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Local Governance
Democracy must prove itself through service delivery and local solutions to local problems. USAID program efforts advance local governance in Iraq, empowering community organizations to hold local governments accountable for their performance and actions. With USAID assistance, representative provincial and municipal governments are more capable of delivering essential services to their constituents. The Local Governance Program II also supports the U.S. Government's Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) initiative to coordinate at the provincial level to strengthen political and economic lines of operation.
Promoting Community Development and Local Government
To help establish democratic local governance in Iraq, USAID programs support community organizations, helping them to build the capacity to hold local governments accountable for performance and actions. USAID's Local Governance Program II strengthens post-election, local government institutions to improve efficiency, representation, responsiveness, transparency, and accountability. The objective of the LGP II program is to work with Iraqis to enable and strengthen the conditions, institutions, capacity, and legal and policy framework for a coordinated democratic local governance system in Iraq.
- Promoting policy reform in support of local governance;
- Supporting clarification of the roles and responsibilities of different levels of government;
- Promoting increased efficiency of local service delivery;
- Assisting in the development of regularized mechanisms of citizen participation in governmental decision-making processes; and
- Capturing learning through systematic study and reflection.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Over 790,000 Iraqis participated in 22,000 democracy dialogues conducted by the Local Governance Program (LGP) to educate citizens on democracy and political transitions.
- The LGP established or rebuilt 16 governorate councils, 90 district councils, 194 city or sub-district councils, and 437 neighborhood councils.
- The program trained 2,000 council members (15 percent women), 28 governors, 42 deputy governors, 420 Director Generals, and key staff in 380 departments.
- The LGP supported the Women's Associations that defeated Resolution 137 (Sharia'h Law).
- Throughout Iraq the LGP organized elections for governors, mayors, and local councils.
- To clarify and reinforce their roles in Iraq's developing democracy, the LGP held National Agenda Dialogue Conferences that engaged stakeholders such as academics, journalists, women, lawyers, health professionals, tribal leaders, community leaders, and civil society organizations.
- The LGP awarded $17.3 million in rapid response grants to enable local authorities to deliver services, including agriculture, education, health, electricity, sanitation, and water.
- Over 500 new provincial council members elected in January 2005 received LGP training.
- The LGP held regional constitutional conferences for Provincial Councils (PCs) about the role of local governments in the draft Constitution.
- The LGP assessed Provincial Reconstruction Development Committees and, with citizen participation, assisted them in identifying and prioritizing local development projects.
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