS SHEETS 174 ACRONYMS 176 PROJECT SNAPSHOT
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 1 USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The reporting period represented the penultimate quarter of IGPA/Takamul’s third year. It was a period in which the project moved forward and made significant progress against indicators in its work plan, while at the same time adapting to the global pandemic which continues to grip the country, the region, and the world. Throughout all this was a backdrop of significant security and political challenges – most particularly the killing of Iranian General Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader al-Muhandis, and the subsequent spike in security incidents, in addition to the continuing failure of the Iraqi political class to agree on a replacement for outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.
One of the hallmarks of the IGPA project has been its adaptive management approach, nimble enough to adapt to changing realities, to produce the support and outputs that the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi people require at this juncture.
Despite the challenges during this period, IGPA/Takamul managed to achieve the required progress against indicators in the areas of service delivery, public financial management, oversight and accountability, and achieving sustainability through change agents. The details of those achievements are narrated in this report. At the same time, the Project creatively developed alternative approaches – virtual meetings and remote training – to maintain active engagement with key stakeholders.
IGPA/Takamul’s Ninewa Investment Facilitation Initiative (NIFI) also adjusted its technical assistance delivery mechanism to minimize the impact of government-imposed curfews and restrictions on gatherings and movement between cities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of mid-March, IGPA/NIFI successfully started offering remote training and began engaging with its beneficiaries through this mode. The remote training-workshops, which will be conducted more frequently moving forward, use a more modular approach and with smaller participant groups; a modality that participants themselves concurred with.
This reporting period witnessed the formal drawdown of Task Order 5 - Anti-Domestic Violence legislation. Although the law has not been passed within the TO5 period of performance, the achievements of this Task Order remain substantial. These achievements have significantly strengthened the legislation, consolidated and advanced the coordination efforts to pass the law, and prepared an extensive advocacy strategy with a diverse coalition. Furthermore, TO5 laid the groundwork for a stronger implementation phase by mapping out current domestic violence services and networks and completing a gap analysis and training for these anti-domestic violence service providers, empowering them to provide better services and preparing them for the eventual passage of the law.
IGPA/Takamul-created informal structures within the local governments, such as the social accountability groups, technical working groups, Tawasul and Ta’awn, and the cadre of trained civil society organizations and volunteers proved their value and relevance as the global coronavirus pandemic hit Iraq. They have become the new frontline heroes protecting citizens from an invisible enemy. Their activities are documented in this report.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 1 The COVID-19 crisis also required the Project to begin work planning for Year 4 earlier than scheduled and to incorporate relevant activity streams that speak to the changed reality of Iraq. Two areas wherein the project will be expanding its support will be: 1) public financial management, in which a focused effort will be made to support effective reforms in light of the serious financial crisis precipitated by the dramatic and prolonged drop in global oil prices; and, 2) emergency and crisis management planning, in which the project will build on its current work to support the development of structures, processes, and capacities at the provincial level to manage crises in an integrated fashion. Crisis management planning will incorporate service delivery, public financial management, including civil society and private sectors approaches, to better coordinate those with the efforts of the central agencies in Baghdad and Erbil.
IGPA/Takamul is proud to share its accomplishments during this extraordinary time replete with economic, political, and health challenges.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 2 الموجز التنفيذي
تمثل فترة كتابة هذا التقرير الربع ما قبل األخير من السنة الثالثة من عمر مشروع تكامل. وهي الفترة التي قطع فيها المشروع اشواطا متقدمة عن طريق تحقيق مؤشرات خطة العمل الخاصة به، والتكيف في ذات الفترة مع الوباء العالمي الذي يجتاح البالد والمنطقة والعالم اجمع. وقد شهدت هذه الفترة تصاعدا ملحوظا من حيث التحديات األمنية والسياسية، اهمها فيما يتمثل بمقتل الجنرال اإليراني قاسم سليماني والقائد في الحشد الشعبي العراقي ابو مهدي المهندس، وسلسلة الحوادث األمنية الالحقة لذلك باإلضافة الى الفشل المستمر للطبقة السياسية العراقية في اختيار بديل لرئيس الوزراء المستقيل عادل عبد المهدي.
ولعل أهم ما تميز به عمل مشروع تكامل في هذه الفترة هو مقارباته االدارية المتسمة بالتكيف والقابلية العالية على التعامل مع الوقائع المتغيرة لغرض انجاز الدعم المخطط له والخروج بمخرجات يحتاجها شعب العراق وحكومته في هذا المنعطف.
وبالرغم من التحديات التي شهدتها المرحلة فقد حقق مشروع تكامل التقدم المطلوب في مجاالت تقديم الخدمات واالدارة المالية العامة واالشراف والمساءلة وتحقيق االستدامة عبر عناصر التنمية العراقيين. وستستعرض تفاصيل هذه المنجزات في هذا التقرير. وفي الوقت ذاته، تمكن المشروع من ايجاد حلول بديلة كاالجتماعات االفتراضية والتدريب عن بعد لضمان االستمرار بالتواصل الفعال مع الشركاء.
كما قامت مبادرة تسهيل االستثمار في نينوى التي رعاها مشروع تكامل بتعديل آليات الدعم الفني الخاصة بها للتقليل من تأثيرات حظر التجول والقيود الحكومية المفروضة على الحركة والتجمعات بفعل األزمة الصحية الناتجة عن انتشار وباء كورونا. وقد بدأ مشروع تكامل بنجاح اقامة دوراته التدريبية عن بعد وأشرك العديد من المستفيدين فيها بهذه الطريقة. وستقام هذه الورش التدريبية باستمرار بمرور الزمن وباستخدام نمط يعتمد على التعامل مع مجموعات صغيرة من المستفيدين وهو ما توافق مع رغبات المشاركين فيها أنفسهم.
شهدت فترة كتابة هذا التقرير انتهاء عمل فريق أمرالمهمة رقم 5 المعني بتشريع قانون مناهضة العنف األسري وعلى الرغم من أن القانون لم يتم تشريعه اثناء فترة عمل الفريق، اال ان منجزاته متميزة وملموسة، فقد عززت جهود الفريق مسار تشريع هذا القانون، وجهود التنسيق الجارية لتمرير القانون كما قام بإعداد حملة مناصرة واسعة النطاق باالشتراك مع تحالف متنوع من الشركاء. وباإلضافة الى ما تقدم، وضع الفريق األساس لتنفيذ ناجح للقانون حال تشريعه عبر رسم خارطة بخدمات وشبكات مناهضة العنف األسري القائمة واجراء تحليل للثغرات واقامة دورات تدريبية للعاملين في مجال خدمات مناهضة العنف األسري لتمكينهم لغرض تقديم خدمات أفضل واعدادهم لمرحلة ما بعد تشريع القانون.
وقد أنشأ مشروع تكامل كيانات غير تقليدية ضمن أطر الحكومات المحلية مثل مجاميع المساءلة المجتمعية ومجاميع العمل الفني وفريقي “تواصل" و "تعاون" باإلضافة الى الكوادر المدربة في منظمات المجتمع المدني والمتطوعين الذين اثبتوا فعالية وفائدة أثناء انتشار الجائحة العالمية كورونا في البالد. وقد أصبحوا ابطال الخط األمامي في الصراع المرير ضد العدو الخفي المتمثل بالفايروس. وقد وثق هذا التقرير نشاطات هذه المجاميع.
وقد فرضت أزمة فايروس كورونا على المشروع البدء بالتخطيط للعمل للسنة الرابعة من المشروع بوقت أبكر من الوقت المحدد سابقا وإدراج مجموعة من النشاطات في ضوء الوقائع المتغيرة في العراق. وهناك مجاالن اساسيان يعمل المشروع على توسيع دعمه الفني فيهما وهما: 1( اإلدارة المالية العامة حيث سيتم بذل جهود مركزة لدعم االصالحات المالية في ضوء األزمة المالية الخانقة الناتجة عن الهبوط الكبير والطويل في أسعار النفط. )2( التخطيط إلدارة الطوارئ واألزمات حيث سيؤسس المشروع على جهوده الحالية لدعم تكوين الجهات والعمليات والقدرات على المستوى المحلي إلدارة األزمات بطريقة متكاملة. وسيتضمن التخطيط إلدارة األزمات تقديم الخدمات واالدارة المالية العامة واشراك المجتمع المدني والقطاع الخاص لتحسين التنسيق مع المؤسسات المركزية في بغداد وأربيل.
ويفتخر مشروع تكامل بمشاطرة منجزاته في هذه الفترة الحرجة المكتظة بالتحديات االقتصادية والسياسية والصحية.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 3 CHAPTER 1: PROJECT PROGRESS
OBJECTIVE 1: ENHANCE THE SERVICE DELIVERY CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF IRAQ
Planned Target for Total Achieved % Achieved Indicator FY20 during FY20 during FY20 Number of improved business processes implemented by 48 35 72.9% provincial governments as a result of IGPA/Takamul support
Number of contracts awarded by the GOI as a result of 63 49 77.8% IGPA/Takamul support
Value of contracts awarded to improve service delivery as a $133 million $126,808,688 95.3% result of IGPA support
Number of initiatives implemented by IGPA/Takamul 63 21 33.3% supported provincial institutions
IGPA/Takamul focuses on strengthening the ‘bottom-up’ functions that directly impact the delivery of essential services and works to develop key organizations that have been identified as integral to the overall system for delivering services. As with all IGPA/Takamul objectives, Objective 1 is closely linked with others in pursuit of the project goal. Activities work to improve services for water, solid
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 4 waste management, and electricity by improving operations and public services through business process reengineering, strengthening development planning and procurement, and legislative reforms.
RESULT 1.1 Improve service delivery outcomes in sectors with high impact/visibility
1. Developing and implementing assistance packages
An assistance package is a bundle of activities designed to address performance and capacity gaps in the delivery of services. IGPA/Takamul selects and plans activities under these packages after assessing service directorates, such as the Water Directorates that manage and operate public water service delivery, and the Municipality or Municipalities Directorates that are in charge of solid waste management (SWM) services.
Assistance packages related to water and solid waste management were designed for each of IGPA/Takamul’s target provinces: Baghdad, Basrah, Babil, Anbar, and Ninewa. An assistance package related to water and electricity was designed for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), while a special package was designed to support religious minorities in the Ninewa Plains. Assistance packages were also specifically designed for the Higher Commission for Coordinating Among Provinces Secretariat (HCCPSec), and the Provincial Women Empowerment Departments (PWED). An assistance package for Babil Governor’s Office was implemented and completed in FY19.
Assistance packages for the water sector
Assistance packages for the water sector mainly cover the following four internationally-recognized areas of water utility management: technical, administrative/human resources, financial, and customer service. IGPA/Takamul added a fifth area, social inclusion, to raise the awareness of service providers on how citizens access services differently. The packages also cover implementation of short-term campaigns to conserve water, monitor water quality at the household-level, pay water bills, and reduce illegal use of potable water.
During this reporting period, the following progress was recorded in the implementation of assistance packages in various provinces:
Basrah. On February 18, IGPA/Takamul proposed to establish the Basrah Water Management Council to act as an advisory and coordination body for various stakeholders including donors, the federal government, and local entities. The proposal was presented to the Higher Commission for Coordination among Provinces Secretariat (HCCPSec) and constitutes part of a larger study conducted to mitigate future water crises in Basrah. This study was done at the request of the Basrah Provincial Government during a workshop on December 11, 2018. The HCCPSec committed to present the proposal to the Council of Ministers. conducted to mitigate future water crises in Basrah. This study was done at the request of the Basrah Provincial Government during a workshop on December 11, 2018. The HCCPSec committed to present the proposal to the Council of Ministers.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 5 TECHNICIANS AT THE BASRAH WATER DIRECTORATE PERFORM PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE AND STERILIZATION DURING THE TIME OF THE PANDEMIC.
The water assistance package for Basrah also included the review and enhancement of preventative maintenance processes for al-Abbas water project (R-Zero) using business process reengineering (BPR). (More information provided in the BPR section.)
In light of the ongoing health crisis, IGPA/Takamul assisted the Basrah Water Management Committee to maintain active management of the Shatt al-Arab water basin by using WhatsApp. Shatt al-Arab, which is the main source of raw water for the province, needs to be constantly monitored for environmental contamination. The Project helped the water management committee to conduct virtual meetings and maintain oversight of the regular cleaning of the water basin.
Babil. In mid-March, the 630,000 residents serviced by the Water Directorate started benefitting from extended water access—increasing from 10 to 18 hours daily of uninterrupted water supply. With technical support from IGPA/Takamul, the Water Directorate applied business process reengineering (BPR) to its procedures for maintenance of its water stations. BPR resulted in the directorate not only increasing its service hours, but also in an improvement in water quality.
Baghdad. This quarter, IGPA/Takamul completed business process mapping for Baghdad’s water assistance packages. The Project completed the mapping of priority functions: managing citizens’ complaints in al-Jesir; improving water quality and rewashing of filters in al-Mahmoudiyah water center; and extending the water network coverage in al-Saiedat region. The mapping will be used to develop new models for these functions. IGPA/Takamul will provide the required support and training once the new models are developed.
Anbar. IGPA/Takamul conducted an electronic survey of citizens on water quality and sustainability of the water supply. Notwithstanding the movement restrictions affecting Anbar and the rest of the country due to coronavirus, the Anbar Water Directorate is maintaining full water delivery services to Ramadi City, Anbar’s capital city. The directorate recently adopted IGPA/Takamul’s reengineering tools for water services. The directorate staff claim that the system improvements came at an opportune time, allowing them to handle the demands of the population more efficiently even with a skeletal force.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 6 Dahuk. IGPA/Takamul is providing technical assistance to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Ministry of Municipality and Tourism to find solutions to the algae problem in Dahuk’s water treatment plant. On January 26, IGPA/Takamul, together with an international water expert, inspected Dahuk’s water treatment plant to investigate the algae bloom that has infested the water. The Water Directorate successfully dealt with this problem in the past with stop-gap solutions, but the current infestation has gone on for more than three months. IGPA/Takamul recommended permanent solutions to prevent recurrence.
Emergency Response Plan for Basrah Water Management Committee. IGPA/Takamul collaborated with the Basrah Water Management Committee and Social Accountability Groups (SAG) to develop an Emergency Response Plan in case of a water contamination emergency in Basrah. In the February 20-21 workshop with the committee, the Project identified critical issues and areas of focus. On March 8 and 9, a second workshop was held with 21 SAG members in Erbil. SAG members pinpointed which populations and locations in Basrah would be most vulnerable to a water crisis similar to that which affected the area in 2018 and identified effective coping strategies.
The Emergency Response Plan sets out roles and responsibilities, priority steps, and tasks to be implemented when an emergency is declared. The plan specifically addresses technical issues while protecting public health and livelihoods by making clean, safe, domestic water available to all those in need, while prioritizing vulnerable populations. The importance of crisis communication planning and message communications during a crisis are also emphasized in the plan.
The plan was developed in line with global best practices, adapting them to the local context through consultation with government officials, civil society, and citizens. The goal of this emergency response plan is to help guide decision makers and stakeholders to respond in a timely and organized way to unexpected crises, while protecting the health of Iraqi citizens.
Assistance packages for the solid waste management sector
For the solid waste management (SWM) sector, assistance packages largely cover the main areas needed for SWM improvement. These include improving availability, quality, presentation, and use of information to enable improved planning, monitoring of service provision, and private sector engagement. IGPA/Takamul conducted a cost recovery ratio and optimization analysis of SWM at the municipal level as part of a comprehensive budgeting exercise to assist in advocacy efforts for improved funding.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 7 LANDFILL OPERATIONS TRAINING IN BAGHDAD.
Activities in the packages include facilitating improved cooperation between the Municipalities Directorates and other governmental bodies like the Department of Environment, Governor’s Offices, and Ministry of Oil, among others, as well as assisting the Municipality Directorates in system efficiency improvements using BPR. Activities within these packages also focus on strengthening communication and cooperation between citizens and private business holders in efforts to increase awareness of waste reduction.
During the reporting period, IGPA/Takamul continued implementation of activities for the five SWM assistance packages in Anbar, Babil, Baghdad, Basrah, and Ninewa which covered the main areas needed for SWM improvement. Activities during this reporting period included:
Babil. The new model for emergency and periodic maintenance of vehicles of the Municipality Directorate helped improve service delivery for citizens in Babil.
Baghdad: The Directorate of Municipalities started implementing the new model to improve the mechanism for collecting municipality funds from solid waste cleaning and commercial properties.
In Baghdad, a BPR tool was used to fast-track a COVID-19 awareness campaign in al-Jisr. The subdistrict’s Municipality Directorate was able to quickly launch its awareness campaign to halt the spread of coronavirus by analyzing and consolidating the process. Previously trained by IGPA/Takamul on BPR, the directorate led an area-wide campaign, produced and distributed informational materials, and procured non-contact thermometers for early detection of infection. Without BPR, the standard administrative process would have prevented the directorate from conducting this timely community awareness campaign.
To improve operations in Baghdad’s Municipality Directorates, the Project completed the mapping of priority functions: managing citizens’ complaints in al-Jesir and maintenance of garbage trucks in al-
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 8 Naser and al-Salam Municipalities. Once new processes are developed, IGPA/Takamul will provide the required support and necessary training to implement the desired changes.
Basrah. IGPA/Takamul secured the concurrence of the governor for Basrah’s assistance package for SWM. The governor directed the Municipality Directorate to assign a technical team to work with IGPA/Takamul using BPR tools to identify inefficiencies and raise public awareness on waste reduction practices.
Assistance package for solid waste management support
This is the second SWM support package which includes: 1) Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, 2) training for the land fill operators, 3) rehabilitation of a number of open dumpsites, 4) preparation of a land fill operations manual, and 5) an environmental monitoring training to build the capacity of the operators. Next quarter, the Project will assist selected municipalities to upgrade their existing intermediary dumpsites or install new greenfield transfer stations.
During the reporting period, the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plans and training for landfill operations were completed. The remaining two activities--rehabilitation upgrades to existing municipal waste disposal sites and major transfer station and site clean-up--are anticipated to be implemented in the upcoming quarter when normal activities are permitted.
Assistance Package for the Ninewa Plains
During this reporting period, the governor of Ninewa approved the establishment of the four new units for Hamdaniya Mayor’s Office. These are: Consultancy, Public Finance, Civil Society Organizations, and IT units. IGPA/Takamul assisted the Mayor’s Office to establish these units as part of the assistance package using organization analyses and design method to improve the ability of the district government to deliver essential services to its constituents. Also, during this reporting period, IGPA/Takamul conducted a training on February 13 and 14 for 19 staff of the four new units on the roles, responsibilities, work procedures, and the technical relationship between the units. The new staff officially began their work on February 16.
THE DISTRICT MAYOR OF HAMDANIYA (LEFT), LEADS A TWO-DAY TRAINING FOR THE 19 STAFF OF THE FOUR NEW UNITS UNDER THE HAMDANIYA MAYOR’S OFFICE.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 9 Assistance package for the Higher Commission for Coordinating Among Provinces Secretariat
IGPA/Takamul developed this assistance package in close coordination with the HCCPSec chairman and his key staff. Activities under this bundle of assistance will enable HCCPSec to respond effectively to the provincial governments' needs to improve service delivery. The Project also obtained official approval for the implementation of assistance package activities related to HCCPSec needs such as the improvement of its legal competencies, support for the development of an archiving electronic system, and support for the formation of a local coordination commission. The package also aims to improve HCCPSec’s ability to gauge effectiveness of decentralized service delivery and capability in reporting incomplete transfer of functions and authorities for certain decisions and actions.
During the reporting period, the Project completed the groundwork for launching the above assistance package, including the completion of scopes of work for activities and specialized staff.
Assistance packages that are currently being implemented under this Objective in varying levels of progress, as shown in the table below.
Number Estimated Type of Package of Progress Activities Packages Ratio Water 5 85% The APs for Anbar, Ninewa, awarded – in vetting stage • BPR “To Be” phase under implementation • BPR Unit began working with the Ninewa Water Directorate • BPR Unit began working with the Erbil and Sulaimaniya Water Directorates • Started implementing rehabilitation plan and developing standard operating procedures for Ifraz- 3 and Dukan-2 Water Treatment Plants • Awareness campaigns completed in Baghdad, Basrah, and Babil • Work began to conduct a cost- recovery ratio and optimization analysis in all provinces - Water testing RFP ongoing in Baghdad - Enhancement of water service outcome RFP is ongoing in Basrah Installing fleet 1 5% Kickoff meeting conducted. management First deliverable—Revised Project Implementation system for Erbil Plan—submitted. and Basrah vehicles Solid waste 6 49% • Reviewing data to support Municipality management Directorates’ activities. Proposals received, and winner selected. Awaiting contracting office approval • BPR Unit began working with the Ninewa Municipality Directorate • BPR “To Be” phase is in the
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 10 implementation stage • Awareness campaigns in all provinces are completed Work on cost recovery started implementation in all provinces KRG Council of 1 60% • Launched an awareness campaign Ministers - DPM • Crafted and implemented a branding strategy to Office to Perform create a proper and unified public image for the Services in KRI- website Xizmat • Reception desk: Portal translation of services completed • Mobile application development for Android and IOS ongoing. 1. Business Process Reengineering: • Company registration • Private sector pension • Building Permit 2. Awareness campaigns for water conservation completed. Cost recovery and/or financial capacity building completed - MOLSA Ninewa Plains 1 30% Submitted all packages to the Ninewa Governor for Assistance Package approval. IGPA/Takamul assisted Hamdaniya Mayor to develop an Investment Plan. • Technical Working Group (TWG) selection criteria developed • TWG formed and oriented on roles/responsibilities in developing the investment plan • Public hearing sessions to listen to citizen priorities have been conducted and input obtained • Worked with mayor to present investment opportunities at Ninewa Investment Forum (NIF) • IGPA currently working with mayor and relevant provincial authorities to finalize the draft plan • Governor approved the formation of the four units • Formation letter received • IGPA trained the designated staff on roles, responsibilities and the work mechanisms for the newly established units o Train SAG on survey design and how to develop survey questionnaire for the two services (Water & SWM) • Trained SAG on conducting online surveys • Draft investment plan submitted to PPDC for review and adoption as well as to Investment Commission to start preparing studies for these projects • With SAG, IGPA conducted a survey in Hamdaniya district to gauge investment priorities
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 11 THE MUNICIPALITIES DIRECTORATES OF AL-NASER WASALAM IN BAHDAD REENGINEERS THE ALLOCATION OF MACHINERY AND RESOURCES TO PAVE A GARBAGE-FILLED AREA WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE REGULAR TRASH COLLECTION SERVICES IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
2. Reengineering public service processes for a more efficient delivery
Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is a tool to improve service delivery interventions by assessing and streamlining steps in public service delivery. BPR focuses on eliminating waste; removing steps or documents that do not add value or that can be merged with other steps. The reduction of steps and documentation leads to reductions in time and cost. Reengineering of processes was part of earlier activities implemented by IGPA/Takamul and is still being used to conduct comprehensive reviews and redesigns of select service provision processes. BPR is also a part of most assistance packages designed for water and SWM.
During this reporting period, BPR activities have been completed at different directorates in Anbar, Babil, and Baghdad. The Project worked with each directorate to improve processes for water purification and distribution. The implementation phase began in mid-February and the Project is working to capture and report the results.
Despite the movement restrictions affecting Anbar and the rest of the country due to coronavirus, Anbar Water Directorate has maintained full water delivery services to Ramadi City as a result of adopting IGPA/Takamul’s business reengineering process for water services. Babil also benefitted from improvements in water services as a result of streamlining the maintenance of its water stations. The 630,000 residents serviced by the Babil Water Directorate started benefitting from extended water access—from just 10 hours per day to 18 hours of uninterrupted water flow.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 12 Baghdad. The new streamlined process in Baghdad improved the potable water supply for the 100,000 inhabitants of al-Jisir subdistrict. They no longer buy drinking water from water trucks. This was made possible by streamlining the management process and operations workflow at the water station.
Basrah. The introduction of preventive maintenance enhancements for al-Abbas water project (R- Zero) will save $20,000 annually for the Basrah Water Directorate. The implementation of the new model decreased monthly maintenance costs from $4,185 to $2,511 and the monthly maintenance time from 60 to 30 hours. The Water Directorate has now started applying the same model, which is benefiting 1.8 million people in Basrah, to the other 300 water projects in the province.
Despite movement restrictions to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, al-Zubair’s Water Directorate continued to address citizens’ complaints received this month through social media and the Complaints Department’s hotlines. The process of responding to complaints is a product of IGPA/Takamul’s technical support to the Water Directorate on how to receive, respond to, and follow up on citizens’ complaints.
A PERSONNEL OF THE MUNICIPALITY DIRECTORATE OF AL-MADAYIN IN BAGHDAD EXPLAINS THE NEW CLEANING FEES TO BUSINESS OWNERS.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 13 During this quarter, a total of 35 business processes were completed:
TABLE 1: BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING – ROUND 3
PROVINCE SECTOR SERVICE 1. Conducting preventive and emergency maintenance for complexes and projects 2. Increasing the quantity and quality of water produced and upgrading to a better level
Water 3. Developing a mechanism for repairing broken fractures in networks to ensure access ANBAR to the consumer and upgrade to a better level
4. Establishing of a central maintenance workshop for pumps, electric motors and systems used in water plants 5. Improving the quantity and quality of water and upgrade to a better level 6. Developing of water treatment plant (WTP) and complex tracking system 7. Developing of a maintenance mechanism for water network cracks and fractures Water 8. Organizing the process of managing sterilization and adding alum 9. Establishing a regular maintenance of generators in complexes and projects (WTP) 10. Maintenance of network pressure and discharge BABIL 11. Improving the management of emergency waste removal. 12. Developing a trash collecting mechanism using Municipality Directorate resources in cleaning commercial areas SWM 13. Emergency and periodic maintenance of Municipality vehicles 14. Converting land with accumulated waste into gardens and playgrounds 15. Improving the management of the central station 16. Improving the quantity and quality of water to households through extended new pipe line network in al-Gazaier sector 17. Increasing the production of raw and drinking water to service al-Gesser Nahiyia citizens 18. Increasing the efficiency of water reaching homes through the maintenance of water Water compact units in al-Rashed Nahyia 19. Increasing the amount of water reaching homes through the maintenance of networks in al-Mahmoodyia Qadah BAGHDAD 20. Improvement of the delivery of potable water to underserved areas that do not contain water networks using pond cars in al-Maamel region 21. Converting land with accumulated waste into playgrounds and parks 22. Improving the mechanism of monitoring violations on municipality properties. 23. Improving the periodic maintenance of solid waste vehicles SWM 24. Improving the use of resources available for cleaning city streets 25. Improving the mechanism of collecting municipality fees from solid waste cleaning and commercial properties 26. Improving the preventive maintenance of water project 27. Developing a mechanism to deliver potable water using water trucks Water 28. Providing fuel for equipment and machinery to Basrah Water Directorate BASRAH 29. Providing materials from storages (sterilization materials) 30. Raising awareness among citizens about water conservation 31. Improving the mechanism for trash collection in local quarters and provision of SWM cleaning and safety equipment to cleaning labors
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 14 32. Improving the maintenance procedures for Zubair Municipality machineries 33. Improving awareness of and communication with local citizens for SWM 34. Improving the procedure of supplying fuels for Zubair's machineries 35. Improving the procedure of supplying oils for Zubair machineries
Related to the BPR activity, IGPA/Takamul conducted two kinds of surveys for a total of 1,360 respondents in Anbar, Baghdad, Babil, and Basrah on the water and SWM services. The first survey, conducted for 671 respondents, aimed to figure out the baseline (“as-is”) of service quality and quantity and to determine improvements in cost and time efficiency. The second survey aimed to determine the citizen’s satisfaction on the improvements (“to-be”) employed through the reengineering in terms of quality and delivery, and cost and time efficiency, using the first survey results as the baseline. Results of these surveys showed higher citizen satisfaction for both the water and SWM services,
3. Rolling out fleet management system
Fleet management is a function which allows entities that rely on transportation services to remove or minimize the risks associated with vehicle investment. Through fleet management, entities can improve efficiency, productivity, and reduce their overall transportation and staffing costs while remaining in full compliance with government requirements.
In Iraq, one of the challenges of service delivery is the lack of proper planning and monitoring of the movement of the vehicles that deliver services. This is exacerbated by corruption and mismanagement, which decreases the return on investment of these vehicles to very low levels.
Recently, IGPA/Takamul supported the installation of a fleet management system for Baghdad Municipalities Directorate, whereby 400 GPS hardware units were installed in the fleet. This resulted in increased trash collection coverage of 3.4 km2 from 2.2km2 and doubled the number of beneficiaries to 81.6 percent of the 80,000 citizens in al-Jisr Municipality. It also decreased the number of workers needed in trash collection by 25 percent. Similarly, 200 devices were installed on vehicles owned by Baghdad Water Directorate. In both cases it was reported that the system accurately monitored vehicle mileage, fuel consumption, and misuse of vehicles, which enables broader future coverage as a result of increased efficiency.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 15 BPR INFOGRAPHIC USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 16 On March 22, IGPA/Takamul conducted an online kick-off meeting with stakeholders engaged to provide and manage the fleet of vehicles for water and solid waste management services. This work includes the management of 212 vehicles for Erbil Water Directorate, 201 vehicles for Basrah Municipalities Directorate for solid waste disposal, and 111 vehicles for Basrah Water Directorate for a total of 524 vehicles.
4. Supporting the Kurdistan Regional Government’s reform initiative through Xizmat
The Xizmat government services portal is part of the KRG’s ongoing reform and modernization program. The regional government portal serves as a centralized location of all government services in one website1. Currently, 4222 public services are listed on the website. During this reporting period, the translation of 60 major services from Kurdish into Arabic and English was ongoing. Translating these services will encourage foreign investments and the registration of international companies in the region. It will also help the other non-Kurdish speaking residents to communicate with the related ministries and access relevant guidance and instructions.
The Project is also developing mobile applications for both Android and IOS systems to facilitate access to the Xizmat portal. This project started on February 3 with a kickoff meeting with the technical team of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office. Despite the current situation, the vendor is working to develop the first version of the application for testing before it goes live.
This quarter, IGPA/Takamul also supported the implementation of reengineering tools to enhance service delivery of:
• Issuing building permits, following the development and adoption of the new process for all Erbil municipalities; • Private sector employee subscriptions for social insurance; • Notary public services and MOLSA, which will start when the STTA is hired; • Maintenance of water pipe networks in Sulaimaniya.
5. Revitalizing the Provincial Planning and Development Councils
The Provincial Planning and Development Council (PPDC) is an advisory group for the executive and legislative branches of local governments. PPDCs provide technical assistance to the governor in drafting provincial development plans so that they reflect the needs of the citizens. Many PPDCS are no longer active; IGPA/Takamul worked to revitalize the PPDC as a provincial planning structure since 2017. IGPA/Takamul supported the building of the PPDCs’ capacity in the areas of governance, planning, and consultative-based decision making to ensure the participation of local citizens, which will improve service delivery with high impact and visibility. HCCPSec oversees the support provided to PPDCs to ensure it is active and is used as a tool for provincial planning.
During this reporting period, the Ninewa PPDC ensured inclusion of citizen views in development planning by conducting public listening sessions with sectoral representatives. In early March, the Ninewa PPDC met to review the complaints raised by the citizens through the “single response
1 https://services.gov.krd/ 2 The number is accurate as of this quarter, although the number of services may decrease if similar services are combined into one or cease to operate as a service for any reason. It could also increase as government services expand.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 17 window” and designed a plan to integrate lasting solutions to prevalent complaints into the provincial development plan. The PPDC also discussed integrating infrastructure projects proposed by citizens into the provincial master plan. During the meeting, the council discussed sectoral plans and the status of their implementation.
IGPA/Takamul likewise assisted in revitalizing and activating Provincial Planning and Development Councils in all federal provinces excluding including Muthanna and Qadisiya which are being supported by another donor agency.
6. Developing sector development plans
Sector development plans (SDP) seek to institutionalize the process of service delivery planning within the PPDCs and decentralized entities so that they are in alignment with both citizens and GOI priorities as well as capital investment plans.
IGPA/Takamul support the preparation of SDPs for Anbar, Babil, and Baghdad during this reporting period. Related activities included:
• Ensured that the final SDP complies with IGPA/Takamul standards. A letter will be sent to the Governor’s Office for concurrence. • Met with Kirkuk Governorate and SDPs Committee to follow up and continue the process of SDP for water and municipality sectors. • Met with Salah al-Din Governorate and the SDPs Committee to follow up and continue the process of SDP for water and municipality sectors. • Conducted a national workshop for the task force including the Water and Municipality Directorates and supporting bodies. Ninewa. IGPA/Takamul continued to support Ninewa to mainstream service delivery planning within the PPDC and to align them with the governorate’s capital investment plan. The Project devised the “single response window” as a platform for Ninewa citizens to channel their concerns or suggestions for improving governance. Four hearing sessions were convened through this platform to gather citizen inputs into the development of the province’s development plan. The Project conducted hearing sessions in Tal Kayf, Hamdaniya, and Sheikhan districts and were attended by 170 citizens. The suggestions gathered at these hearings were forwarded to the Ninewa Governorate for inclusion in the provincial development plan, which will be supported by the Project. The PPDC also discussed integrating infrastructure projects proposed by citizens into the provincial master plan. During the meeting, the PPDC discussed sectoral plans and the status of their implementation.
Equality & Inclusion
Targeting Strategy. In Iraq, certain groups of citizens confront barriers that prevent them from fully participating in political, economic, and social life. These groups may be excluded or marginalized through norms, stereotypes, and stigmas based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, immigration status, or other characteristics. Such practices rob them of dignity, security, and the opportunity to lead a better life; it can prevent them from engaging with government and holding it accountable. While the groups and populations that are considered marginalized are not fixed and vary by geographic area and over time, in present day Iraq, women, girls, youth, internally-
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 18 displaced, and certain religious and ethnic groups are among those excluded from decision making processes and access to services.
During this quarter, the E&I team finalized the Targeting Strategy under the IGPA/Takamul project. This strategy took gender and inclusion in the Project from an abstract concept to a process of necessary steps for ensuring fair representation and participation of women and men throughout implementation. The outputs of the strategy include ways to identify specific entry points for addressing gender and inclusion.
The targeting strategy will be implemented through specific diversity plans developed by each of the four IGPA/Takamul project objectives with support from E&I. All components set numerical targets for equitable participation in each of their Year 3 activities as a baseline. After each quarter, the team will individually review the participation data with E&I to identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities. The gaps and challenges will form the basis for designing interventions with implementing partners to improve their willingness and institutional capacity to address issues related to gender and inclusion.
UNDER THE PROJECT’S GENDER SAFETY AUDIT ACTIVITY, IGPA/TAKAMUL RECOMMENDS UPGRADES TO ERBIL STADIUM TO MAKE IT SAFER AND COMFORTABLE FOR WOMEN, GIRLS, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 19 Ensuring participation by women, youth, the disabled, the internally displaced, or other marginalized groups is the entry point for targeting. Making this an explicit step in the planning stage for each activity opens the door to including religious or ethnic minorities, IDPs, persons with disabilities, women or others who may not otherwise have their voice heard. The targeting strategy outlines steps for getting technical teams to understand how gender and inclusion relate to their activities and how to incorporate it into planning. Given adequate commitment, each team should produce results that drive more inclusive service delivery and accountability for all Iraqis.
Gender Safety Audits. On January 21, a group of seven gender safety auditors – composed of representatives from the gender unit of the Erbil Governorate (three), Water Directorate (two), and CSOs (three) – visited the Erbil Stadium to undertake a gender safety audit. The group’s meetings in November and December 2019 led to choosing the Erbil Stadium as an ideal location to undertake a gender safety audit due to many safety complaints being documented from women attending events at this venue. The gender safety auditors submitted on a list of recommendations collected during their last visit to the stadium administrators.
7. Developing and promoting the use of Standard Bidding Documents to strengthen the procurement system at the federal and local levels
Improving procurement using the standard bidding documents
IGPA/Takamul developed the standard bidding documents (SBD) to reduce the average bid preparation time and create a relatively easier application process. The SBDs are tools used to improve the transparency of procurement processes and making it easier for small- and medium- sized enterprises to participate in bidding. IGPA/Takamul developed SBDs to be used as a template based on the budget of a procurement. It conducted hands-on “learning by doing” workshops to teach provincial procurement officials how to use the SBDs to customize bidding documents for specific public service-related procurements. These applications are used for approximately 70 percent of all government procurement activities.
Procurement support for the federal government
During the reporting period, six projects for Babil worth $21,543,545 and four for Baghdad worth $8,730,160 for water and education sectors were awarded using IGPA/Takamul-promoted new bidding tools for a total of $30.27 million. There is now a total of 49 awarded projects worth $126.8 million since the beginning of FY2020. See Table 2 below for a summary of the projects awarded this quarter and since the beginning of the Project.
Building the government’s procurement capacity
KRG. During this quarter, IGPA/Takamul conducted Training of Trainers courses and capacity building activities for all provinces in the KRI. The Project worked with the Ministry of Planning to launch new bidding tools for small projects of up to $4.2 million and medium-sized projects of up to $8.4 million. The SBDs are typically used for basic service bids such as procurement of drinking water stations, sewage networks, trash collection and recycling, as well as the construction of schools and medical centers.
Between February 29 and March 5, the Project held a training course for 20 trainers for the Kurdistan region and yet to be completed. When completed, those who will pass the final
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 20 examinations will receive an international accreditation as SBD trainers. These accredited trainers will enhance the KRG’s ability to conduct its own procurement trainings across KRI provinces, serving as valuable asset to the procurement infrastructure in the region that will promote the program’s sustainability.
TABLE 2: SUMMARY OF CONTRACTS AWARDED IN FY20, Q2 Number of Contracts Awarded and value in PROVINCE Total Number and Value in US$ per quarter, FY20 $, FY20 – Q2 FY20 Q-1 FY20 Q-2
Ninewa
Anbar
Baghdad 33 $70,227,699.75 4 $8,730,160.62 37 $78,957,860.37
Basrah 6 $26,307,282.91 6 $26,307,282.91
Babil 6 $21,543,545.01 6 $21,543,545.01
Baghdad Amanat
Dahuk-KRG
TOTAL 39 $96,534,982.66 10 $30,273,705.63 49 $126,808,688.29
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 21
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 22 RESULT 1.2 Strengthen the strategic approach and capacity of the federal line ministries and provincial directorates to better align service delivery outcomes with the priorities of provincial governments and local populations
1. Upgrading the structure of service directorates to align to decentralization
For many years, Iraq has been working under a strictly centralized governance system and most of the performance evaluations in the provinces were performed by personnel from the ministries based in Baghdad. With decentralization, performance evaluation responsibility shifted to the provincial governments.
Upgrading the organizational structures of the Directorates of Municipality, Municipalities, and Water
IGPA/Takamul worked with the HCCPSec and the provinces of Najaf, Baghdad, Babil, Anbar, Wasit, and Basrah to review the organizational structure upgrades for service directorates. The prime minister issued an order to establish a central committee headed by HCCPSec representatives with members from the Ministries of Planning, Finance, and Municipalities and Public Works. The Project worked with the central committee and the technical working groups from pilot provinces to review and analyze the current organizational structures, identify gaps, and propose changes in light of the shift to decentralization. The focus was on upgrades that contribute to service delivery improvements.
The recommended upgrades included the requirements from the Administrative and Financial Affairs Directorates (AFAD) in budget execution and financial reporting. It also considered reports from civil society and volunteer groups to the service directorates on evaluating service delivery from the end users’ perspective. The upgraded structures clearly defined the relationship of these directorates with PPDC wherein the service directorates will share their short- and long- term plans with the PPDC. The plans will incorporate recommendations into the provincial annual plans. As a next step, the PPDC submitted the organizational structure upgrading recommendations to the prime minister for review and approval.
During this reporting period, IGPA/Takamul supported the HCCPSec in publicizing the draft structures and sharing with the other provincial governments. The Project trained the staff of the service directorates in targeted provinces on the proposed upgraded organizational structures and how to operationalize the new structure in preparation for implementation after the prime minister’s approval.
2. Institutionalizing the Performance Evaluation Department and ensuring integration
After decentralization, the Prime Minister approved a new provincial government structure, which included the establishment of the Provincial Evaluation Department (PED). IGPA/Takamul
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 23 introduced PED as a governance tool to monitor and improve the performance of provincial service delivery. Under a strictly centralized system, the Governor’s Office has no oversight authority over service delivery as this was managed from relevant ministries in Baghdad.
IGPA/Takamul established PED in Maysan, Basrah, Baghdad, Wasit, Najaf, Ninewa, Babil, and Anbar to collect data and report water and SWM service performance to the governors. PEDs are now knowledgeable on the means and tools for obtaining data, data evaluation, and report writing. Collectively, PEDs recommended actions to further improve their functions to the HCCPSec, the GOI entity that resolves provincial issues needing federal intervention.
During this quarter, IGPA/Takamul worked with the PEDs and CSOs of Baghdad, Babil, Wasit, Basrah, Anbar, Najaf, Maysan, and Ninewa to develop a mechanism to coordinate the administration of citizen satisfaction surveys and awareness campaigns. The parties also agreed on a platform wherein PEDs can access citizen evaluations of services as conducted by the CSOs. The coordination mechanism was finalized on December 11, after which the PEDs and CSOs jointly developed plans to conduct awareness campaigns in eight provinces. See related activities next page.
THE PROVINCIAL EVALUATION DEPARTMENT DIRECTED NAJAF’S KUFA MUNICIPALITY DIRECTORATE TO DISINFECT ITS GARBAGE TRUCKS TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 24 As the Project’s Arabic name Takamul, or “integration,” implies, the Project works to integrate governance functions within the provinces, promote cooperation between the central and provincial governments, and integrate civil society into this process to ensure accountability, transparency, and citizen support.
Najaf • Conducted an awareness campaign to promote proper trash disposal; held public forums; distributed informational brochures in al- IGPA/Takamul supported Askeri neighborhood and schools; and, promoted the Provincial Evaluation Departments and civil messages through live radio broadcast. society groups to create a Baghdad coordination mechanism • With the Municipalities Babil that integrates collective Directorate, held a campaign to • Held a clean-up drive reaching efforts and resources promote proper trash disposal 203 households and spoke to toward improved service in Rashdiya. Volunteers and residents to be responsible in delivery. government representatives cleaning their immediate distributed leaflets and trash surroundings. During this quarter, the bags to houses and schools. Ninewa PED and civil society Basrah • Urged residents in two organizations jointly • Following a performance audit neighborhoods to do their part implemented governance of trash collection services, in keeping their own worked with the Municipality functions through activities surroundings clean. The Directorate on a two-day campaign also involved clearing fully funded by their awareness campaign with civil up roads and canals. respective local society volunteers distributing Wasit governments. flyers and trash bags while • Collaborated with the Citizen visiting homes and businesses. Affairs Department to remove Anbar accumulated trash in al-Falahiya • 35 volunteers and the that posed a health hazard in Municipality Directorate an area with 10,500 people. campaigned in Ramadi’s al- The initiative generated Tameem reaching 8,500 families. assistance from partners valued The team placed instructional at $3,000 for the two-day brochures and trash bags at campaign. each doorstep while garbage • Held a cleanliness drive in al- trucks rolled outside collecting Hay City, home to 12,000 trash. citizens and more than 800 • IGPA/Takamul Change Agents commercial establishments. formed a joint committee Maysan trained by PED to advocate for • With the Umarah Municipality a new division at the Directorate, campaigned to Municipality Directorate to promote proper trash disposal conduct internal performance to adhere to collection evaluations. schedules.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 25 Osama Tariq HCCPSec and PED Head, Provincial Evaluation Department BAGHDAD Per IGPA/Takamul’s mechanism, PEDs send regular reports to the HCCPSec outlining issues
impeding service delivery at the provincial level and requesting coordination with appropriate federal “When I assumed the position as head of entities. The HCCPSec’s own PED analyze these reports and provide the necessary follow up with Baghdad PED, I realized that the department federal entities to ensure that the support is provided for service delivery. The HCCPSec PED also needed a mandate to be able to work communicates any new federal directions related to serviceproperly. delivery I also improvement found a big pileto the of PEDs.work waiting for me.
“One of our biggest challenge was to overcome the misconception of other departments that we would be evaluating individual performance. We were not; rather we look at the performance of the department as a whole. Since then, the departments started cooperating with us.
“Another challenge was the evaluation methodology. The traditional way is to ask questions from the staff, but this method is unreliable. Thankfully, IGPA/Takamul trained us in the proper methods and in processing the data through Excel for accurate calculation.
“We would like to thank IGPA/Takamul for helping us and we wish to continue cooperating with the Project.”
Jameel Ibrahim Head, Provincial Evaluation Department ANBAR
“When the PED was formed, we did not exactly know the scope of our work. We asked the departments if there was something that needed to be “solved.” We did not have evaluation or measurement tools. Then IGPA/Takamul trained us on evaluation principles and techniques and gave us measurement tools, including an evaluation form consisting of 30 questions. We then circulated this form to the departments and asked them to evaluate their own performance. We checked and validated the responses and investigated matters that need to be addressed.
“Thanks to IGPA/Takamul for their training and assistance because they are really of great significance to our work. Moreover, based on the trainings and material given to us, we created a Performance Evaluation Division within the Ramadi Municipality Directorate. We then trained the PED staff on conductingUSAID.GOV performance evaluation. IGPA/TAKAMUL” FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 26
RESULT 1.3 Enhance regulatory and procedural certainty to attract private sector investment
1. Implementing a public private partnerships (PPP) mechanism and other alternative financing programs
IGPA/Takamul provides technical assistance to build the capacity of federal and local government staff in utilizing public private partnership (PPP) as a mechanism for improving the delivery of services, especially those related to water, solid waste management and electricity. IGPA/Takamul also provides support in reviewing the current legal framework (the draft PPP law) that governs PPPs in Iraq, in order to determine if there are any gaps and needed reforms.
Support to the federal government In early January, IGPA/Takamul continued to engage with the Council of Representatives (COR) and secretariats of the Finance Committee and the Investment and Economic Committee to discuss Iraq’s draft public-private partnership (PPP) law. IGPA/Takamul emphasized the need to further share the concept of PPPs among COR members and explain how PPPs can be used to achieve sustainable economic development. The Project also discussed the need to coordinate with the parliament’s Legal Committee to review comments received by the investment committee.
Support to KRG In response to a request from the KRG’s MOP to enhance private sector involvement in development efforts, IGPA/Takamul developed a PPP policy note. The policy note is the product of a comprehensive situational assessment of public facilities, highlighting facilities that are lacking and needing improvement. Informed by international best practices, the KRG PPP Policy Paper will guide the region’s PPP program development and give stakeholders a comprehensive overview of the identified gaps that the PPP program seeks to address. One of the key recommendations in the policy notes is to shift from the current practice of creating ad-hoc PPPs, called “investments,” to a systematic formulation of a PPP program.
On March 1, IGPA/Takamul held one-day workshop on Capacity and Consensus Building for PPP with 13 participants from various ministries. The workshop concentrated on capacity building on PPP, policy components and programs, and consensus building over the KRG PPP policy paper.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 27 SUCCESS STORY
New bidding procedure speeds up development undertakings
A REVISED BIDDING PROCESS AND SIMPLIFIED BIDDING DOCUMENTS FAST-TRACK DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN IRAQ
Government bidding is inherently a complex the timeframe of each stage of the process. undertaking. In Iraq, this complexity was Previously, procurement analysis and more pronounced because of the ambiguous preparation of bidding documents alone took and unwieldy bidding process. No matter the from three to six months. This was cut to no size of the procurement, be they multi- more than 30 days, and the opening of bids million-dollar construction projects or should be done within three days from the drinking water stations, the effort was the deadline of submission. Since then, the SBDs same: massive. Moreover, the evaluation have become the fundamental document for criteria were hazy and easy to manipulate, government procurements. From October with the lowest price becoming the deciding 2019 through March 2020, 49 projects valued criterion for winning. at $127 million have been awarded using the SBD. Siham Kadhim Jabir, Head of the Tenders and Contracts Department of Iraq’s Ministry “The SBD facilitated the work for both the of Planning, said: “Previously, there were no bidder and the procurement officers. It bidding documents, just a set of regulations. introduced a clear set of evaluation criteria, The evaluators assign scores based on their removed bureaucracy, and allowed small but own interpretation because the criteria were qualified businesses to have a fair chance of not clearly explained.” winning,” Ms. Jabir said. “Several projects that were awarded using the SBD have been In 2018, IGPA/Takamul introduced two completed on time and have complied with kinds of Standard Bidding Documents the quality standard specified in the bid,” she (SBD)—one for procurements under $2.5 added. million and one for procurements for non- consulting services. The Ministry of Planning “After trying many times in the past, I was of both the federal government and the finally able to win a construction project with Kurdistan Regional Government adopted the the government. I am so happy that the SBDs. government bidding was changed for the better!” a grateful Omaid exclaimed. Aside from introducing new procedures, IGPA/Takamul also shortened the USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 28
SUCCESS STORY
Citizen voices transform dump pit into a playground in Najaf neighborhood
THE DUMPSITE ALONG THE ROAD TO THE SCHOOL THREATENS THE HEALTH OF STUDENTS. PARENTS, TAWASUL, AND THE PROVINCIAL EVALUATION DEPARTMENT ACTED TOGETHER TO CREATE A SPACE FOR CHILDREN’S WELLBEING.
Within the premises of a public elementary school Project to facilitate a meeting among government in al-Askari, a bustling neighborhood in Najaf’s agencies and CSOs to coordinate efforts in solving capital city, a vacant land grew into a garbage site. this problem,” Zahraa said. Over the years, residents in the area kept dumping their household trash into a vacant yard, until one In January 2019, with support from IGPA/Takamul, day it became a permanent dump site. Najaf’s Performance Evaluation Department and
Tawasul developed an action plan and conducted a Narjes Ali, a mother of four Hai al-Askari, town hall meeting in al-Askari to discuss cleaning complained: “This accumulation of trash is a the site and promoting proper waste disposal nightmare —the stench and the swarm of flies are among the residents. Afterwards, the combined unbearable. Unfortunately, this dump site is along teams cleaned up the dump site. They expanded the road to the school where my two sons are the cleaning drive to six schools in al-Askari. The studying. So, the parents in this area got together Health Directorate, Kufa University, and Imam Ali and talked to Ms. Zahraa to help us solve this Shrine joined on these campaigns contributing problem.” informational materials, saplings and plantlets, and packed meals for the volunteers. Zahraa al-Musawi, is the head of Al-Shamis civil society organizations (CSO), which is a member of “The ugly site is now replaced with a beautiful Najaf Tawasul. Tawasul is a semi-formal structure playground for our children. The accountability organized by IGPA/Takamul that works with local groups continually come back to the area to ensure government to address citizen complaints. “The the efforts were not wasted. Now, it is our turn as citizens to take the initiative to maintain cleanliness main issue was the lack of interaction between the in this area,” Narjes Ali said. government service department and the community. After attending a workshop conducted USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 29 by IGPA/Takamul, we requested the
OBJECTIVE 2: IMPROVE PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Planned Target Total Achieved % Achieved Indicator for FY20 during FY20 during FY20
Number of government 2 1 50% institution (central, federal, provincial) that have implemented SOPs to manage PFM functions as a result of IGPA/Takamul support
Number of revenue laws passed 5 2 40% by local governments as a result of IGPA support
Number of provincial in-year 20 2 10% budget reports produced in accordance with law or best practice as a result of IGPA support
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 30 Improved Public Financial Management (PFM) is the foundation of IGPA/Takamul’s approach to strengthen governance of provincial and national government institutions that perform essential functions impacting water, electricity and solid waste management (SWM) services delivery. IGPA/Takamul’s main areas of support under Objective 2 include PFM reforms for local revenue generation and collection, planning and budgeting, financial reporting, and oversight and monitoring. This workstream implements PFM interventions in key national GOI and KRG ministries including the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning.
During the second quarter of FY20, IGPA/Takamul focused on developing PFM toolkits for local revenue collection and management, budgeting, and financial reporting to improve fiscal decentralization. These toolkits are important for the sustainability of the training and capacity building activities implemented by the Project. IGPA/Takamul also expanded its work on improving public investment management with the development of a Public Investment Management framework and feasibility study preparation toolkit. These are important for strengthening both the selection of key small and large capital projects and their implementation at the national and provincial level. IGPA/Takamul also dedicated resources to support provincial Administrative and Financial Affairs Directorates (AFAD) and decentralized units to prepare the annual financial reports required by the Ministry of Finance despite the challenges faced with the deteriorating security situation and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Notable accomplishments for the quarter are as follows:
• Supported AFADs and decentralized units to prepare annual final accounts and monthly financial reports in accordance with MOF requirements for MOF approval. This enabled the allocation of funds for operating and capital expenditures despite the COVID-19 restrictions. • Developed PFM reform toolkits for local revenue collection and management, financial and budget execution reporting, and budget preparation with input from MOF and AFAD counterparts to improve fiscal decentralization and PFM practices at the provincial level. • Supported Wasit AFADs to prepare local revenue guidelines and a mechanism for collecting and managing local revenues. These will be implemented and replicated in other provinces that have met MOF requirements for a local revenue bank account. • Continued the rollout of the Iraq Development Management System (IDMS) training for provincial planning departments, AFAD, and decentralized directorates in the 15 provinces through the second two-day workshop held for 19 Ninewa provincial officials and staff. • Developed a public investment management process framework and feasibility study preparation toolkit based on international best practices for the KRG and key service delivery ministries to improve project selection and the capital investment process. • Initiated the gender budgeting pilot work at the national and provincial level, working with the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning to outline gender budget instructions for the national budget process. • Supported the Mayor of Hamdaniya under the Ninewa Plains Assistance Package to conduct a survey of 1,100 citizens for their perspective on investment priorities and service delivery projects to inform the district’s development planning process.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 31 RESULT 2.1 Strengthen capacities of Administrative and Financial Affairs Directorates and support their conversion into fully operational financial management offices
1. Developing and implementing assistance packages
An assistance package is an integrated, comprehensive package of activities that address capacity development and performance enhancement in service delivery, PFM, and oversight and accountability for key provincial government institutions supported by IGPA/Takamul. In FY19, IGPA/Takamul developed assistance packages primarily for the Water and Municipality Directorates in the five targeted non-KRI provinces, and for Erbil’s Ministry of Electricity and Ministry of Water. Under these assistance packages, IGPA/Takamul helped build the capacity of these key service delivery units to assume these responsibilities, which is important to reduce overall costs and maximize fee collection.
Federal provinces. During the reporting period, IGPA/Takamul supported Anbar and Basrah provinces to collect data needed to develop the cost recovery model for Water and Municipality Directorates working with the accounting and financial, collection, and technical units within the directorates. The accounting and finance departments provided water and trash collection services costs, expenditures and accounts payable; the collections and revenue unit provided data and input on collections and receivable; and the technical units provided data on quantities (consumption and production when applicable) and fixed assets.
Kurdistan Regional Government. During this quarter, IGPA/Takamul continued supporting the KRG Ministries of Electricity and Water to complete cost recovery models for electricity and water services. The analysis involved assessing the current costs and pricing of services to determine what is needed for cost recovery of water and electricity services. The ministries can use these cost recovery models for planning and budgeting purposes and to inform awareness campaigns to encourage citizens to pay the fees. The Project has completed the cost recovery models but was unable to train the ministry staff on using the models due to the COVID-19 restrictions that started in early March.
KRG Xizmat assistance package. IGPA/Takamul is supporting the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) and its directorates in strengthening governmental accounting and internal financial audit. IGPA/Takamul initiated this new activity in Year 3, which includes a comprehensive capacity building program for directorates in Erbil, Sulaimaniya, and Dahuk which is undergoing a review of current processes, procedures, staff knowledge and skills. Under the package, the Project initiated the MOLSA governmental accounting system training activity in February and MOLSA internal financial activity in March.
During this quarter, IGPA/Takamul conducted a technical assessment of the current governmental accounting process in the three provinces. While the Project completed the technical and capacity assessments, the training and capacity building program implementation is on hold due to the COVID-19 restrictions. For the internal financial audit work, the Project initiated the technical assessment for the three provinces. The Project likewise suspended the assessment process due to the COVID-19 restrictions.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 32 2. Building the capacity of AFAD and decentralized directorates on budget execution and reporting
The key milestones achieved in Q2 related to building the capacity of AFAD and decentralized directorates on budget execution and reporting include:
• Supporting AFAD and decentralized directorates to prepare the annual financial accounts and monthly financial reports in accordance with MOF requirements. This enabled financial allocations for operating expenses particularly during the critical COVID-19 restriction period; and. • Continuing daily on-the-job training and capacity building in financial management and accounting, budgeting, and local revenue generation for the AFAD and decentralized directorates. In this reporting period, IGPA collaborated with the Basrah AFAD manager and Water Directorate staff to conduct a series of three-day training on preparing final accounts and financial statements for self-funded service delivery units (i.e. water and SWM). A total of 26 participants (25 male;1 female) from the AFAD, Water, Sewerage, Municipalities of Basrah, Babil, Baghdad, Anbar, and Ninewa attended the workshops. As a result of the hands-on workshop, the participants prepared the financial statements, previously prepared by the ministries, for the first time since the directorates were decentralized in 2017.
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS PREPARE ACTUAL BALANCE SHEETS AND PROFIT AND LOSS STATEMENTS DURING A WORKING SESSION.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 33 Baghdad. The Project focused on building capacity of AFAD and decentralized departments through the following activities:
• Conducting a workshop for the accounting staff of Baghdad AFAD and its related departments on how to maintain accounting records and extract and verify results using accounting records as per the requirements of MOF; • Conducting on-the-job training and capacity building of accounting staff in the AFAD Financial and Planning Departments; and • Supporting AFAD to prepare financial reports and final accounts that required revisions from the 2019 financial year. Babil. IGPA/Takamul supported AFAD to prepare the 2019 final accounts. The Project conducted training for Babil AFAD and decentralized directorates on how to prepare the final accounts trial balance for 2019. The Project also assisted the Babil AFAD to complete end-of-year accounts for 2017, which the MOF had previously returned to the AFAD due to several unbalanced accounts. Since October 2019, the Project has been supporting AFAD staff to revise all financial accounts correctly and to resubmit the 2017 financial accounts report to the MOF.
Anbar. The Project developed a PFM toolkit for monthly financial reporting and budget execution with an excel spreadsheet program and detailed manual for instructions on how to use the spreadsheet. IGPA/Takamul developed the toolkit with Anbar AFAD and tested and finalized the excel spreadsheet program. The directorate has adopted the spreadsheet for preparing the monthly financial report and budget execution report during the second quarter. The Project plans to implement the PFM toolkit in the other non-KRI provinces beginning in the next quarter.
IGPA/Takamul further supported Anbar AFAD to conduct a two-day training replicating the Project’s annual final accounts workshop conducted for AFAD and decentralized unit staff from the 15 non-KRI provinces. The training took place in Babil on February 4-5 for 17 AFAD accountants (12 male, 5 female) on preparing the 2019 annual final accounts in accordance with MOF requirements. The Project then supported the AFAD and decentralized units to prepare the consolidated 2019 annual final accounts. As a result, the AFAD submitted the 2019 final accounts to MOF in March.
Basrah, Dhi Qar, Muthanna, Maysan. For the southern region, the project focused on building the capacity of AFAD and decentralized directorate staff to prepare monthly financial reports that comply with the MOF requirements. On January 29-30, the Project conducted a comprehensive two-day training on preparing the final accounts for 41 staff members (28 male; 13 female) from the Health, Education, Municipalities, Roads and Bridges, Youth and Sport, and Urban Planning Directorates in Basrah, Maysan, Dhi Qar, and Muthanna. The workshop mainly covered final accounts as a strategic financial planning tool that MOF uses to determine budget allocations, and using final accounts to prepare financial statements, and investment and operating budgets. The Project then assisted the four provincial AFADs to prepare the 2019 final accounts, which was submitted to MOF in March.
Salah al-Din. IGPA/Takamul assisted the AFAD to conduct a workshop for 16 decentralized directorate accounting managers on preparing final accounts to meet the MOF requirements. The Project likewise assisted the Salah al-Din AFAD and directorates to prepare the 2019 final accounts in accordance with MOF requirements, and to submit the final accounts by March.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 34 IGPA/TAKAMUL EMBEDDED ADVISER (RIGHT) REVIEWS BABIL AFAD’S 2017 BOOK OF ACCOUNTS WITH THE HEAD OF THE AFAD FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION SECTION.
Erbil, Dahuk, Sulaimaniya, Halabja. IGPA/Takamul hired two PFM advisors to be embedded in the Sulaimaniya and Erbil offices. They were tasked with building the capacity of the provincial finance and accounting units in PFM practices. The advisor for Sulaimaniya prepared a technical and capacity assessment of the provincial finance and accounting units to inform the development of a targeted training and technical support program for Sulaimaniya and Halabja. The Project will share the assessment results with the Sulaimaniya governorate once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and use the assessment findings to develop a targeted training and capacity development program for the four KRI provinces.
3. Creating fixed asset registry for AFADs and Water and Municipality Directorates in two pilot provinces
The provincial units have no accurate recording systems or databases for registering fixed assets. Under this activity, IGPA/Takamul is developing and implementing an online or intranet database system to register the fixed assets in the provincial AFAD and stock departments for Anbar and Basrah, and for finance and accounting units in Erbil, Sulaimaniya, Dahuk, Halabja. These registries list all the fixed assets a public institution owns, tracks the book value and depreciation, and verifies the status of fixed asset. The registry database information is used to prepare the operating budget for each department.
The Project previously determined the technical specifications (hardware and software), resources needed, and timeline to carry out the work. During the quarter, IGPA/Takamul focused on developing the RFPs to develop the fixed assets registry databases. In the next quarter, the Project expects to select qualified vendors to begin developing the databases for the four KRG provincial finance and accounting units, including Anbar and Basrah provincial AFAD and Water and Municipality Directorates.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 35
Mr. Hassan Al-Kaabi AFAD Director, Babil
“As directorates were decentralized, the joint meetings and trainings and developed preparation of the final accounts— a communications platform wherein all consisting of revenues, expenses, and financial departments across Iraq could financial settlements of the whole fiscal coordinate. That way all our systems and year—now rests squarely on our processes were streamlined and shoulders. Previously, the Ministry of synchronized. Finance prepared them. IGPA/Takamul prepared us for this big responsibility “Even now with the restrictions on through continued workshops. If we are movements, we could still do our work as not able to correctly finish the previous we have maintained regular coordination year’s final account, then the succeeding with IGPA/Takamul. Thankfully, since all the year’s budget will be delayed. staff have been trained by the Project, even if we don’t physically work side by side, we “IGPA defined the mission of the AFADs, were able to finish our final accounts in a created an organizational structure and timely manner.” spelled the roles and responsibilities of the staff. It created standard operating procedures according to best practices and aligned with Ministry of Finance’s rules and regulations. IGPA/Takamul organized
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 36 4. Developing a coordination mechanism between the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Planning (MOP), and AFADs
Essential elements of an efficient and successful PFM system include a medium-term top-down planning process and budget formulation based on forecasted revenues. It should also include an expenditure framework with budget ceilings and expenditures for allocated funds and capital investment, operations and maintenance, and recurring expenses. These PFM elements are the result of coordination and communication between the MOF, MOP, Higher Coordinating Commission for Provinces Secretariat (HCCPSec), and AFAD. The AFAD and other key governorate offices serve as the link between top-down and bottom-up planning and budgeting, which enables service delivery directorates and key stakeholders to provide input into the process.
During the reporting period, the Project focused on maintaining the coordination between the MOF, AFAD, and decentralized directorates while preparing the consolidated annual final accounts and monthly financial reports to ensure adherence to MOF requirements. The Project facilitated this coordination primarily through a WhastApp group established between the AFAD directors and MOF budget and accounting department staff. The Project requested that the MOF identify a point of contact within its decentralization department that will assume responsibility for formal coordination between the MOF and AFAD. However, this process was delayed due to the inability of the parliament to vote for a prime minister and permanent key MOF officials.
RESULT 2.2 Support the development of federal oversight mechanisms such as financial procedures of provinces’ finances
1. Supporting the development of a reporting portal between decentralized service delivery directorates, AFADs, and MOF
The MOF is currently implementing an Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS) at the national level. This system will have a significant impact on how allocations are made for specific expenditures based on a standard chart of accounts. The IFMIS will assist with timely allocation of resources to government units, support the budget planning and execution process (including procurement), cash management, asset management, and monitoring and evaluation. IGPA/Takamul has been working with the MOF, AFADs and KRG finance and accounting units to implement an interim electronic solution at the provincial level that will produce reports on budget execution and monitoring.
During the last quarter, IGPA/Takamul presented the concept of a reporting portal to the AFAD directors and MOF and MOP representatives during a two-day workshop. The reporting portal is a web-based application connected to a database that contains various MOF-required financial forms and reports such as the trial balance, annual final account, and budget expenditure. This portal will link AFADs, decentralized directorates, and the MOF. The reporting portal will streamline the monthly reporting process required by the MOF; minimize time for the AFAD to prepare monthly trial balances for the MOF to facilitate a timely release of funds for salaries and other operating expenses; and facilitate electronic exchange of information between the MOF and provincial entities.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 37 2. Implementing a payroll management system
IGPA/Takamul proposed in its Year 3 work plan to introduce improved control, accountability, and oversight for payroll expenditures through the IFMIS for allocation and expenditure processes. However, the IFMIS system has been significantly delayed and a vendor has not yet been selected by the MOF to design and implement the system.
As such, the Project proposed revising this Year 3 activity to focus on delivering training for AFAD and decentralized directorates in payroll accounting procedures and payroll management in accordance with MOF and GOI rules and regulations. This training will be delivered as a module of the specialized PFM training program planned for AFAD and decentralized directorates in the last quarter of Year 3.
3. Develop the external and internal financial and performance audit capacity for the FBSA, MOF, MOP, and AFADs
During the reporting period, IGPA/Takamul met with the deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Supreme Audit (FBSA) to discuss potential areas of collaboration to strengthen accounting processes in provincial AFAD and decentralized directorates. As a result of the meeting, the project agreed to support the FBSA to conduct a workshop for provincial accounting departments on the FBSA’s new procedures on including the annual account balance for each decentralized directorate in the federal accounting balance report. The Project also agreed to facilitate deliberations between the FBSA, MOF, and AFADs to update budget execution instructions for adopting a unified accounting balance procedure for each province. The discussions will also include development of a mechanism to regulate and organize the cash advances and interim loans for each provincial department. The Project agreed to support the FBSA and MOF to implement a mechanism for AFAD to streamline the process for allocating funds to decentralized directorates for timely operating and capital expense payments.
RESULT 2.3 Enhance provincial revenue generation, collection, and management outside of the oil sector
1. Implementing the Local Revenue Law
Wasit and Babil local revenue generation efforts
During the first quarter, Wasit province became the first Iraqi province authorized by the MOF to open a local revenue bank account. In Quarter 2, the Project supported Babil province to become the second Iraqi province authorized by MOF to open a local revenue bank account. As with Wasit, the Project supported Babil AFAD to prepare a budget that included estimate revenues for 2021, which will be collected and deposited in the newly opened bank account. For Wasit, the Project assisted the AFAD local revenue department to prepare the budget for the different types of revenue to be collected for 2020 that were approved by the governor and MOF in February. The Project assisted the AFAD to activate the newly opened bank account to maximize local revenue generation in the province. In addition, IGPA/Takamul supported the Wasit AFAD to implement procedures enabling the province to deposit daily collected revenues in the bank account and to spend them for authorized purpose within the limits allocated in the approved planning budget.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 38 In Wasit, the Project worked with AFAD to prepare a local revenue manual. The manual will be replicated and implemented in the other provinces authorized by the MOF to open local bank accounts and to generate local revenues. The manual describes the legal framework for local revenue generation, how to collect and manage local revenues, develop a local planning budget based on estimated revenues, and the MOF requirements for opening a bank account. To bring more clarity to defining federal and local revenue for national and provincial institutions, the Project developed a working paper that articulates the principles for federal and local government revenues.
representatives. The working paper will help these agencies to reach a consensus on federal and local revenue principles to strengthen fiscal and administrative decentralization.
IGPA/TAKAMUL’S EMBEDDED ADVISER DISCUSSES NEXT STEPS TO IMPLEMENT LOCAL REVENUE COLLECTION IN SALAH AL-DIN.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 39 GIZ Decentralization Project leverages local revenue accounts for local development projects grants
During the reporting period, IGPA/Takamul supported the GIZ-funded “Support Decentralization and Local Governance in Iraq” project to use the depository accounts of Babil and Wasit for grant funds for approved capital projects. For Wasit, the MOP transferred 50,000 euros in GIZ grant funds to the provincial bank account for a date packaging plant project planned for Alziziya district. For Babil, GIZ is providing 25,000 euros to construct a park in Hashemite District. GIZ will continue transferring grant funds for capital projects as more provinces open local bank revenue accounts with IGPA/Takamul support.
2. Diversifying financial and potential revenue streams through engagement with the private sector MANAGERS OF BABIL AFAD ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT AND LOCAL REVENUES DEPARTMENT REVIEW REVENUE ACCOUNT ACCOUNTING TO PREPARE FOR RECEIVING The project is supporting Hamdaniya District GIZ GRANT FUNDS through the Ninewa Plains Assistance Package (NPAP) to develop the capacity of the Mayor’s Office and the district to improve administration and service delivery. This NPAP assistance has been ongoing since October 2019. Improved service delivery can increase the potential for private sector development and investment in the district. Ninewa’s Hamdaniya District has potential for private sector development in both domestic and foreign investments in key sectors.
Prior to the holding of the Ninewa Investment Forum in December where the district mayor spoke to investors, the Project conducted an informal paper-based survey of 100 citizens at a town hall to determine citizen perspectives on the priority projects. The mayor incorporated the feedback to determine the final investment priorities for the district.
During this quarter and through the NPAP assistance, IGPA/Takamul supported the mayor to conduct a survey of Hamdaniya citizens on priority investments and service delivery projects for the district. This integrated activity involved close collaboration with Objective 3 - Oversight and Accountability. This information will be used as inputs to the district’s capital investment plan, as requested by the mayor. The Project surveyed 1,100 citizens in three district neighborhoods to provide their perspective on key issues such as priority investment projects, service delivery projects, citizen consultations, and preferred channel of communication with the local government.
Key highlights from the study include:
• Top three investment projects: infrastructure, agriculture and livestock, and health • Top three service delivery projects: roads, water, and sewerage improvements
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 40 A MEMBER OF NINEWA’S SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP (OBJECTIVE 3) CONDUCTING A SURVEY IN HAMDANIYA ON PRIORITY INVESTMENTS AND SERVICE DELIVERY PROJECTS (OBJECTIVE 2).
• Citizen consultations: the majority of citizens surveyed concurred that the district government should organize more meetings with citizens and CSOs for priority project suggestions. The respondents noted that they had not previously participated in investment meetings and/or conferences organized by the district government. • Communication channels: The most common means of contact with the local government is direct or in-person communication; the second is by social media; and third is by phone. None of the respondents used email to contact local departments. The mayor can use the survey results and recommendations to address the issues related to government’s responsiveness to citizens and mechanisms for citizens to provide feedback on services, investment priorities, and related government functions.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 41 “I have attended three important training Zryan Muhamed Fattah courses conducted by IGPA/Takamul. The Accounting Manager, Sulaimaniya Central Accounting System course was Governorate Office directly relevant to my work and profession. The course updated my learning Participated in IGPA/Takamul trainings about public accounting. The Advocacy on Central Accounting System Course; Course increased my competency in Advocacy Course; and Administrative advocating for issues. We all think Organization Course advocating for something is nothing but common sense. However, it takes more than that.
“I learned that having accurate, evidenced- based information is crucial to be able to convince others of your ideas. In the training conducted by IGPA/Takamul, I have learned to draft a detailed plan to achieve the community goals and how to present them to my managers. The training had a mix of participants from different Iraqi provinces, and I particularly learned a lot through my interactions from the participants from Anbar province.
“Apart from my job as Accounting Manager, I also represent my community in the governorate. In December 2019, I presented a community project to the governorate, which is the rehabilitation of the Dukan Dam. The dam has four huge pumps, each costing IQD2 billion, which supplies water to Sulaimaniya. My presentation played up the strengths and weaknesses of the project, a technique that I have learned from IGPA/Takamul.
“The governorate then approved my proposal to address weaknesses—removing illegal water connections. A budget was allocated for the project and was presented to the KRG Council of Ministers for final approval and disbursement. We are now awaiting this approval.”
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 42 RESULT 2.4 Enhance budget-cycle planning, development, and execution against decentralized expenditure assignments
1. Strengthening provincial budget formulation and creation of debt management function
Federal provinces
Since Year 1, IGPA/Takamul has been enhancing the capacity of the newly established AFADs within the Governor’s Offices through training and capacity building in budgeting, financial management, and local revenue generation. The Project has gradually expanded support to cover 15 AFADs and decentralized directorates.
During the reporting period, the Project conducted a series of four workshops with the MOF to train 152 participants (130 male; 22 female) from AFAD and the HR units of decentralized directorate Human Resources (HR) units from the 15 non-KRI provinces. The workshops covered promotion procedures, retirement and other HR functions, HR planning, and the relationship between HR functions and operation budget formulation. The workshop also provided an opportunity for the MOF and the participants to reach a common understanding of HR functions, and to discusses and solve HR-related issues in the provinces. After the workshop, the participants created a WhatsApp communication group to establish and strengthen coordination on HR issues.
During the HR workshop, the participants raised the issue of a GOI regulation that prevented self- funded departments to carry over vacant positions, if they are not filled, during the budget year. The self-funded departments have also been constrained in filling key positions that opened up when senior staff retired as a result of the recent amendment to the pension law changing the age for retirement from 65 to 60. Following the workshop, the Project worked with the Deputy Finance Minister to propose a draft 2020 national budget clause authorizing self-funded department to keep the vacant positions until they are filled. This will enable the departments to address staffing gaps that impact the delivery of basic services in various sectors.
KRI provinces
Public Investment Management Best Practices Framework. During the reporting period, the Project’s international expert provided technical support to the KRG’s MOP and line ministries in strengthening public investment management (PIM). The expert reviewed the public investment management (PIM) process of the MOP and key line ministries including Ministries of Electricity, Water, and Housing and Construction and compared them with international best practices.
The international best practice framework uses benchmarks for a comprehensive public investment management process for planning, budgeting, implementation of capital projects. The framework recommends eight essential PIM functions are in place with guiding practices and processes for national and provincial level governments. These eight PIM functions are project initiation, pre- feasibility study preparation, feasibility study preparation, project selection, project implementation, project modification, project operations, and project evaluation. While the Project has completed the assessment, the activity is currently on hold due to the COVID-19 restrictions on meetings and gatherings.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 43 Feasibility Study Preparation Toolkit. Preparing feasibility studies is an important step in planning, selecting, approving, and implementing small and large service delivery projects. In Q2, IGPA/Takamul engaged an international expert to provide technical support to the MOP and key service delivery line ministries in feasibility study preparation. The Project reviewed the current processes and capacities in the MOP and Ministries of Electricity, Municipalities and Tourism, Housing and Constructions, and Agriculture and Water Resources to prepare feasibility studies or to review feasibility studies prepared by an external resource. The Project will prepare a situational report to be presented in a workshop when the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.
The Project drafted best practice guidelines and procedures for preparing feasibility studies to determine the economic, financial, social, and environmental viability of projects proposed by the line ministries for MOP approval and funding. The feasibility study preparation toolkit includes:
• Pre-Screening Guidelines • Pre-Feasibility Study Guidelines • Feasibility Study Guidelines/Checklist • Feasibility Study Explanatory Notes • Case Studies of Proposed Projects for Feasibility Studies for training purposes
2. Gender budgeting pilot
During the quarter, IGPA/Takamul engaged an international gender budget expert to implement the gender budgeting pilot activity. The following is a brief summary of the activities and results to date:
1. Guidelines for national gender responsive budgeting. According to the 2019 PFM Law (Article 10), the MOP and MOLSA are responsible for developing and including gender budget instructions for the national budget process. Guidance and capacity for doing so are limited at present in the MOP and MOLSA. As a result of the initial working meetings facilitated by the Project in February/March, the MOF and MOP agreed to draft the first-ever Gender-Responsive Budget Circular for the 2021 national budget process. This is the first step toward implementing gender-responsive planning and budgeting according to the PFM Law. The circular will be based on public expenditure management international best practices. The circular can instruct ministries to consider gender gaps in developing their medium-term sectoral budgets for FY2021, and 2022 and 2023 outyears. Spending units will be required to demonstrate how the needs and interests of women and men are addressed in their budget proposals and supported with adequate financial resources. The MOF and MOP tentatively agreed to pilot the circular with MOLSA and Ministry of Youth and Sports.
2. Plan for training PWED in basic provincial planning and budgeting processes. Iraq’s gender infrastructure is weak particularly at the provincial level. Neither federal nor provincial level institutions have capacity to play the critical role of mainstreaming gender for improved service delivery and accountability. As a result, GOI requested IGPA/Takamul to build capacity of the provincial women empowerment directorates (PWED) to engage with PPDC in provincial planning and budgeting. During the reporting period, the Project began preparing a detailed training plan and materials for training PWED and PPDC in basic gender responsive planning and budgeting with provincial AFAD. It is important to involve the PPDC in this planning and budgeting training as the PPDC is responsible for the provincial planning process and for developing the provincial
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 44 PARTICIPANTS AT THE GENDER RESPONSIVE BUDGETING WORKSHOP.
development plan. This activity is integrated with Objectives 1 and 4 and the Equity and Inclusion teams. 3. Gender Responsive Budgeting Pilot for ADV Support Services. The Project is preparing a concept note on costing and budgeting for anti-domestic violence (ADV) support services in Iraq. The concept note will guide GOI’s relevant ministries and institutions on how to conduct a credible costing exercise to secure financial resources for the anticipated ADV Law in Iraq. Currently, ADV measures are underfinanced in the federal budget, and additional budgetary resources are required to meet the urgency and magnitude of the problem. Allocating resources will ensure effective and sustainable implementation. The regulations in the draft ADV Law and main findings of the “Analysis Report on Regulatory and Administrative Requirements and Development of and Implementation Roadmap for the New Law” prepared by the Project will be used as the basis for the costing exercise. The consultant participated in a two-day ADV workshop on enhancing the basic understanding of domestic violence for 22 GOI representatives. During a half-day session, the consultant presented gender-responsive budgeting entry points throughout the budget cycle, showing how to link ADV support services to preparing a gender-responsive budget proposal. The participants’ plenary and group work discussions indicated weaknesses in the current ADV support system. The next steps include developing a costing template for the relevant ministries for completing costing exercises in a workshop or through working meetings. Once the costing exercise is completed, the Project will support the counterparts to integrate costed services/measures /interventions into specific sector operational and financial plans, and to break them down into ADV-related objectives, activities, results, and inputs. This activity was designed in collaboration with Task Order 5 – Anti-Domestic Violence legislation.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 45 Majeda Marzena Hamdaniya Water Operation Center Rami Kether Polis Manager Hamdaniya Municipality Director “In the past, the government decides which projects will be implemented in the district. Now, “In the past, the development planning process in the government is gathering people’s opinions Ninewa was flawed because it was not through a survey. When a survey was conducted participative. Recently, IGPA/Takamul conducted a recently, the people in Hamdaniya were talking survey asking suggestions from ordinary citizens about it in a good way as this was not done about projects and government services. I believe, before. The people feel that they were a key is how it should be done with consideration to component in the decision-making process. people’s opinions. “As an employee in the Water Directorate, I have “Aside from the survey, IGPA/Takamul opened participated in several trainings conducted by other avenues for us to get the pulse of the USAID. I am impressed with how they place the people. This is very helpful for me in my work. citizens at the center of services and development. Without these voices, we will not know what the The activities in Hamdaniya reduced the gap people really need. For example, people were between the government and the people. The clamoring for more recreational facilities to training taught me how to handle and absorb improve their wellbeing. The government frustrations of the people because of service responded by allocating four pieces of land in deficiencies. I also learned how to make them Hamdaniya to establish a sports city and three understand the problem and to appease them.” soccer fields. Lomeaa Abdullah Basheer “Another example is the “single response Housewife, Survey respondent window” program. This program provides faster service to the citizen, and surprisingly, has “I was asked about the kind of projects that reduced our work load because of the more should be implemented in the district and how efficient system. Thanks to IGPA/Takamul for government services can be improved. I am very introducing these systems and tools, resulting in happy they did the survey because as a housewife, higher work efficiency and higher citizen I do not normally go to authorities to tell them satisfaction.” what I think. Yes, they should do more surveys.”
Under the assistance package for the Ninewa Plains, IGPA/Takamul supported Faez Abba, Survey Respondent the creation of four units in the Mayor’s Office to strengthen service delivery “For the first time, I was consulted about what and conduct public hearing sessions to the government should do. Irrigation project, I listen to citizen priorities. told the interviewer. This is a big project and will provide us employment. The Ninewa Plains Ninewa’s social accountability group needs water to revive its agriculture.” was tapped to survey 1,100 respondents for their perspective on investment priorities and service delivery projects. The citizens’ suggestions will inform the district’s development planning process.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 46 USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 47
OBJECTIVE 3: SERVICE DELIVERY AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT
Planned Target Total Achieved % Achieved Indicator for FY20 during FY20 during FY20 Number of mechanisms developed or implemented to establish 5 4 80% effective citizen participation, outreach and communication
Number of interventions implemented by IGPA/Takamul- 20 6 30% supported CSOs and SAGs
Number of CSOs receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy 10 18 180% interventions
Number of policy changes by provincial governemetn as a result of advocacy interventions 3 0 0% implemented by CSOs/SAGs or TWGs
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 48 By working with civil society partners and local officials to develop accountability frameworks, IGPA/Takamul is building effective feedback mechanisms to help ensure that government responds to citizens’ needs. Areas of support include public administration, communications, inclusive budget planning, and CSO oversight of service delivery and budget execution. Monitoring and oversight of service delivery and public expenditure should engage both the ‘supply’ and the ‘demand’ or uptake side of services and expenditure. This Objective will equip select provincial institutions with tools and skills necessary to establish effective mechanisms for citizen participation and outreach.
Despite significant challenges such as continued tensions between civil society and Iraqi governance and the COVID-19 pandemic, IGPA/Takamul partners have continued to serve citizens, acting as channels of communication between citizens and their governments. Over the reporting period, Objective 3 partners conducted 59 community action campaigns, mostly self-funded, and responded to the everyday concerns of around 838,668 Iraqi citizens using IGPA/Takamul communication and outreach model and tools. Of these activities, 23 were supported by IGPA/Takamul. These efforts generated over $560,000 in material and direct government service contributions.
As the COVID-19 crisis evolved, IGPA/Takamul partners pivoted their effort to meet the concerns of the citizens in their regions, through education, assistance, and community action projects. (Please see special COVID-19 activity section). The highlights of activities this reporting period are as follows3:
• Following a water conservation and bill payment communication campaign conducted by Babil Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Tawasul, water directorate revenues increased by 54 percent from October 2019 to January 2020, which bolstered the directorate’s ability to extend water services. • IGPA/Takamul worked to institutionalize the roles of CSOs in local government through a capacity development program with the Council of Ministers Secretariat (COMSec) Non- governmental Organization (NGO) Directorate. COMSec recently approved the creation of CSO offices in six provinces: Babil, Ninewa, Baghdad, Anbar, Najaf, and Basrah. • IGPA/Takamul worked with Technical Working Groups (TWG) in Baghdad, Anbar, Basrah, Ninewa, Babil, and Baghdad Amanat to develop communications manuals that enhance local government communications planning. The manuals will be shared with service delivery directorates across Iraq. • With technical support from IGPA/Takamul, Baghdad, Anbar, Babil, Basrah, Wasit, Najaf, and Ninewa adopted integrated citizen complaint mechanisms to collect citizen concerns, log and track them and forward them to the provincial Citizens Affairs Department for resolution. The new procedures move the complaints along proper channels—from the time they were filed up to their resolution—creating transparency and a record of actions taken in response to citizen concerns. • Babil, Basrah, and Baghdad, instituted the “Accountability Platforms,” which will play a vital role in receiving and responding to complaints and concerns raised by residents.
3 Beneficiary population estimates and service delivery data in this section were sourced from the Directorates of Municipality, Municipalities, and Water and Governor’s Office departments. Other numbers (attendance, fund generated, number of complaints, and other similar data) were sourced from partner CSO records.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 49 • After identifying the needs resulting from four “Single Response Window” public hearing sessions in Ninewa, 181 citizen concerns were introduced by the head of the “Single Response Window” to the Ninewa PPDC. The “Single Response Window” will follow up to ensure these concerns are addressed in the Ninewa provincial plan and budget.
Result 3.1 Strengthen the capacity of selected provincial institutions to establish effective citizen participation and outreach mechanisms.
IGPA/Takamul works with government and civil society to develop strong accountability frameworks to help government respond effectively to citizens’ needs. Areas of support include public administration, communication, inclusive planning, and CSO oversight of service delivery and budget execution.
1. Developing and implementing assistance packages for CSOs
CSOs play an important role in monitoring and oversight of local service delivery and conducting behavior change communications campaigns to their communities. To be successful, CSOs must have the capacity to coordinate oversight activities among different actors in the service delivery process.
Special assistance packages for CSOs support their efforts to build their capacity in monitoring and oversight over public services, expenditure and investment budgets, and enable them to engage effectively with government entities. Assistance packages are coordinated with Provincial Planning and Development Councils (PPDC) to ensure they contribute to decisions made by the PPDCs in coordination with Objective 1. Under Objective 2, coordination will continue to be enhanced by training CSOs on the provincial budget process and prioritizing projects under the provincial capital investment budget.
IN ANBAR, USAID SUPPORTED THE PRINTING OF ANTI-COVID-19 MATERIALS FOR THE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 50 2. Institutionalizing CSOs role in local governance
CSO mechanism
IGPA/Takamul works to institutionalize the roles of CSOs in local government. IGPA/Takamul worked on capacity development with the COMSec NGO Directorate. As a result of these efforts, COMSec recently approved the creation of CSO offices in Babil, Ninewa, Baghdad, Anbar, Najaf, and Basrah establishing a formal structure to link government with constituents at the local level.
This initiative was the result of working with the COMSec NGO Directorate on guidelines to establish these CSO Offices. In January, the Director General of the COMSec NGO Directorate issued these guidelines for establishing CSO offices within Provincial Governor’s Offices. The guidelines are an important tool in staffing the offices, establishing their organizational structure, and providing operating procedures for each unit.
The guidelines were used to nominate staff to manage the CSO offices. IGPA/Takamul and the NGO Directorate trained 77 new staff members of the provincial NGO offices and NGO Directorate on these guidelines and procedures. In Ninewa, IGPA/Takamul also developed a Scope of Work (SOW) for the CSO office in the Ninewa Governorate.
In the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), IGPA/Takamul supported the activation of the KRI’s NGO law 1 of 2011, which clarifies coordination between KRI CSOs and the KRG. IGPA/Takamul partner, STOP Organization, held four roundtables throughout the KRI on the law. One hundred and fourteen people (31 women and 83 men,) including representatives from civil society, the KRG Council of Ministries, and Kurdistan Parliament’s Civil Society Committee attended the discussions. Participants identified concerns with the law, the lack of coordination between the government and civil society and a lack of understanding on the role of CSOs in monitoring and oversight of public expenditures. Participants also commented that the NGO law needs to be activated and introduce necessary amendments to allow the CSOs to be more active. When the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, STOP Organization will organize a conference to discuss and compile recommendations for the KRG on the activation of the current NGO Law.
3. Strengthening public outreach and engagement
Communication manuals
IGPA Takamul has worked with local government and civil society to create Technical Working Groups (TWGs). TWGs are semi-formal coalitions of citizen groups and government representatives that identify and resolve citizen concerns regarding public service delivery.
Over the reporting period, IGPA/Takamul worked with TWGs in five Iraq provinces (Baghdad, Anbar, Basrah, Ninewa, and Babil) and Baghdad Amanat to develop communications manuals to enhance local government communications programs. The TWGs have approved the initial draft of the manuals and shared them with other provinces for further refinement and approval.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 51 FIRST PERSON
Collaborating with the government makes CSO work more effective
THUKRA SALIH Head, Omaima Organization for Women’s Rights BABIL
“We have not lost “We used to work on our “Working in isolation our voice and our own, independent of any appeared as though our work government entity. Our was not legitimate. independence, work involved monitoring instead we realized the activities of the local “This all changed when that collaborating government, but we did not IGPA/Takamul came in to have any part in the harmonize our efforts with with the implementation itself. We the programs of the local government has thought it was important to government. IGPA/Takamul made us more be independent and isolated showed us how we can from government in order to become an effective bridge effective. maintain our objectivity. We between the citizens and the also thought that as a civil government. “This collaboration is also society organization, our advantageous for the actions were confined to “The Project’s trainings such government. Previously, monitoring. as on advocacy, stakeholder citizens were cynical and mapping, and emergency distrustful of government “However, this isolation was response were very relevant actions. Since we live with counterproductive. and useful for us. the people and they trust We were often stopped by us, we can effectively authorities who asked for communicate with the permits as we go into the people and rally their field to do our work. support on behalf of the government.” Working in isolation appeared as though our work was not legitimate.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 52 Communication planning
For citizen outreach efforts to be successful, government and civil society must communicate efficiently, provide immediate and ongoing feedback on citizen complaints, and resolve concerns in a timely manner. Proper communications planning helps ensure that messages are properly crafted, and the most effective channels are used to communicate.
Water testing manual. IGPA/Takamul supported the Babil provincial government in communicating its water purity policies to the community and delivered the guidelines for testing across water laboratories in the province. IGPA/Takamul assisted the Babil Water Directorate and provincial government to improve water quality and ensure that laboratory devices to test for chlorine and turbidity are calibrated correctly. IGPA/Takamul will support the Babil government in the printing and distribution of the manuals.
Emergency Response Plan. The Basrah Water Management Committee began development of an Emergency Response Plan to respond to emergencies such as water contamination, flood, and waste spills. The committee sets out roles and responsibilities, vulnerability assessments, and prioritized responses for each specific emergency. A workshop on previous water emergency experiences identified challenges and gaps to be addressed through this plan; coordination and communication were raised as critical issues to be incorporated.
Electricity smart meter awareness drive. Working with its partner, STOP Organization, IGPA/Takamul began preparation for an awareness drive on electricity smart meters in the KRI. The campaign will increase public awareness on the use of the new smart meters, reduce power consumption, facilitate payment of power bills, and reduce illegal power connections. This activity is one component of IGPA/Takamul’s assistance package for the KRG Ministry of Electricity (MOE). The awareness drive is on hold due to the current COVID-19 ban on public activities.
Social Security Law awareness campaign. IGPA/Takamul and Erbil Marathon for Sports and Peace began an awareness campaign to support the KRG Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) Social Security Law. The campaign encouraged private sector workers to register in the social security system of the KRG. This system requires private companies to pay benefits to their employees through a monthly payment made to MOLSA. Often, KRI workers want public sector jobs as they provide MOLSA benefits, and this campaign is encouraging citizens to work in the private sector because these jobs will still provide a social security safety net. This is particularly important as government budgets are strained given the impact of COVID-19 on the economy and decreased revenues due to the crash in the price of oil.
Unified notary public electronic system awareness campaign. IGPA/Takamul began implementing a public awareness campaign across KRI on the New Unified Notary Public Electronic System. The campaign will increase citizen awareness its procedures and a list of required documentation to notarize documents.
Technical Working Groups (TWG)
Baghdad Amanat TWG’s campaigns #BaghdadIsMyResponsibility and #LetsKeepItClean brought together government officials and local CSOs to educate citizens on waste reduction and later the COVID-19 pandemic. These activities impacted over three million residents of Baghdad Amanat and were supported by IGPA/Takamul, UNICEF, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with four ministries (Education, Health, Industry and Minerals, Higher Education and
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 53 Scientific Research), Baghdad Provincial Council, Baghdad Municipalities, Baghdad Water Directorate, the Baghdad Amanat Social Accountability Group (SAG), and local civil society. Baghdad Amanat leveraged social media to expand the reach of its messages by posting these activities on its Facebook page.4 Other programs focused on Baghdad’s al-Rahmaniyah’s Emarat al-Walid Street and al-Shish communities and al-Hurriyah Shula.
The Baghdad TWG conducted a communications campaign on proper waste management, water conservation, payment of water bills, and illegal water tapping. The Baghdad service directorates installed hotlines to easily report issues, disseminated trash collection schedules, and rallied citizens to help ensure cleanliness and a sustainable water supply. At the end of the campaign, the Municipality and Water Directorates of Baghdad noted, the “outstanding behavior from citizens and their amazing response and cooperation to the work of the municipalities.” The campaign resulted in a reduction in time, money and effort by the government to keep the streets clean, as well as increased revenues from water bill payment.
The Baghdad Municipalities Directorate magazine recently featured the Baghdad and Anbar TWGs efforts to plant 1,000 trees in Anbar’s Lake Al-Habbaniyah resort. The once famous resort fell into disrepair under Da’esh but is now becoming a popular tourist destination again. IGPA/Takamul produced a video highlighting the TWGs’ work in Lake Habaniyah.5
TWGs conducted similar campaigns across Iraq. In Wasit, the TWG, with the PED, local service directorates, and CSOs, conducted multiple public awareness and clean-up campaigns in the al- Tameem, al-Hay, al-Mashora and al-Kut communities. These campaigns reached over 12,000 residents and over 800 commercial establishments. The campaigns enjoyed an in-kind cost share with the local government of Wasit. Efforts done by the Savior of Human Charity Society and the TWG in the training of 75 women on improved refuse collection and disposal were built upon IGPA/Takamul’s training of trainers. Integration between the Wasit PED, Tawasul, TWG and CSOs made these programs a success.
Using an IGPA/Takamul and TWG jointly-developed communication and public outreach plan, the Municipality Directorate of Basrah conducted a communications drive on proper trash disposal. The Basrah Municipality Directorate promoted this activity on Facebook.6 In addition the TWG worked with local CSOs, the Basrah SAG, and local government to provide potable water to over 3,500 citizens in the Hay al-Khutwah, Hay al-Jameeyat and al-Zarigi communities.7
The newly formed Ninewa TWG launched multiple communications campaigns regarding solid waste management in the 17 Tamooz and Garage Al-Shemal neighborhoods in Mosul. Public service providers, local officials, CSOs, and volunteers distributed trash bags and two 2,000 informational brochures. This campaign communicated to local residents the roles citizens play in sustaining and enhancing service delivery. The Ninewa provincial government and local citizens welcomed these efforts.8
The TWGs have been working to help build government capacity. In Anbar, the TWG met with the Anbar Governor to coordinate opening a local revenue account with the governorate’s International
4 Mayoralty of Baghdad, March 2, 2020: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2423206837794518. 5 IGPA/Takamul. January 28, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4hkLbKisnI 6 Basrah Municipality Directorate. February 26, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/416815041995436/posts/1101554360188164/ 7 Basrah Water Directorate. February 28, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/478296385541921/posts/2914508218587380/ 8 Mosul Municipality Center News - Mosul Municipality Directorate, February 4, 2020: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=200077204726825
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 54 “THANK YOU TAKAMUL” ECHOED THE PEOPLE IN AL-HAYKIM AT THE END OF THE CLEANING AND ROAD IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN. DESPITE SECURITY CONCERNS IN BASRAH, JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGNS CONTINUE TO SERVE THE BASRAH POPULATION AND TO REBUILD CITIZEN TRUST IN THE GOVERNMENT. AL-DAIR CAMPAIGN IS PART OF THE TA’AWN TEAM’S EFFORTS TO BUILD UPON THE SUCCESS OF PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES AND ENCOURAGE GREATER CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT.
Organizations Affairs Department and Administrative and Financial Affairs Directorate (AFAD). In March, the governor authorized the department to work with IGPA/Takamul to conduct capacity building trainings for the staff of the Directorates of Health and Education. In the KRI, IGPA/Takamul worked to support the capacity of the KRG Ministry of Planning's Kurdistan Institute for Public Administration (KIPA). This activity was designed to build the capacity within the KIPA on organizational development, and oversight and monitoring. Additionally, IGPA/Takamul will also develop a strategy for KIPA to build the capacity of other KRG institutions, thus sustaining the impact of IGPA/Takamul beyond its project lifetime.
Working with the Al-Falujah Center CSO, the Anbar TWG conducted a capacity building event on waste management targeting local homemakers. The CSO and TWG used the skills they acquired from IGPA/Takamul training on behavior change communication and stakeholder mapping.
4. Developing a community of practice and coordination between citizens and government
Tawasul and Ta’awn service delivery response teams Tawasul is a public-private outreach initiative that opens channels of communication for citizens who may not have other methods to bring public service concerns to government officials. In addition, a similar initiative, Ta’awun, was begun in Basrah. There are currently Tawasul/Ta’awun activities in Babil, Najaf, Wasit, and Basrah provinces.
In Babil, Tawasul has engaged over 90 CSOs and 24 volunteer groups (2,051 citizens) to conduct 42 campaigns designed to modify citizen behavior on water conservation, water bill payment and trash removal. Of the 227 public service complaints registered in Tawasul meetings and public forums, 193 have been resolved to date.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 55 FIRST PERSON Nebras Ali Head of Durat al-Durar Organization ANBAR
“The crisis was a time for us to not only mobilize our efforts but also to engage with other partners from the community, an idea that was always stressed by IGPA/Takamul.
“I then started collaborating with the religious community who expressed their willingness and became actively involved in the campaign. I was inspired by a principle that I learned from IGPA/Takamul: identify your main opponent and proponent and craft your message accordingly.
“In our coronavirus campaigns, I used the techniques taught by IGPA/Takamul such as going door to door and talking with people in an engaging tone. Someone would think these are of little importance, but I would say these techniques help in winning our target audience over.
“Another important thing I learned from the Project is maintaining active communication. Our organization created WhatsApp groups for several neighborhoods across Basrah and added community leaders to these groups. This helps us communicate quickly with the different groups and in turn we can get instant feedback from them.”
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 56 Since inception, Babil’s Tawasul team has served 248,424 citizens, conducted 10 public clean-up campaigns, and resolved three water network issues. One public forum hosted 1,036 citizens and a series of women’s forums had 234 participants. In one forum, citizens from the Hay al-Askary neighborhood raised concerns about limited water supply. In response, the Babil Water Directorate funded the installation of a 1.5-kilometer water pipe to restore regular water service to the neighborhood. Other campaigns included a clean-up campaign benefitting 7,000 citizens in Hilla’s Mohandiseen 3 and 4 neighborhoods, which came directly from a Tawasul public forum.
Babil’s Tawasul has engaged a broad spectrum of the community to include the provincial Governor’s Office, Hilla Municipality Directorate, Babil Water Department, Babil Sewage Department, the Social Accountability Section, the Babil Crisis Cell, several other civic groups, and local CSOs to work on community campaigns. In the reporting period, the Tawasul team brought together the Babil Development team, Agriculture Department, and SAG to review and discuss designs for sidewalks and traffic islands on the community’s main and sub-roads. Local government officials increasingly understand the importance of these efforts; the Governor of Babil recently recognized the Tawasul team and its CSO counterparts for helping their communities.
To help improve trash disposal, the Tawasul team encouraged the use of a musical alert to announce the arrival of the garbage trucks. Tawasul supplied 175 sound systems for the Babil Municipalities Directorate and another 175 for the Hilla Municipality Department. The musical alerts notify citizens when to bring out their trash for disposal.
Responsiveness to citizen concerns and improvements to public service have had positive effects. Following a campaign in Babil on water conservation and bill payment by local CSOs and Tawasul, the water directorate’s revenues from bill payments increased by an average of 54 percent within October 2019 through January 2020. The added revenues bolstered the directorate’s ability to increase water delivery to 95 percent of the al-Hashimyah district and extend water services to run 24 hours per day. To keep up with increased payments, the water directorate established a separate Water Fees Collection Section within their Accounting Department.
Expanding efforts to become more inclusive of marginalized groups, specific Tawasul chapters were created to focus on the inclusion of women in Wasit and Najaf. These efforts allow more effective outreach efforts with marginalized communities especially women, minorities, and IDP families. IGPA/Takamul trained these Tawasul chapters in conducting outreach to local CSO and government partners.
In Wasit, Tawasul conducted three cleaning and awareness campaigns benefiting approximately 30,500 citizens and over 800 commercial establishments. Joining the campaigns were the PED, the Wasit TWG, and the Citizens’ Affairs Department. These campaigns engaged 14 CSOs and generated over $3,000 in support from local government.
Najaf’s Tawasul launched multiple campaigns in response to citizen concerns with trash accumulation. Three CSOs (Al-Shamis, Health Professional, and al-Intisar), Najaf government partners, and Tawasul educated school administrators in al-Askari on school cleanliness procedures and trash collection schedules. The Health Directorate gave out brochures to area residents while Kufa University and the Imam Ali Shrine contributed plants for the schoolyards and provided meals to volunteers. Together, the initiative generated assistance from stakeholders valued at $17,000 for the three-day campaign.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 57 FIRST PERSON Khalid al-Mubarak Noorseen Voluntary Group BASRAH
“I have been a volunteer since 2013 and involved with many organizations. I established the Noorseen Group to be able to help my community.
“Then IGPA/Takamul invited us to collaborate in their initiatives. They trained us to become more effective in our work. IGPA/Takamul fosters teamwork, that is, incorporating the entire group’s idea into our planning and implementation. The trainings delivered by the Project showed us how to channel our focus more effectively.
“Then the COVID-19 pandemic came, and this was our real test in applying our learning into planning and coordinating our response to our community campaigns. Our involvement in the battle against the virus included awareness- rising and sanitation campaigns.
“But we also monitor and report other problems in the community. When we are doing a sterilization and cleanup campaign and happen come upon a pile of garbage or water main breaks, we report them to the concerned entity through our WhatsApp groups, which IGPA/Takamul helped to create.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 58 Similar projects have been conducted in Najaf’s Nidaat neighborhood of approximately 8,000 citizens. Seventy-five volunteers from three CSOs as well as the Tawasul team and the Najaf Municipality Directorate participated in the campaign. As a part of the campaign the Tawasul team conducted a forum with the citizens to encourage them to pay fees regularly and to stop illegal water tapping.
Najaf’s Tawasul, together with the Kufa water district, local CSOs, and government leaders to also conducted another campaig n to promote water conservation and discourage illegal water network tapping. The campaign reached approximately 5,000 citizens in Hay al-Krayshat al-Janobi community. Nearly 80 percent of residents in this district do not pay for water services and many household illegally tap into the water network. Residents responded positively to the door-to-door visits and shared concerns about water leakage. The water department responded and repaired broken pipes in the district, demonstrating improved respsonivess to citizen’s needs through increased civil society engagement. IGPA/Takamul is working with local government officials to determine the impact of these campaings on revenue collection.
The most recent Tawasul organization that was developed is in Basrah and is known as Ta’awn. The organization is active in conducting local cleaning campaigns, improving public access to schools and hospitals, and working with the local citizens and service providers to increase citizen payments for water services.
Ta’awn sought to provide disenfranchised populations with a vehicle to communicate concerns to local government. Road conditions in Basrah’s al-Hakim neighbourhood, a home to indigenous populations and the internally displaced, prevented easy access to education and health facilities. Ta’awn, civil society (al-Amal, al-Basria, Salam Center, and Bena al-Insan) and government partners collaborated to improve the road conditions in the neighbourhood that allowed greater access to public services.
A women’s subgroup of Basrah’s Ta’awn team successfully interceded for over 2,000 citizens to provide potable water to the al-Khatwa neighborhood. The Ta’awn team directly interacted with female members of households to understand their concerns. In response, the local government fixed a broken water main, and the problem of access to water and flooding was resolved.
As government is seen as more responsive to citizen concerns Ta’awn is assisting Basrah’s provincial government to campaign for payment of water bills and improving water quality and delivery. At a recent program with service directorates and other local government units, Ta’awn discussed the creation of a public service desk and database to map served and underserved areas and enhancing women’s role in campaigning for water bill payment. The Water Directorate’s website will also serve as a platform to receive the citizens’ feedbacks on issues related to paying water bills.
Single response window
The “Single Response Window” is a one-stop access point for citizens to channel concerns or suggestions directly to government and planning officials. This “one-stop shop” will serve as a vehicle to ensure that concerns are brought directly to provincial planning authorities for their consideration and inclusion in annual planning and budgeting documents.
After four “Single Response Window” public hearing sessions in the Talkayf, Hamdaniya, Bashiqa and Shekhan communities of Ninewa, 181 citizen concerns were submitted by the head of the Single
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 59 Response Window program to the Ninewa PPDC. The PPDC and service providers will then match these needs with their upcoming provincial development plans.
Surveys on service delivery
Last quarter in November, IGPA/Takamul, through Objective 3, conducted surveys on water use and a pre-survey on trash collection to determine types of water services and levels of efficiency of service deliveries. The first survey targeted 1,662 households in Basrah’s Shat al-Arab, al-Hartha and al-Deer. Findings in this survey are the following:
• Do you think that a 1000-liter tank (1 m3) is sufficient per day to cover all your home needs? Yes 1,308 (79%) – No 354 (21%) • If the water source is from outside the house, what kind of water containers do you use to carry water to the house? Plastic containers 124 (60%) - Metal containers 78 (38%) – Other 5 (2%) • Is there a warning from the Water Department / Health Department / Environment Department in the event of water pollution? Yes 60 (4%) – No 1602 (96%) • Do you think that the water that came to your house was the cause of your illness? Intestinal inflammation 254 (15%) - diarrhea 484(29%) - skin diseases 313 (19%) – Others 611 (37%) • Does the water smell of chlorine? Yes 682 (41%) – No 980 (59%) For the second survey, 1,319 households were surveyed in Basrah’s underserved areas in al-Mea’qal, Abo al-Khasiab and al-Zubair. Result of the survey are the following:
• Are there community initiatives that contributed to cleaning up your area? Yes 274(20%) – No 1,045 (80%) • Who is responsible for throwing garbage? Father 594 (45%) Mother 246 (19%) Children 432 (33%) Others 47 (4%) • List any methods you think are the best way to educate citizens about waste collection? Brochures 234 (18%) - School awareness programs 433 (33%) - Social media 567 (43%) - Others 85 (6%) • Have you ever lodged a complaint on the topic of waste collection to a government institution? Yes 155 (12%) No 1164 (88%)
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 60 INSIGHTS Mustafa Muhammed Lenahya be Salam Organization ANBAR
When we partnered with IGPA/Takamul and attended their training, our communication skills and tools were enhanced. As a CSO, our budget is limited, and we are unable to cover the expenses of awareness campaigns and the distribution of trash containers, and brochures to citizens. Takamul assisted us to buy containers, brochures, and leaflets to be distributed to citizens. During this critical time, our organization is working hard to conduct sanitation campaigns against COVID-19. I would like to thank IGPA/Takamul and I hope that our collaboration with them continues.
Jinan Fattah Al-Falluja Center for Women Organization, ANBAR
“We lacked the skills to effective communicate with the people and we didn’t have connections with government officials. Through IGPA/Takamul’s training we learned leadership skills, effective communication, and advocacy. IGPA also put us in a direct contact with Anbar government institutions, with whom we now directly collaborate in conducting campaigns…it is important to coordinate with the local government. The good thing about our activities is that women are playing a major role in the campaigns.”
Omer al-Waleed Al Waleed Organization for Relief and Human Development ANBAR
“Our organization spent an equivalent of $55,000 to finance COVID-19 prevention and relief activities. We conducted 11 campaigns since March 21. We cleaned, sterilized, fumigated public spaces, and distributed food baskets to more than 600 families whose livelihoods have been affected by the lockdowns. Through IGPA/Takamul, our organization gained significant experience and enhanced our ability to do our work. Those trainings were timely and relevant. We have used the learning we gained as we respond to this crisis.” USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 61
RESULT 3.2 Enhance public capability and willingness to participate in planning, monitoring, and evaluating public services.
1. Improving service delivery using information gathered by civil society groups
Social Accountability Group
Social Accountability Groups (SAGs) are informal networks of citizen groups representing women, youth, and vulnerable populations that advocate citizens’ concerns with government officials and conduct community-based activities to resolve them. There are SAGs in Anbar, Ninewa, Basrah, Babil, and Baghdad.
In Basrah’s Al-Sekak neighborhood, many of the 1,100 households and approximately 5,000 citizens lack appropriate public services. A recent cleaning campaign linking residents to the district’s service departments brought together workers and volunteers who repaired rail tracks and roadways, removed over 200 tons of garbage, distributed cleaning materials, repaired three broken water pipes, and distributed 15 metal garbage bins. The local government contributed 12 garbage trucks to help with the cleanup. Noting the quick accumulation of trash, the local government is increasing the number of garbage trucks servicing the area. The campaign was a joint undertaking of the service directorates of Basrah, Citizens’ Affairs Department, PWED, the railway company, Basrah’s provincial government, as well as CSOs, and the Basrah SAG.
The cleaning of Basrah’s al-Ashar River has now become a habit for local governance. The river had become highly polluted and filled with sewage and trash. CSOs, the SAG, and local government officials joined forces to clean the river. Today, two years after the initial cleanup campaign, the Basrah Municipality Directorate continues to monitor and clean up the river as a part of a sustainability plan with local partner CSOs.9
In March, IGPA/Takamul trained 16 individuals from the Basrah SAG and six CSO members of the Ta’awn team on water crisis management and mitigating water crisis effects on marginalized families. The participants learned how to identify marginalized populations, establish effective communication with them, and how to provide assistance during crisis.
Following the disconnection of water services to residents in Baghdad’s al-Risafa al-Thaniyah district, SAG member Oxygen of Hope Organization brought this issue to the attention of the Baghdad government, successfully solving the problem.
To increase citizens’ perspectives in the Hamdaniya district’s investment plan, the Ninewa Plains SAG conducted a survey to gather residents’ feedback on government projects and services. Ninewa SAG engaged 50 volunteers from CSOs and community groups to interview 1,170 Hamdaniya respondents on public service quality, service improvement, and what programs are most beneficial for them. The SAG envisions that the results will be integrated into Hamdaniya’s Investment Plan. (Also see Objective 2 report on page 41 and an infographic on the results of the survey on page 47). Prior to the survey IGPA/Takamul conducted a survey development workshop for the Ninewa SAG. The
9 Basrah Municipality, March 17, 2020 https://www.facebook.com/416815041995436/posts/1117311198612480/
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 62 workshop included 23 Christian, Muslim, and Yazidi representatives from different social backgrounds who jointly developed survey questionnaires.
Ninewa SAG-member, Muthabiroon, conducted a five-day cleaning campaign in al-Zanjeely, al-Farooq, New Mosul, and Wadi Hajar communities focusing on schools. The group with 30 volunteers cleaned schools while students were on mid-term break. The volunteers also raised awareness by directly engaging with the residents regarding proper trash disposal and how to maintain a clean environment.
Civil Society Organizations
Civil society plays a critical role in representing their communities to local government officials. Although nascent, CSOs in Iraq play an important role in helping to strengthen Iraq’s fragile social safety net and offering disenfranchised populations a voice.
In Wasit, the Ashur Foundation for Human Rights and Development conducted an environmental protection awareness campaign in the al-Kut Internal Park and Wasit provincial bus terminal. The Ashur Foundation received a commendation from the Deputy Governor of Wasit, along with his commitment to follow through on their recommendations. A similar campaign was launched in Anbar by the CSO Ba’dna Ibkhair Organization for Humanitarian Aid and local government officials who initiated a six-day cleanliness campaign that targeted four schools in Ameriyat Al-Somomod.
IGPA/Takamul worked with PEDs and CSOs in Baghdad, Babil, Wasit, Basrah, Anbar, Najaf, Maysan, and Ninewa to coordinate surveys to gauge citizen satisfaction, conduct awareness campaigns, and create a channel for PEDs to obtain CSO reports on citizens’ evaluation of public services. Once finalized in December 2019, PEDs and CSOs jointly developed plans to conduct awareness campaigns in eight provinces.
The Anbar PED and CSOs conducted an awareness campaign in Ramadi’s Al-Tameem neighborhood. Volunteer teams from Anbar and more than 35 individuals participated in this campaign, which reached 8,500 families.
Similar campaigns were conducted in other regions as well. Babil’s PED and local CSOs conducted a self-funded drive in January that reached 203 households. Najaf’s PED, Municipality Directorate and the Al-Shamis CSO hosted a town hall meeting in the al-Askri neighborhood targeting citizens, school administrators, women, and students to make them aware of proper trash disposal. The activities were funded by Al-Shamis. Maysan’s PED coordinated with CSOs and the Umarah Municipality Directorate to encourage citizens to properly dispose of trash. The campaign was fully funded by Maysan’s local government.
In Baghdad the PED worked with local CSOs to launch a door-to-door awareness campaign to promote proper trash disposal in the Rashdiya community. Campaign participants used communications materials to encourage them to cooperate with cleanliness efforts. The team also visited a local school to raise student’s awareness of proper trash disposal. Rashdiya Municipality Directorate contributed trash bags, workers, and vehicles to the campaign.10
10 Baghdad PED, January 13, 20202: https://www.facebook.com/100409174692059/photos/pcb.181625153237127/181624923237150/?type=3&theater
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 63 IGPA/Takamul supported Baghdad’s PED with capacity building programs that enabled the PED to evaluate and address service delivery problems. The development of the PED and CSO coordination mechanism represents a successful collaboration between IGPA/Takamul’s service delivery team and oversight and accountability team.
[Further CSO activities are included in the section COVID-19 emergency response on page 65.]
PART OF THE #LETSKEEPITCLEAN CAMPAIGN IN AL-ADAMIYA AT THE AL-RISAFA SIDE OF BAGHDAD, WHICH WAS PARTICIPATED BY PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, IS THE PAINTING OF PAVEMENTS AND HANDING OUT BROCHURES TO RESIDENTS ENCOURAGING THEM TO KEEP THEIR SURROUNDINGS CLEAN.
Stakeholder mapping
On January 23, IGPA/Takamul conducted a stakeholder mapping training for 22 (four women, 18 men) staff members of the PPDC, PWED, PED, AFAD, and CSOs from the Basrah and Wasit governorates. The training discussed advocacy and communication strategies to enhance engagement with marginalized populations.
Barah’s Al-Fayhaa Association for Development used the techniques learned from a shareholder mapping training to initiate a campaign to clean the environs around the Al-Na’isa Primary School in
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 64 Shat Al-Arab district. Based on their stakeholder mapping strategy, the CSO directly approached concerned officials and influential groups to bring speedy solutions. The provincial government deployed teams to fix a broken water main that was causing flooding in the area and to clear up the accumulation of garbage.
2. Creating and operationalizing rapid response community action capability
Immediate response gateway
The immediate response gateway seeks to enhance coordination among Provincial Crisis Cells, service providers, and provincial government in targeted provinces. It establishes community based rapid response capability to ensure service delivery for traditionally underserved communities and seeks to improve the responsiveness to crisis situations. Basrah, Babil, Najaf and Anbar were targeted for this project. The governor’s offices in these provinces have adopted unified plans to mitigate public service crises. They developed unified guidelines for responding to crises, forecasting potential crises, disaster preparedness, and crisis management for multi-province disasters such as natural calamities or water contamination.
Citizen Advisory Boards
Community based Citizen Advisory Boards (CAB) are established by local government officials to address citizen concerns with government officials and track their resolution.
During this reporting period, CABs were established in Anbar and Salah al-Din provinces. These entities serve as a communications conduit between citizens and government. The advisory boards will handle citizen complaints and convey them to the right government agency so that they will be effectively addressed during the government planning process. The advisory boards, comprised of tribal leaders, CSOs, community leaders, and volunteers, will follow through on government response to citizen complaints and conduct public opinion surveys to assess service delivery.
In Anbar, IGPA/Takamul supported citizens and CSOs to work with provincial officials to incorporate their needs into the provincial development planning process. During a public forum, CAB members gathered residents’ complaints about water and trash collection services to share with service directorates. To date, the Electricity Directorate has responded to citizen complaints and installed 53 electric power distribution columns and now approximately 900 citizens have access to electricity.
3. Developing platform to increase local government accountability
Access to information
Transparency and access to government information is critical for citizens to have oversight of government activities and to hold them accountable. Given its importance, IGPA/Takamul supported efforts to ensure citizens are aware of what and how to access government information.
Within this reporting period, Babil and Wasit citizens accessed public information through multiple channels with IGPA/Takamul’s technical support. The governors of Babil and Wasit authorized their respective CSO offices to share approved government information to ensure a free flow of
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 65 information between the government and the people. Now, citizens of these provinces have easy access to information on public finance, investments, government services, and new projects through Facebook, Twitter, websites and other social media platforms.11
Complaint system
Integrating disenfranchised populations into governance is a key goal of IGPA/Takamul. One method for this is a government complaint system where citizens can present their concerns directly to local government. Six provinces (Baghdad, Anbar, Babil, Wasit, Najaf, and Ninewa) adopted this new mechanism to handle citizen complaints, directly soliciting them and forwarding them to the province’s Citizens Affairs Department. These provinces established procedures to quickly move complaints along proper channels—from the time they were filed to their resolution—creating a clear path to ensure that the concerns raised by citizens are given proper attention.
One of the most active citizen complaints departments was in Ninewa province. IGPA/Takamul provided capacity building training to the Governor's office, PED, PWED, CSOs, SAG, and the Citizen Complaints Department to identify collaboration strategies. This program focused on defining the work and goals of participants in this process, the role of each of them in receiving citizens' complaints, and ways of resolving them.
In Ninewa, the Governor approved restructuring the Citizen Complaints Department to enhance its functionality and efficiency in acting on citizens’ complaints. The restructuring will contribute to more organized and faster follow-up actions. IGPA/ Takamul will create an organizational structure and communications support to this restructured office.
Accountability platforms
Accountability platforms are part of IGPA/Takamul’s goal to create mechanisms that enhance civil society’s oversight over the delivery of public services. Members of these organizations represent the service directorates, Governor’s Offices, and civil society members.
Accountability platforms are being established in Baghdad, Anbar, Babil, Basra and Ninewa. They are designed to hold service providers accountable for public expenditures, performance, and policy implementation. They also provide performance evaluations for local councils and sub-district managers making government more transparent and accountable by improving governance practices within their own institutions. Three provinces embraced the accountability platforms: Babil, Basrah and Baghdad. IGPA/Takamul supported the Babil effort by helping to define the roles and responsibilities of the committee and promote this as a means to discuss and address urgent service delivery issues.
IGPA/Takamul will work with the other target provinces to train these new accountability teams and local CSOs on their roles and in supporting them to conduct surveys, site visits, and community meetings to capture and address citizens’ needs.
11 Ankido, February 3, 2020: https://www.facebook.com/ankedo2016/photos/a.705037389576800/2727791817301337/?type=3 Ashur Foundation for Development and Human Rights, February 3, 2020: https://www.facebook.com/439519879524861/posts/1971619072981593/ Iraqi Civic Action NGO, February 1, 2020: https://www.facebook.com/471941672819052/posts/3106963725983487/
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 66
ADDRESSING CITIZEN COMPLAINTS From segregation to integration FIRST PERSON Naif Abid Hamadi “We were working in a Head, Citizens Affairs compartment, isolated from the rest Department, ANBAR of the departments. Not that it was on purpose, it was just how it was. We did not even know what other Provincial Citizens Affairs Department do because we were not in touch with them.
“Then IGPA/Takamul came and started providing technical assistance. That was when we began working with the different departments in the provincial government. We planned and collaborated with them.
“During IGPA/Takamul’s workshops, we sat and learned together with the other teams and exchanged ideas and experiences.
“So, this opened our perspective and gave us directions. Before, I think our work and communications tools were random.
“From thereon, we started working as a part of a bigger unit – we revised our processes and complaint forms and came up with a unified complaint process. This new method now takes into consideration the whole process in its totality—from the time a complaint was filed up to its resolution.“
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 67 EQUALITY AND INCLUSION
Training Materials for SAG and Service Providers
IGPA/Takamul developed three detailed training designs and a Gender and Inclusion checklist for ongoing monitoring and auditing of activities. These materials will be adapted and used by SAGs and service providers. The trainings focus on a robust introduction to the need for gender and social inclusion, service delivery, and the “Do No Harm” principle, as well as gender safety audits for SAGs. The trainings were designed to increase the skills and abilities of IGPA/Takamul project partners to address gender and diversity in project activities. In tandem with the Targeting Strategy and continued programmatic support, the training materials for SAGs and service providers were developed to produce behavioral change outcomes, thus increasing the likelihood of sustainability beyond the project lifecycle.
The checklist provides detailed guidance throughout the activity lifecycle. The checklist is broken down by types of activities, such as policy, operations, community meetings or focus groups, service delivery, technology, as well as M&E, analysis, and reporting. The intention of this document is to offer guidance on how project staff can better identify where social inclusion and gender issues may be relevant to planned activities. The questions within the checklist can help teams more easily identify whether past, current, and upcoming activities adequately consider social inclusion and gender.
THE NAJAF TAWASUL LEADS AN AWARENESS CAMPAIGN ON WATER CONSERVATION.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 68 SUCCESS STORY
ACCESS TO INFORMATION GIVES
VOICE TO COMMUNITIES IN WASIT, CIVIL SOCIETY LEADS AN ACCESS TO INFORMATION COMMITTEE MEETING WITH CITIZENS
TRANSPARENCY PROVIDES A CHANNEL TO INFORM THE CITIZENS AND REBUILDS TRUST BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE
A lack of transparency on public service increasing transparency in local government in planning and finances has fostered uncertainty Wasit.” between the Iraqi government and its citizens. This is especially true in marginalized A journalist from Wasit, Hamza Saleh al- communities with limited access to Zarkani, emphasized his improved ability to government who often feel their voices are access information. “In the past, I faced unheard. challenges in gathering information from some service directorates due to their sensitivity Working with government partners in Wasit about reporting information related to public and Babil, IGPA/Takamul promoted greater service projects. After IGPA/Takamul’s access transparency by establishing Access to to information program with the Wasit Information Committees, led by local civil Governor’s office, we have now a mechanism society organizations (CSO). The committees and guidelines by which you can visit any follow a unified set of guidelines to promote directorate and gather information. After greater access to critical information by local submitting the request, I get a response in less citizens. Through these platforms and the new than ten days,” Zarkani said. guidance, citizens have access to information on issues such as the public service In Babil, the local government has committed departments’ annual budgets, costs of specific to accepting public comment on the service projects, and project timelines. information it shares. CSOs in Babil and Wasit are working with their government Najat al Wa’ali, the head of Wasit’s Araq partners to implement these new guidelines Organization for Supporting Women welcomed and make information more accessible to the initiative, noting: “Civil society is the citizens, contributing to an improved linkage between citizens and their local relationship between the government and the government. Giving access to public people it serves. information is a significant fist step in USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 69
SUCCESS STORY
CSO: IRAQ’S OTHER FRONTLINER IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID -19
FROM COMMUNITY INFLUENCERS TO VANGUARDS AGAINST AN INVISIBLE ENEMY, CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSO) BOOST GOVERNMENT EFFORTS IN KEEPING CITIZENS SAFE FROM THE CORONAVIRUS As the coronavirus spread to all corners of the or facilitating collaboration with concerned world, Iraq was one of the first countries that entities,” said Ruqaya Mahmood head of al-Soror implemented stringent nationwide precautionary Organization. measures. The usual government and community activities were halted, and all efforts shifted to These volunteer groups went door to door, keeping citizens safe from the deadly virus. In distributing informational materials, personal cities and districts, local CSOs provide critical protective equipment, and sanitizers. They cleaned services to keep the situation from and fumigated public buildings and neighborhoods. overwhelming Iraq’s fragile health facilities. They learned to make facemasks when commercial supplies ran out. They delivered food IGPA/ Takamul placed civil society at the supplies with hope and cheer to vulnerable foundation of its efforts to build good populations. For the most part, their activities governance across Iraq’s local government units. were self-funded. The Project trained CSOs to become effective partners and advocates in service delivery, Durar al-Iraq, another IGPA/Takamul partner CSO, integrating them into semi-formal public-private is a member of al-Zubair crisis cell. “At the structures in provinces and districts that were request of the mayor, we began producing created by IGPA/Takamul. When the facemasks for health workers, the police force, coronavirus pandemic struck, the CSOs were and the citizens. We mobilized other CSOs like already seasoned community workers and their Zubair Sports and Youth Forum and Zubair Women’s army of volunteers was ready to spring into Workshop for Sewing and Needlework to help. We action. have produced more than we need and so we shared them with Basrah center district and al- Cognizant of their influence in the community, Hartha,” said Hanadi, head of Durar. the Basrah Governor nominated local CSOs as members of the Joint Center for Monitoring and “Via the communication platform that Coordination (JCMC) and local authorities IGPA/Takamul created for us, we organized and invited them to be a part of the community crisis distributed work to avoid overlapping or cells. “The district mayor asked us to be a part duplicating efforts with other CSOs. We of the collective effort in the battle against the consulted IGPA/Takamul team on our plans, and virus. In this important mission, IGPA/Takamul they guided us in every possible way,” Mohammed was with us in every step of the way, whether in al-Asadi, founder of Hima Association, said. In coaching us in advocacy techniques for our Basrah, 16 CSO partners of IGPA/Takamul remain campaigns, coordinating our movements actively engaged in managing the health crisis.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 70
HELPING STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 IN IRAQ USING IGPA/TAKAMUL OUTREACH MODEL & TOOLS Iraqi CSOs have played an important role in helping meet the COVID-19 crisis that has gripped Iraq. As protector of Iraq’s fragile social safety net, they have played an important role in raising awareness, conducting sanitation campaigns, and supporting those in need during the crisis. These efforts illustrate the strength and sustainability of the CSOs in the network that have received support from IGPA/Takamul.
Working remotely, the IGPA/Takamul team continued to communicate with social accountability groups (SAG) and CSOs in the provinces via social media groups to find ways to remotely and effectively communicate with and Following their cleaning campaign, the Baghdad raise people’s awareness of the current health TWG conducted a month-long campaign risks. As the threat of the coronavirus began to distributing informational materials and personal spread, the different groups SAGs were able to protective equipment (PPE) within Baghdad’s most take the skills developed through their work with populous neighborhoods. The TWG, which was IGPA/Takamul and quickly adapted them to help trained by IGPA/Takamul on communications and educate their communities about the dangers of public outreach, distributed instructional flyers on the virus. Below are some examples of this COVID-19, masks, and gloves to over 1,700 exemplary work. citizens, security forces, cleaners, and market owners. BAGHDAD BABIL
The IGPA/Takamul-trained SAG in Babil and seven CSOs including Umaima for Women Rights, al-Firdous for Development, Muntada al-Maraa, Aws Baghdad in Babil, al-Nojoom, al-Ahlam, al-Tahadi and Together for a Better Life implemented a self-funded sanitation and awareness intervention to contain the spread of coronavirus in the city. SAG and CSOs members distributed face masks, gloves, sanitizer, and instructional materials to local shop owners. Activities were covered by Babil’s local media.
The Baghdad Amanat TWG organized the #LetsKeepItClean campaign, collaborating with persons with disabilities (PWD). The program was implemented in 16 schools and primary health care centers in several neighborhoods throughout the province. The International Committee of the Red Cross, the Ministry of Health, and the Baghdad Amanat Social Accountability Group (SAG) worked together to distribute masks and brochures to raise coronavirus awareness.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 71 BASRAH
The Basrah SAG developed a strategic plan with local civil society and government officials to protect citizens from the contagion. Participating CSOs included the Armenian Basrah Organization, Bina’a al Inssan Organization, Hemma Foundation, Resalt Amal and the Noorsen Volunteer Team. The SAG teamed up with the Director of Civil Defense and the Department of Health to conduct awareness and sterilization campaigns in high-traffic public areas. In a similar campaign, SAG member teams from Hama Volunteers and Tatawa’a Ma’ana coordinated with the Basrah Directorate of Health to deliver similar support.
In addition to these campaigns the Basrah SAG is focusing on alternative methods to raise people’s awareness during the current health crisis. Al-Mirbad volunteers launched a coronavirus Basrah’s popular al-Rasheed Radio hosted publicity blitz in Basrah’s al-Zubair district. representatives from IGPA/Takamul-trained SAGs Volunteers handed out brochures and face masks, and CSOs to raise citizens’ awareness about donated by a sewing shop, to residents, vendors, health precautions against coronavirus. and security forces. This activity followed the al- IGPA/Takamul coordinated with the Civil Defense Zubair district mayor’s meeting with CSOs and Department and Health Directorate to train the volunteer groups. After the successful campaign, SAG on the medical aspect of COVID-19. the mayor requested that al-Mirbad supervise the sewing of more masks for distribution to residents. Meanwhile, the Tatwaa Ma’ana team provided hundreds of brochures during the campaign.
Continuing the campaigns, CSOs and the SAG, in coordination with the Basrah crisis cell, sanitized mosques and populous areas. Volunteers helped distribute food baskets to low-income families. Participating CSOs included Tatwaa, Maana and Durat al-Durar Organization in collaboration with Hima Association for Development, al-Salam Center for Strategic Studies, Risalat Amal Group, and Support without Border. As part of their social solidarity plan, Amal al-Basria Association distributed food baskets to low-income families. The civic groups Abu al-Khasib District Mayor requested now receive calls requesting them to sanitize IGPA/Takamul’s partner Al-Soror, which held areas. sanitation campaigns across Basrah with the SAG Durat al-Durar trained other CSOs to launch and TWG, to become a member of the provincial coronavirus awareness campaigns in Abu al- crisis cell. The district mayor also invited Durat al- Khasib district, one of the most crowded areas in Iraq Association and al-Mirbad Group to monitor, Basrah. In collaboration with Basrah Civil Defense, supervise, and follow up on the work of a sewing 50 volunteers from various trained CSOs targeted workshop that is already under implementation. 5,000 citizens in this Durat al-Durar-initiated The Basrah Governor also asked CSOs to campaign. The second campaign was held in Abu participate in provincial planning to mitigate the coronavirus spread. USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 72 government that it will tighten restrictions on movement. IGPA/Takamul coordinated with the Joint Center for Monitoring and Coordination (JCMC) to facilitate volunteers campaigning for awareness and sanitation in local areas. Following this order, CSOs have suspended their activities at this time but are ready for any calls to action. The groups coordinate with the provincial Crisis Cell through the JCMC.
Anbar
Anbar’s Ba’dna Ibkhair Organization for Human Aids, a CSO trained by IGPA/Takamul on stakeholder mapping, completed its outreach campaign to help protect citizens from the contagion. The campaign started on March 9 and was conducted in al-Khasib district with the participation of 70 coordination with key stakeholders including the volunteers and religious figures and led the Ameriya Mayoralty, the staff of Ameriya Public cleaning of government institutions, residences, Hospital, and volunteer citizens. The group and houses of worship benefiting approximately sanitized areas frequented by citizens such as 5,000 people. public markets, government institutions, schools, health facilities, commercial establishments, and Al-Soror, another IGPA/Takamul-trained CSO, mosques. A total of 2,000 masks were distributed conducted an awareness campaign against to citizens, along with informational materials. COVID-19 on the busy streets of Basrah’s Abu al- Khasib district. The organization distributed The Anbar SAG utilized the IPGA/Takamul pamphlets and face masks, manufactured locally by outreach model and produced a self-funded a CSO member, to low-income families. Dubbed awareness video to protect its citizens from “Let’s Defeat Corona,” the campaign targeted contracting coronavirus. IGPA/Takamul shared people packed in crowded homes with more than the video on its Facebook page. 30 people in a bid to tackle the face mask shortage and minimize the spread of the Twelve IGPA/Takamul partner CSOs from Anbar coronavirus. About 200 people received face including Ba’adna IbKhair, Rama, Muntada al- masks and 250 received informational materials. Mahaba Wal Salam, al-Waleed, al-Haq, Le Nahya Be Al-Soror conducted its first campaign in Abu al- Salam, Artdh Aa-Hadarat, Nabah al-Hayat, Falluja Khasib and will continue to conduct similar Center for Women, Belad al-Salam, Sun of Life, and campaigns. Balad al-Hadarat supported local communities by raising funds to provide food for vulnerable Two CSOs, Durrar al-Iraq and Noorsen, and the families and those who work for daily wages. SAG supported a sewing company to produce Volunteers also coordinated with shop landlords 5,000 masks in al-Zubair district for citizens in to exempt tenants from paying rent this month. Basrah. This was coordinated with the al-Zubair The initiative generated assistance valued at district government, the Directorate of Youth and $55,000 over the course of the campaign. Sports, and al-Mirbad. This self-funded intervention was carried out in cooperation with Wasit the Zubair Women’s Operator and the Youth of the Takaful. To date, 1,000 masks have been produced The partnership between the local government, despite shortages of raw materials and civil society, and the TWG pivoted to support the restrictions on movements. local population through the distribution of 575 food baskets to affected families. Together with As coronavirus cases mount, civil society the Wasit Health Directorate, this coalition raised volunteers in Basrah were informed by the local awareness on the coronavirus by educating USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 73 The Youth of Tal Afar helped sanitize public and governmental spaces and conducted outreach campaigns to minority groups in the Ninewa Plains. Zummar Youth Council helped clean and sterilize the district center, schools, government offices, and public markets in Zummar. The Municipality and Health Directorates, National Security Directorates, Police Departments, and other agencies participated in the drive. citizens on proper waste disposal. As part of this effort, the TWG worked with a local CSO, Savior IGPA/Takamul partner CSO, the Engineering of Human Charity Society, to train 75 women on Association for Development, handed out proper waste disposal and environmental health thermometers and assisted low-income families and cleanliness. In conducting the training, the with financial support in al-Farouq, al-Sarjkhana, CSO members used skills they acquired from al-Maydan and Shaikh Abu al-Aola districts in IGPA/Takamul’s communications training, Ninewa. The CSO also provided nine medical demonstrating the sustainability of the project’s beds to al-Salam hospital for quarantined patients. capacity building activity.
As requested by the newly established CSO Office in Wasit, the provincial government provided transportation facilities to CSOs and volunteers to facilitate the distribution of food items donated by citizens and CSOs to the poor and marginalized families of Wasit. The CSO Office also successfully coordinated with civil society to support the local government in enforcing compliance with curfew. Jinan Al Rahma Organization conducted three campaigns to distribute food items, including vegetables, to 200 vulnerable families, while the Monqith al Insan The Odessa Organization for Women’s Development, Charity Organization organized citizen donations a Ninewa-based CSO trained by IGPA/Takamul and delivered vegetables and other food items to on stakeholder-mapping, initiated a three-day 575 poor families. These drives also included awareness campaign on COVID-19. Called efforts to raise awareness on sanitation and the “Prevention Is Better Than Cure,” the campaign risks of the coronavirus. was conducted in Mosul and the Ninewa Plains. The women volunteers went from house to IGPA/Takamul partner CSO, al-Saqar for house to distribute brochures and flyers, with Humanitarian Relief, an active member in Tawasul particular outreach to minorities and underserved and TWG, distributed 500 food baskets to low- families including Yazidis, Christians, Turkmen, income families along with COVID-19 awareness and Shabaks. brochures, masks, and encouragement to stay home. Al-Saqar collaborated with Wasit’s Health Directorate to sanitize the area and the Governor of Wasit and other government officials joined the campaign.
Ninewa
Two organizations that are part of Ninewa’s SAG, Youth of Tal Afar and Zummar Youth Council, conducted sanitation campaigns in their respective localities to prevent the spread of COVID-19. USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 74
OBJECTIVE 4: SUPPORTING IRAQI CHANGE AGENTS
The Project identifies and supports Iraqi Change Agents to advocate for improved service delivery and provides them with ongoing training to ensure their sustainable impact. Current Change Agents come from academia, nongovernment organizations, service directorates, federal government institutions, and women’s groups. As the Project was developing, IGPA/Takamul refined the approach and selection criteria of Change Agents based on trustworthiness, critical thinking skills, and ability to coach and educate, among others. As of this quarter, there are 76 Change Agents ensuring better gender balance and equitably represent IGPA/Takamul project Objectives.
RESULT 4.1 Enhance the capacity of change agents
1. Developing the capacity of Change Agents
During this reporting period, IGPA/Takamul conducted three two-day training sessions on change management and organizational structures. A total of 51 Change Agents participated of whom 20 are women and 31 men.
Using question and answer and small groups-discussion techniques, these training focused on change management and building effective organizational structures and how these structures contribute to service delivery improvements. Following the Project’s trainings, Change Agents in some provinces conducted the following activities:
Baghdad. Ms. Khawala Musa Abas from Baghdad Amanat worked with the members of the Media and Communication Unit to review, evaluate, and update the unit’s organizational structure to make it more citizen-oriented.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 75 Najaf. Change Agents Mr. Ahmed Alhilo who is the governor’s advisor for services affairs and Mr. Ahmed al-Risawee, head of the Municipality Directorate echoed IGPA/Takamul’s trainings to the staff of Najaf Governor’s Office and Municipality Directorate. Highlighting this reporting period are the following Change Agent initiatives: Anbar. Guided by IGPA/Takamul’s trainings on advocacy, change management, and organizational structure, Anbar’s Change Agents and Ramadi city formed a joint committee to advocate for the formation of a new division at the Municipality Directorate to conduct internal performance evaluations. To prepare them for this advocacy task, the head of the Performance Evaluation Department trained the committee using the IGPA/Takamul module.. The Change Agents and Ramadi’s Municipality Directorate agreed to lobby the Anbar governor to upgrade this committee into a division within the directorate.
Babil. In February, the Change Agents conducted a change management training they learned from IGPA/Takamul to 45 participants from the Governor’s Office. They discussed the need to revise the training center’s organizational structure to provide relevant trainings on decentralized services for فريق قادة التغي ري employees. In early March, Change Agent Ms. Thabat Jasim created a team calling it .Women Change Agents team) to advocate for women’s issues in Babil) النسوي
Baghdad. In February, two Change Agents from Baghdad Amanat received approval from Baghdad’s deputy mayor to start advocacy activities to improve trash collection in Karada 903, a populous area that is home to a cafe culture crowd called Ridha Alwaan. The duo met with local officials and interviewed people in the neighborhood, including garbage truck drivers, to collect information about obstacles in trash collection. With the information, the Change Agents recommended to remove wiring clutter from electrical lines and add more trash containers.
Erbil. In March, two Change Agents prepared an advocacy plan to address complaints of inaccurate water meter readings that are resulting in exaggerated household water bills. The Change Agents met with their partners in the General Directorate of Water Services to design advocacy activities for the directorates, which include revisiting installed water meters in the affected Erbil neighborhoods and planning a response to the findings.
IGPA/TAKAMUL -TRAINED CHANGE AGENT FROM BABIL, MOHAMMED OMRAN, EXPLAINS HIS TEAM’S GOAL OF HELPING THE BABIL GOVERNORATE’S TRAINING CENTER TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE TRAINING NEEDS OF THE LOCAL GOVERNME NT STAFF. THIS INITIATIVE WAS FULLY FUNDED BY THE BABIL LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 76 Dahuk. In February, a Change Agent replicated the training he received from IGPA/Takamul to his counterparts in the Governor’s Office Finance Unit. As a result of this training, changes related to work and positions within the unit were implemented, benefiting the staff and the unit through enhanced and more efficient work systems. This initiative was fully funded by the provincial government.
Basrah. As a result of the Change Agent’s advocacy activities in January, the Municipality Directorate in Basrah agreed to add $20,000 to its budget to fund additional trash collection equipment for Hay Al-Askary, such as trash bags and containers. The Basrah Governor’s assistant, one of the Change Agents, led the discussions with the Directorates of Municipality Services, Environment, and Agriculture advocating to improve trash collection in Hay Al-Askary in al-Zubair district.
2. Strengthening national capacity development support
To ensure the sustainability of IGPA/Takamul trainings and capacity building initiatives, the Project engaged with three training institutions at the federal level and one at the regional level to transfer training resources and train potential trainers from these institutions to ensure the continuity of IGPA/Takamul trainings and capacity building initiatives. These institutions are the: 1) National Training Center of Administration Development and Information Technology of the MOP; 2) Accounting and Financial Training Center of the MOF; and, 3) Training Unit of the Ministry of Construction, Housing, and Public Works. In the Kurdistan Regional Government, IGPA/Takamul engaged with the Kurdistan Institute for Public Administration for this purpose.
During this reporting period, IGPA/Takamul trained they key staff from the above training institutions to deliver the training topics and serve as resource persons for future capacity building courses. Furthermore, the Project worked on standardizing the curriculum to ensure appropriate branding, formatting, and classification of materials before the materials are handed over to these entities.
RESULT 4.2 Enhance the capacity of women and vulnerable populations to represent their needs within the government decision-making processes
1. Developing assistance package for Provincial Women Empowerment Directorates and Gender Units
On December 22, Erbil Governorate’s Gender Unit and IGPA/Takamul signed an assistance package designed to support women and their roles and contributions in mainstreaming gender in planning, policy making, budgeting, and staffing.
During this quarter, IGPA/Takamul project approved three scopes of work to start a series of trainingss designed for Erbil Governorate Gender Unit. These activities, which are included in the assistance package are as follows: (a) identify roles, responsibilities, and linkages within the gender unit; (b) capacity building to undertake gender mainstreaming; and (c) strategic planning, administration, and budgeting.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 77
INSIGHT Fada Wadi Change Agent and Head of Municipal Awareness BAGHDAD AMANAT
“IGPA/Takamul supported us to conduct cleanliness campaigns in “IGPA/Takamul trained Change different cities of Baghdad. We Agents on advocacy, a very useful distributed brochures, trash bags, course when we asked for more and and trash bins to raise awareness of better services for Karrada, a sub- citizens on trash collection and district in Baghdad. In our regular water conservation. work in the community, we use the BaghdadIsMyResponsibility was our techniques and strategies introduced most successful campaign. It was by Takamul in the trainings. We very visible and popular among the appreciate the continued support citizens. given by IGPA/Takamul.”
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 78 TABLE 3: CHANGE MANAGEMENT & STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION TRAINING PARTICIPANTS
GOVERNOR’S MUNICIPALITY WATER TOTAL PROVINCE CSO OTHERS OFFICE DIRECTORATE DIRECTORATE TRAINED BAGHDAD 4 3 0 1 2 Baghdad 10 (4 Amanat females, 6 males) BABIL 5 0 2 2 0 9 (4 females, 5 males) BASRAH 7 3 0 3 0 13 (7 females, 6 males) NAJAF 2 0 0 0 0 2 males
ANBAR 3 0 0 3 1 7 (3 female, Academic 4 males) NINEWA 1 0 0 2 0 3 males
ERBIL 1 0 1 0 0 2 (1 female, 1 male)
SULAIMANIYA 1 0 0 0 0 1 female
DAHUK 1 0 0 0 0 1 male
HALABJA 1 0 0 0 0 1 male
5112 TOTAL 26 6 3 11 3 (21 females, 30 males) The total includes a male participant each from the Ministries of Planning and Finance.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 79 TASK ORDER 1: ASSISTANCE TO MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND MINISTRY OF OIL
Subtask 1: Technical Assistance to Iraq’s Ministry of Finance to implement a commitment control system and to design and operationalize an improved cash management system IGPA/Takamul’s Task Order 1 Subtask implements key public financial management (PFM) reforms in support of the Government of Iraq’s (GOI) Ministry of Finance (MOF) in cash management, fiscal analysis and reporting, treasury operations, and improving the national and provincial budget cycle. This PFM reform work is implemented by the Subtask 1Advisor embedded in the MOF in Baghdad. The Sub-Task 1 Advisor work to achieve five objectives:
Objective 1: Improve Cash Management through Technical Support to the Cash Forecasting Division Objective 2: Establish and Build Capacity of the MOF Macroeconomic Unit Objective 3: Improve MOF Fiscal Analysis and Reporting Objective 4: Enhance Budget Cycle Planning and Preparation Objective 5: Improve Treasury Operations
Accomplishments
IGPA/Takamul initiated meetings with the newly appointed top management officials of the MOF to introduce this task order’s workplan and technical assistance. The meetings were conducted with the MOF Deputy Minister, Director General of the Accounting Department, Acting Director General of Budget, and Director General of Economic Department.
IGPA/Takamul participated in reviewing the new Public Financial Management (PFM) Law 6/2019 as part of a committee at the Accounting Department of the Ministry of Finance. The team shared their notes with the Director General of the Accounting Department, who is preparing the department’s implementation manifesto for PFM Law 6/2019.
This quarter, IGPA/Takamul provided consultation and advice to the MOF on the latest economic crises over phone and emails. The latest collapse in oil prices in March 2020 where prices fell from the $50s to the $20s per barrel put the GOI’s finances at high risk as oil revenues represent 85% of the country’s total revenue. Like the rest of the world, Iraq is facing the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires the MOF to urgently mobilize funds to provide necessary resources for the Ministry of Health and other line ministries in their efforts to fight the disease.
The Project also provided advice and consultation to MOF counterparts during the month-long mission, supporting the Accounting Department’s Director General and his deputy to prepare a six months cash plan for the GOI, with recommendations on emergency prioritization of expenditures and finances.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 80 Objective 1: Improve Cash Management through Technical Support to the CFD
IGPA/Takamul continued supporting and coaching the Cash Forecasting Division (CFD) to prepare the three-month rolling cash forecast reports for Q2. However, drop in oil prices and the COVID 19 pandemic presented severe financial challenges for the GOI. The Project worked with the MoF to build a cash forecast to form a road map for cash management from March to August 2020 to help the GOI manage these challenges.
Objective 2: Establish and Build Capacity of the MOF Macroeconomic Unit
IGPA/Takamul initiated a meeting with the Deputy Minister to review and explain the objectives of TO1 Subtask 1. The Deputy Minister, after consultation with the Economic Department, informed IGPA/Takamul that the ministry will send an official request to USAID affirming their commitment to implementation of the activity.
Objective 3: Improve MOF Fiscal Analysis and Reporting
IGPA/Takamul started discussions with the Account Unifications Section in the Accounting Department to identify which financial and fiscal reports should be compiled and consolidated. Afterwards, the Project offered a sample set of fiscal reports to the Accounting Department, per the request of the deputy minister.
Implementation Status
Objective 5: Improve Cash Management through Technical Support to the Cash Forecasting Division
Activity 1.1 Expand the three-month cash flow forecasts to include domestic revenues and share the forecast with the MOF tax department to get feedback for the budget estimates for revenues Results: The Accounting Department’s Director-General informed IGPA/Takamul of their commitment to achieve the goals of the activity.
Activity 1.2 - Assist the Cash Management Committee (CMC) to be more transparent about how decisions on reprioritizing payments are made and the rationale for cash management decisions Results: IGPA/Takamul will support the newly appointed deputy minister in activating and leading the CMC. During a meeting earlier in the quarter, the deputy minister expressed that activating the CMC has been delayed for too long, and she will intervene to reactivate the CMC meetings. The Project will support the MOF to operationalize the CMC.
Objective 6: Establish and Build Capacity of the MOF Macroeconomic Unit [to be implemented by UNDP as per USAID guidance]
Activity 2.1 Assess MOF’s capacity and organizational needs to establish a macroeconomic function working in coordination with MOP. Results: IGPA/Takamul was informed that the deputy minister provided USAID with a letter stating the MOF’s needs and commitment to implement the activity.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 81 Objective 7: Improve MOF Fiscal Analysis and Reporting
Activity 3.1 Prepare a manual on reports compilation and dissemination, including characteristics, coverage, and timeliness and deliver training on the use of the manual. Results: See Activity 3.3. summary below.
Activity 3.2 Build capacity of the MOF to prepare the core fiscal reports quarterly, semiannually, and annually with evaluation of budget execution. Results: See Activity 3.3. summary below.
Activity 3.3 Develop the core fiscal reports that meet fiscal transparency requirements to enable budget comparison (approved and actual each month and year-to-year comparisons). Results: IGPA/Takamul is following up with the Unification Section of Accounts in the Accounting Department to start working on fiscal reporting and analysis. The Project learned that the section is currently working on the financial statements from 2015 to 2017 and the supporting data needed for the 2020 statement.
Objective 8: Enhance Budget Cycle Planning and Preparation
Activity 4.1 Review the current national and provincial budget cycle. Results: During a meeting, the MOF deputy minister requested the multiyear budgeting training for the ministry, which the Project will deliver next quarter. This quarter, IGPA/Takamul began the review of the provincial-level budgeting process.
Objective 9: Improve Treasury Operations
Activity 5.1 Develop and present the concept for a treasury management information system Results: The concept paper, which outlines the technical requirement of the treasury management information system was delivered to the MOF’s deputy minister.
Challenges
The advisor was on leave between February 5 and March 7 and returned to Erbil due to the lockdown in Baghdad. The advisor will resume work at his original station in the MOF in Baghdad whenever the lockdown is lifted.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 82 Subtask 4: Support to the Economic Reform Unit IGPA/Takamul’s Task Order 01 Sub-Task 4 provides senior advisory support, through a Financial Sector Specialist, to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Economic Reform Unit (ERU) to carry out priority economic reforms. The Financial Sector Specialist coordinates with high-level Government of Iraq officials in the Ministries of Finance, Planning, and Electricity, the Central Bank, and other government entities, to support the continued economic reforms.
Accomplishments
• Per the request of the Prime Minister, IGPA/Takamul participated in meetings as a member of the PMO budget committee that will work on the draft 2020 National Budget. The committee is comprised of advisors to the Prime Minister and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance (MOF). • Developed financial models to show a comparative analysis ofn various sectors of the national budget. • Per the request of the Minister of Health, participated as member of a team working to develop public private partnership structures for five new hospitals of which construction will be completed in 2020. • Identified potential major projects that would qualify for financing by export credit agencies (ECA). • Worked with the head of the ERU to prepare reports that identify the key fiscal reforms required to cope with the economic impact of the fall in oil prices and COVID-19 response impact.
Implementation Status
Advisory services to support the lending programs of international financial institutions The Government of Iraq’s Stand-By Agreement with the IMF is still on hold. Initial discussions have begun with the IMF to see the financing options available to Iraq in light of the global financial crisis. The caretaker government is reviewing World Bank loans that have been previously approved and not utilized. The aim is to use these funds to support the Ministry of Health requirements to combat the COVID-19 spread. Progress on the implementation of systems and procedures for improved management of financial instruments IGPA/ Takamul was requested to assist the PM’s advisers with the preparations of the draft 2020 National Budget. The tasks included analyzing the data from the MOF and various government institutions and preparing regular updates for the PM’s advisers. Changes to the 2020 National Budget are expected to be made once the new government is sworn in. When this occurs, the Project will brief the new government on the draft budget and will continue supporting the government as requested. Advisory services relating to financing key projects using ECA and other types of financing instruments Several ministries requested authorization to borrow from ECA and to include financial allocations for these borrowings in the draft 2020 National Budget. However, given the decline in oil prices, the
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 83 focus of the government will be on the fixed costs requiring financing. The discussions on the new projects are likely to be delayed, while the focus remains on the required short term government reforms. Analyzing, assessing and reporting on Iraq’s financial sector Given the current political situation, the political parties are focused on the formation of a new government and most of the financial sector reforms are expected to be placed on hold. Building the capacity of ERU staff to analytically determine necessary financial sector reforms and assisting the ERU in developing and rolling out such reforms IGPA/Takamul will work to develop the skills of the ERU team in reviewing and analyzing government reports and projects, based on the tasks assigned by the PM and his advisers. Engaging other donors currently operating within the financial sector to document and minimize duplication of efforts by future USAID assistance Due to the current COVID- 19 situation, many donor organizations have relocated their personnel from Baghdad. IGPA/Takamul, however, will continue to coordinate with project teams that are still working from the capital city. Advise officials on private sector development and identification of major obstacles such as onerous regulatory requirements, limited options for increasing finance for small and medium-sized companies and start-ups and crowding out by state-owned enterprises Given the current political situation, political parties are focused on the formation of a new government. Most of the private sector development reforms are expected to be put on hold, given that a caretaker government will not be able to implement the required changes. Advise senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office on priority issues as requested, such as options to set up an electronic system through banks to pay salaries, or financing of power generation to expand capacity to meet excess demand This activity is also on hold until such time that a new government is formed, and the Project can resume this activity. Challenges
The COVID-19 virus has had a significant effect on the day- to -day operations at the Prime Minister’s Office and within the ministries. Many projects were put on hold, as the government is refocused at supporting the orders and policies set out in by the Crisis Management Committee headed by the PM. The fall in oil prices have placed pressure on political parties to form a new government. Because the caretaker government has limited capabilities in terms of borrowing and decreasing fixed expenditures, several decisions need to be made by an authorized government since a caretaker government has limited capabilities in terms of borrowing and decreasing fixed expenditures.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 84 TASK ORDER 3: KRG INFORMATION SYSTEMS REFORMS
Subtask 1: Iraqi Kurdistan Region Reform Coordinator IGPA/Takamul’s Task Order 3 Sub-Task 1 provides advisory support, through a Reform Coordinator, to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to coordinate the implementation of reforms related to the Identity Management System (IMS). The Reform Coordinator ensures the timely implementation of IMS-related projects by assisting the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO) in orchestrating reforms related to improving service delivery and operations, as well as in the decentralization process involving the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.
Implementation Status Activity Status Overview
The following activities were undertaken by IGPA/Takamul during this reporting period:
• Participated in a meeting to discuss the cooperation between the Xizmat team and the Department of Coordination and Follow up (DCF) in terms of defining a mechanism to simplify and facilitate updating of the Xizmat portal. A time line of May 15 was set to deploy the new mechanisms and update the portal. • Hosted a kick-off meeting of the Mobile Application Project for Xizmat portal. At the meeting, the aims of this app project were discussed, and the technical functions of the mobile application were verified. • Met with the Senior Advisor to the COM on February 18 to evaluate the quality of translation of documents for the Xizmat portal and the deadline for completion. Specific improvements were suggested, which were then communicated to the translators. • After participating in the Xizmat team’s weekly meetings, underscored the need to return the updated information about the services provided by the Ministries of Finance and Economy, Justice, Municipalities and Tourism, Labor and Social affairs, Interior, and the Department of Non-Governmental Organizations. • Reviewed the latest development in the implementation of KRG’s Council of Ministers’ Decree #33 that assigns the review and restructuring of the entire KRG ministries’ and department’s structure to a high committee consisting of several ministers. The review process started in early December 2019. IGPA/Takamul recommended making the new structure more service-centric, i.e. the rightsizing of government departments should be based on the number and the quality of services that these departments provide to the public. • Analyzed the private sector employee registration and social security procedures currently implemented by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) and outlined the major changes needed to automate these processes. Mirroring the currently applied laws such the Federal Iraqi Law #39 of 1971 and its amendments, the Project identified the following factors to be considered: the level of contributions to the social security for each employee; entities involved in the registration of the private sector businesses and their
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 85 employees; the mandate of MOLSA to track the employees’ move between different jobs to be able to protect their rights and benefits; and the compatibility of any potential system with Identity Management System as well as with the Company registration and any tax administration systems. This is part of the efforts to prepare a requirement list to be utilized by MOLSA in their pursuit to develop or acquire suitable solutions or an automated system for dealing with private sector businesses. • Participated in reviewing the English pages of the Xizmat portal and evaluated the quality of translation of the service provider with the aim of enhancing the quality and accuracy of the translated materials. Additionally, the Project continued assisting the Xizmat team in obtaining further updates from the Department of Non-Governmental Organization. • Reviewed the draft investment law that was prepared by the High Council of Investment in the region. After discussing some general concepts of the draft legislation with an expert, the Project offered suggestions to the KRG Cabinet Secretary to be hopefully considered in forthcoming discussions in the Cabinet. Challenges
The following implementation challenges were experienced during this reporting period:
• Although the re-engineering process of the company registration was identified as one of their top priorities, due to the busy schedule of both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, KRG has not been able to continue with drafting the needed legislation to supersede all other prior laws in this regard. • Due to conflicting schedules of the COM’s Senior Advisor, the plan to conduct a change management training was not started. • Despite multiple attempts by IGPA/Takamul to organize a meeting for the International Reform Coordination Task Force (IRCTF) to discuss the reform status with the donors’ representatives, there was no response from the IRCTF on the matter. • As a result of the delay in the negotiations between World Bank’s Public Finance Management (PFM) team and officials of the Government of Iraq, the World Bank team was not able to provide the support they promised to KRG on the development of the payroll system.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 86 Subtask 2: KRG Chief Information Officer Advisory Support IGPA/Takamul’s Task Order 3, Sub-Task 2 aims to provide senior advisory support, through a Chief Information Officer (CIO) Advisor, to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to spearhead implementation of reforms in the area of public financial management (PFM) systems, processes, and technology, thereby helping to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government. The CIO Advisor reinforces the link between policymakers and an e-enabled public service that has the electronic tools to support a vision of enhanced service delivery. These efforts include interventions to institutionalize benefits realized from reducing the proportion of total KRG expenditures devoted to wages and salaries and preparations for right-sizing the civil service.
Accomplishments
• Funding has been agreed by the World Bank for all activities within the Payroll and ePayments component • Completion of business analysis work to examine private-sector pension management processes at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA).
The Project will update the project implementation activities and timelines based on the requirements for the World Bank funding for all of the activities within the Payroll and ePayments component (Objective 1).
Implementation Status
Activity Status Overview
• Activity methodology – Delivered in Year 1 • Action plan – Delivered in Year 1 • Procurement preparation and planning – (updates in progress)
First two Terms of Reference were submitted to funding agency (World Bank).
Remaining six Terms of Reference within the Payroll and ePayments components are complete in draft form for review by counterparts prior to engaging with WB procurement specialists to translate these into bidding documents.
Discussions between the World Bank and the federal Government of Iraq to finalize a large-scale Grant Agreement for PFM reform activities were successfully concluded in early February. This is a significant step forward for both the GOI and the KRG. The World Bank has confirmed that it will fund all activities proposed under the payroll and ePayment workstream through a grant. These are to be undertaken in the form of “turnkey” recipient-executed contracts whereby suppliers will be accountable for providing the required hardware, software, and services in outcome-focused work packages for each component.
European Union-Funded Grant Agreement, between the Government of Iraq and the World Bank
Negotiations between the World Bank, European Union, and the GOI were completed in early February. There are three components to the overall grant agreement:
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 87 1. Financial agreement between the European Union and GOI; 2. Administrative Agreement between the European Union and the World Bank; and, 3. the Grant Agreement itself, between the World Bank and GOI – which will be signed once the COVID19 crisis has abated. Dates for the financial agreement have been revised to reflect the new project start dates and will be effective until mid-2023.
The project requires a Project Operational Manual to be in place before final approval can proceed. This manual will set out fiduciary management details, to be used primarily by the KRG Ministry of Planning (MOP) which will manage disbursement and administrative issues within the region for this and other components of the grant. A consultant engaged directly by the bank will prepare the Project Operational Manual, which must be completed within 90 days of the grant agreement being signed.
Of particular relevance to Subtask 2 is that current estimates indicate that procurement activities can commence from April 2020 onward subject to the revised grant agreement dates and the adoption of the manual.
Restrictions as previously noted that are attached to bank-executed Advisory Services and Analytics activities are no longer applicable. A draft Term of Reference for the proposed activities within the payroll component will be updated to reflect the original design assumptions with hardware and software included with technical assistance for holistic “turnkey” work packages.
The funding earmarked for the KRG payroll and reform work envisaged within the grant agreement is12.67 percent of the overall $8.5 million grant to KRG. This is based on the KRG share of the overall GOI federal budget. Of note, the recipient executed portion of the grant is $8.5 million, the remainder of the $17.6 million is World Bank-executed Advisory Services and Analytics inputs13.
See Objective 1 – Payroll and ePayment and Objective 2– eServices progress sheets in ANNEX 10.
Objective 3. Capacity Development and QA.
• Funding has not yet been identified for the activities within this Objective.
Objective 4. Interoperability
• Funding has not yet been identified for the activities within this Objective.
13 Project: P170704. US$ 17.6 (IPFM) Strengthening Public Financial Management Oversight and Accountability Institutions in Iraq: the project development objective is to strengthen institutions and mechanisms of fiscal accountability and oversight at federal and regional levels. Appraisal completed on October 7, 2020. Counterpart organizations are Central Statistical Office; KRI Shura Council; Office of the Prime Minister; Federal Ministry of Finance; Federal Ministry of Planning; Federal State Council; Federal Board of Supreme Audit; KRI Commission of Integrity; KRG Ministry of Planning; KRI Parliament; KRI Board of Supreme Audit; Iraqi Council of Representatives; Federal Commission of Integrity; KRI Ministry of Trade; and, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 88 Challenges
Management of scope is always challenging in such areas as addressed by this Task Orders’ scope of work, and with strategy advice and guidance being a key outcome of the work. The three issues of particular note will be monitored closely on an ongoing basis. They are:
• The impact of COVID-19 and sharp oil-price reductions are being felt across KRG, with the amount of available management time decreasing significantly. • Broadening of the scope beyond PFM reforms, particularly with general technology or integration strategy and into functional areas that are the responsibility of other line ministries (Health, Agriculture, etc.)
• Digital communications, general government services, and digital financial services in particular.
The approach as envisaged by the 2017/8 roadmap within the previous Task Order 003’s scope of work was revised into four Objectives (with associated activities) that better align with the requirements and KRG organizational responsibilities. They are:
1. Payroll and ePayment: This Objective represents the functional content of the original Objectives 1, 2, and 3 and brings together all the payroll and payment components into one workstream; 2. eServices: Comprises the process redesign of government service provision with a focus on functional streamlining and digital delivery; 3. Capacity Development and QA: Represents the major technical components of software development, testing, and application security; and, 4. Interoperability: Provides the portal management framework for eServices along with all the technical integration and development tools to enable data sharing and harnessing the potential of digital IMS deployment.
Each of the Objectives outlined above comprises multiple activities each of which is tracked and reported upon as a separate component subactivity.
Additional funding from donors and KRG resources continues to be sought to enable the additional activities to be implemented.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 89 •
TASK ORDER 4: NINEWA INVESTMENT FACILITATION INITIATIVE
SUMMARY TABLE OF RESULTS
ACTUAL LIFE OF FY20 FY20 % INDICATORS CUMULATIVE PROJECT ACTUAL CUMULATIVE ACHIEVED FY19 TARGET Q1 Q2
Number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) that access or mobilize 0 30 0 414 4 13% financing as a result of USG assistance
Number of firms receiving USG-funded technical assistance for improving 0 200 20 105 125 62.5% business performance (Standard Economic Growth Indicator 5.2.1)
14 IGPA/NIFI was unable to obtain the signed and stamped supporting document to confirm the financing for four businesses by the Joint Development Association International JDA due to the curfew in Erbil. Hence, MEL complete verification was not done. However, IGPA’s senior management decided to report this indicator during this quarter.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 90 IGPA/Takamul’s Ninewa Investment Facilitation Initiative (NIFI) is designed to increase employment through demand-driven private sector-led economic growth in Iraq, with a major focus on the Ninewa Plains. The Task Order provides firm-level technical assistance and practical training to help businesses in Ninewa acquire the knowledge, tools, and financing to start-up, revitalize, and grow. Over the past quarter, IGPA/NIFI worked to: (1) establish business development centers (BDC); (2) provide business development services (BDS); and, (3) follow up on the results of the Ninewa Investment Forum (NIF) held December 3-5, 2019.
Task 1: Establish Business Development Centers (BDC)
This quarter, IGPA/NIFI supported the establishment of a second BDC in Ninewa. IGPA/NIFI conducted negotiations with several incubators in Mosul and Ninewa, including The Station, which announced that they would open a branch in Mosul during the NIF. To mitigate the risk of a delayed opening, IGPA/NIFI identified other potential partners for establishing an embedded BDC in Mosul. The potential partners include Qaf Media Lab and Mosul Space. IGPA/NIFI started the process of assessing each of these institutions in terms of rent, location, facilities, and commitment to providing apprenticeships and building sustainability. Progress towards establishing the Mosul-based BDC has been temporarily put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
IGPA/NIFI continues to expand the pipeline of SMEs that are being supported and matched with existing sources of financing. During this reporting period, 17 SMEs were prepared and matched with GroFin and 24 were prepared and matched with the Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) Tamkeen Zero Interest Loan program. Several other small businesses were matched with grantmaking organizations including Joint Development Associates International (JDA) and the French organization Action Contre la Faim (ACF). All of these SMEs participated in IGPA/NIFI’s Financial Facilitation workshops, which led the business owners through the process of completing Lean Canvas one-page business plans.
Following the Financial Facilitation training-workshop in al-Qush Subdistrict in Ninewa, 14 out of 21 small businesses were referred to JDA for consideration under their grant program. JDA approved four proposals for grant financing including a handicraft business, women-owned dress rental, women-owned beauty salon, and a photocopying shop. All four businesses are from the Ninewa Plains.
This quarter, more SMEs and entrepreneurs have reached out to IGPA/NIFI requesting to be part of the technical services that are now offered remotely due to the spread of COVID-19. IGPA/NIFI received a list of 12 entrepreneurs from the Mosul-based incubator, Mosul Space, and will assess their needs for potential technical assistance. These entrepreneurs were participants at the Unleash Your Ideas event that was held in Mosul. They requested remote training-workshops on Social Media Marketing and Lean Canvas One-Page Business Plans.
Mosul Space expressed interest in the remote training-workshops that IGPA/NIFI launched in mid- March and will recommend SMEs to be considered for IGPA/NIFI’s remote business development services.
Task 2: Provide Business Development Services
This quarter, IGPA/NIFI’s BDS focused on rolling out a series of training-workshops for Ninewa and northern Iraq SMEs and entrepreneurs with a particular focus on women-owned businesses. Topics
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 91 of the training-workshops included Access to Finance, Financial Literacy, and the Lean Canvas One- Page Business Plan.
As of mid-March, IGPA/NIFI successfully adjusted its technical assistance delivery mechanisms to minimize the impact of the Iraq and Ninewa governments’ curfews and restrictions on gatherings and movement between cities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. IGPA/NIFI successfully started offering remote training and engaging with its beneficiaries through this mechanism. The remote training-workshops used a more modular approach with smaller participant groups and are conducted more frequently. Remote workshops conducted during the period included Social Media Marketing, Lean Canvas One-Page Business Plans, How to Apply for a Loan, and Risk Management for SMEs. The other remote workshops that IGPA/NIFI will be rolling out include Cash Flow Management and Inventory Management.
In total, IGPA/NIFI conducted ten events during the reporting period, one training for 24 females from 20 SMEs, and nine workshops; five of these workshops were conducted remotely. A total of 129 entrepreneurs, 73 men and 56 women, participated in these workshops.
Throughout the quarter, IGPA/NIFI gained wide publicity for its face-to-face training-workshops by arranging media coverage and republishing the media reports on IGPA’s Facebook page.
Below is a summary of the media coverage reports:
• Financial Literacy for Women Entrepreneurs:
This training-workshop was covered by Radio al-Ghad, Rudaw TV, and KirkukNow. Below are the links to the media coverage:
https://www.facebook.com/FMalghad/videos/119368569501645/ http://kirkuknow.com/ar/news/61437 https://www.facebook.com/Rudaw.net/videos/193816012022082/
• Lean Canvas One-Page Business Plana for Women Entrepreneurs in Mosul:
This training-workshop was covered by Radio al-Ghad: https://www.facebook.com/FMalghad/videos/1142381656093620/
• Joint IGPA/NIFI Workshop with the Iraq Private Banks League (IPBL) to Introduce Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) Tamkeen Zero Interest Rate Loan Program
• Ezidi24 and KirkukNow covered the workshop: http://kirkuknow.com/ku/news/61622?fbclid=IwAR1rxRYtR66q0nsprlulFsolN3hJ51ZpkZzzf K6QidwWfxUHdWg9R0uMBOg https://www.facebook.com/Ezidi24.news/videos/864885980620193/ https://ezidi24.com/ar/?p=27042
• Two IGPA/NIFI Businesswomen Trainees Featured in Media:
These feature reports were produced and published by Radio al-Ghad: Zahra al-Aarajee, who owns Maria Complex for Women in Mosul, attended IGPA/NIFI’s Financial Literacy workshop for Women Entrepreneurs. https://youtu.be/O8KKOSsW3Iw
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 92 Haneen, a talented painter from Mosul who attended IGPA/NIFI’s Financial Literacy Workshop for Women Entrepreneurs https://www.facebook.com/FMalghad/videos/133210194685186/
Task 3: Conduct the Ninewa Investment Forum
After the Ninewa Investment Forum (NIF) which was held at the Divan Hotel in Erbil on December 3-5, 2019, IGPA/NIFI continued to follow up on the NIF-facilitated matchmaking engagements between featured SMEs and investors. These include:
Lezzoo, a food delivery service and one of the SMEs featured at the Ninewa Investment Forum (NIF), is in the process of closing their seed round of financing to support their continued growth in Iraq.
Mosul-based Universal Education Center and holder of the Wall Street English franchise is making progress in negotiations with Gatherton, an investor that the SME met at the NIF, to secure investment needed to open two new English Language Schools in Mosul and Erbil. The SME is working with the investor to develop a financial model for the Wall Street English franchises.
GroFin is reviewing several loan applications from SMEs that connected with GroFin as a result of the NIF. GroFin approved a loan of $240,000 to Nour Al Alam for producing hygienic Paper.
IGPA/NIFI submitted the NIF Final Report to USAID in January.
Ninewa Investment Forum (NIF) Participant Survey Analysis
IGPA/Takamul TO4 conducted a survey of the NIF participants to determine the impact of the event on perceptions of Ninewa as an investment destination. Of the 303 NIF attendees, 133 completed the survey. The results of the survey are summarized in the table below.
% of 4 & Standard Coefficient of QUESTIONS Mean 5 ratings Deviation Variation 1 Effectiveness of NIF in explaining the positive 65% 3.73 0.91 24% reasons for investing in Ninewa 2 Effectiveness of NIF in examining how to invest in 50 3.44 0.90 26% Ninewa 3 Value of information provided about the investment 45 3.41 1.00 29% climate in Ninewa 4 Value of information provided during sector panels. 47 3.41 0.95 28% 5 Presentations given by featured SMEs during the 44 3.35 1.07 32% sector panels 6 Your overall perception of Ninewa’s investment 34 2.77 1.34 48% potential BEFORE NIF 7 Your overall perception of Ninewa’s investment 68 3.78 0.97 26% potential AFTER NIF 8 Your overall experience at the NIF 74 4.05 0.82 20% Rating scale: 1 – Poor, 2 – Fair, 3 – Average, 4 – Good, 5 - Excellent
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 93 Based on the survey results, the NIF was successful in having an impact on the perceptions of the participants. This is indicated by the that participants’ perception of Ninewa’s investment attractiveness increased significantly after attending the forum. Only 34 percent of participants had an average positive perception before attending the forum, while 68 percent participants walked out at the end of the forum with a good positive perception.
The positive impact of the NIF on participant perceptions of Ninewa was due to the valuable information that was presented regarding Ninewa’s investment climate. In addition, participants had the opportunity to discuss investment opportunities and ways to overcome challenges directly with each other. In particular, a special area designated as the SME Market Place was set up at the NIF and presented a unique networking platform in which selected and supported SMEs displayed and presented their businesses and products.
The NIF program included a series of panels composed of local, regional, and international business leaders, government officials, and other stakeholders which enriched the level of information presented and communicated at the forum. More than half of participants (65%) appreciated the effectiveness of NIF in explaining the positive reasons for investing in Ninewa. Moreover, 47 percent of participants were positive about the information presented at the sector panels. In addition, 50 percent of participants thought that the information presented at the NIF were valuable on (average) while the remaining participants views were distributed across the scale.
Three-fourths of respondents (74%) found their overall experience at NIF to be positive. Factors that are likely to have contributed to this outcome include:
• The organization and management of the event. • The availability and accessibility of information about the investment climate and investment opportunities. • The level and quality of local, regional, and international experts participating at the event and the sharing of their knowledge and experience. • The pre-preparation and support given to SMEs to be enable them to present their investment opportunities during the panels. • The positive and significant event promotion and media coverage as the event was promoted to and by several key media players. • The networking opportunity that the forum gave to participants with more than 28 international investors and more than 100 local businesses and investors.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 94
TASK ORDER 5: ANTI-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEGISLATION
SUMMARY TABLE OF RESULTS
FY20 ACTUAL LIFE OF ACTUAL FY20 % INDICATORS CUMULATIVE PROJECT CUMULATIVE ACHIEVED FY19 TARGET Q1 Q2
Number of revisions (clauses or 1 paragraphs) to draft law that 0 20 16 0 16 strengthen provisions15
a. Stage1: COMSec version before it was sent to State 0 4 8 0 8 200% Council
b. Stage2: President Office 0 4 0 0 0 0%
c. Stage3: GOI (COMSec, State 0 4 8 0 8 200% Council and COM)
d. Stage4: at the COR before the first reading (unification 0 4 0 0 0 0% stage)
e. Stage5: at the COR (after the first reading, during the 0 4 0 0 0 0% second reading, and before the vote)
15 The PIR stipulates four revisions per stage; hence, this indicator requires a breakdown. The Anti Domestic Violence team were able to achieve two stages out of 5.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 95 Number of individuals trained on 2 advocacy techniques 4 75 0 94 94 130.6%
Number of public awareness 3 activities conducted 0 15 0 0 0 0%
Change in awareness of concept 65.63 4 of ADV within selected groups 0 50% 0 %16 100% 131.26%
There have been numerous efforts at both the national and regional levels to address the problem of domestic violence (DV) in Iraq. Legislation at the national level has been pending since 2013, without successful passage to date. Over the past several months, Iraq has undergone significant shifts in its government and society due to ongoing domestic conflict, international tension between the U.S., Iran, and Iraq, and a global health pandemic affecting the region.
Despite the ongoing internal and external socio-political events occurring in Baghdad, the ADV team continued to work to support passage of the law.
The COVID-19 pandemic within Iraq impacted Task Order 5 (TO5) activities, with the project closely monitoring the situation and adjusting its approach in alignment with the GOI and KRG’s guidance. As of March 11, all workshops and events were cancelled. IGPA/Takamul asked all participants and staff on travel to return to their home provinces until further notice, to ensure that no IGPA/Takamul staff, participants, or other beneficiaries were negatively affected by the governmental travel protocols from the GOI and KRG. This meant that the TO5 Task 3 training for GOI officials in Erbil was ultimately a two-day instead of three-day training. The ADV team also decided to not move forward with holding a Coalition Coordination Group (CCG) meeting in March, due to ongoing operating procedures in place at al-Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad.
Despite these external challenges, TO5 closed out its period of performance with a number of successes. The ADV law is in a stronger place, both in its content and support. The ADV team trained a large and diverse range of advocacy coalition members on a strategic advocacy plan for the ADV law. The ADV team also trained relevant DV service providers and stakeholders to improve their current domestic violence service provision as well as to better prepare them for the eventual implementation of the ADV law. In addition to GOI officials, these trainings targeted CSOs, who will play an important role in law oversight as well as law sensitization and awareness in their communities.
The ADV team provided further legal analysis support and their recommendations to strengthen the law were included in the most recent version sent to the Najaf Islamic scholars; a significant sign of the trust-building TO5 conducted over the course of this period of performance. The ADV team worked with COR members to strengthen and unify their strategy for passing the ADV law through COR, supporting the successful development of the Coalition Coordinating Group, a joint COR committee. Formed by TO5 in response to a lack of coordination, the coordinating group continued to serve as the primary ADV law coordination force throughout the quarter. These and other achievements over the past quarter are described in further detail below.
16 This indicator should cover two trainings that were held in Q2. However, the MEL team dropped the second and last training due the fact that posttest was not done as a result of external and unforeseeable factors namely the COVID-19. Trainees were requested to fly back to their respective governorates; hence the last day of the training was cancelled.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 96 YOUTH AND MEDIA GROUPS PARTICIPATE ON AN ADVOCACY TRAINING TO HELP PUSH THE ANTI-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTO THE LEGISLATION AGENDA.
Task 1: Support the review and amendment of draft ADV Law
Stakeholder mapping and engagement
In terms of champion and stakeholder engagement, the TO5 project met with numerous Iraqi and international stakeholders involved in the drafting or the passage of the ADV law such as MPs, government officials, Coalition Coordinating Group members, political party officials, and religious and tribal leaders. TO5 submitted its seventh and final edition of the Stakeholder Mapping report to USAID. To date, the ADV team has not identified any perceivable stakeholder changes in behavior, but it is important to emphasize support may change in the coming quarter due to the socio-political escalation of tensions and the current global health crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased instances of domestic violence around the globe as women are confined to home with their abusers and as shelters and other resources are shut down due to COVID-19 related impacts. Passing the ADV law is thus more important than ever to provide DV victims with the protections they need.
Despite the current circumstances, the ADV team held strategy meetings to further finalize an advocacy and awareness plan and gather planning resources for social service delivery in support of ADV efforts. For instance, the ADV team conducted a strategy meeting with al-Hikma’s Zainab al- Ghuarbi to seek their support in nominating religious leaders to join the Coalition Coordinating Group, as well as participating in the advocacy and awareness training. The ADV team also met with the CCG member and political party representative of al-Hikma, Ms. Zainab al-Ghurabi, and Sheikh Fadhil from the Saheed Mihrab Association to discuss the law and religious and tribal leader nominations for the advocacy coalition. In tandem, the ADV team met with religious and tribal leaders to analyze potential additions to the advocacy coalition, and to discuss the ADV law and their interest in joining the advocacy coalition. A meeting also occurred with the IGPA/Takamul Public Management team and a Gender Budgeting Pilot Consultant to discuss piloting gender
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 97 budgeting for the ADV law and resource planning17. In response to meeting restrictions due to COVID-19, Coalition Coordinating Group meetings in the week of March 15 and onward did not occur.
Review of draft law and relevant ADV legislation
During this quarter, the TO5 project reviewed multiple ADV versions of the draft laws that the GOI shared, including recommendations made by Najaf Islamic scholars. For instance, the ADV team met with Elite Alliance’s Haider al-Awadi, who is also a CCG member. The meeting focused on integrating the TO5 project’s recommendations into the ADV version that Najaf Islamic scholars reviewed. As a result of this discussion, Mr. al-Awadi incorporated many of the TO5 recommendations into the next draft version.18 Examples of these recommendations include ensuring that reconciliation proceedings are based on a victim’s consent to these proceedings. While including a mechanism for reconciliation with a victim’s abuser is not an optimal draft version in terms of international standards, more conservative factions including the Islamic scholars assert that a reconciliation mechanism is necessary in order to support the ADV draft law. Accordingly, ensuring a victim’s consent is required provides a compromise to protect the victim while not alienating more conservative potential supporters of this law.
The ADV team also sent Mr. al-Awadi the most recent draft law version from the Council of Ministers Secretariat (COMSec) for their review, as part of the team’s efforts to improve coordination and unify the competing ADV law drafts. The TO5 project later received an updated copy of the draft law from him, incorporating the ADV team’s recommendations. Mr. al-Awadi received additional feedback from the ADV team for the Islamic scholars in Najaf so they could continue their review of the draft law. The ADV team also provided religious and tribal leaders that joined the TO5 advocacy coalition with a copy of this law as evidence that Islamic scholars do not oppose this law. This served as a crucial step in obtaining these more conservative leaders’ trust and support for the law.
Support passage of the law
Various entities reviewed the ADV law and reached an agreement regarding which draft should be presented to the COR. The COMSec Women’s Empowerment Directorate (WED) Director General (DG) informed the ADV team that she met in early March with the Women, Family, and Childhood Committee’s (WFCC) acting chair, Ms. Intisar al-Joubori, and they agreed that they preferred to use the COMSec version over the President’s Office version, as they believe it to be stronger. The President’s Office version is the same version that was in the COR’s last term of 2015-2018 when it underwent First and Second Readings. This version is considered weaker than the COMSec version as it has faced significant objection from opponents representing political blocs and parties and Members of Parliament during the last COR term. Their objections were based on the version not incorporating feedback from opponents and more conservative factions, including
17 The purpose of gender budgeting is to analyze existing budgets and cross-sectional initiatives, identify gaps, and design and fund public services that address the specific needs associated with domestic violence protection.
18 Najaf scholars received this draft of the law.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 98 AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE ANTI-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE LEGISLATION ADVOCACY TRAINING IS THE RELIGIOUS SECTOR.
Islamic scholars. In comparison, the COMSec version underwent several rounds of revisions and incorporated a wide range of diverse stakeholder feedback. Accordingly, WED and WFCC identified this as the more passable version that should be placed on the COR agenda. However, if the President’s Office (PO) law is placed on the COR agenda, it will still be possible to reconcile it with the stronger COMSec version of the law during the First and Second Readings.
To further advocate for the law, IGPA/Takamul secured a meeting with the COR Speaker’s Second Deputy Dr. Basheer al-Hadad to advocate directly for placing the ADV law onto the COR agenda for its First Reading during March. However, this meeting was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the situation normalizes, IGPA/Takamul will hold this meeting as soon as safely possible. The COR leadership’s willingness to meet to discuss the ADV law in the first place is a positive sign for the law’s support within the COR.
Given that WED has not provided realistic timelines for sending the ADV law to the COR in the past and there is a lack of clarity on whether COM can legally send the law to COR while in caretaker status, the ADV team maintains that placing the PO law, currently still pending in the COR, on the legislative agenda now and unifying with COMSec during the reading phases remains the most expedient approach.
The ADV team received feedback on the Elite Alliance version of the ADV law from Mr. Siraj Eldin al- Assi, a tribal leader and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Kirkuk, on behalf of the Coalition Coordinating Group’s religious and tribal leaders. It was noted that the law is comprehensive and provides adequate protection and therefore, it should be passed with urgency.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 99 YOUTH GROUPS IDENTIFY THE INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE AND DECISION-MAKERS AS TARGET AUDIENCE THE ANTI-DOMETIC VIOLENCE LEGISLATION ADVOACY ACTIVITIES DURING THE TRAINING.
Task 2: Support passage of ADV Law in the Council of Representatives
Advocacy Coalition Formation
During this reporting period, the TO5 project strengthened the Coalition Coordinating Group and supported it to further develop its advocacy and campaign objectives. The ADV team held several successful Coalition Coordinating Group meetings, engaged with religious and tribal leaders around Iraq, and proactively planned and undertook advocacy awareness coalition trainings19.
Due to the continued socio-political situation in Iraq, the ADV team devised a contingency plan to conduct one-on-one interviews with as many Coalition Coordinating Group members present at the workshop held in December 2019. The priorities during these interviews were to identify roles and responsibilities, clarify timelines, reach an agreement on a logo for the advocacy campaign, discuss rebuttal messaging, and agree on the next steps for the campaign. During these meetings, coalition members expressed their commitment to the ADV initiative. Coalition members also provided helpful feedback to the ADV team on the various potential directions the legislation could take and shared different versions of the ADV law. For instance, the ADV team spoke with Ms. al-Hammash from Lamsa Iraqia, a CCG member representing youth groups who agreed to be the point of contact for the campaign’s social media outreach and influencers and bloggers. Mr. al-Awadi, sees his work within the coalition as coordinating with the COR committees regarding legislation and mediating with tribal leaders as required. Throughout the discussion, Mr. al-Awadi reiterated that even when the TO5 project closes, his organization20 will continue the campaign and stated that he
19 These trainings took place in February 2020. 20 Sawa Organization for Human Rights.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 100 feels that the negotiation skills workshop training would be useful for MPs and others, such as CSOs, to enable their work with opponents to the law.
On February 2 and 3, a total of 26 CSO advocacy coalition representatives attended the TO5 advocacy training and presentation on the agreed ADV advocacy and awareness campaign. On February 5 and 6, a total of 21 advocacy coalition youth groups and media groups received the same training. On February 9-10, a total of 18 trainees including seven religious and tribal leaders received a training that included management of resources, messaging, targeting, delivery methods, persuasion, negotiating, and communicating with the media. On February 12 and 13, a total of 13 representatives from the GOI also received their training. Lastly, on February 16 and 17, a total of 16 MPs and COR advisors attended the TO5 advocacy training. The ADV team consolidated feedback from CSOs, youth groups, media, GOI representatives, and MPs, and finalized the Coalition Coordinating GroupAdvocacy and Awareness Strategy Paper. The paper outlines decisions taken to date by the coalition members on key advocacy messaging, audiences, activities, and the logos for the advocacy campaign.
Task 3: Support sensitization and awareness of ADV Law implementation
Conduct the analysis of the Regulatory and Administrative Requirements/Case Implementation
Within the reporting period, the ADV team finalized and submitted Activity 3.1’s analysis report on regulatory and administrative requirements and development of an ‘implementation roadmap’ for the law providing recommendations based upon interviews held (in December 2019) with Iraqi stakeholders. The ADV team developed a training agenda and materials for Activity 3.2 and 3.3 trainings on domestic violence cases and campaign awareness messaging. A total of 13 CSO representatives and 22 GOI representatives took part in trainings on March 3-5 and March 9-1021, respectively, in Erbil, KRI. Originally, twenty-two CSO representatives confirmed their attendance; however, due to the KRG travel directive banning people from Najaf and Kirkuk from entering KRI, together with other COVID-19 travel concerns, attendance was adversely impacted.
The training focused on enhancing participants’ basic understanding of domestic violence. It built upon existing knowledge of domestic violence but approached the issue from the lens of victim safety and offender accountability.
On the second day of training on March 9-10, TO5 provided forward-looking implementation support, including introducing an opportunity to pilot gender-responsive budgeting (GRB), which plans for and funds social protection services for domestic violence survivors. This session focused on explaining GRB, its importance, how to implement it, and how to support ADV services within the budgeting process.
21 Due to directives from the KRG regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, the training was cut from three to two days.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 101 CHAPTER II: MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING
IGPA/TAKAMUL MEL SYSTEM During this quarter, the MEL unit focused on improving its internal tools and systems and enforced additional data quality measures across all objectives. Adapting to the limitations imposed by the COVID-19 crisis, the MEL unit looked for alternatives that can be considered as data source for online activities.
PROJECT LEARNING
Challenges and Lessons Learned
OBJECTIVE 1 – ENHANCE IRAQI GOVERNMENT’S SERVICE DELIVERY CAPACITY
Babil Water
Problem Statement: The prevailing general strike and demonstrations in most governorates, including Babil Province led to significant disruption and delay of work, as there were internal challenges within the Water Department related to improving the old Hilla water project from manual operation to the automated programming logic system (PLC). Project completion was hinged on additional funding. However, fund disbursement could not be done because the budget has not been approved by parliament. The directorate has no authority to spend allocated budget until February 2020 .
Action: IGPA/Takamul conducted multiple meetings and follow-ups with the director of the water plant who gave his full cooperation to the Project. Funds were sourced out to complete the implementation and purchase the necessary supplies. Relying on available means of communication in lieu of face-to-face meetings, the Project helped the water directorate to organize a database consisting of information related to the implementation and organization of the service .
Outcome: Water operations was fully re-engineered according to plans. The water directorate was fully satisfied with the high-technology improvements and the quality of professional and technical work that was done.
Babil SWM
Problem Statement: The political turmoil in the province resulted in the changing of Hilla Municipality Directorate leadership three times. Citizen protests blockaded roads and disrupted government services, preventing IGPA’s re-engineering experts from working and reaching the sites.
Actions: The Project exerted effort to work with three Municipality Directorates to explain the general principles of business process re-engineering and persuade the Re-engineering Committee to continue their work. The Project continued closely coordinating with the Re-Engineering Committee to organize the dates and locations of the committee's periodic meetings.
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Outcome: Despite the challenges, the Project was able to implement the re-engineering procedure according to the requirements through productive coordination with the Municipality Directorate and finding ways to overcome the obstacles . As a result of this new working modality, the Project noted an increased level of confidence within the Municipality Directorate in their own ability and their trust and closer relationship with the Project.
Anbar Water
Problem Statement: Anbar was faced with the challenge of convincing citizens to wisely use pure water, refrain from illegal water tapping, pay their water bills regularly, including the random and unplanned building of residential houses. The local government was not able to control these cases.
Action: Anbar Water Directorate, in cooperation with the Anbar Governorate, took practical measures that contribute to reducing these problems, including: spreading awareness among citizens of the importance of water conservation, using satellite TV and other media to explain the penalties and fines for violators (estimated to be up to IQD 500,000), coordinating with the heads of tribes, and the formation of joint committees to support the enforcement of the laws.
Outcomes: The above measures contributed to obtaining satisfactory results and clear cooperation of the citizens with the water directorate. This led to increased confidence and communication between the citizens and the service departments.
Baghdad Water Directorate
Problem statement: Water consumers were illegally tapping into water networks and using potable water for agriculture, depriving the people of drinking water. The directorate also lacked budget for the water centers. In addition, the water centers have to undergo a long process when requesting for installation of a new network or expanding water coverage to a new locality. The Project also noticed that most citizens did not pay their water bills mainly because of the poor service.
Action: IGPA/Takamul helped the Baghdad Water Directorate to reduce the unnecessary and repetitive steps in their work, which allowed the staff to do other tasks. It also reduced their operating cost and forced them to use already existing resources within the directorate. IGPA/Takamul worked with the governorate and Baghdad Water Directorate to enforce the laws and ordinances and encourage citizens to pay their water bill. Baghdad Water Directorate installed a SCADA system for projects and conducted an awareness campaign to encourage water conservation, illegal tapping, and payment of bills.
Outcome: The citizens have reduced buying water from the local market as there was more potable water available. The volume of water supplied al-Iiser water plant dramatically increased and the quality of water coming from Mahmoodyia water plant improved.
Baghdad Municipalities Directorate
Problem statement: Baghdad Municipalities Directorate faced the challenge of having a short timeframe to implement business process re-engineering (BPR) and methodology in their operations.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 103 Actions: The Project closely followed up with the directorate through continuous communication, including conducting multiple meetings with the BPR Teams to implement the process re-engineering methodology within schedule.
Outcomes: The BPR methodology action plan for selected services was successfully completed within the time period specified by IGPA/Takamul. However, more time was needed to correct deviations from the new model .
Solid Waste Management
Background: Cabinet Decision No. 202 of 2016 showed that the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers/Legal Department was responsible for recalling the draft waste management law that exists at the State Consultative Council for reconsideration for the purpose of including it in the formation of the National Center for Waste Management.
Problem statement: Key challenges include the development of a general waste management policy and the establishment of branches of the National Waste Management Center in the governorates as called for in the draft law.
Actions: IGPA provided legal and technical support and advice to help formulate a draft law for waste management that is compatible with the Iraqi legal system. This was done by evaluating the draft waste management law; coordinating with the concerned ministries and relevant authorities to inform them of the Project’s intention to integrate the work related to the draft waste management law; holding consultative meetings with the relevant authorities; and, identifying gaps and developing appropriate solutions.
Outcomes: As a result of the actions above, there was more clarity regarding the provisions and intention of the law on waste management. All recommendations presented in the form of articles and legal paragraphs will be included in the final draft.
Procurement: (all provinces)
Problem statement: Obtaining approval for the opening of tenders using the Standard Bidding Documents by the contract departments in the provinces. The lack of communication has led the contractors and private sector to view the provincial governments as unresponsive to their concerns.
Action: The Ministry of Planning (MOP) evaluated the need to establish a new unit within the contract departments to explain and clarify the criteria and documentary requirements for participating in government bidding.
Outcome: MOP authorized all contract departments of decentralized agencies to establish new units that will directly deal with all private sector companies who are participating in government bidding using the SBDs. As a result, the number of complaints decreased, and more companies were participating in the bids.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 104 Basrah
Problem statement: The degradation of Basrah's water sources has been a persistent problem for decades due to its geographical location. Officials in the province could not find suitable solutions to address the crisis.
Actions: IGPA/Takamul provided technical support and consultation to the Basrah Governor’s Office to establish the Basrah Water Committee. The Project conducted crisis management training to members of the committee to enable them to tackle the crisis efficiently.
Outcome: Establishing this committee brought decision makers to the table to address issues, consolidate decisions related to water management, and provide equitable distribution of water.
Problem statement: Illegal tapping of water supply systems and diverting water for agricultural use denies citizens access to water. The technical staff of the Basrah Water Directorate lack technical expertise, delaying solutions to the problems in water projects.
Actions: Through the Project’s water crisis prevention assistance package, many awareness campaigns were conducted in coordination with mosques and churches in the province. IGPA/ Takamul trained operators at the water plants on proper operations and preventive maintenance, and trained engineering staff on planning according to international standards through the preparation of the Sectoral Development Plan. Moreover, legal and technical workshop were conducted focusing on the importance of paying water bill. The workshops were also participated by the Water Directorate and CSOs.
Outcome: Citizen satisfaction, and increased trust between citizens and entities working on service delivery, and improved efficiency of operators which reflected positively on the directorate’s services.
Problem statement: In 2018 and 2019, Basrah reeled from political and social problems that led to massive protests over poor water and SWM service. Many directorates were shut down and roads were blocked.
Actions: Through frequent communication with the Basrah Municipality team during the crisis, the service delivery team managed to complete the design of solid waste mid-station of Basrah Municipality Directorate and completed the layout to construct the solid waste station. Likewise, the team has completed the technical trainings according to international standards to operators at the Basrah Municipalities Directorate.
Outcome: As a result of the above actions, the Project noted higher citizen satisfaction, increased trust between citizens and entities working on service delivery, and improved efficiency of employees at the directorate, mid stations, and landfill.
OBJECTIVE 2 – IMPROVE PROVINCIAL AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT PUBLIC FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Problem Statement: The Hamdaniya district government in Ninewa has potential for private sector development and domestic and foreign investment in key sectors. To be able to better understand what the district government needs to attract the private sector, the district government
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 105 needed to solicit inputs from citizens on priority investment projects, service delivery projects, and assess the responsiveness of government to citizens’ basic needs.
Action: As part of the Ninewa Plains Assistance Package, the project supported the Hamdaniya mayor to conduct a survey of Hamdaniya district citizens on priority investments and service delivery projects for the district. The mayor also requested this information for input for the district’s capital investment plan. The project surveyed a total of 1,100 citizens (53% male; 47% female) from three of the seven district neighborhoods. Forty-two volunteers from the IGPA/Takamul-established Social Accountability Group (SAG) and CSO representatives conducted the survey.
Outcome: The survey results revealed information that the Hamdaniya mayor and district government can consider when making decisions on service delivery and district development needs. The citizens surveyed selected infrastructure, agriculture and livestock, and health as the top three sectors for investment projects. For the top three service delivery projects, respondents cited roads, water, and sewerage improvements as priorities.
OBJECTIVE 3 – SERVICE DELIVERY AND PUBLIC EXPENDITURE MONITORING AND OVERSIGHT22
The continued civil unrest and the dissolution of provincial government has empowered the provincial governors and made it increasingly difficult for local organizations to reflect and resolve the issues of concern to citizens. This only became more difficult as policies to combat COVID-19 were put in place across Iraq and local government became overwhelmed as it was ill-prepared to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis.
The COVID-19 epidemic has been an impediment to program activity, but also built a closer relationship between local governance and the CSO community and provided an important learning exercise for program implementation. As the COVID-19 crisis spread edicts prevented Iraqis from conducting public fora and meetings. From this IGPA/Takamul developed new tools to help local partners, both through remote activity but also in the development of standalone materials that allowed for self-learning applications. In addition, as IGPA/Takamul partners pivoted their operations to help meet the COVID-19 crisis new relationships between the civil society and government sectors have emerged – thus building the perceived value of CSO partners to government interlocutors while developing the capacity of the CSOs themselves. These efforts have also built closer relationships between CSOs and their communities.
Prior to this upheaval, government actors were reticent to engage civil society and were often seen as aloof to citizen concerns. That said, where collaborative programming with government and CSOs has been implemented through programs such as Tawasul, Technical Working Groups and the Social Accountability Groups, results have been exemplary and have validated IGPA/Takamul’s collaborative engagement strategy to create connection between government and citizens. One of the primary lessons learned over the project’s implementation period is that collaboration with all
22 Numbers in this section are estimates sourced from service directorates, Governor’s Office departments, and records of partner CSOs.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 106 partners, government and civil society in program design and execution dramatically increases effectiveness.
Anbar
Problem statement: Poor infrastructure management, the destruction of war and the tribal structure of the Anbar province has impacted public service delivery to the region’s citizens. The restoration of these services is critical to improving the lives of those that suffered the impact of Da’esh in this region. Integrating Anbar’s displaced population concerns regarding public service delivery are critical to stabilization of this region.
Action: The Anbar provincial government established an Anbar Citizen Advisory Board (CAB). CABs are established by local government officials to allow citizens to express their concerns with government officials and track their resolution and are effectively addressed in the provincial development planning process. The advisory boards, comprised of tribal leaders, CSOs, community leaders, and volunteers, follow through on government response to citizen complaints. During local public fora, Anbar CAB members gather residents’ complaints about water and trash collection services to share with service directorates.
Outcome: CABs have contributed to the stabilization of the province and improved services through the establishment of a forum for interaction between the local government and civil society. In one example, the Electricity Directorate has responded to citizen complaints by installing 53 electric power poles, expanding electricity delivery to an additional 900 citizens in the province.
Babil
Problem statement: The citizens of Babil lack information regarding the cost, timing and status of public works projects that are reactive to their concerns with public service delivery. This challenge caused misinformation and speculation that inflamed the relationship between the province’s citizens and its local government. This challenge was noted in a communications assessment done in the region earlier in the year.
Action: To combat this lack of information, the provincial Governor established an Access to Information Committee (AIC) and set standard guidelines on the provision of public information to citizens upon request. This information included the annual budgets of public service directorates, financial information timelines on select public service projects. In addition, other IGPA/Takamul programs such as Tawasul and TWG helped ensure citizens were able to access this information and use it in advocacy campaigns.
Outcome: These programs have led to a more realistic understanding of the challenges of public service delivery and made citizen complaints more realistic. Greater understanding of public service projects through increased access to information and greater responsiveness to citizen concerns and improvements to public service have had positive secondary effects. Following a public communications campaign in Babil on water conservation and bill payment conducted by local CSOs and Tawasul, the water directorate’s revenues increased by 54 percent from October 2019 to January 2020.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 107 Baghdad
Problem statement: Civil and political unrest in Baghdad has been a challenge to the relationship between local government and the significant number of capable CSOs from the region. This contentious relationship has limited the impact CSOs have had on improving the delivery of public service to citizens. As in many regions, the COVID-19 epidemic has kept protestors from the streets and has built stronger linkages between civil society and local governance. But Baghdad based CSOs still lack capacity in areas such as planning, oversight and accountability, and communication skills. If civil protest in Baghdad intensifies following the current curfew and Ramadan, this mistrust and miscommunication between CSOs and government officials is anticipated to increase.
Action: CSOs and government have been working collaboratively to maintain contact, create relationships and attempting to build trust by focusing on increasing the efficiency of service provision in lieu of political confrontation. Baghdad recently adopted a new mechanism to handle citizen complaints and has committed to develop an integrated complaint mechanism. The new complaint system will collect citizen concerns, log and track, and forward them to the Citizens Affairs Department. The platform’s members include key officials from the Water and Municipality Directorates, as well as representatives from the Governor’s Office and local civil society. In helping to define the roles and responsibilities of the committee and promote this approach, IGPA/Takamul developed a means to bring decision makers and citizen together to discuss and address urgent service delivery issues.
Outcome: Relationship building exercises such as joint public service campaigns and efforts such as the accountability platform have had positive effect on building the relationship between Baghdad civil society and local government. Rebuilding this trust following civic protests that gripped Baghdad and other regions has been difficult; results of these efforts has helped shore up this relationship while providing citizens an outlet to express their concerns.
Baghdad Amanat
Problem statement: Baghdad Amanat holds a unique place in Iraq’s governing structure. Created by a unique legislation, it is an independent authority unrelated with Baghdad Governor’s Office. The two governmental institutions—Amanat and the Governor’s office—provide basic services to the citizens. The Baghdad Amanat lacked a unified method of communication with local citizens, leading to confusing messages which were often at odds with Baghdad’s governorate’s messaging.
Action: The Baghdad Amanat TWG worked with other TWGs from across Iraq to develop manuals on public communication and outreach, and behavior change communication. These communications manuals enhance the Amanat’s communications program and will improve the method of communications from local governance to its citizens. A recent communications assessment identified the need for a unified communications program to address citizen concerns. These manuals will help address this need and to engage citizens helping to increase citizen participation in these efforts.
Outcome: These communications manuals have enhanced local government communications program and will be shared with service delivery directorates across all of Iraq’s provinces. The TWGs have approved the initial draft of the manuals and the documents with other provinces for further refinement and approval.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 108 Basrah
Problem statement: Infighting within the Basrah local government (particularly around the formation of the provincial NGO Office) and between various tribal groups increased the difficulty in resolving citizen concerns with the local government. In addition, a lack of resolution to citizen concerns with public service delivery inflamed an already tense situation between local governance, citizens, and CSOs.
Action: Ta’awn and the Basrah TWG have been effective as a vehicle to provide disenfranchised populations with a vehicle to communicate concerns to local government. One example of this is the collaboration by Ta’awn, civil society, and government partners to improve road conditions in Basrah’s al-Hakim neighborhood, a home to indigenous populations and the internally displaced, now make it easier for children to go to school and to transport the sick to the hospital. Other programs such as the complaints tracking program continues with the Basrah’s Water Directorate and Municipality Directorate and giving technical support to improve them.
Outcome: This interaction between CSOs, Ta’awn, the TWG, and local government partners has increased the confidence of citizens that Basrah governance is responsive and to government that citizens can play a constructive role in providing support to local government. While governance responsiveness to citizen concerns has increased, continued actions by Ta’awn, the TWG, and citizen complaint tracking system are important as the public service needs of many Basrah citizens are still unmet and relationships between citizenry and the Basrah government need continuous improvement.
Kurdistan Region of Iraq
Problem statement: KRI government officials remain skeptical of implementing programs with civil society groups. The centralized system of governance in the KRI and periods of caretaker governments have made it difficult to work with local partners. Economic conditions caused by COVID-19 and the decrease in the price of oil that has negatively impacted the Iraqi budget could lead to greater civil unrest if the KRG is unable to deliver public services or pay public employee salaries.
Action: IGPA/Takamul and its partners worked to provide legal protections to local CSOs. Primarily this is by supporting the activation the KRI NGOs Law 1 of 2011. IGPA/Takamul CSO partner STOP Organization brought together representatives from civil society, the KRG Council of Ministries, and the Kurdistan Parliament’s Civil Society Committee to identify concerns with the law as well as the lack of understanding of the role of CSOs in monitoring and overseeing public expenditures. STOP will continue organizing a one-day conferences to all relevant parties to discuss and compile recommendations to submit to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
Outcome: Although KRI government officials were initially reticent in working with civil society groups or responding to citizen concerns as linkages between CSOs and government were strengthened, KRI authorities recognized the important role the CSO groups can play – both in outreach to citizens but also in identifying issues of concern for citizens. In return, CSOs offered support to service providers by communicating directly with citizens on the resolution of public service concerns and other issues. Eventually, the government came to engage and respect CSOs. This interaction has increased government responsiveness to citizen concerns and improved the overall relationship between citizens and government in the KRI.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 109 Najaf
Problem statement: The paying of water fees is important in that it helps fund infrastructure development and reflects citizen support for the public service delivery— a citizen pays fees or taxes in recognition of a government providing what are considered essential services. Najaf, like most communities in Iraq, suffers from a legacy of citizen expectation of free service, poor water conservation, and illegally tapping into the water system.
Action: To support increased bill payment and water conservation, the Najaf Tawasul team worked with the Kufa water district, local CSOs and government leaders to promote bill payment, water conservation and to discourage illegal water network tapping. The campaign reached over 5,000 residents nearly 80 percent who do not pay for water services and many households that illegally tap into the water network. Residents responded positively to the door-to-door visits, but also shared concerns about water leakages with government interlocutors.
Outcome: Based on the concerns raised by citizens the water department responded immediately and repaired broken pipes in the district, demonstrating improved responsiveness to citizen’s needs through increased civil society engagement. This responsiveness is believed to have led to an increase in water bill payments; IGPA/Takamul is currently working with local government officials to determine the impact of these campaigns on revenue collection.
Ninewa
Problem statement: Significant populations within the Ninewa province still lack a voice in presenting their concerns to local governance. Public service delivery is still lacking for many portions of the Ninewa population. This has bred suspicion and mistrust in some minority populations given the region’s recent history. Providing platforms that allow citizens equal access to express their concerns to government is critical to successfully rebuilding of the province.
Action: Multiple efforts to support citizens to voice their concerns to local government are being supported. One result is the development of a “single response window,” a one-stop platform for citizens to voice their concerns or suggestions directly to government and planning officials for consideration in the planning and budgeting process. In addition, the Governor's office, PED, PWED, CSOs, SAGs, and the citizen’s Complaint Department continually meet to identify collaboration strategies in responding to citizen concerns. To ensure minority voices are heard, the newly formed Ninewa Plains SAG conducted a survey to gather the Hamdaniya residents’ feedback on government projects and services in the area. SAG members will use the survey results to advocate to local officials for improvements in public services, helping to strength the citizen-state bond and improve government responsiveness. The SAG envisions that the results will be integrated into the Hamdaniya’s Investment Plan.
Outcome: Progress has been made on integrating marginalized populations in public service planning after four “single response window” public hearing sessions and the concerns of 181 participants were communicated from the head of the “single response window” to the Ninewa PPDC. The next step will be the following up with the PPDC and service providers to match these needs with their upcoming plans. Recognizing the importance of responding to citizen concerns the Governor restructured the Citizen Complaints Department to enhance its effectiveness in acting on citizens’ complaints regarding pubic services and to improve service delivery accountability.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 110 Wasit
Problem statement: Wasit’s large and transient population contributes to the lack of communication between the citizens of the province and local government. The vision of an aloof and detached government lacking channels of communication for citizens to report and address concerns has caused government to be viewed as an ineffective partner in addressing public service delivery concerns and driven public skepticism toward government. In addition, it has opened the opportunity for malign influences to engage with citizens in the province.
Action: Wasit’s Tawasul organization joined with Provincial Evaluation Department (PED), the Wasit TWG, and the Citizens’ Affairs Department successfully conducted public service campaigns that directly impacted 30,500 citizens and over 800 commercial establishments. This collaboration between local governance and civil society not only had an impact on the citizens of the region but demonstrated how government and the local citizenry could work together further increasing public confidence in governance.
Outcome: As communication between the public and the local government increased, satisfaction with local governance increased among local citizens. Through this program the local government in Wasit better understood community needs and rebuilt its relationship with the citizenry of Wasit province.
AMELP INDICATORS CHANGE LOG The MEL team updated all indicator targets for FY20. The actuals achieved during Years 1 and 2 will be considered as a baseline. The table below shows the changes made during Q2 of FY20:
No Indicator Added Dropped Updated Changes
Number of Provincial in-year budget reports X published in accordance with law/best practice
Number of persons trained with USG X assistance to advance outcomes consistent with gender equality or female empowerment through their roles in public or private sector institutions or organizations
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 111 COMPLEXITY AWARE MONITORING The following section provides an aggregated update on tracked concurrent and long-term impact sentinel indicators captured by IGPA/Takamul’s CAM between January and March 2020.
Concurrent Sentinel Indicators
Political Interactions on National Level
Tensions between the United States (U.S.) and Iran have persisted, especially with Iran’s emboldened and violent interference, and the U.S. termination of Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasim Soleimani and Iraqi Deputy Head of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMFs/Hashed), Abu Mahdi al- Muhandis.23 These events have affected the Iraqi governance structure, provincial governments’ performance, political legitimacy, state sovereignty, regional roles, and the direction of the democratization process in Iraq and the region. Iraq has been in a political deadlock; infighting between Shia factions and disputes between Kurdish and Sunni politicians have prevented the consensus required to establish a new government. President Barham Salih appointed Mohammed Allawi’s as the Prime Minister (PM) designate, with responsibility to form the transitional government.24 Thirty days later, Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the position, leaving Iraq at an impasse and forcing Shia parties to choose a new successor. Regardless of who is appointed the next PM designate, the political process in Iraq is bound to be problematic.
On March 17, President Barham Salih designated Adnan al-Zurfi as PM-designate, tasked with forming the government.25 Salih designated al-Zurfi after the two largest parliamentary blocs (Bina’a and Islah blocs) failed to nominate a new candidate for the position in March. However, al-Zurfi was rejected by several Shia factions who accuse the president of a constitutional violation by his nomination. Shia political blocs emphasized they will endorse the PM-designate if he ensures the exit of foreign troops, including American military presence, from Iraq in the next government’s vision plan. This exit was demanded by parliamentary legislation passed earlier this year. Additionally, the next PM-designate must ensure elections are held early, the 2020 national budget is submitted to parliament, and a reduction in U.S-Iranian tensions in Iraq. Concurrently, protesters continue to call for tangible change. Their demands for good governance, an end to corruption, and upholding the country’s sovereignty remain unchanged. Despite the killing of protesters, kidnapping of dozens, injuring of thousands, and the spread of the Coronavirus, the protest movement that began last October remains relatively strong. IGPA/Takamul reported extensively on these dynamics in its weekly political and security reports.
Political Interactions on the Provincial Level
The process of appointing a new PM-designate in Iraq and setting a date to hold early elections affected the political and economic environment that influenced provincial government performance, specifically in terms of service delivery, holding provincial elections, and socioeconomic policies which in turn instigated public anger and protests. For example, in Babil, the acting governor ordered the removal of the directors general of electricity and education, and directors of government property, tax office, water resource, and urban planning at the same time; and in Wasit,
23 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/03/mike-pompeo-us-war-iran-093149 24 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/iraq-president-appoints-mohammed-allawi-pm-state-tv-200201150554113.html 25 https://nation.com.pk/17-Mar-2020/iraqi-president-barham-salih-names-adnan-al-zurfi-as-new-pm
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 112 the acting governor changed the directors of four service delivery directorates of: Municipalities, Municipality, the Water Directorate, and the Sewage Directorate. Disputes also erupted between the former governor and the current Governor Mohammed al-Atta of Baghdad. The federal administrative court issued a decision allowing reinstatement of Baghdad former Governor Falah al- Jazari. Despite political challenges, IGPA/Takamul’s programming remains unaffected as activities can be implemented through the governor’s deputies.
CHANGES IN PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR’S POSITION, JANUARY – MARCH 2020
PROVINCE NAME AFFILIATION REPLACEMENT AFFILIATION NOTES Basrah Asa’ad al-Idani Al-Nasr N/A N/A Idani is keeping his position as a governor and did not give up his seat in the COR yet Karbala Nassif al- Maliki’s State N/A N/A No change Khattabi of Law Babil Karar Alabadi Abadi’s Nasr Hassan Mandil Hakim’s Babil PC impeached List (acting Hikma Governor al-Abadi governor) Movement Qadisya Zuhair al- Maliki’s State N/A N/A No change Shalan of Law Dhi Qar Adel al - Hakim’s Hikma Abadar al-Omar Al-Nasr Governor al-Dakhil resigned Dakhili Movement during the demonstrations Erbil Nawzad Hadi KDP Firsat Sofi Kurdistan Hadi term for holding office Democratic was expired Party (KDP) Ninewa Mansour al- Ataa Najem al- Independent Ninewa PC by majority voted Mareed Movement Jobouri for al-Joburi to replace al- (Falih al-Fayyad Mareed list) Wasit Adel al-Zarkani Sadr’s Sayroon Mohammed al- Hakim’s Mayahi Hikma Wasit PC impeached Movement Governor al-Mayahi but the Administrative Tribunal Court ruled to reinstitute him Najaf Loai Al-Yasir State of Law N/A N/A No change Maysan Ali Dway Sadr’s Sayroon N/A N/A No change Muthanna Ahmed Menfi State of Law N/A N/A No change Salah al-Din Amar Jabouri Al-Jamahier al- No changes N/A N/A Wataniyh Ali Farhan Anbar No changes N/A N/A Anbar Hawiyatona (Halbousi list) Muthana al- Badr No changes N/A N/A Diyala Tamimi Organization Falah al-Jazari Maliki’s State Mohammed Maliki’s State Baghdad PC impeached al- Baghdad of Law list Jabbir al-Atta of Law Jazari Rakan al- Arabic No changes N/A N/A Kirkuk Jabouri Coalition in Kirkuk Dahuk Farhad Atroshi KDP No changes N/A N/A Sulaimaniya Haval Abubakir Gorran No changes N/A N/A Halabja Azad Tawfiq PUK No changes N/A N/A
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 113 Long-term Sentinel Indicators
IGPA/Takamul identifies the following issues as long-term sentinel indicators that will continue to impact Iraqi political and governance policies in 2020.
Public Anger, Mistrust, and Protests
The Iraqi protesters continued to demonstrate until March 21, where anti-government protests were postponed in wake of the mounting concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. The movement, which erupted some five months ago, demanded the overthrow of the political class and holding of early elections. The remaining protesters in al-Tahrir Square and across the country’s southern and central regions announced they would be returning to their homes until the coronavirus threat abated. They vowed to return to the streets if the political forces and government fail to meet their demands. The demonstrations came at a cost. Some 28,000 protesters were wounded and 700 killed as authorities sought to stifle them with excessive force, drawing widespread local and international condemnation. Escalations took place in the southern provinces, such as Dhi Qar Najaf, Karbala, and Wasit. Protestors announced general strikes and blocked main bridges and roads. ISF used violence to take control. In Dhi Qar the protesters issued a deadline of January 19 for the political establishment to meet protestors’ demands. After the deadline, the protestors escalated their activities with support from Baghdad and other provinces. The trending .Nassirysh deadline) was widely circulated on social media"النارصية -مهلة) hashtag
Amid the unrest, the government could not identify those responsible for civilian casualties. The authorities’ seeming inability to uncover the instigators of the violence prompted, in turn, the protesters to point fingers at pro-Iran factions and militias. Many of the protesters expressed their grievances over foreign, especially Iranian, meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs. On top of rallying against corruption and demanding more job opportunities, the protesters also called for early elections and a new electoral law.
Another aspect which affected the demonstrations was the U.S. strike on Qasim Soleimani and Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis, in addition to Muqtada al-Sadr’s decision to withdraw his support from the demonstrations. The nomination of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as the new Iraqi PM-designate was simultaneously received negatively by the protesters, who see his appointment as a plot by al-Sadr and his Iran-backed allies in the government to end the protests in Baghdad. Al-Sadr’s paramilitaries and ‘blue hats,’ which were supposedly created to protect protestors from security forces, sought to end the months-long demonstrations by attacking the places where protesters camped since October. In Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, they successfully captured the famous Turkish restaurant which had become a symbol of Iraq’s ‘October revolution’.26 Additionally, the Sadrist group cooperated with security forces to end the sit-in at al-Tahrir Square which further angered the public. In February, al-Sadr ‘s “blue hats” attacked the protesters in Najaf in what was called the “bloody night.” Najaf hospitals were crowded with victims and the governor announced a local holiday. A very strong campaign was launched against al-Sadr on social media denouncing his coordinated attacks against protesters to gain control of protest areas. The campaign included making fun of his vacillating decisions. This is the first time al-Sadr was criticized publicly and sarcastic photos of him surfaced.
26 https://observers.france24.com/en/20200210-how-iraq%E2%80%99-blue-hat-militiamen-went-protecting-killing-protesters
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 114 The inevitable result of this separation between al-Sadr and protesters will be the creation of a new conflict (that is added to the large number of chronic conflicts in Iraq) between those who believe that the Sadrist movement is still a “centrist current” opposing Iranian influence, and those who believe that al-Sadr shifted to the other side and turned his back on the protesters and their demands.
Women took greater role in protests to demand their rights in what they called the “Pink-Purple Protest.” The march, spearheaded and organized by women, sought to challenge a Twitter post by al-Sadr which called for gender segregation in the anti-government protests. Iraq's often conservative gender dynamics started to shift as more women carve out a place for themselves in the country's public sphere. Protesters challenged the country's conservative communities by sharing the same tents at the protest areas and ensuring the equal participation of both sexes. Despite the threat of violence against them, women rebelled against tribal norms, the religious fatwa, and the mentality of male hegemony in the conservative provinces of Najaf, Karbala, Dhi Qar and Basrah.
The U.S-Iran Conflict in Iraq
U.S-Iranian tensions flared in January 2020, when the Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasim Soleimani and Abu Mehdi al-Muhandis were killed in a U.S. airstrike on Baghdad international airport. Their death exacerbated already high tensions between Iran and the U.S. and triggered concerns of retaliation from Iranian forces and Iranian-backed militia and proxies in Iraq. On January 17, al-Sadr called on all factions to form mass protests against what he called the U.S. occupation.27 Al- Sadr seems to be aiming for the lead of PMF/Hashed factions in the absence of its deputy head, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Simultaneously, Hadi al-Ameri, head of the Badr Organization and Bina’a bloc, held meetings in both Baghdad and Tehran with faction leaders to unify their discourse. Political analysts explained that the PMF’s post-Muhandis future seems weak due to the competition between many factions to reach leadership positions; al-Muhandis represented the central leadership that curbed this competition.
On January 5, a statement from the political office of Kata’ib Hezbollah warned that members of parliament who do not attend the parliamentary session to end the U.S. presence in Iraq would be considered traitors. At the session and in the absence of all Kurdish and most Sunni members of parliament, the COR passed a decision urging the government to cancel the request for assistance submitted to the U.S-international coalition to fight Da’esh. Parliament called to end the presence of any foreign forces in Iraqi territory and prevent them from using Iraqi land, water, and air for any reason whatsoever.28 The resolution seems unlikely to end the U.S. troop presence in Iraq, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responding: "We're confident the Iraqi people want the U.S. to continue to be there."29 Calls by the political parties loyal to Iran and the armed Shia factions failed to terminate the security agreement signed between Baghdad and Washington in 2008 and to shut down the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Many reasons could be behind this, most notably because the agreement binds the Iraqi government to submit a termination request to the U.S. ambassador through the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. Under the agreement, this request would be executed one year from the date of its submission.
27 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/24/iraqi-clerics-supporters-take-to-streets-in-call-for-removal-of-us-troops 28 https://www.axios.com/iraq-parliament-us-troops-iran-soleimani-39f46292-b6b5-4070-bacd-92cfae1f586c.html 29 https://thehill.com/homenews/sunday-talk-shows/476815-pompeo-were-confident-the-iraqi-people-want-the-united-states-to
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 115 Furthermore, Asaib Ahl al-Haq (AAH) militia leader Qais al-Khazali did not publicly appear until January 4, blending in by wearing fatigues in the Najaf procession. His videotape was interpreted as a vow to get revenge for Soleimani and al-Muhandis' deaths even at the cost of his own life. The pro- Iranian militia group in Iraq attacked the U.S. embassy and U.S. military bases several times with Katyusha rockets. The U.S. launched retaliatory air strikes against a pro-Iranian militia group in Iraq after a rocket attack killed two of its soldiers. The U.S. Defense Department confirmed a series of "defensive precision strikes" had been carried out by manned aircraft against five Kata’ib Hezbollah facilities that stored weapons including rockets.
Adding to these escalations were the Katyusha rocket attacks on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad on January 27. At least one rocket hit a dining facility, slightly injuring one person and causing minor building damage.30 A U.S. State Department spokesperson stated that, “Since September 2019, there have been over 14 attacks by Iran and Iranian-supported militias on U.S. personnel in Iraq.”31 As opposed to previous attacks, this time the Government of Iraq (GOI) was quick to condemn the attack, and several Iranian political and military militias promptly denied responsibility.
Anti-Iranian and American-Sentiment
Muqtada al-Sadr was invited to a meeting in Qom-Iran that was also attended by Sadr’s rivals in the PMF/Hashed organization in the hopes that al-Sadr might crack down on the protest movement and even eventually become the de facto leader of the PMF/Hashed.32 Following the meeting, al-Sadr called for a million-man march against the U.S. presence in Iraq, which was welcomed widely by all other PMF/Hashed factions despite the strong disagreements between them. However, Baghdad’s al- Tahrir Square protesters rejected al-Sadr’s call to participate in the march. Soon after, al-Sadr stepped forward to lead the PMF/Hashed in cracking down on the protests in Baghdad and Najaf, which resulted in the killing of nearly a dozen protesters. This raised strong criticism against him and even led Sistani to take action against al-Sadr, leading al-Sadr to withdraw his people from the protest squares. Following these events, al-Sadr’s popularity among Iraqis declined, eliminating him from Iran’s list of possible PMF leader.
Iran is now struggling to reorganize the military network to maintain its power in the first and most important station of its regional network. The PMF/Hashed announced in February the appointment of Abu Fadak al-Mohammadawi to al-Muhandis' position as the PMF's chief of staff. Mohammadawi is a former military leader in Kata’ib Hezbollah who left the PMF a few years ago due to disagreements with other leaders. Four PMF/Hashed factions known to be close to Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani expressed their objection to Mohammadawi's appointment, calling upon all PMF factions to integrate into state forces under the command of the PM as commander in chief of the armed forces. They are the al-Abbas combat division, the Ali Akbar Brigade, the Imam Ali Division and the Ansar Marhaia Brigade. This is an indicator of the fragmentation that has taken place in the PMF following the deaths of Soleimani and al-Muhandis. Although Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei immediately announced General Esmail Ghaani as Soleimani’s successor to lead the Quds Force, Ghaani does not have the diplomatic charisma and networks to be an effective leader of the PMF. Due to the recent anti-Iranian sentiment arising from the recent protests in Iraq, Iran realizes the new PMF leader must be an extremely loyal Arab who can disguise Iran’s shadow influence among the Iraqi public. Another option for Iran is giving the lead to Hezbollah, which has been Iran's
30 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/middleeast/baghdad-iraq-rocket.html 31 http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/three-injured-in-attack-on-us-embassy-in-baghdad-151438 32 https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2082036/sadr-meets-iraqi-militias-irans-qom
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 116 strongest regional ally for years, fighting on behalf of Tehran in Iraq and other countries. Meanwhile, some prominent PMF leaders are also competing over the organization's leadership. Kaabi, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada leader Abu Alaa al-Walai and the Badr organization’s Hadi al-Amiri have been traveling to Tehran to attend meetings with commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and other senior leaders to gain their trust and support.
On the other hand, the Pentagon ordered military commanders to plan for an escalation of American combat in Iraq, issuing a directive to prepare a campaign to destroy an Iranian-backed militia group (Kata’ib Hezbollah) that threatened more attacks against U.S. troops. But the U.S. top commander in Iraq warned that such a campaign could be bloody and counterproductive and risks war with Iran.
The U.S-led coalition handed over five military bases inside Iraq, most recently from al-Taqaddum Air Base in the western Iraqi province of Anbar, where U.S. marines and troops from Italy, Canada, and Spain were being hosted.33 The coalition also withdrawn from K1, al-Qaim near the Syrian border, Qayyarah in western Iraq, and al-Sqoor base inside Ninewa operation command. Coalition officials repeatedly announced that the decision to reposition troops was “long-planned” and is unrelated to recent attacks on “Iraqi bases hosting coalition troops, or the ongoing COVID-19 situation in Iraq.”
American Sanctions on Iraq
In January, President Donald Trump warned Iraq that he would enforce economic sanctions if it expelled American troops in retaliation for a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian official. On January 10, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) leveraged Iraq’s access to its accounts at the FRBNY and heralded a redeployment of harsh sanctions previously deployed in 2015.34 That radical step to limit Iraq’s access to its foreign currency accounts was meant to ensure that the country’s currency was not flowing into the hands of rogue actors linked to Iran and Da’esh. Still, Iran is a critical supplier of natural gas and electricity to the Iraqi power grid, which suffers from periodic spikes in demand during summers. The Iraqi electricity system has suffered from both the lingering effects of the Iraq War and attacks by Da’esh, with Iranian exports responsible for as much as a third of the country’s capacity. These exports are critical to the Iraqi economy, justifying their waiver under the current sanctions package aimed at Iran. All of Iraq’s payments are paid in Iraqi dinars, not in dollars.
U.S. sanctions on Iraq could significantly bolster Iran’s economic clout into the region. Iran has long sought to use Iraq as a means of evading sanctions, so isolating the Iraqi economy could boost such efforts while enabling Iran to use its proxies in Iraq to build patronage networks. Iraq’s PMF/Hashed, largely sponsored by Iran, already competes with Baghdad in the provision of security and, over time, could also rival the state in the provision of other public goods, like welfare services or infrastructure. There are few benefits, if any, to sanctions on Iraq. If the U.S. does move forward with this strategy, it may come to seriously regret its actions because it will lose its influence in Iraq.
33 https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/040420201 34 https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/the-effect-of-us-sanctions-on-the-iran-iraq-alliance/
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 117 Furthermore, the State Department announced the designation of Ahmad al-Hamidawi, the leader of the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group Kata’ib Hezbollah, as a global terrorist a day ahead of the expected confidence vote by Iraq’s parliament on a new government.
Government Formation
The political establishment resumed its negotiations about nominating a new candidate to replace resigned PM, Adel Abdul Mahdi, with reports about meetings between Hadi al-Amiri, the head of Bina’a parliamentary bloc, and Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of Islah parliamentary bloc in Iran. PM Abdul Mahdi visited Erbil and news erupted that he is advocating to convince the Kurds to approve his re-nomination to the PM position, though the news was quickly refuted by the PM office. On January 20, Mohammed Allawi’s name dominated the media as the chosen candidate; however, the demonstrators published posts and created banners at al-Tahrir square rejecting Allawi’s nomination based on information about his tenure at the Ministry of Transportation.
Meanwhile leaks from al- Bina’a parliamentary bloc accused al-Sadr’s Islah bloc of rejecting Allawi based on political calculation. On February 1, President Barham Salih appointed former Minister of Communication Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as PM-designate.35 In a video circulated on various social media platforms, Allawi said he would resign if political blocs attempted to impose candidates for cabinet jobs and called on protesters to continue demonstrating until their demands are met. The appointment of Alawi was rejected by Dawa Party and its factions, al-Nasr list headed by former PM Haider al-Abadi and State of Law list headed by former PM Noori al-Maliki. The nomination, however, was welcomed by Islah and Bina’a parliamentary blocs who supported Allawi’s candidacy and hailed the decision as a step to address the demonstrators’ demands. In addition to his political support, al-Sadr supported Allawi’s nomination by cracking down on the demonstrations in al-Tahrir square in Baghdad and al-Habobi square in Dhi Qar, using his followers to attack and expel the demonstrators from the main demonstrations and sit-in areas. Al-Sadr’s move was widely rejected by political and civic activists who accused him of attempts to hijack the demonstrations and silence the popular rejection of Allawi’s nominations. Social media circulated news of al-Sadr considering withdrawing his support for PM-designate Allawi a few days after announcing his support. This is reportedly due to PM Allawi’s meeting with several Iraqi demonstrators and activists in violation of al-Sadr's recent moves. Al-Sadr believed that Allawi’s meeting with demonstrators and activists was done without any coordination with al-Sadr or his representatives. Withdrawing al-Sadr's support for the PM-designate means that Allawi is unable to obtain the confidence of the COR because of al- Sadr’s influence among the parliamentarians and the opposition to Allawi from multiple parties in the COR.
The parliament postponed a voting session on February 27 to pass Allawi’s proposed cabinet due to a dispute between the political blocs. The parliamentary session was postponed to February 29, but the COR speaker, Mohamed al-Halbousi, moved it to March 1 as many politicians were dissatisfied with Allawi's nominated ministerial list.36 The parliament failed to reach a quorum necessary to hold a vote of confidence session for Allawi’s new government. There were only 108 out of the 329 members of parliament (MP) who attended the extraordinary session which had already been delayed twice. On March 2, PM-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the position of the PM and left Iraq at an impasse and confronted Shia parties with the need to choose a
35 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51342053 36 https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/03/iraq-sunni-shiite-protests-pmu.html
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 118 successor. There were no calls of outrage over Allawi’s withdrawal; the reaction to his nomination was already mixed. Some lauded the fact that he was not a member of any of the discredited political parties and that he was not complicit in any of the corruption plaguing the country. Others, including many of the protesters, criticized choosing a former MP and minister who was a member of the political elite that harmed the country in the first place. Allawi accused the political parties of obstructing his efforts to form an independent Cabinet. However, Allawi's Cabinet was made up of weak and inexperienced individuals who lacked political support, as well as support from Iraqi protesters. Allawi had forgotten that, as a compromise candidate, his most important task was to bring all the parties to the table and involve them in the formation of a strong government to get Iraq out of crisis. Instead, he neglected the political parties and formed a Cabinet in isolation. The political vacuum comes at a time when government services are needed especially with the outbreak of the coronavirus. Not only that an entire government effort is needed to stem the spread of the virus but drop in oil prices could mean that an economic crisis could be another crisis that Iraq must deal with while preparing the 2020 National Budget.
Political parties in Iraq continue to fail in finding a new prime minister and forming a transitional government that would lead the country to early elections and a new political order creating a power vacuum exploited by the militias to recover from the killing of their leaders. On March 15, leaked committee reports indicated that the committee selected Naim al-Suhail. However, Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sayroon list issued a statement on March 16 saying that they had not agreed on Suhail. This was followed by another statement from Ammar al-Hakim’s Hikma bloc stating that it declines to be involved in nominating anyone and announcing its withdrawal from the committee.
Abdul Mahdi said on March 2 that he would appoint one of his deputies or a minister to head the caretaker Cabinet. He has handed over some of his other tasks to the head of his office, Abu Jihad al-Hashemi. Abdul Mahdi and his supporters among the PMF/Hashed do not want to hand over this post to President Salih at this sensitive time, as they view him as a U.S. ally.
On March 17, Salih Barham Salih designated a former governor of Najaf, Adnan al-Zurfi, for the prime minister's post.37 The Nasr coalition of former PM Haider al-Abadi, Ammar al-Hakim’s Hikma movement, former PM Noori al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition, and the Sunni Forces Alliance are among the groups that supported al-Zurfi and their representatives participated in the designation ceremony. The Fatih bloc condemned Salih's move, saying it went against the constitution and promising to work to prevent al-Zurfi from winning a confidence vote in parliament. As Iraq's PM-designate Adnan al-Zurfi struggled to secure adequate parliamentary votes for his candidacy, Iraqi political parties are uncertain about whether they should support him, find a new candidate or keep caretaker PM Adel Abdul Mahdi in office. Al-Zurfi knows he cannot obtain Kurdish and Sunni support without securing the Shia camp, which has held the premiership since 2004. Therefore, he has approached Shiite parties to make sure they do not turn their back on him when it comes time to approve his cabinet. If the Shia parties withdraw support, that would most likely lead to a Sunni and Kurdish withdrawal of support. The Sunnis appear to be happy with al- Zurfi, so long as he is close to the U.S. and keeps his distance from Iran. However, even some Sunni groups are under Iranian influence, and it is difficult to imagine them supporting a prime minister who opposes Iran.
37 https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2020/03/17/Adnan-al-Zurfi-named-new-prime-minister-of-Iraq/7831584455723/
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 119 CHAPTER III: CONTEXT MONITORING THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF GOVERNANCE IN IRAQ
This chapter presents an overview of the USAID-funded IGPA/Takamul’s operational context, through the lenses of political economy, conflict sensitivity, and complexity aware monitoring approaches, which altogether constitute Context Monitoring. The dynamics and variables presented in Context Monitoring section also reflect Iraq’s progress in its journey to self-reliance and the resilience of the its political process and governing system.
This chapter also highlights the challenges to programing and implementation, lessons learned, and steps taken to facilitate implementation throughout this reporting period.
Political context and governance challenges
Provincial Councils
The Iraqi Parliament voted to dissolve provincial councils in a majority vote on October 28, 2019. Soon after, the votes brought great condemnation and were appealed in the Supreme Federal Court (SFC). The Council of Representatives (COR) tried twice to dissolve the Iraqi provincial councils as a response to the nationwide protests, however, the SFC is yet to approve the dissolution.
Following the decision to dissolve the provincial councils and because of the ongoing disputes between the provincial governors, the state council issued several decisions that are summarized below.
• If a governor resigns, he/she should submit their resignation to the PM. • Deputy governor, mayor, or sub district administrator should submit their resignation to the governor. • The Council of Ministers (COM) can designate someone to assume the governors’ or mayors’ position once it is vacant. • Governor can designate someone to assume the sub district administrator’s position as soon as it becomes vacant. • The COR can remove the governor and his deputies with an absolute majority vote based on recommendation submitted by the prime minister. • The COM can remove the Mayor. • The governor can remove the sub district administrator.
ECONOMIC DYNAMICS
Concurrent with the political impasse, the Iraqi economy is facing challenges, including a huge predicted deficit in the 2020 National Budget, as well as the lack of a legal framework that enables the caretaker government to send the draft law of the national budget to the COR. Analysts state that the Iraqi state can use 12 percent of the total allocated budget in 2019 for operational
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 120 obligations in 2020 until the law of the national budget is legislated. The Iraqi economy was further threatened by the coronavirus outbreak and the decrease in oil prices.
Agreements and Projects
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on electricity exchange between Iraq and Iran was halted due to the political-economic changes in Iraq.38 The power grid of the two countries was synchronized in November 2019 in the presence of Iranian and Iraqi officials, but the halted MOU will impact the reduction of losses of the Iraqi electricity grid that should be implemented in 2020.
Additionally, Russia is ready to strengthen ties with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and cooperate in different areas such as education and trade. Oleg Levin, the Consul General of the Russian Federation in the Kurdistan Region, expressed his satisfaction with development in the Kurdish region, particularly the forming of a new government and its pursuit of reform. Levin affirmed his country’s support to the KRG’s efforts to reform the government, economy, and other societal sectors. Levin also pointed to companies like Gazprom Neft and Rosneft as an important example of Russian interests and work in the region. Erbil and Moscow have deepened bilateral relations over the past few years, notably after the KRG signed an agreement with Russia’s state oil company Rosneft to develop the region’s oil and gas infrastructure, including the design of a new gas pipeline that could boost oil production in the Kurdistan Region.39
Russia’s state oil company paid $250 million to an external consultant to help secure deals in the Kurdistan region according to documents that shed new light on transactions that have strengthened Moscow’s presence in the Middle East. The fee was linked to deals that helped Rosneft become the dominant foreign player in the Kurdish oil industry.40
On February 4, UNDP signed a letter of agreement with the Governorate of Dahuk to establish a pilot solar park that will provide a minimum of two megawatts of electricity within two years. The European Union (EU) provided $2 million of funding for this project under the UNDP programme Supporting Recovery and Stability in Iraq through Local Development. Governor of Dahuk, Farhad Atrushi, said “our commitment to take climate action, deliver affordable, clean energy to the citizens and address electricity shortages remains as strong as ever.” Dahuk experiences serious deficits in electricity and has over 1,000 electricity generators that are causing chronic air and noise pollution. Dahuk foresees the installation of solar parks to provide up to 40 megawatts of clean electricity by 2030.41
Regional Economic Agreement
Oil and gas operator Dana Gas said that recent events in Iraq have not affected its business in the Kurdistan Region as company’s business is proceeding as usual. Dana Gas still intends to double its production to 900 million cubic feet per day by 2023. The company also said that it was confident in its plans to expand its operations in the Kurdistan Region by adding two gas production lines with a
38 https://en.mehrnews.com/news/155750/Iran-Iraq-electricity-MoU-halted-official 39 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/31b6d5ec-d915-4f13-8073-15f174079e1f 40 https://ekurd.net/russias-rosneft-paid-mystery-2020-03-03 41 https://www.iq.undp.org/content/iraq/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2020/01/solar-energy-park-establishment.html
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 121 capacity of 250 million cubic feet per day, following payments it received from sales of gas and liquids.42
On January 13, the Office of Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism signed an agreement with China to start the construction of a new Chinese Consulate General in Erbil. In recent years, relations between the KRG and China have developed further in the economic and education sectors.43
Oil, Gas, and Electricity
The Ministry of Electricity announced that Iraq’s production of electricity, excluding the Kurdistan region, has dropped by 27 percent within the past three months because of reduced shipments of natural gas from Iran. Iran decreased pipeline deliveries to Iraq to just 4 million cubic meters a day in January 2020, from a daily rate of 25 million in October 2019.69 Despite these complicated developments, Iraq appears to have made progress in achieving independence from Iranian gas and electricity imports. The GOI authorized the Oil Ministry to sign all six contracts on January 23. The projects are slated to provide significant natural gas production for Iraq, potentially reducing its reliance on Iranian gas. The contracts could also boost Iraqi and U.S. advocates for renewing a waiver related to Iranian sanctions that expires February 13. So far, the waiver allowed Iraq to continue importing about 1,400 MW of electricity and 28 million cubic meters of gas from Iran.44
Electricity generation capacity in the KRI has grown in the last decade. While residents of the KRI could only make use of two hours of electricity per day in 2007, power supply has now reached 17 hours per day. Generating capacity has expanded from 482 megawatts in 2007 to around 6,737 megawatts as of November 2019.45
The U.S. State Department granted a 45-day waiver to allow Iraq to continue to buy gas and electricity from Iran, despite sanctions imposed by Washington on Iran. The waiver gives Iraq 45 days to show that it acting to develop domestic gas supplies or find alternative sources for power.46 The 45-day period could be extended again once Iraq submits a technical timetable detailing how it plans to meet gas independence.47
The Impending Fiscal Crisis
Political and security crises in Iraq have been escalating, and the coronavirus outbreak has recently been added to the list. Meanwhile, news about the dropping oil prices put all Iraqis at risk.48 According to the economic affairs adviser to the Iraqi government, 93% of Iraq's budget relies on oil exports. On March 14, Iraq lost half of its financial revenues as oil prices dropped to $30 per barrel.49 According to the 2020 national budget draft that the government proposed which awaits a vote in the parliament, the budget is $135 billion, and the deficit amounts to $40 billion. These numbers were calculated based on a selling price of $56 per barrel of oil. But this price has been almost halved. Most of the Iraqi budget goes to the salaries of the 7 million employees as operating
42 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/economy/3ce61e36-6ddd-4ea3-9d50-0c17b9d8080c 43 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/c55ce2c3-7b3d-4594-a8c7-c682bba61a3b 44 https://www.france24.com/en/20200121-iraq-to-stop-iran-gas-transfers-if-us-waiver-ends-bank 45 https://brandkri.com/data-electricity-generating-capacity/ 46 https://en.radiofarda.com/a/u-s-grants-iraq-waiver-to-buy-iranian-energy-supplies-but-sets-conditions/30431925.html 47 https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/02/13/618528/Iran-gas-electricity-iraq-waiver-US-sanction 48 https://arabic.cnn.com/business/article/2020/03/10/oil-price-crash-explainer 49 https://www.rudaw.net/arabic/business/14032020
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 122 expenses.50 Drop in oil prices will directly affect them, as their only income will be government salaries.
In an attempt to weather the impact of dropping oil prices, the Iraqi parliamentary Economic and Investment Committee proposed on March 12 a series of steps,51 including halting investment spending and curbing operational spending; making agreements with creditors to delay the settlement of Iraq’s local and foreign debt until the financial situation improves; and collecting state debt from the cellphone and telecommunication companies.
The government also proposed halting payment of money to investors in the electricity sector; working on boosting government revenues; supporting the Treasury with the value of the region’s exports of crude oil and border outlets; and reviewing exchange rates of the Iraqi Central Bank to secure prices that do not affect citizens and that ensure the salaries of state employees.
The government employees and experts in Iraq expect the 2020 financial budget to suffer significantly, and they expressed their concerns about the government’s inability to pay salaries in the coming months. This in itself constitutes a new challenge for the Iraqi government, in addition to the political, security, and social crises, especially those related to the U.S-Iranian conflict, the coronavirus outbreak and, the ongoing protests in southern Iraq.52 The financial revenues that entered Iraq in February amounted to $5 billion, when the selling price of oil was $51 per barrel.
Kurdistan Regional Government
The political and governance context of the Kurdistan region was dominated by the critical developments in Baghdad and the ambitious reform agenda set by the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet. Meanwhile, the KRG proceeded to cultivate economic, investment, and trade relations with regional and international powers, especially the United States, Russia, and Turkey. The KRG also expedited its service delivery plans and projects. The KRG Ministry of Electricity announced plans to increase the number of hours for electricity supply provided to the residents across all seasons. One of the major priorities for KRG’s new government cabinet is the rapprochement and mending relations with Baghdad, aimed at securing sustainable relations with the Federal government and preserving the Kurdistan region’s share of the upcoming 2020 national budget. The KRG Ministry of Planning also signed a MOU with UNDP on February 3 to develop the Kurdistan region 2030 vision. UNDP will support the KRG to develop an integrated vision for development aligned with and based on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015.53 Relatedly, Minister of Planning Dara Rashid and Sulaimaniya Governor Haval Abu Bakr announced the allocation of $150 million for implementation of service projects, noting that soon most of the stalled projects will be resumed.54
The KRG renewed its pledge to fully implement a widely touted reform agenda in all its institutions in 2020. The primary focuses include reducing debt and promoting economic diversity and creating the right regulatory framework to encourage foreign and domestic entrepreneurs by making it easier to do business and invest in infrastructure in the Kurdistan region. In late December, the Kurdistan
50 https://almadapaper.net/view.php?cat=218954 51 COR steps towards investment reduction 52 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4_ovSvFpyE 53 https://www.kurdistan24.net/ar/news/032d8081-a412-4b46-b27a-2fc39d7e65a6 54 https://www.pukmedia.com/EN/EN_Direje.aspx?Jimare=58406
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 123 Parliament completed the first reading of the Article 19 bill, after which 85 lawmakers voted to grant parliament an emergency status to facilitate its passage.55
On January 8, the Kurdistan Region received more than 40 new refugees from neighboring Syria. According to a statement by the Joint Crisis Cooperation Centre (JCCC) of the KRG, at least 43 refugees entered the Kurdistan Region through Sihela border crossing. The JCCC revealed that a total of 19,404 refugees have so far received by the Kurdistan Region since October.56
On January 13, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President and spokesperson issued strong statements against the head of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, accusing him of insulting former President Masoud Barzani during his interview with al-Jazeera TV. During his interview, Nasrallah urged Masoud Barzani to thank Iran and Qasim Sulaimani for saving Erbil during Da’esh attacks in August 2014.57
On January 22, the Kurdistan Region's Council of Ministers began the process of an overhaul to the tax system in the Kurdistan region. According to a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) statement, the cabinet also approved a project designed to improve monitoring and auditing of government and private sector budgets, the facilitation of which will be supported by the Ministry of Finance and Economy.58 On the other hand, Several Change Movement (Gorran) MPs sent a letter to the Kurdistan Parliament speaker officially declining their parliamentary pensions. Other MPs, including at least four New Generation MPs and one MP from KDP, have also declined their pensions, citing their right to do so under the recently passed Pension Reform Bill. The Reform Bill was recently passed with 89 votes in favor, despite protests from activists and opposition parties who said that it primarily benefited senior government officials at the expense of ordinary government workers and people dependent on government social services.59
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister and President Vladimir Putin’s Special Representative for the Middle East and Africa, Mikhail Bogdanov, arrived in Erbil to meet with multiple senior Kurdistan Region officials on January 29. The delegation met with KDP leader Masoud Barzani. Barzani voiced his gratitude to President Putin, Russia's foreign minister, and Russian companies for their supportive role in Kurdistan Region's development. In the next meeting, Bogdanov relayed President Putin's regards to Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, after which both sides focused on the necessity of defusing current US-Iranian tensions to avoid Iraq and the Kurdistan Region from becoming a field to settle foreign and internal conflicts. Bogdanov then met with KRG PM Masrour Barzani, to whom he extended an official invitation to participate in the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, a leading global platform for members of the business community to meet and discuss the key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets, and the world.60
Kurdistan officials and political analysts highlight the tricky situation that the KRG is in given the recent escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran, which have forced the KRG into treacherous diplomatic terrain. Over the last few weeks, the Iranian regime sent Kurdish leaders a threatening message, warning and pushing for the Kurdistan region to commit itself to the Iraqi Parliament's decision to push out U.S. forces. The message dictated that Kurdistan region is part of
55 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/d93ae473-2381-4349-8c71-57997190a46c 56 http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/572864 57 Hezbollah attacks Masoud Barzani during an interview. 58 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/147faf8a-f8fd-4a61-bb43-814a35e0055a 59 https://www.knnc.net/ar/Details.aspx?jimare=2830 60 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/168b3186-baaa-4170-ba95-52148511297c
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 124 the same military and political geography of Iraq and no exception is accepted. Senior members of KDP and PUK say their respective leaderships are worried about more than just physical attacks on KRG territory. Multiple Kurdish leaders also expressed concern that Iran could instigate internal chaos and division. The U.S. is also a key military partner, having provided hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of direct financial assistance to Kurdish forces, as well as training, intelligence, and air support for counter-terrorism operations. The KRG sees the U.S. presence and support as crucial for the Kurdistan region’s prosperity and security. The KRG finds continuing this balancing act more and more difficult. Last February, for example, the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) issued an order banning all exports of fuel and crude oil to Iran. Rethinking the Iranian threats and retaliations, a week later, the MNR clarified the earlier directive, stating that the order only intended to halt illicit smuggling; licensed permit holders could still send trucks through the KRG border crossings to Iran.61
On February 10, a KRG delegation arrived in Baghdad to discuss payments owed to Kurdish farmers and the building of dams in the Kurdistan Region. An agreement was reached on forming a high-level technical committee between the two ministries to put in place plans for the growth of agriculture. The delegation also presented proposals for building five large dams in the region. The Kurdistan Region has many rivers, some of which originate in neighboring Iran and Turkey. According to experts, nearly 50 billion cubic meters of water pass through the region annually. However, more than 85 percent of the water passing through the region is not stored in dams or used. Iraq’s Kurdistan Region is home to three large dams – Dukan, Darbandikhan, and Dahuk – which collectively store more than 10 billion cubic meters of water.62
The General Leadership Council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) elected Bafel Talabani and Lahour Jangi as the party's co-leaders. Bafel Talabani is the son of Jalal Talabani, the late founder of the PUK and Lahour Jangi is Bafel Talabani's cousin. The election comes while a source revealed that Kosrat Rasoul, head of PUK’s High Political Council, had called on Talabani to suspend the election of the party's co-leaders until all sides reach an agreement on the distribution of power. Rasool had also warned that they would not adhere to any new decisions if the meetings were continued.63
The Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs is waiting for a response from Iraq’s Defense Ministry on a proposed framework on military cooperation and coordination between Erbil and Baghdad. The ministry raised a proposal during their last meeting with Iraqi counterparts, and now it awaits Baghdad’s approval. Below are the main points in the proposal to Erbil:64
• Return of the Peshmerga forces to the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. • Organizing joint operations to battle Da’esh militants. • Exchanging intelligence between the regional and federal governments. • Allocating the Peshmerga share from Iraq’s defense budget. • Including Peshmerga forces in military trainings.
61 https://www.iraqoilreport.com/news/krg-walking-a-tightrope-between-us-and-iran-42455/?utm_source=IOR%20Newsletter 62 https://ekurd.net/kurdistan-delegation-iraqi-capital-2020-02-10 63 https://www.pukmedia.com/EN/EN_Direje.aspx?Jimare=58387 64 http://www.basnews.com/index.php/ar/news/kurdistan/582443
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 125 • Respecting the previous agreements between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces. China delivered a consignment of 1,008 coronavirus testing kits to the Kurdistan Region to help health authorities contain the outbreak. Also, a group of Chinese experts will visit the Kurdistan Region to evaluate the coronavirus situation and the mechanisms for dealing with the disease by the Health Ministry. The Chinese Consul General said his government will continue to donate medical equipment to the region.65
The office of the KDP leader, Masoud Barzani, released a statement rejecting media reports claiming that Barzani is in dispute with PM-designate Allawi over personal political interests. The statement calls the reports “unfounded and baseless,” noting that Barzani is concerned about the mechanism of forming the government as well as the cabinet’s agenda led by Allawi. The statement also said that this mechanism fails to take into consideration the rights and demands of different components of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, and will certainly lead to further political crisis in Iraq.66
The Ministry of Municipality and Tourism is recommending reforms to the municipal councils as part of the government-led reform agenda. The ministry is working on a new bylaw, according to which 75 percent of the new council members will be selected from directors of government institutions. The remaining 25 percent of the council members will be selected from syndicates, non- governmental organizations, and specialized professional entities.
Faith-Based Communities
The faith-based communities continued to voice their concerns over the GOI marginalization of their political rights, and the ongoing demographic change process; especially by the pro-Iranian militias in the Ninewa Plains. Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal, Louis Raphael Sako, said that the time has come for Christians to set up their own party in order to have greater representation. Sako suggested the establishment of a team to follow the affairs of Christians to boost relations with Arab, Kurds, Turkmen, Yezidis, and Sabean-Mandaean based on common constitutional concepts of the state and citizenship.
Ancient buildings and sites were restored in Al-Qush, the predominantly Christian village in the Ninewa Plains. The project aims to preserve the heritage of the village and to attract tourism. The history of the village dates back thousands of years and it is one of Iraq’s historic sites. Dani Asmarou, head of the renovation project and cultural heritage of the village, said that the project was able to collect cultural heritage artifacts from some people and placed them in the village. The houses and other features of the village were restored to their original structure. The renovation cost $120 thousand, which was raised by people in the area, local figures, churches and the head of the project. The locals want to charge entrance fees and reinvest the money in the village.67
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani congratulated the Kakai religious minority on the occasion of Qultas (The Three-Night Day), during which the Kakai community spends three days fasting. PM Barzani said that the Kakai community are an integral component of the Kurdish nation, and their rights are protected in light of the national and religious coexistence in the Kurdistan Region. The Kakais follow Yarsanism, a religion founded in the late 14th century in what is now western Iran and now live primarily in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. Members residing in the Kurdistan
65 https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/240320205 66 http://www.basnews.com/index.php/en/news/kurdistan/584632 67 http://kirkuknow.com/en/news/61084
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 126 Region and Iraq's disputed territories are usually considered to be Kurdish in ethnicity. Having suffered religious persecution from multiple directions, both historically and in recent years, members of the community have often sought to avoid attention by keeping their practices secret. A significant number of Kakai families evacuated their villages in Kirkuk's Daquq district following the militant group's rise to prominence in 2014. In the summer of 2018, members of the Kakai community in Kirkuk called on the KRG, the federal government of Iraq, the United Nations, and civil society organizations to protect them from being targeted again by Da’esh.68
Iraqi Christians fears that worshippers may be forced to leave the country. Tensions in Iraq could lead to renewed persecution of Christians, local bishops have warned. Iraqi Christians are particularly concerned about being perceived as pro-western and pro-American, which makes them targets for attacks by the pro-Iranian militia groups, said John Pontifex, the head of press at the United Kingdom charity Aid to the Church in Need.69
The Directorate of Syriac Heritage and Museum in Ankawa subdistrict of Erbil received a delegation from the U.S. Consulate General in Erbil. The two sides discussed a project for developing the Syriac Heritage Museum within a minority support and heritage preservation program, the only such museum that preserves the heritage and culture of the Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian people. The Director of the Syriac Heritage Museum will visit the U.S. as a part of a minority heritage preservation program to acquaint the institution with up-to-date methods used by international museums in preserving heritage with an aim to develop the Syriac Heritage Museum in line with international standards.70
On January 23, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in Erbil for the opening of a USAID-funded empowerment project to provide training to minorities in the Kurdistan Region and Ninewa Plains. The Catholic University in Erbil (CUE) stated that Building Economic Empowerment for Minorities (BEEM) aims to build economic empowerment for minorities to increase the chances of employment for people in these communities. The project was first announced on November 11 following coordination between the CUE and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil. Two learning centers in Erbil and Talsqof will teach English and Kurdish languages to the region’s ethnic and religious minorities as well as business and computer skills to help them compete in the job market.71
Examples of activities with conflict mitigation sensitivity impact
Throughout the reporting period, IGPA/Takamul implemented several activities that promoted conflict mitigation in various provinces. The project implemented “Development of a ‘community of practice’ and improve coordination between citizens and government” throughout several provinces.72 In February, the activity launched an awareness campaign to support SWM and water services in Basrah, specifically al-Dayr district al-Hakim neighborhood. The campaign targeted more than 4,000 citizens, mostly vulnerable people who lived in the marshes before they were forced to leave due to the water shortage issue during Saddam regime.
68 https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/2740fd69-bbf8-415a-a96c-fefbd4b2bd9b 69 http://english.ankawa.com/?p=23301 70 https://syriacpress.com/blog/2020/01/09/u-s-consulate-general-delegation-visits-the-directorate-of-syriac-heritage-and-museum-in- ankawa/ 71 https://www.rudaw.net/english/lifestyle/23012020 72 A-BAG-0138 3.1.3.1 - Tawasul wa Ta’awun activity.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 127 The area lacks many services such as streets, water, and sewage. The citizens were unable to reach the main road in rainy days; for example, children could not go to school and even urgent medical conditions could not easily access the hospital. After several visits and meetings with local officers, it was agreed that the area should be connected to the main road by a sub street. The campaign expanded to adding sand-gravel, fixing ruptures in the pipelines, and handing out 500 brochures, providing 15 trash containers, one-ton garbage bags and 60 sound devices to equip garbage trucks. In addition to volunteers from diverse backgrounds, including Christians and African-Iraqi citizens, three CSOs, the district mayor, the Municipalities Directorate, the Governor’s Office participated in the campaign. The activity was instrumental in improving government-to-citizen communication and enhancing service delivery, which in turn contributed to the mitigation of communal conflicts. Al- Dayr district, located in the north of Basrah, suffers from chronic tribal conflicts that affected district stability and the provincial government’s capacity to provide services. Al-Hakim neighborhood citizens complained that officials visited the area and made promises in the election period as part of their propaganda without taking any action. The recent protest adds a serious security challenge in addition to the fractures between people and the government. Due to the effective communication strategy with main stakeholders and local figures, the citizens from different tribes cooperated with the CSOs, volunteers, and government officials to support the campaign. The citizens understood the importance of collaborating with the provincial government and convinced about the importance of including these areas in future infrastructure and urban development service projects as they have suffered decades of neglect.
Impacts on IGPA/Takamul Programming
As coronavirus spreads across the globe, the number of infected people in Iraq is still manageable. Although the country has taken strict measures to reduce infections, Iraqi officials are worried that the situation could deteriorate, and announced that other tight measures to prevent the virus' spread will be taken soon. IGPA/Takamul continued its activities through virtual and distance learning approaches due to the extended nationwide curfew and continued implementation in all components–service delivery, public financial management, oversight and accountability, and sustainability–through the development of Change Agents. Once the political establishment agrees on a new PM-designate, this represents an opportunity to increase the program’s work with respect to its core objective of supporting the decentralization agenda through improved, responsive service delivery and public financial management. Furthermore, any possible candidate of the premier position will have a governmental program that includes many areas in which IGPA/Takamul is currently operating and could expand in depth and geographical reach. These include:
National Budget • Accelerate and finalize the 2020 budget law and submit to the Council of Ministers and the prime minister to maximize non-oil revenues and reduce unnecessary expenditures to minimize the budget deficit due to the sharp drop in oil prices. • Aim for economic growth and equitable allocation of resources to achieve strategic development reforms for the medium-term budget for 2020-2022. Early Elections • Prepare for free, fair, and transparent elections in cooperation with the United Nations in Iraq, with full government support to the Independent High Electoral Commission and
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 128 provide all requirements to conduct fair and equitable elections within a maximum period of one year from the date of conferring confidence to the government. Economic and Investment • Work to improve and develop an investment environment that attracts domestic and foreign capital, draw a new investment map, and give investors additional privileges in the investment process to attract foreign investment, get the economy moving, and provide more job opportunities for unemployed youth with advanced education. • Work to achieve tangible economic growth and give the private sector a fundamental role in reviving the economy; reform and enable to move towards a market economy; adopt public-private partnership that contributes to national interest; and, to support and strengthen the economic infrastructure. • Limit the role of the state as a guard, regulator, and intervening party to restore balance to the economy when it is impaired through the system of macroeconomic policies. • Significantly reduce government spending and direct the available financial allocations towards infrastructure that improve basic public services and that serve the work of the private sector; reduce production costs; and, enhance its competitive capabilities. • Support small and medium enterprises because of their role in reducing unemployment, as well as support micro-projects and give facilities to the microfinance institutions. • Work urgently to automate customs procedures to revitalize the industrial and agricultural sector, facilitate trade, maximize state resources, and prevent waste of public money. Supporting the provinces • Support the provincial government administration to perform their duties for citizens within the bounds of decentralization policies. • Complete unfinished projects that are currently in progress. • Maximize local revenue generation within constitutional provisions and related laws The Project is in the process of developing a concept note to identify strategies to support the nominated PM and his policy aims in consultation with partners and other stakeholders.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 129 ANNEXES
ANNEX 1: PROJECT SNAPSHOTS ...... 131
ANNEX 2: MONITORING & EVALUATION DISAGGREGATED TRAINING DATA, EVALUATION FINDINGS, SURVEYS ...... 136
ANNEX 3: QUARTERLY FINANCIAL INFORMATION – FY20, Q2 ...... 143
ANNEX 4: OVERVIEW OF SUBCONTRACTORS ...... 146
ANNEX 5: SUCCESS STORIES IN ARABIC ...... 149
ANNEX 6: CONTRACT DELIVERABLES ...... 154
ANNEX 7: QUARTERLY SUB-ACTIVITY REPORT ...... 155
ANNEX 8: QUARTERLY MEDIA COVERAGE ...... 163
ANNEX 9: TASK ORDER 3 SUBTASK 2 PROGRESS SHEETS ...... 174
ACRONYMS ...... 176
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 130 ANNEX 1: PROJECT SNAPSHOTS
TABLE 4: SUMMARY TABLE OF RESULTS
ACTUAL FY20 FY20 ACTUAL FY20 FY20 NO. INDICATORS COMULATIVE CUMULATIVE % FY18 & FY19 TARGET Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 (Q1+2+3+4) ACHIEVED
Percentage of citizens reporting 1 improvements to service N/A 43% N/A N/A N/A N/A delivery platforms.
Number of improved business processes implemented by 2 provincial governments as a 56 48 0 35 35 72.9% result of IGPA/Takamul support. Number of contracts awarded 3 by the GOI as a result of 75 63 39 10 49 77.8% IGPA/Takamul support. Value of contracts awarded to 4 improve service delivery as a $355,365,301 $133 million $96,534,983 $30,273,705 $126,808,688 95.3% result of IGPA support. Number of initiatives implemented by IGPA/Takamul 5 65 63 20 1 21 33.3% supported provincial institutions. Number of government 6 institutions (central, federal, 18 2 0 1 1 50% provincial) that have implemented SOPs to manage
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 131 PFM functions as a result of IGPA/Takamul support Number local revenue laws 7 passed by local governments as 0 5 0 2 2 40% a result of IGPA support Number of provincial in-year budget reports produced in 8 accordance with law or best 77 20 073 2 2 10% practice as a result of IGPA/Takamul support Number of mechanisms developed, or implemented, to 9 establish effective citizen 8 5 0 4 4 80% participation, outreach and communication Number of interventions 10 implemented by IGPA/Takamul- 71 20 1 5 6 30% supported CSOs and SAGs Number of civil society organizations (CSOs) receiving 11 95 10 0 18 18 180% USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions Number of policy changes by provincial government as a 12 result of advocacy interventions 0 3 0 0 0 0% implemented by CSOs/SAGs or TWGs
73 In Q1, IGPA/Takamul reported (1) achievement mistakenly since zero should’ve been reported. However, this quarter compensates for this mistake as the reported actual is 2.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 132 Number of individuals trained 13 N/A 895 464 508 972 108.6% by IGPA/Takamul74 Number of participants 14 attending IGPA/Takamul’s N/A 4905 1576 681 2257 46% interventions75 Number of persons trained with USG assistance to advance outcomes consistent with 15 gender equality or female N/A 16 N/A N/A 0 0% empowerment through their roles in public or private sector institutions or organizations.
74 The numbers for the old indicator “Number of participants trained by IGPA/Takamul” which was double counting trainees will continue to be reported separately for years 1 and 2 to avoid discrepancy. The total number of participants trained by IGPA/Takamul for Years 1 and 2 was 10,372. 75 The numbers for the old indicator “Number of participants trained by IGPA/Takamul” which was double counting trainees will continue to be reported separately for years 1 and 2 to avoid discrepancy. The total number of participants trained by IGPA/Takamul for Years 1 and 2 was 10,372.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 133 TASK ORDER 4
TABLE 5: SUMMARY TABLE OF RESULTS
ACTUAL LIFE OF FY20 ACTUAL NO. INDICATORS CUMULATIVE PROJECT FY20 CUMULATIVE % ACHIEVED FY19 TARGET Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
Number of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) 1 that access or mobilize financing as a result of USG 0 30 0 476 0 0 4 13% assistance
Number of firms receiving USG-funded technical 2 assistance for improving business performance (Standard 0 200 20 105 0 0 125 62.5% Economic Growth Indicator 5.2.1)
76 IGPA/NIFI was unable to obtain the signed and stamped supporting document to confirm the financing for four businesses by the Joint Development Association International (JDA) due to the curfew in Erbil. Hence, MEL complete verification was not done. However, IGPA’s senior management decided to report this indicator during this quarter.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 134 TASK ORDER 5
TABLE 6: SUMMARY TABLE OF RESULTS
ACTUAL LIFE OF FY20 ACTUAL NO. INDICATORS CUMULATIVE PROJECT FY20 CUMULATIVE % ACHIEVED FY19 TARGET Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
1 Number of revisions (clauses or paragraphs) to draft law 0 20 16 0 0 0 16 that strengthen provisions77
a. Stage1: COMSec version before it was sent to 0 4 8 0 0 0 8 200% State Council
b. Stage2: President Office 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0%
c. Stage3: GOI (COMSec, State Council and COM) 0 4 8 0 0 0 8 200%
d. Stage4: at the COR before the first reading 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0% (unification stage)
e. Stage5: at the COR (after the first reading, during 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0% the second reading, and before the vote)
2 Number of individuals trained on advocacy techniques 4 75 0 94 0 0 94 130.6% 3 Number of public awareness activities conducted 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 0% Change in awareness of concept of ADV within selected 65.63% 4 groups 0 50% 0 78 0 0 100% 131.26%
77 The PIR stipulates four revisions per stage; hence, this indicator requires a breakdown. The Anti Domestic Violence team were able to achieve two stages out of 5. 78 This indicator should cover two trainings that were held in Q2. However, the MEL team dropped the second and last training due the fact that post test was not done as a result of external and unforeseeable factors namely the COVID-19. Trainees were requested to fly back to their respective governorates; hence the last day of the training was cancelled.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 135 ANNEX 2: MONITORING & EVALUATION DISAGGREGATED TRAINING DATA, EVALUATION FINDINGS, SURVEYS
Number of participants attending IGPA/Takamul’s interventions
Table 7: Number of participants attending IGPA/Takamul’s interventions – FY20, Q2 UNIT OF MEASURE: NUMBER ACTUAL RESULTS (ANNUAL AND QUARTERS)
FY20 - Q1 FY20 Q2 FY20 Q3 FY20 Q4 FY20 CUMULATIVE
M F M F M F M F M F Federal GOI 352 149 149 28 501 177 Officials Provincial GOI 747 164 339 92 1,086 256 Officials CSOs 94 62 39 29 133 91
Others* 7 1 5 0 12 1
1200 376 532 149 1732 525 Total 1576 681 2257
* Others include private sector actors trained including UN employees and civil activists.
Total number of participants for FY20-Q1 was 1,576 representing 32.1 percent of the IGPA/Takamul LOP target. The table below reflects the total number of participants for our conferences and workshops.
During FY20-Q2, the total number of participants was 681 participants. Main topics included Business Process Reengineering (BPR), coordination mechanisms, and organizational structure. The table below reflects the total number of participants in IGPA/Takamul conferences and workshops.
Number of Individuals Trained
During FY20-Q2, the total number of individuals trained was 508 trainees. Twenty-one trainings were held this quarter including stakeholder mapping, organizational structure, and human resources. The table below reflects the total number of individuals receiving trainings and on-the-job trainings.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 136 Table 8: Number of Individuals attending IGPA/Takamul’s trainings and on-the-job trainings for FY20-Q2
UNIT OF MEASURE: NUMBER
ACTUAL RESULTS (ANNUAL AND QUARTERS)
FY20 - Q1 FY20 Q2 FY20 Q3 FY20 Q4 FY20 CUMULATIVE
M F M F M F M F M F Federal GOI 73 9 15 8 88 17 Officials
Provincial GOI 232 44 389 85 621 129 Officials
CSOs 65 36 6 5 71 41
Others* 2 3 0 0 2 3
372 92 410 98 782 190 Total 464 508 972
Figure 1: Number of individuals trained by IGPA/Takamul disaggregated by sex, FY20 – Q2
Number of individuals trained disaggregated by sex 450 410 400
350
300
250
200 Total
150 98 100
50
0 Male Female
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 137 Figure 2: Percentage of Males/Females individual trained by IGPA/Takamul, FY20 – Q2
% of individuals trained by sex
19%
81%
Male Female
Figure 3: Number of individuals trained by IGPA/Takamul disaggregated by type/affiliation
Number of individuals trained by IGPA/Takamul disaggregated by type/affiliation, FY20 - Q2
11 23
474
CSOs Federal GOI Official Provincial GOI Official
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 138 Figure 4: Number of individuals trained by IGPA/Takamul disaggregated by province
Number individuals trained by IGPA/Takamul disaggregated by province, FY20 - Quarter 2 120 106
100
78 80
61 60 46
40 27 27 20 17 18 17 18 20 13 9 10 9 9 8 9 1 3 2 0
Training Evaluation Findings
During FY20 – Q2, IGPA/Takamul held 21 trainings. Decentralization, capacity building, planning and communications were among the topics covered in these trainings. The below table reflects the level of satisfaction among all trainees:
Mostly Strongly Questions Fully agree Agree Disagree agree disagree My expectations of this training 33% 54% 11% 2% 0% course were fully met The overall organization of the 45% 49% 5% 1% 0% training was good
40% 49% 9% 2% 0% The group of participants was suitable The duration of the training was 18% 32% 26% 20% 5% suitable
The training methods used were well 33% 48% 17% 2% 0% suited to the training content
Examples given during the training are 41% 43% 14% 2% 0% suitable for local context
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 139 The training was delivered in a way that allowed sufficient interaction 58% 37% 4% 0% 0% between trainer and participants
You will use the training materials in 45% 42% 12% 2% 0% your future work
The training was well suited to my 37% 52% 11% 1% 0% level of understanding of the subject.
The training fully addressed problems 27% 42% 27% 4% 0% I experience in my daily work. There is a development in the knowledge level I have after I attend 35% 53% 11% 1% 0% this training
The different topics of the subject were sufficiently and coherently 26% 45% 23% 5% 0% covered in the training.
I had enough opportunity to express 44% 48% 7% 1% 0% my points of view and experiences The training comprised a good balance between theory and practical 34% 48% 16% 2% 1% experience/exercise. The trainer(s) was/were very knowledgeable on the subject of the 54% 38% 7% 1% 0% training.
The trainer(s) conveyed their knowledge and experience to me in a 54% 40% 6% 0% 0% very understandable manner.
The trainer(s) answered my questions in a way that helped me better 54% 40% 6% 0% 0% understand the subject of the training. OVERALL AVERAGE / Final Average 40% 45% 12% 3% 0%
Pre and Post Tests Findings
The MEL unit in its attempt to instill proper and reflective MEL tools and processes enforced the importance of conducting pre/post testing for all trainings. This is the key method where a short- term impact can be and should be measured. As a result, the pre/post testing requirement was introduced in October 2019, the beginning of Fiscal Year 3. In general, the results revealed high quality, accurate and measurable data for 45 trainings out of 50. The rest of the tests were dropped because the results were either not measurable or not comparable.
POSITIVE CHANGE: The highest Positive Change were observed under Task Order 5 “Anti- Domestic Violence Legislation” with a total of 81.5% followed by IGPA’s Objective 1 “Enhanced GOI service delivery capacity” with a total of 64.96%, and, and finally IGPA’s Objective 3 “Strengthened Monitoring and Oversight of Service Delivery and Public Expenditure” with a total of 46.04%.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 140 NEGATIVE CHANGE: The highest Negative Change were observed under Task Order 4 “Ninewa Investment Forum Initiative with a total of 10.0% followed by IGPA Objective 4 “Change Agents’” with a total of 8.67%, and finally IGPA’s Objective 3 “Strengthened Monitoring and Oversight of Service Delivery and Public Expenditure with a total of 8.58%
NO CHANGE: Lastly, the highest No Change (neutral) percentages were observed under IGPA’s Objective 4 “Change Agents” with a total of 74.37%, followed by Task Order 4 “Ninewa Investment Forum Initiative” with a total of 68.95%, and finally by IGPA’s Objective 2 “Improved Provincial and National (Federal) Government Public Financial Management” with a total of 65.30%.
Objective Positive change Negative Change No Change
1: Enhanced GOI service delivery capacity 64.96% 3.15% 31.89%
2: Improved Provincial and National (Federal) Government Public Financial Management 32.21% 2.49% 65.30%
3: Strengthened Monitoring and Oversight of Service Delivery and Public Expenditure 46.04% 8.58% 45.39%
4: Change Agents’ team 16.96% 8.67% 74.37%
Task Order 4: Private sector development and investment forum 21.05% 10.0% 68.95%
Task Order 5: Anti- Domestic Violence Legislation 81.50% 3.41% 15.09%
Surveys79
During this reporting period, IGPA/Takamul conducted three new surveys, bringing the total surveys conducted to seven. Two of the surveys during this quarter were conducted by Objective 1: Enhanced GOI service delivery capacity. These two surveys dealt with the Business Process Reengineering activity covering Anbar, Babil, Baghdad, and Basrah. The surveys covered both water and SWM sectors. The remaining surveys were conducted by Objective 2: Improve provincial and
79 This includes Q1 and Q2. The surveys from Q1 are reported during Q2 as a result of several factors including delays in data entry and type of analysis requested.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER -2 REPORT | 141 national government public financial management, where citizens in Hamdanyah district were asked about their top priority project lists. All these surveys were conducted using DAI-Collect80. The table below shows more info regarding these surveys:
Number of Quarter/ Type of analysis Name of Description Objective survey respondents Year provided Water A questionnaire 3 1662 Q1/FY20 - Who is in-charge of conservation on the rationing refilling water tanks the water - Areas where water consumption networks are/not implemented - Diseases caused by water consumption
SWM Pre A questionnaire 3 1,319 Q1/FY20 - Trash collection Survey on SWM service mechanisms in Basrah - Who is in charge?
Ninewa A questionnaire Task 133 Q1/FY20 Investment on the Ninewa Order 4 Forum Investment survey Forum
“As-Is” A survey on the 1 671 Q2/FY20 Cost and time Model quality of water efficiency SWM services
“To-Be” A survey on the 1 689 Q2/FY20 Cost and time Model quality of water efficiency SWM services
Priority A questionnaire 2 1100 Q2/FY20 - Top priority list Project list on services projects provided to - Citizen’s feedback on citizens and local departments priority investment projects
80 Mobile data collection used by DAI globally. IGPA/Takamul adopted this service since it was launched in October 2019.
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USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 145 ANNEX 4: OVERVIEW OF SUBCONTRACTORS Al JIDARA CONTRACT VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: Al Jidara’s primary responsibilities include providing technical assistance in support of IGPA/Takamul’s Objective One, “Enhance GOI Service Delivery Capacity,” which provides technical assistance to government institutions and regulators to improve service delivery outcomes in sectors with potential for high impact and visibility at the national, provincial, and local levels. This includes the provision of three Service Delivery Coordinators that provide targeted assistance to key service delivery improvement activities and participate in work-plan development to design activities in-line with IGPA/Takamul AMELP indicators. Al Jidara’s activities include technical assistance for government institutions and regulators to improve service delivery, the creation of regulatory and procedural certainty to attract private sector investment, and support for organizational restructuring and strengthening with regards to provincial government execution of service delivery.
AQUA STRATEGIES, INC. CONTRACT VALUE – Contract 1: CONTRACT VALUE – Contract 2: CONTRACT (IQC) VALUE – Contract 3: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: Aqua Strategies works with IGPA/Takamul to provide water advisory services in Babil, Baghdad, Basra, and Duhok. Aqua Strategies’ primary responsibilities include providing technical assistance in support of Objective 1 - Enhance GOI Service Delivery Capacity, which provides technical assistance to government institutions and regulators to improve service delivery outcomes in the water sector with potential for high impact and visibility at the national, provincial, and local levels. Aqua Strategies introduces and implements standard procedures for the operation and maintenance of Water Treatment Plants to ensure the water treatment plants are supplying quality water regularly to citizens at a low cost of production. Aqua Strategies also supports other activities which further Objective 2-4 goals as they apply to the water sector. Aqua Strategies allocates Short Term Technical Assistance (STTA) to provide expertise to assist the relevant IGPA/Takamul Objective teams with activity design, monitoring activity implementation, and technical soundness throughout all water works activities.
CREATIVE ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL CONTRACT VALLUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: Creative Associates International provided monitoring for the May 2018 parliamentary elections in Iraq. In this capacity, Creative worked to strengthen electoral processes and increase participation of marginalized voters, particularly internally displaced persons (IDPs) and minorities, through voter registration and election day turnout. Creative conducted non-partisan election observation, media monitoring, and reporting focused on the election cycle. Creative also conducted a voter education campaign that specifically targeted IDPs and minorities in certain governates. Creative provided periodic reports on progress, special voting and election day.
CROSSBOUNDARY, LLC CONTRACT VALLUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: CrossBoundary was a key partner for IGPA/Takamul Task Order 4 - Ninewa Investment Facilitation and Business Development, as a part of the IDIQ portion of DAI’s prime contract. CrossBoundary provided investment advisory services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ninewa province by unlocking investment across all sectors in the fragile market landscape. CrossBoundary developed investment facilitation tools and capital mapping workshops for SMEs, as well as an
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 146 investment pipeline to shepherd investors to committing resources to SMEs. CrossBoundary played a critical role in the implementation of the Ninewa Investment Forum.
ERNST & YOUNG CONTRACT (IQC) VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: Ernst & Young’s primary responsibility is to provide cross-cutting support to IGPA/Takamul under Objective Two, “Improve Governorate and National Government Public Financial Management,” Objective Three, “Strengthen Monitoring and Oversight of Service Delivery and Public Expenditure,” and Objective Four, “Support Iraqi Change Agents.” EY achieves this by supporting the development of internal procedures to implement and comply with Ministry of Finance standards; providing analysis and making recommendations to increase locally derived revenue streams; assisting with the development and implementation of standard operating procedures to manage expenditure assignments; and developing regulations on decentralized finance, financial reporting, and oversight of expenditures.
GAFFNEY, CLINE & ASSOCIATES (GCA) CONTRACT VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: Gaffney, Cline & Associates provided technical assistance under IGPA/Takamul’s Objective Four, “Support Iraqi Change Agents.” This falls under the IDIQ portion of DAI’s prime contract, specifically Task Order 1, effective August 31, 2017. GCA’s activities supported the Iraqi Ministry of Oil to draft guidelines that will form the basis of a model contract for investments in the country’s natural gas sector. Technical activities support the World Bank in preparation for their Development Policy Financing III’s (DPF III) project. GCA’s deliverables included a model Supplementary Natural Gas Processing Agreement, a Natural Gas Marketing Regulation, a Natural Gas Transport Regulation, a Coordination and Implementation Roadmap for a flaring-reduction-gas-to-power program, and a workshop with Ministry of Oil leadership.
GARDAWORLD CONTRACT VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: GardaWorld provides professional risk management services to IGPA/Takamul, especially focusing on providing mobile security for movements in Baghdad and across Iraq. Road movement is risk and information-led and conducted using armored vehicles. GardaWorld provides services in IGPA/Takamul’s initial operational areas, including Baghdad, Basrah, and Erbil, as well as surrounding provinces, but may be called upon to provide mobile security services elsewhere when required. GardaWorld also provides threat assessments and manage physical movements under the monitoring and oversight of the DAI Country Security Manager. To keep staff abreast of security concerns, GardaWorld provides daily, weekly, and individual incident reports as designated by the DAI Country Security Manager.
GENDER RESOURCES, INC. (GRI) CONTRACT VALUE – Contract 1: CONTRACT VALUE – Contract 2: CONTRACT VALUE – Contract 3: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: GRI provides cross-cutting support to IGPA/Takamul through activities related to gender, vulnerable populations, and youth by working to support activities that ensure a gender-sensitive approach to IGPA/Takamul programming while promoting a reduction in gender disparities within the provincial government. GRI uses their experience to ensure that IGPA/Takamul takes diversity-sensitive approaches to citizen outreach, planning, and service delivery across the board. GRI contributes to both of IGPA/Takamul’s concurrent work streams, one to produce “quick win” demonstrable improvements in service delivery with high-visibility, high-priority, projects; and the other to help
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 147 correct systemic capacity deficiencies in Iraqi governance. GRI is also responsible for implementing several discrete Year Three Workplan activities. Lastly, GRI is deeply engaged on Task Order 5 to support the review, amendment and passage of an effective Anti-Domestic Violence (ADV) law in the Iraqi Council of Representatives.
IRFAD CONTRACT VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: IRFAD coordinated with senior IGPA/Takamul staff to conduct research and administer a survey to assess service delivery capacity across Iraq. IRFAD first conducted a desk analysis of existing laws and policies, studies of service delivery, political economy analyses, and media reports to understand the current service delivery environment. It then conducted key informant/stakeholder interviews and developed a survey questionnaire to administer in the capital and across all provinces. Interviews and surveys were conducted at the national and provincial levels through one-on-one meetings and focus groups. IGPA/Takamul staff utilize this data for various reports.
OVERSEAS STRATEGIC CONSULTING (OSC) CONTRACT VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: OSC provides support to IGPA/Takamul under Objective Three, “Strengthen Monitoring and Oversight of Service Delivery and Public Expenditure,” by working to make provincial government staff more receptive to citizen feedback and promoting citizen engagement with local government. OSC does so by providing trainings to provincial government staff on effective citizen participation and public outreach mechanisms; designing public awareness programs for citizens and civil society organizations to increase participation in provincial budget development, service delivery outcomes, and investment priorities; and designing public awareness programs using innovative technology to enhance citizen consultation and engagement.
SOUKTEL CONTRACT (IQC) VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: Souktel provided cross-cutting support to IGPA/Takamul under all project objectives and created digital solutions to problems identified by the IGPA/Takamul project team. They conducted an initial scoping mission to provide an assessment of the current ICT context in Iraq and helped integrate digital solutions in IGPA implementation. They then identified and tailored a solution to validate data collected during the 2018 election in Iraq, for which IGPA provided monitoring support. They have designed, created, and refined the website for the 2019 Ninewa Investment Forum (NIF), which is currently live. The investment forum was organized by IGPA in December 2019 as one of the main activities under contract CLIN 0005, Task Order 0004. Souktel also designed and developed a platform for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) and information visuals for IGPA.
4POINTS CONTRACT VALUE: ROLE ON IGPA/Takamul: 4Points prepared, planned, and implemented IGPA/Takamul’s baseline and future annual public opinion surveys that collect data on topics such as the population’s level of satisfaction with government services, the responsiveness of government to citizens’ needs, and involvement of the public in decision making processes. 4Points focuses on four areas: water, solid waste management, and two variable service areas that are selected from respondent to respondent based on frequency of use of services. 4Points produces the methodology and data collection tools, data processing analysis, final data submission, and a survey and basic indicators report for the public opinion survey.
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(Please see succeeding pages.)
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إجراءات العطاءات الجديدة تسرع عملية التنمية
تساهم العملية المعدلة لتقديم للعطاءات ووثائق العطاءات المبسطة ف زيادة رسعة تنفذ مشاري ع التنمية ي يف العراق
تتسم التعاقدات الحكومية بالتعقيد بطبيعتها، ففي العراق كان هذا التعقيد واضحا بسبب عملية تقديم العطاءات الغامضة وغير العملية. وبغض النظر عن حجم التعاقدات موضع البحث، سواء أكانت مشاريع انشائية ضخمة تكلف ماليين الدوالرات او محطات صغيرة لمعالجة مياه الشرب، فإن الجهود والتعقيدات المتعلقة بها متماثلة من حيث الصعوبة. وباإلضافة الى ذلك فإن معايير التحليل ضبابية وقابلة للتالعب، حيث مثل السعر األقل المعيار الرئيس للفوز بالعطاء.
وتقول سهام كاظم جابر، مدير دائرة المناقصات والعقود في وزارة التخطيط: " في الماضي، لم تكن هناك وثائق عطاء قياسية، بل كان هناك مجموعة من التعليمات فقط. حيث يضع المحللون نقاطا للعطاءات المتقدمة وفقا لتفسيراتهم الخاصة وذلك بسبب غموض المعايير".
وفي عام 2018، قدم مشروع تكامل نوعين من وثائق العطاءات القياسية، األولى تخص التعاقدات التي تقل قيمتها عن 2.5 مليون دوالر والثانية للخدمات غير االستشارية. وقد اعتمدت وزارتا التخطيط في الحكومتين االتحادية واقليم كردستان هذه الوثائق.
وباإلضافة الى تغيير االجراءات، قام مشروع تكامل بتقليل الفترة الزمنية الالزمة لكل مرحلة من مراحل العملية. ففي السابق، استغرق تحليل وثائق العطاءات واعدادها فترة تتراوح بين ثالثة وستة أشهر، وقد تم اختزال هذه الفترة الى ما ال يزيد عن ثالثين يوما في حين يتم فتح مظاريف العطاءات خالل ثالثة ايام بعد الموعد النهائي إلرسال العطاءات. ومنذ ذلك الحين، اصبحت وثائق العطاءات القياسية جزءا اساسا في التعاقدات الحكومية. وللفترة من تشرين االول 2019 إلى آذار 2020 أُحيل 49 مشروع بقيمة 127 مليون دوالر باستخدام وثائق العطاءات القياسية.
ونقل عن السيدة سهام كاظم جابر قولها: "لقد بسطت وثائق العطاءات القياسية عمل كل من مقدمي العطاءات ومسؤولي التعاقدات والمشتريات فقد قدمت هذه الوثائق مجموعة من المعايير الواضحة وازالت العقبات البيروقراطية كما سمحت للشركات الصغيرة المؤهلة بفرصة للفوز بالمناقصات. وقد تم انجاز عدة مشاريع من التي تمت احالتها باستخدام وثائق العطاءات القياسية في الوقت المحدد لها وبمعايير الجودة المحددة في العطاء."
وقال عمرعميد، أحد الفائزين بعطاء حكومي بإستخدام الوثائق القياسية " أخيرا، وبعد محاوالت عديدة في الماضي، تمكنت من الفوز بعقد مشروع بناء مع الحكومة. لقد سرني كثيرا التحسن الذي طرأ على عمليات التقديم للعطاءات الحكومية."
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شكوى المواطنين تحول مكب نفايات الى ملعب في احد احياء النجف
يشكل مكب النفايات على الطريق المؤدي الى المدرسة تهديد لصحة الطلبة. عمل االهالي وفريق تواصل وقسم تقويم االداء معا على تحويل مكب النفايات الى حديقة خضراء يستفاد منها االطفال.
ينقل مواطنو النجف مخاوفهم الى فريق تواصل، الذي يتألف من منظمات المجتمع المدني، والذين بدورهم يقومون بالعمل مع السلطات الحكومية اليجاد حل ناجح للمشاكل المجتمعية.
بالقرب من احدى المدارس االبتدائية في الحي العسكري، وهي من االحياء الحيوية في مركز محافظة النجف، هناك بحر من القمامة التي تغطي قطعة ارض متروكة. وبمرور الزمن، استمر اهالي هذه المنطقة رمي القمامة حتى جاء اليوم الذي اصبح فيه المكان مكبا دائما للنفايات.
اشتكت نرجس علي، وهي ام الربعة اطفال وتسكن في الحي العسكري، متذمرة "الرائحة الكريهة وسرب الذباب من مكب النفايات ال يطاق. لسوء الحظ، كان مكب النفايات هذا يقع على طول الطريق المؤدي الى المدرسة حيث كان اثنان من اوالدي يدرسون. قرر اولياء االمور في هذه المنطقة القيام بشيء ما، لذا اجتمعنا وتحدثنا الى السيدة زهراء لمساعدتنا في حل المشكلة".
زهراء الموسوي، هي رئيسة منظمة الشمس - احدى منظمات المجتمع المدني، وهي عضو في فريق تواصل في النجف. فريق تواصل هو تشكيل شبه رسمي تم تنظيمه من قبل مشروع تكامل ويعمل مع الحكومة المحلية لمعالجة شكاوى المواطنين. تقول زهراء “كانت القضية الرئيسة هي عدم وجود تواصل بين الدائرة المختصة بتقديم الخدمات الحكومية والمجتمع. لقد طلبنا من مشروع تكامل لتيسيير عقد اجتماع بين الجهات الحكومية ومنظمات المجتمع المدني لتنسيق الجهود في حل هذه المشكلة.
في كانون الثاني 2019، وبدعم من مشروع تكامل، قام قسم تقويم االداء في النجف وفريق تواصل بوضع خطة عمل وعقد ندوة جماهيرية في الحي العسكرى لمناقشة تنظيف الموقع وتشجيع التخلص السليم من النفايات بين السكان. بعد ذلك، قامت الفرق مجتمعة بتنظيف موقع مكب النفايات. ثم وسعوا حملة التنظيف الى ست مدارس في الحي العسكري. كما شاركت في هذه الحمالت كل من مديرية الصحة وجامعة الكوفة وادارة العتبة العلوية الذين ساهموا بمواد اعالمية وشتالت ونباتات ووجبات للمتطوعين.
واردفت السيدة نرجس علي قائلة "اآلن تم استبدال الموقع قبيح المنظر بملعب جميل الطفالنا. تقوم مجاميع المساءلة بزيارة المنطقة باستمرار لضمان ان الجهود المبذولة لم تذهب سدى. واآلن، جاء دورنا كمواطنين الخذ زمام المبادرة للحفاظ على النظافة في هذه المنطقة".
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تقود منظمات المجتمع المدني في واسط اجتماع لجنة الوصول للمعلومات مع المواطنين
سماع صوت المجتمع
الشفافية رك رية اساسية يف تعزيز كفاءة تقديم الخدمات واعادة بناء الثقة ب ري الحكومة والمواطن.
خلق انعدام وجود الشفافية في عملية تخطيط وتمويل مشاريع الخدمات العامة ضبابية بين الحكومة والمواطن خاصة في المجتمعات الهشة التي ليس لها القدرة للوصول الى الخدمات والمعلومات وصوتها غير مسموع.
شجع مشروع تكامل من خالل العمل مع الشركاء الحكوميين في بابل وواسط تعزيز مبدأ الشفافية من خالل تشكيل لجان معنية بالوصول الى المعلومات بقيادة منظمات المجتمع المدني وتقوم بتنفيذ مجموعة موحدة من التوجيهات التي تعزز من امكانية وصول المواطن للمعلومات. مكنت هذه المنصات والتوجيهات المواطنين من الوصول الى معلومات الدوائر الخدمية المتعلقة بالميزانية السنوية وتكاليف المشاريع الخدمية والجداول الزمنية للمشاريع.
رحبت نجاة الوائلي رئيسة مؤسسة افاق لدعم المرأة بهذه المبادرة وأشارت ان "منظمات المجتمع المدني تعد حلقة الوصل بين المواطن والحكومة المحلية ووجود حق الوصول الى المعلومات يعد خطوة أولى مهمة في زيادة شفافية حكومة واسط المحلية."
أكد حمزة صالح الزركاني احد صحفي محافظة واسط على وجود تحسن في قدرته على الوصول الى المعلومات "في ما مضى كنت اواجه تحديات من اجل الحصول على معلومات من الدوائر الخدمية وذلك بسبب الحساسية المتعلقة بنقل اي معلومات تخض مشاريع الخدمات العامة. بعد العمل الذي قام به مشروع تكامل مع مكتب محافظ واسط ألطالق برنامج الوصول الى المعلومات أصبح هناك الية وارشادات من خاللها يمكنك زيارة اي دائرة وجمع المعلومات وهذا بعد تقديم طلب يتم الرد عليه بفترة اقل من عشرة ايام."
تعهدت الحكومة المحلية في محافظة بابل بقبول التعليقات العامة على المعلومات التي ستشاركها. تعمل منظمات المجتمع المدني في بابل وواسط مع الشركاء الحكوميين لتنفيذ هذه التوجيهات الجديدة وجعل المعلومات متوفرة بصورة افضل وأوسع للمواطنين مما يساهم في تحسين العالقة بين الحكومة والمواطنين.
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منظمات المجتمع المد ين يف العراق عىل خط المواجهة ضد فايروس كورونا
انتقاال من دورها يف التأث ري المجتم يع اىل الخطوط األمامية لمواجهة عدو غ ري مر ين، تقوم منظمات
المجتمع المد ين بتعزيز الجهو د الحكومية لحماية المواطن ري من فايروس كورونا.
وفي حين اجتاح الوباء جميع أنحاء العالم، كان العراق من أوائل البلدان التي طبقت اجراءات احترازية صارمة في جميع انحاء البالد. وقد توقفت النشاطات الحكومية واالجتماعية المعتادة، حيث توجهت الجهود للحفاظ على سالمة المواطنين من هذا الوباء المميت. وفي مختلف المدن واألقضية قدمت منظمات المجتمع المدني خدمات مهمة لتجنب انهيار المؤسسات الصحية الهشة في العراق.
وقد وضع مشروع تكامل المجتمع المدني ضمن األسس لجهوده لبناء الحكم الرشيد بين وحدات الحكومات المحلية في جميع أنحاء العراق. ودرب المشروع منظمات المجتمع المدني لتصبح شريكة فعالة ومناصرة في مجال تقديم الخدمات وجعلها جهات شبه رسمية في المحافظات واألقضية والتي قام مشروع تكامل بتشكيلها. وما ان بدأ الوباء باالنتشار حتى كانت منظمات المجتمع المدني بعامليها المجتمعيين وجيوشها من المتطوعين جاهزة للعمل.
وادراكا منها لتأثيرها المجتمعي، طلب محافظ البصرة من منظمات المجتمع المدني االستمرار ان تقوم باجراء حمالت توعية وتثقيف صحي كما دعتها السلطات المحلية لتكون جزءا من خاليا األزمة المشكلة لهذا الغرض. ومن جانب آخر، قام مشروع تكامل بالتنسيق مع المركز المشترك للرصد والتنسيق للسماح لمنظمات المجتمع المدني للقيام بحمالت التعفير واالغاثة الخاصة بها. " طلب منا قائمقام القضاء ان نكون جزءا من الجهد الجماعي لمكافحة وباء كورونا وفي صدد هذه المهمة الحساسة، وقف مشروع تكامل الى جانبنا في جميع خطوات مسيرتنا، سواء بالتدريب على تقنيات المناصرة في حمالتنا، وتنسيق تحركاتنا، وتسهيل التعاون مع الجهات المعنية “، تقول رقية محمود، رئيس منظمة السرور.
وقد عمل المتطوعون على التحرك بين المنازل وتوزيع المواد التثقيفية ومعدات الوقاية الشخصية والمعقمات. كما قاموا بتعفير وتطهير االحياء السكنية والمرافق العامة. كما تعلموا صناعة الكمامات الواقية عند نفادها من االسواق. وقام المتطوعون بتوزيع المستلزمات الغذائية هدفا لنشر األمل والبهجة في أوساط الفئات الهشة. وفي أغلب الحاالت، اعتمدت هذه المنظمات على التمويل الذاتي.
"بناء على طلب القائمقام، بدأنا بإنتاج الكمامات الواقية للعاملين الصحيين وأفراد الشرطة والمواطنين. كما قمنا بتعبئة منظمات المجتمع المدني األخرى مثل ملتقى الزبير للشباب والرياضة وورشة الزبير النسوية للخياطة والتطريز للمساعدة في جهودنا. وقد انتجنا بالفعل ما يزيد عن حاجتنا وقمنا بتقديم منتجاتنا الى مركز قضاء البصرة والهارثة." تقول هنادي، رئيسة منظمة درر العراق.
"وقد استخدمنا منصة التواصل التي انشأها مشروع تكامل لنا وقمنا بتنظيم وتوزيع العمل فيما بيننا لتجنب التداخل والتكرار في الجهود مع منظمات المجتمع المدني األخرى. وقد سعينا لمشورة مشروع تكامل حول خططنا، حيث قام المشروع بتوجيهنا خالل جميع المراحل وبكل وسيلة ممكنة"، يقول محمد األسدي، مؤسس جميعة الهمة. وفي محافظة البصرة تعمل اكثر من 16 منظمة للمجتمع المدني شريكة لمشروع تكامل بفعالية في جهود ادارة األزمة الصحية.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 153 ANNEX 6: CONTRACT DELIVERABLES
DELIVERABLE TITLE SUBMISSION DATE STATUS
Weekly Progress Reports Weekly USAID approval not needed
Weekly Political and Security Weekly USAID approval not needed Report
Quarterly Report FY20 Q-1 February 7, 2020 Approved
Task Orders 1 and 3 Monthly Monthly USAID approval not needed Report
Task Orders 1 and 3 Work Plan Monthly USAID approval not needed
Task Order 4 (NIFI) Weekly Weekly USAID approval not needed Report
Task Order 4 (NIFI) Monthly Monthly USAID approval not needed Report
Task Order 4 (NIFI) Ninewa January 5 USAID approval not needed Investment Forum Final Report
Task Order 4 (NIFI) Semi Annual February 26 USAID approval not needed Progress Report
TO5 ADV Weekly Report Weekly USAID approval not needed
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 154 ANNEX 7: QUARTERLY SUB-ACTIVITY REPORT
DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 02 Jan Conduct Public Women Forum in Al Mohandiseen/3 A-BAG-0138-E025 Babil Citizens 3.1.3 Neighborhood in Hilla City in Babil province
05 Jan Conduct culture dissemination campaign to encourage A-BAG-0138-E026 Najaf Citizens 3.1.3 citizens to pay water fees and reduce the water consumption
05 - 07 Jan Discussing TO-BE model and BPR new form for five A-BAG-0153-E002 Sulaimaniya PG 1.1.1 functions for Anbar Water in Sulaimaniya
05 - 08 Jan A-BAG-0162-E005 IDMS workshop Erbil NGA 2.4.1
07 - 08 Jan BPR Workshop to prepare the action plan for A-BAS-0016-E003 Erbil PG 1.1.1 implementation
07 - 08 Jan BPR Workshop to prepare the action plan for A-BAS-0017-E003 Erbil PG 1.1.1 implementation in Erbil
07 Jan Roundtable discussion meeting with CSOs and PC in A-EBL-0094-E001 Sulaimaniya City and with the relevant parties to discuss the Sulaimaniya CSO 3.1.1 NGOs Law in KRI.
08 - 09 Jan A-BAG-0191-E003 Survey Designing Workshop Erbil CSO 3.2.4
09 Jan Conduct Cleaning Campaign and Behaviour Cahnge A-BAG-0138-E027 Babil Citizens 3.1.3 Communication in Hay Al Mohandiseen/3 in Hilla city - Babil
11 Jan Cleaning and culture dissemination in al-Nidaat neighborhood A-BAG-0138-E028 Najaf Citizens 3.1.3 in Najaf province
12 - 14 Jan Training on the upgraded organization structure of A-BAG-0129-E030 Erbil PG 1.2.1 Municipality and Municipalities directorates
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 155 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 12 - 14 Jan A-EBL-0054-E015 Standard Bidding Documents of small works Sulaimaniya PG 1.1.3
13 - 15 Jan A-BAG-0131-E024 Consultancy Service Projects Workshop Erbil PG 1.1.3
13 - 16 Jan A-BAG-0131-E025 COMSEC Procurement Workshop Erbil NGA 1.1.3
13 - 14 Jan Enhance the coordination mechanism among service provider A-BAG-0161-E001 Erbil PG 3.2.2 and crises cell
14 Jan Roundtable discussion with CSOs and PC to discuss the A-EBL-0094-E002 Erbil CSO 3.1.1 NGOs Law in KRI
15 - 16 Jan Training to the selected provinces on the upgraded A-BAG-0129-E031 Erbil NGA 1.2.1 organization structure of Water directorate
15 Jan Cleaning campaign and culture dissemination for al-Sekak A-BAG-0138-E024 Basrah Citizens 3.1.3 neighborhood in Basrah
18 Jan Conduct awareness campaigns in Anbar city to reduce the A-BAG-0135-E020 Anbar Citizens 1.2.2 time and the resources required to keep areas clean
18 - 19 Jan Training for change agents on change management and A-BAG-0145-E004 Erbil CSO 4.1.1 organizational structures - Group 1
19 - 21 Jan A-EBL-0054-E016 SBD of Non-Consultancy services - Dahuk Dahuk NGA 1.1.3
20 - 22 Jan A-BAG-0131-E029 Pilot projects workshop for selected provinces Erbil NGA 1.1.3
20 - 21 Jan Workshop on disseminating the culture of accountability & A-BAG-0140-E010 Sulaimaniya CSO 3.2.3 transparency
20 - 21 Jan Training for change agents on change management and A-BAG-0145-E005 Erbil CSO 4.1.1 organizational structures - Group 2
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 156 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 20 Jan A-BAG-0164-E003 Hearing Session in Ninewa Plains – Tlkeef district Ninewa Citizens 3.1.3
20 - 21 Jan Meeting with Ramadi Municipality and visiting the transfer A-BAG-0181-E006 Anbar PG 1.2.14 station
20 - 22 Jan A-BAG-0206-E004 AFAD HR training Erbil NGA 2.1.2
21 Jan Roundtable discussion with CSOs and PC to discuss the A-EBL-0094-E003 Dahuk CSO 3.1.1 NGOs Law in Duhok
22 - 23 Jan Training for change agents on change management and A-BAG-0145-E006 Erbil CSO 4.1.1 organizational structures - Group 3
22 Jan A-BAG-0164-E004 Hearing Session in Ninewa Plain ( Hamdania District) Ninewa Citizens 3.1.3
23 Jan Stakeholder Mapping Training for Wasit and Basra PPDC, A-BAG-0147-E011 Erbil PG 3.2.1 AFAD, PED, PWED and CSO Offices
23 Jan Hearing session in Ninewa Plains (Shikhan & Bashiqa A-BAG-0164-E005 Ninewa Citizens 3.1.3 Districts)
23 - 25 Jan A-BAG-0206-E005 AFAD HR training - Group 2 Erbil NGA 2.1.2
26 - 28 Jan A-BAG-0206-E007 AFAD HR Training Erbil NGA 2.1.2
27 - 28 Jan Workshop on disseminating the culture of Accountability and A-BAG-0140-E011 Sulaimaniya CSO 3.2.3 Transparency
27 - 28 Jan A-BAG-0181-E008 Meeting with Ninewa Municipalities Ninewa PG 1.2.14
27 Jan A-EBL-0055-E005 Introducing the final BPR report for all KRI provinces Erbil NGA 1.1.1
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 157 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 29 - 30 Jan A-BAG-0206-E006 Preparing Annual Final Accounts and Financial Statement Basrah PG 2.1.2
29 - 31 Jan A-BAG-0206-E009 AFAD HR training Erbil NGA 2.1.2
29 Jan A-EBL-0095-E001 Access to finance Workshop for Ninewa SMEs Erbil SMEs TO4-2.5
02 - 04 Feb A-BAG-0130-E025 Workshop for Secretariat for PPDCs Erbil PG 1.1.2
02 - 03 Feb A-BAG-0207-E001 Advocacy training to coalition members - CSOs Erbil CSO TO5-2.2
02 - 06 Feb A-EBL-0054-E017 ToT refresher workshop Dahuk NGA 1.1.3
04 - 05 Feb A-BAG-0138-E031 Basrah Ta’awun team workshop Erbil Citizens 3.1.3
04 Feb Ninewa awareness Campaign - A-BAG-0141-E019 Ninewa Citizens 3.1.2 #DontSayItIsNotMyResponsibility
04 - 05 Feb Preparing Annual final accounts and annual financial A-BAG-0206-E010 Babil PG 2.1.2 statements
Private Sector TO4-2.5؛ Feb A-EBL-0095-E004 Business planning and financial facilitation workshop Ninewa 04
05 Feb A-BAG-0206-E008 AFADs archiving accounting files Baghdad PG 2.1.2
05 - 06 Feb A-BAG-0207-E002 Advocacy training for coalition members - youth and media Erbil CSO TO5-2.2
05 Feb Roundtable discussion with CSOs and PC to discuss the A-EBL-0094-E004 Halabja CSO 3.1.1 NGOs Law in Halabja
08 - 10 Feb A-EBL-0095-E002 Financial literacy training for women entrepreneurs Erbil entrepreneurs TO4-2.5
09 - 11 Feb A-BAG-0131-E030 Water bidding analysis workshop Erbil NGA 1.1.3
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 158 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 09 - 10 Feb Advocacy training to coalition member - religious and tribal A-BAG-0207-E003 Erbil Citizens TO5-2.2 leaders
12 - 13 Feb A-BAG-0207-E004 Advocacy training for coalition members- GOI Erbil NGA TO5-2.2
13 - 14 Feb Capacity building for the newly established units for Al- A-BAG-0137-E006 Erbil PG 1.2.9 Hamadaniya mayor office
13 Feb Culture dissemination in al-Hashimyah district in Babil A-BAG-0138-E029 Babil Citizens 3.1.3 province
13 Feb Change behavior and cleaning campaign in Najaf province in A-BAG-0138-E032 Najaf Citizens 3.1.3 Hay Al-Askri
16 - 17 Feb A-BAG-0207-E005 Advocacy training to coalition members - MPs Erbil NGA TO5-2.2
16 - 19 Feb A-EBL-0060-E002 Situational assessment for MOLSA Erbil NGA 2.1.1
17 Feb A-BAG-0136-E013 Coordination mechanism orientation workshop Erbil NGA 3.1.1
17 Feb Cleaning campaign and culture dissemination in al-Dir - hay A-BAG-0138-E030 Basrah Citizens 3.1.3 al-Hakim neighborhood
17 - 19 Feb Enhance Coordination & build the capacity of citizen service A-BAG-0140-E012 Sulaimaniya PG 3.2.3 desks
17 - 18 Feb Landfill operation training for Mosul Municipality and Ninawa A-BAG-0182-E001 Erbil PG 1.2.15 Municipalities
17 - 19 Feb Service delivery training for members of Basrah Water A-BAS-0026-E002 Erbil PG 1.3.3 Management Committee
18 Feb A-BAG-0136-E014 Coordination mechanism Orientation workshop Erbil NGA 3.1.1
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 159 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 18 - 21 Feb A-EBL-0060-E003 Situational assessment for MOLSA Dahuk NGA 2.1.1
19 Feb A-BAG-0136-E015 Coordination mechanism orientation workshop Erbil NGA 3.1.1
20 Feb A-BAS-0019-E001 Workshop on developing a Responsive Emergency Plan Erbil PG 1.4.2
21 - 22 Feb Hamdaniya district citizen’s service delivery and investment A-BAG-0186-E003 Ninewa PG 2.1.6 priority survey
23 - 25 Feb Training on Preparing Annual Final Accounts and Financial A-BAG-0206-E011 Erbil PG 2.1.2 Statements
23 - 27 Feb A-EBL-0060-E004 Situational assessment for MOLSA Sulaimaniya NGA 2.1.1
23 Feb A-EBL-0093-E002 Training needs assessment - Sulaimaniya Sulaimaniya PG 1.1.3
24 Feb A-EBL-0093-E003 Training needs assessment - Halabja Halabja PG 1.1.3
25 - 26 Feb A-BAG-0141-E022 Communication Manual workshop Erbil PG 3.1.2
25 - 26 Feb A-BAG-0182-E002 Landfill operations training for Anbar in Baghdad Baghdad PG 1.2.15
25 Feb A-EBL-0093-E004 Training needs assessment - Erbil Erbil PG 1.1.3
26 Feb A-EBL-0093-E005 Training needs assessment - Dahuk Dahuk PG 1.1.3
27 Feb Development of a one-page business plan (Lean Canvas) for A-EBL-0095-E006 Ninewa entrepreneurs TO4-2.5 women entrepreneurs
29 Feb - 05 A-EBL-0093-E006 ToT for procurement and contracting personnel – KRG Erbil PG 1.1.3 Mar
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 160 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 01 Mar A-BAG-0141-E011 #BaghdadIsMyResponsibility Baghdad Citizens 3.1.2
01 Mar Capacity and Consensus building for Public Private A-EBL-0104-E001 Erbil PG 1.3.2 Partnership (PPP) policy
02 Mar A-BAG-0141-E010 Baghdad SWM campaign #LetsKeepItClean Baghdad Citizens 3.1.2
03 - 05 Mar A-BAG-0212-E001 Enhancing skill in domestic violence - CSOs and Youth Erbil CSO TO5-3.2
03 Mar A-EBL-0095-E005 Tamkeen Zero-Interest loan workshop Ninewa entrepreneurs TO4-2.5
04 - 05 Mar Landfill operation training for Basrah Municipality and Basrah A-BAG-0182-E003 Basrah PG 1.2.15 Municipalities
07 - 09 Mar A-BAG-0131-E031 Consultancy services workshop Erbil NGA 1.1.3
08 - 09 Mar Landfill operation training for Babil Municipality and Babil A-BAG-0182-E004 Baghdad PG 1.2.15 Municipalities
09 - 11 Mar A-BAG-0212-E002 Enhancing skills in domestic violence – GOI members Erbil CSO TO5-3.2
09 - 10 Mar A-BAS-0019-E002 Basrah Water Crisis Plan - Inputs from CSOs and SAG Erbil CSO 1.4.2
09 - 10 Mar A-EBL-0049-E003 Situational Assessment for financial audit process in MOLSA Erbil PG 2.1.1
19 Mar A-EBL-0095-E008 Social Media Marketing - Module 1 Erbil entrepreneurs TO4-2.5
26 Mar A-EBL-0095-E009 Risk Management for small and medium enterprises SMEs Erbil entrepreneurs TO4-2.5
26 Mar Social Media Marketing – Module 2: How to develop and A-EBL-0095-E010 Erbil entrepreneurs TO4-2.5 boost a Facebook Ad Post
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 161 DATE ACTIVITY TITLE PROVINCES MINISTRY/SECTOR WP RESULT 29 Mar Business planning using Lean Canvas tool for women A-EBL-0095-E012 Erbil entrepreneurs TO4-2.5 entrepreneurs
31 Mar A-EBL-0095-E011 Business plaining using the Lean Canvas tool Erbil entrepreneurs TO4-2.5
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 162 ANNEX 8: QUARTERLY MEDIA COVERAGE
DATE IGPA ACTIVITY TITLE OR DESCRIPTION POSTED BY LINK(S) Jan 1 Implement assistance IGPA/ Takamul held a two-day workshop for 30 Al Rasid Center for Human Rights Al Rasid Center for Human Rights packages for Civil CSOs to introduce and disseminate the concepts Society Organizations of the CSOs Coordination Mechanism and the (CSO) Law No. 12 of 2010 as amended for CSOs in Basrah and Ninewa. Jan 1 Al Rasid center held a meeting in its office to Al Rasid Center for Human Rights Al Rasid Center for Human Rights follow up the workshop held by IGPA/Takamul on providing technical support for PEDs. At the meetings, plans have been set for CSOs to follow up the monitoring of the government performance. Jan 2 Babil Tawasul held a forum to discuss the main Ekhlas al Sultani Ekhlas al Sultani challenges of water and municipal services. Jan 2 IGPA/Takamul held a workshop on for Baghdad PEWD Baghdad PWED Baghdad PWED to come up with an integrated work mechanism in cooperation with PPDC and PED. Jan 2 Strengthening public Al Shaab Municipality Directorate campaigned in a Municipality Awareness Department Municipal Awareness Department outreach and primary school, distributing brochures, flyers to raise engagement students’ awareness over trash collection. Jan 2 Strengthening public Al-Kadhimya Municipality Directorate campaigned in a Municipality Awareness Department Municipal Awareness Department outreach and kindergarten, distributing brochures, flyers to raise engagement students’ awareness over trash collection. Jan 2 Strengthening public Al-Ghadeer Municipality Directorate campaigned in a Municipality Awareness Department Municipal Awareness Department outreach and primary school, distributing brochures, flyers to raise engagement students’ awareness over trash collection. Jan 2 https://www.facebook.com/permali Babil Tawasul held a forum to discuss the main Omaima Organization for Human challenges of water and municipal services. Rights nk.php?story_fbid=274643295877 9039&id=962347520520934 Jan 10 A meeting held between Mosul Municipality, water PED Ninewa PED Ninewa directorate and IGPA/Takamul representatives in Ninewa to discuss solid waste management mechanisms and awareness campaigns planned for the governorate Jan 11 Strengthening the public procurement system for IGPA/Takamul held a two-day workshop for SAG on Luay Yaddago Luay Yaddago water and solid waste drafting two designs of surveys for water and SWM services at the federal services in Erbil and local level
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 163 Jan 12 Strengthening public Ali Alhussaini outreach and IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Najaf Municipalities Ali Alhussaini engagement organized a solid waste awareness campaign Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Najaf Municipalities Najaf Municipality Najaf Municipality Jan 12 outreach and organized a solid waste awareness campaign engagement Jan 12 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and engagement conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department my responsibility) in Ibdaa elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 12 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Al-Aqmar kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 13 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and organized in MOE workshop about (Baghdad is my department engagement responsibility) campaign to present its goals and mechanism (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 13 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Haraa elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 13 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) to neighborhood citizens in Al-Sadr (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 13 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) to passing by cars in Green Zone (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 14 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Zohoor Al-Amal kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 14 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality department conducted a Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and cleaning awareness campaign in Bilat Al-Shuhadaa' department engagement health center Jan 14 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality department conducted a Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and cleaning awareness campaign for passing by vehicles department engagement (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 15 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Basrah Municipality Ihna Al-Basrah Ihna Al-Basrah outreach and conducted a solid waste awareness campaign engagement
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 164 Jan 15 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Basrah Municipality Basrah Municipality Media Basrah Municipality Media outreach and conducted a solid waste awareness campaign engagement Jan 15 Strengthening public UIMS shared a video about its project with multiple Saad Shaker Saad Shaker outreach and NGOs including IGPA/Takamul project engagement Jan 15 Strengthening public UIMS shared a video about its project with multiple UIMS UIMS outreach and NGOs including IGPA/Takamul project engagement Jan 15 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Alzubaidiya elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 15 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Ajial Alghad kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 15 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Sinbad kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 15 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Fajr Al-Islam elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 15 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality department conducted a Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and cleaning awareness campaign in Al-Andalus elementary Department engagement school. Jan 16 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Dijla elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 18 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Provincial Evaluation Mohamed Ameen Mohamed Ameen outreach and and CSOs departments, organized a solid waste engagement awareness campaign in Ramadi Jan 18 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Provincial Evaluation Amer Alalwani Amer Alalwani outreach and and CSOs departments, organized a solid waste engagement awareness campaign in Ramadi Jan 18 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Provincial Evaluation CSOs department CSOs department outreach and and CSOs departments, organized a solid waste engagement awareness campaign in Ramadi Jan 19 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Aldora area (#IGPA/Takamul).
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 165 Jan 20 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a session in Ninewa for the Ninewa Governorate Media Ninewa Governorate Media outreach and governorate to listen to citizens water and sewerage engagement service delivery concerns Jan 20 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a women's forum session in Ninewa Governorate Media Ninewa Governorate Media outreach and Telkeif/ Ninewa for officials listen to citizens water and engagement sewerage service delivery concerns Jan 20 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Atika elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 20 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Alnahreen kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 20 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Alsadr city, district two (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 20 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Alshaheed Abdulsala health center (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 20 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Alwasitee elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 20 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a session in Ninewa for the Raad Naser Raad Naser outreach and governorate to listen to citizens water and sewerage engagement service delivery concerns Jan 20 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a session in Ninewa for the Basim Bello Basim Bello outreach and governorate to listen to citizens water and sewerage engagement service delivery concerns Jan 21 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a women's forum session in Women and Children Department Women and Children Department outreach and Telkeif/ Ninewa for officials listen to citizens water and engagement sewerage service delivery concerns Jan 21 Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department my responsibility) in Alhuria health center(#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 21 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Almashae'l elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 21 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 166 my responsibility) in Alghadeer district (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 21 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Albustan kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 21 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Alshaab district (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 20 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Alshaheed Abdulsala health center (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 22 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Farazdaq elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 22 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Dafar elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 22 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Saraya elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 22 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Albaha kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 22 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Albonook private hospital (#IGPA/Takamul). Jan 22 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a women's forum session in Unified response team Unified response team outreach and Telkeif/ Ninewa for officials listen to citizens water and engagement sewerage service delivery concerns Jan 23 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a women's forum session in Isam Bihnam Isam Bihnam outreach and Alhamdaniya/ Ninewa for officials listen to citizens engagement water and sewerage service delivery concerns Jan 23 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul organized a women's forum session in Ninewa Governorate Media Ninewa Governorate Media outreach and Alhamdaniya/ Ninewa for officials listen to citizens engagement water and sewerage service delivery concerns Feb 02 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Shula neighborhood (#IGPA/Takamul).
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 167 Feb 02 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Shaab neighborhood (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 02 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Al-Sadr neighborhood (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 02 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Saif Aldawla elementary school (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 02 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Worood Al-Jannah kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 02 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Jood Al-Jawad kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 03 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted held a meeting with community police and department engagement sheikhs of Al-sadr city 2 to discuss issues effecting services in the district (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 04 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Mosul municipality Mosul Municipality Mosul Municipality outreach and and its directorates launched a water conservation engagement campaign in different city neighborhoods Feb 04 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Mosul municipality MNC MNC outreach and and its directorates launched a water conservation engagement campaign in different city neighborhoods Feb 04 Development of platform IGPA/Takamul conducted a two-day workshop to Iraqi institute for civil development Iraqi institute for civil development to increase local present and discuss the integration mechanism of government receiving complaints, complaints classification for accountability through Baghdad, Babil and Ninewa. the implementation of citizen feedback tools Feb 04 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Rawdat Al-Safa kindergarten (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 6 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Rusafa, Adamhiya, Dora, and al-Sadr 2 neighborhoods (#IGPA/Takamul).
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 168 Feb 7 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul held a session about strengthen social Terkal foundation for women and Terkal foundation for women and outreach and accountability mechanisms in local government in children children engagement Ninewa Feb 7 Development of platform IGPA/Takamul held a session about strengthen social Ninewa Research Center Ninewa Research Center to increase local accountability mechanisms in local government in government Ninewa accountability through the implementation of citizen feedback tools Feb 7 Development of platform (Baghdad is my responsibility) session held in al-Rusafa Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness to increase local municipality for Shiekhs, civil police, and citizens to department government discuss way of enhancements for service delivery accountability through the implementation of citizen feedback tools Feb 10 Develop tailored BDS Twenty-four women from Ninewa, Erbil, Dahuk, and KirkukNow-Arabic KirkukNow-Arabic Training Modules for Sulaimaniya participated in IGPA/Takamul Ninewa Selected Businesses Investment Facilitation Initiative (NIFI) workshop on Financial Literacy for Women Entrepreneurs on Feb. 8- 10 in Erbil Feb 10 Development of platform IGPA/Takamul team in Anbar visited head of NGOs NGOs affairs Dept./ Governor Office NGOs affairs Dept./ Governor to increase local Affairs Department, Omar Aluhaibi to discuss the Office government means of cooperation and upcoming programs for accountability through Fallujah district the implementation of citizen feedback tools Feb 11 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Al-Karkh neighborhood, district 210 (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 11 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul team met officials in al-Karrada Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and Municipality Directorate to discuss awareness Department engagement campaigns role in enhancing service delivery to citizens Feb 11 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul team met officials in Municipality Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and Directorate’s Awareness Separtment to extend Department engagement Baghdad is my responsibility campaign in new areas in Al- Kharkh Feb 11 Develop Tailored BDS Twenty-four women from Ninewa, Erbil, Dahuk, and Radio Alghad Radio Alghad Training Modules for Sulaimaniya participated in IGPA/Takamul Ninewa Selected Businesses Investment Facilitation Initiative (NIFI) workshop on Financial Literacy for Women Entrepreneurs on Feb. 8- 10 in Erbil Feb 11 IGPA/Takamul attended Anbar Governor’s Meeting to NGO Dept./ Anbar Governor Office NGO Dept./ Anbar Governor discuss way of cooperation and plans during 2020 Office regarding civil society development.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 169 Feb 11 IGPA/Takamul attended Anbar Governor’s Meeting to Hona Al-Anbar Channel Hona Al-Anbar Channel discuss way of cooperation and plans during 2020 regarding civil society development. Feb 12 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality Awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is Department engagement my responsibility) in Shula, Kadhimya and Al-Ghadeer neighborhood (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 16 Provide focused IGPA/Takamul (TO5) held a two-day advocacy training Ahmed Alsahafi Ahmed Alsahafi advocacy training to to coalition members in Erbil coalition members Feb 16 Provide focused IGPA/Takamul (TO5) held a two-day advocacy training Mahasen Hamdoon Mahasen Hamdoon advocacy training to to coalition members in Erbil coalition members Feb 17 Provide focused IGPA/Takamul (TO5) held a two-day advocacy training Intesar Al-juboori Media Intesar Al-juboori Media advocacy training to to coalition members in Erbil coalition members Feb 18 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Shula, Kadhimya and Al-Mansour neighborhood (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 18 Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in Shula, Kadhimya and Al-Rasheed, Al- Dora, Al-Adamiya, and Al-Sadr neighborhoods (#IGPA/Takamul). Feb 19 Implement assistance IGPA/Takamul held to introduce the staff of the newly CSOs department – Anbar Governor CSOs department – Anbar packages for Civil Society established CSOs offices in Basrah and Anbar provinces Office Governor Office Organizations (CSO) with the coordination mechanism and their roles and responsibilities. Feb 21 Strengthening public Heet municipality conducted solid was campaign by Anbar Municiplities Directorate Anbar Municipalities Directorate outreach and distributing pins and brochures for schools engagement Feb 26 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul conducted solid waste management Recycling factory/ Al-Mahmodiya Recycling factory/ Al-Mahmodiya outreach and training for specialists from Anbar in Almahmodiya, engagement Baghdad Feb 26 Strengthening public Al-Amal voluntary group conducted a water Al-Amal voluntary group Al-Amal voluntary group outreach and conservation campaign “drop refreshes our lives” engagement around Ramadi Feb 28 Strengthening public With help from IGPA/Takamul-supported CSOs and Basrah Water Directorate Basrah Water Directorate outreach and SAG members, Basrah Water Directorate fixes a pipe engagement in Al-Taweisa area Feb 28 Strengthening public With help from IGPA/Takamul-supported CSOs and Basrah Water Directorate Basrah Water Directorate outreach and SAG members, Basrah Water Directorate fixes a pipe engagement in A-Zagiri area
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 170 Feb 28 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul-supported SAG in cooperation with Volunteer with us Volunteer with us outreach and Basrah’s Health Directorate launched “Your health is engagement precious to us” campaign to raise awareness about COVID-19 virus Feb 28 Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul-supported SAG in cooperation with Mohammed Majeed Mohammed Majeed outreach and Basrah’s Health Directorate launched “Your health is engagement precious to us” campaign to raise awareness about COVID-19 virus March Strengthening public IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Ministry of Finance Murtada Tumaa Murtada Tumaa 1 outreach and held a human resources management training in Erbil engagement March Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness 1 outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in several neighborhoods (#IGPA/Takamul). March Strengthening public Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department Municipality Awareness Department Municipality awareness 2 outreach and conducted a cleaning awareness campaign (Baghdad is department engagement my responsibility) in several neighborhoods (#IGPA/Takamul). March With IGPA/Takamul support, the Arab Women’s Legal Arab Women’s Legal Network Arab Women’s Legal Network 3 Network held their first meeting, titled “Supporting justice response towards domestic violence and violence against women cases” to discuss legal matters regarding this subject. March IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Iraq’s Zero Interest Ezidi24 Ezidi24 3 Tamkeen Initiative and the Iraqi Private Banks League conducted a financial facilitation workshop in al-Qush, Ninewa to 29 SMEs and entrepreneurs. March IGPA/Takamul in cooperation with Iraq’s Zero Interest Ezidi24 Ezidi24 3 Tamkeen Initiative and the Iraqi Private Banks League conducted a financial facilitation workshop in al-Qush, Ninewa to 29 SMEs and entrepreneurs. March IGPA/Takamul held a workshop in Erbil to introduce Women Empowerment Department Woman Empowerment 4 the cooperation mechanism between the provincial Department government and CSOs on oversight and monitoring. March IGPA/Takamul Project, in cooperation with Afaq Afaq Foundation Afaq Foundation 5 Foundation and PED in Wasit Province, conducted an awareness campaign to raise citizen awareness on SWM in Wasit. March Wasit Province issued an administrivia order to form Afaq Foundation Afaq Foundation 8 Access to Information Committee which will help citizens and CSOs to engage in policy formulating planning, and decision making to provide better services. March Baghdad is My Responsibility Campaign is launched in Al-Shula Municipality Directorate Al-Shula Municipality Directorate 8 al-Shula district of Baghdad. The campaign aims at
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 171 raising citizen awareness on trach collection services. Folder and leaflets were distributed in the campaign. March IGPA/Takamul Project, in cooperation with Development Dimension Foundation Development Dimension 9 Development Dimension Foundation and PED in Wasit Foundation Province, conducted an awareness campaign to raise citizen awareness on SWM in Wasit. March Strengthening public Baghdad is My Responsibility Campaign is launched in Al-Shula Municipality Directorate Al-Shula Municipality Directorate 9 outreach and al-Shula district of Baghdad. The campaign aims at engagement raising citizen awareness on trach collection services. Folder and leaflets were distributed in the campaign. March Strengthening public Baghdad is My Responsibility Campaign is launched in Municipal Awareness Department Municipal Awareness Department 10 outreach and Baghdad. The campaign aims at raising citizen awareness engagement on trach collection services. Folder and leaflets were distributed in the campaign March Strengthening public Baghdad is My Responsibility Campaign is launched in Municipal Awareness Department Municipal Awareness Department 11 outreach and Baghdad. The campaign aims at raising citizen awareness engagement on trach collection services. Folder and leaflets were distributed in the campaign March Strengthening public Baghdad is My Responsibility Campaign is launched in Municipal Awareness Department Municipal Awareness Department 11 outreach and Baghdad. The campaign aims at raising citizen awareness engagement on trach collection services. Folder and leaflets were distributed in the campaign March Strengthening public Thaer Shukr Ali 13 outreach and Anbar’s Friends Organization continues to conduct an Thaer Shukr Ali engagement awareness campaign about Coronavirus in Anbar. March Strengthening public Municipal Awareness Department 15 outreach and #BaghdadIsMyResponsibility campaign is launched in Municipality Awareness Department engagement Baghdad. The campaign aims at raising citizen awareness on trach collection services. Folder and leaflets were distributed in the campaign March Strengthening public Municipality awareness th Municipality Awareness Department 16 outreach and A meeting was held in Headquarters of the 8 department engagement general responsible of securing al-Khadimiya city area to discuss the means of cooperation of raising awareness about COVID-19 during the pilgrimage visit with support of multiple organizations (#IGPA/Takamul). March Municipal Awareness Department 17 Through #BaghdadIsMyResponsibility campaign, Municipality Awareness Department Amanat Baghdad/municipality awareness department conducted a COVID-19 virus campaign in Alzafraniya neighborhood (#IGPA/Takamul). Face masks and gloves were distributed to the households and shop owners. March Baladyat Baghdad 17 Through #BaghdadIsMyResponsibility campaign, Baghdad Baladyat Baghdad Amanat conducted a sanitation and awareness campaign
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 172 in Zafaraniya sub-district of Baghdad. Face masks and gloves were distributed to the households and shop owners. March Khakh Municipality Media 17 Through #BaghdadIsMyResponsibility campaign, Khakh Municipality Media Baghdad Amanat conducted a sanitation and awareness campaign in Zafaraniya sub- district of Baghdad. Face masks and gloves were distributed to the households and shop owners. March Hamza Al-Hachami 17 Aba’ad CSO in cooperation with IGPA/Takamul Hamza Al-Hachami launched a campaign to raise awareness about solid waste management in al-Hay district, Wasit March IGPA/Takamul conducted a workshop about building Aziz Al-Ghazal Aziz Al-Ghazal 17 CSOs capacity in Ramadi, Anbar. March Prevention is better than cure. Omaima Organization Abbas Alrikaby Abbas Alrikaby 19 for Women’s Rights and partner organizations in coordination with Babil Governorate and police officers, lead a COVID-19 awareness campaign in al- Imam neighborhood in Babil. Omaima applied the skills learned from IGPA/Takamul training on planning, communications, and oversight. March USAID Middle East 24 IGPA/Takamul is supporting CSOs in northern Iraq USAID Middle East to promote best health practices, sanitizing public spaces and spreading awareness about COVID-19 March US Consulate General in US Consulate General in Erbil 25 U.S. Provides Additional Assistance to Iraq to Respond to Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 Erbil March US Consulate General in Erbil 25 IGPA/Takamul is supporting CSOs in northern Iraq to US Consulate General in Erbil promote best health practices, sanitizing public spaces and spreading awareness regarding COVID-19 March Haider Adnan 26 With the support of IGPA/Takamul, Afaq Organization Haider Adnan for Women launched awareness campaign regarding COVID-19 in Wasit. March U.S. Provides Additional Assistance to Iraq to Respond Canada in Iraq Canada in Iraq 26 to Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 March U.S. Provides Additional Assistance to Iraq to Respond Ahmed Al-Zubidi Ahmed Al-Zubidi 27 to Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 March With IGPA/Takamul’s support, an awareness campaign Omar Aluhaibi Omar Aluhaibi 28 was conducted in Anbar by CSO in response to COVID-19
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 173 ANNEX 9: TASK ORDER 3 SUBTASK 2 PROGRESS SHEETS
Objective 1 – Payroll and ePayment
ESTIMATED / ACTUAL DATES
Bids Evaluation Contract Contract Signing Report Completion Prequalification Donor Review Category of Estimated Total Procurement Bid Opening/ Ref. No. Contract Purchase Type (Yes/No) /PQ Required (Y/N) COMMENTS expenditure Value ($ '000) Method TOR Prep & Proposals Technical & Approve Date Pre/Post RFQ Issue Date Submission submission Financial Date Evaluation Report & Date Date Award Recommendati on Functional 2,410 Payroll & ePayments 1655 Goods & F2 Data Modelling Consulting 75 QBS Y N Services Technology Software 75 ICB N Regional Technology Hardware 30 ICB N Y F3 Process Centres Goods & Consulting/SW 75 QBS N ad Contact Mgt Services Dev Sustainability Consulting/Trg 25 CQS N Y Technology Hardware 400 LCS Y Y Goods & Consulting/SW EFPL and 200 QCBS N Y F4.a Services Dev Transfers Sustainability Consulting/Trg 75 QCBS N N Re-baselining of Procurement Timines TBC - dependent upon execution dates as set out in Grant WB Funding Data Changes Goods & Consulting/SW Agreement Agreed F4.b 75 QCBS N N and Corrections Services Dev
Life Event Goods & Consulting/SW F4.c 125 QCBS N Y Changes Services Dev Goods & Consulting/SW F5 Deduplication 150 QCBS N Y Services Dev Goods & ePayments Consulting 75 QBS N N Services F6.a Strategy & Goods & Preparation Consulting/Legal 75 QBS N N Services Technology Software 150 QCBS N Y Risk-Based F6.b Goods & Auditing Consulting 50 QCS N N Services
Notes: • WB funding confirmed for all eight activities shown on the table above (F2, F3, F4.a, F4.b, F4.c, F5, F6.a, F6,b) • The timeline for the Payroll and ePayment activities will be updated when the effective date of the grant agreement is confirmed. This was expected to be in March 2020 and was pushed back with the COVID19 crisis. • A “turnkey” approach with technical assistance, hardware, and software components will be completed by mid-April.
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 174 • Objective 2 - eServices
ESTIMATED / ACTUAL DATES
Bids Evaluation Contract Contract Signing Report Completion Prequalification Donor Review Category of Estimated Total Procurement Bid Opening/ Ref. No. Contract Purchase Type (Yes/No) /PQ Required (Y/N) COMMENTS expenditure Value ($ '000) Method TOR Prep & Proposals Technical & Approve Date Pre/Post RFQ Issue Date Submission submission Financial Date Evaluation Report & Date Date Award Recommendati on Functional 2,535 eService Exploitation 760 Technology Hardware 30 SSS Technology Hardware 20 LCS Technology Software 35 SSS Universal Goods & Consulting/SW F7 200 QCBS Registration Services Dev Goods & Hardware/Repair 30 SSS Services Goods & Connectivity 20 LCS Services Goods & Consulting/SW 100 Priority Infant Services Dev F8 Vaccination Consulting 50 Sustainability Materials 50 Awaiting KRG budget allocation Access to Goods & F9 Consulting 100 Healthcare Services eKurdistan F10 Strategy TBD F11 TechzonKRG TBD Company F12 TBD KRG Priority Registration
F13 Building Permits TBD
F14 Taxi Registration TBD Ministry solution
Technology Hardware 25 Private Sector F15 Pension Mgt - Goods & Consulting/SW KRG Priority 50 Stage 1 Services Dev Goods & Capacity 50 Services Development
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 175 ACRONYMS
ADV Anti-Domestic Violence PMO Prime Minister’s Office AFAD Administrative and Financial Affairs PPDC Provincial Planning and Development Directorate Council AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation, and PPP Public-Private Partnership Learning Plan BDC Business Development Center PWED Provincial Women’s Empowerment Directorate BPR Business Process Reengineering RFP Request for Proposal CBI Central Bank of Iraq SAG Social Accountability Group COM Council of Ministers SBD Standard Bidding Document COMSec Council of Ministers’ Secretariat SDP Sectoral Development Plan COR Council of Representatives SME Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise CSO Civil Society Organization SOP Standard Operating Procedure CSR Corporate Social Responsibility SOW Scope of Work DPM Deputy Prime Minister STTA Short Term Technical Assistance DPMO Deputy Prime Minister’s Office SWM Solid Waste Management E&I Equality and Inclusion TOT Training-of-Trainers GOI Government of Iraq TWG Technical Working Group GRI Gender Resources, Inc. U.S. United States HCCPSec Higher Commission for Coordination USAID United States Agency for International among Provinces’ Secretariat Development HRMS Human Resource Management System ICT Information and Communication Technology IDP Internally Displaced Person IFMIS Integrated Financial Management and Information System IGPA Iraq Governance and Performance Accountability IMS Identity Management System IPP Independent Power Producer KRG Kurdistan Regional Government KRI Kurdistan Region of Iraq M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MEL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning MOE Ministry of Energy MOF Ministry of Finance MOFE Ministry of Finance and Economy MOH Ministry of Health MOMT Ministry of Municipalities and Tourism MOO Ministry of Oil MOP Ministry of Planning MOU Memorandum of Understanding MP Member of Parliament NIF Ninewa Investment Forum O&M Operations and Maintenance PDD Public Debt Department PEA Political Economy Analysis PED Provincial Evaluation Department PFM Public Financial Management PM Prime Minister PMF Popular Mobilization Forces
USAID.GOV IGPA/TAKAMUL FY2020 QUARTER-2 REPORT 176