Overview
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have established a Joint Programme using a pass-through modality, entitled “Strengthening Capacity and Service Delivery of Local Administrations (GPAR SCSD)”.
The GPAR SCSD Joint Programme contributes significantly to meet the objectives of the new National GPAR Programme. The National GPAR Programme is designed to assist the newly established Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) to address a comprehensive package of reforms in public administration ranging from: strengthening the institutional and legal environment of public administration and local administration; organizational improvement in government; strengthening MDG-focused service delivery at district level; building capacity for human resource development and training in the civil service; strengthening civil society engagement in governance. Together, these reforms represent a comprehensive strategy to address the capacity constraints in public administration and, at the same time, reflect the main work priorities of MOHA.
This Joint Programme is supporting the implementation of outputs that come under Clusters 3 and 4 of the National GPAR Programme, which are focused on strengthening the institutional frameworks and capacity of local public administration to improve the delivery MDG focused services. The Joint Programme derives from the very substantial body of experience and lessons gathered to date on strengthening the capacity of local administration for improved MDG service delivery through previous programmes, as well as the Government’s own vision for Governance Reform more generally across the various elements of public administration policy, laws and regulations, local administration delivery capacity and civil service management and training.
The overall objective of this Joint Programme is to ensure increased capacity in the local administration leading to better delivery of services which improve the lives of the poor, especially in rural areas of Lao PDR. The strategy is to build around a series of interrelated outputs that take forward proven results and innovations to realise the overall outcome. Through the establishment of district level Performance Based Block Grants (capital and recurrent) which provides incentives for improved overall performance linked to the local administration mandate, the Joint Programme seeks to improve local MDG-targeted service delivery through increased capacity and long term reform.
The desired results by the end of this Joint Programme are improved policies and capacities that enable local administrations to initiate and monitor service delivery interventions against localized priorities which accelerate progress towards the MDGs, and Improved capacities of district administrations to finance and implement service infrastructure and delivery that lead to improved access to public services and as well as improvements in human development levels, including key indicators related to women and children.
The Joint Programme consists of two main components:
- Improved policies and capacities that enable local administrations to initiate and monitor service delivery interventions against localized priorities which accelerate progress towards the MDGs.
- Improved capacities of district administrations to finance and implement service infrastructure and delivery that lead to improved access to public services and as well as improvements in human development levels, including key indicators related to women and children.
The Joint Programme is administered by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in accordance with its financial regulations and rules.
Assistance Strategy
This Joint Programme support the implementation of the National GPAR Programme, focusing on organisational development and strengthening the capacity of local administration to deliver improved and MDG targeted local services. It enable sub-national administrations, at province and district level, to improve their capacity and deliver priority services to achieve NSEDP/ MDG goals and targets, whilst at the same time building a more enabling policy and regulatory environment at national level for local administration to deliver key MDG services at the local level. This is done by delivering all outputs and results through the government system as opposed to parallel project structures, thereby building and reinforcing the value of a i) coherent partnership with Government/ MOHA, ii) optimising available resources for capacity development, and ii) enhancing sustainability for programme/ project activities. The GPAR SCSD programme is therefore fully integrated into the newly established MOHA. The Programme oversight is strategically located under a Government Leading Committee on Governance and a Programme Board. These initiatives provide a strong institutional base for all activities and outputs. This not only increases the sustainability of Programme outputs and results but also ensure lessons and learning are endorsed at strategic level in government as well as being embedded into the regular work of the Ministry.
Project intervention principles are:
- Complementarity
- Scalability, Sustainability and potential for exit
- Simplicity with quality
- Geographical and beneficiary Focus
Governance
The GPAR SCSD Joint Programme is executed through National Implementation (NIM), which is the principal implementation modality under the 2011-2015 Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) in Lao PDR. The management and accountability structure for the Joint Programme is aligned to the management arrangements that is established by MOHA for the overall National GPAR Programme. These arrangements comprise, a National GPAR Programme Board, headed by the Vice Minister of MOHA, which is responsible for the overall National GPAR Programme along with all its respective components. The Programme Board, in turn, reports to a high level Leading Committee on Governance which is responsible for reviewing progress of the national Governance Strategy.
The Programme Board is supported by a Programme Secretariat headed by a Director General of MOHA. The Secretariat is responsible for all coordination, management and reporting of outputs from the respective clusters. The Secretariat also coordinates the provision of Technical Assistance inputs to the respective clusters in line with work plans and budgets approved by the Programme Board. Each cluster is headed by a Deputy Director of MOHA and responsible for all day to day management of cluster outputs, activities and related budgets.
SCSD Joint Programme Steering Committee
For purposes on managing the specific legal requirements of the UN Joint Programme a Steering Committee (SC) is established to formally specify the agreements regarding allocation of donor resources among participating UN organizations. The SC is called initially after signature of the Joint Programme and thereafter whenever it is required and makes fund allocation decisions on funds received, taking into account needs, priorities and absorptive capacities.
However, overall monitoring and oversight is carried out by the NGPAR Programme Board and covers the following functions:
- Provide overall guidance and direction to the Joint Programme, including guidance on the implementation of the JP.
- Review and approve JP budgets and annual work plans, and approve substantive programme and budget revisions.
- Advise on resource mobilisation strategy for the JP.
- Review Programme performance against the intended results, i.e. outcome, sub-outcome and outputs.
- Initiate reviews of the JP and in particular on the management arrangements, and advise on follow-up actions related to review and evaluation findings/recommendations, including audit.
- Approve JP progress reports submitted by the JP Lead Agency.
Project Coordination
The close coordination and support that this large Joint Programme requires is provided through quarterly coordination meetings which will take place before the Programme Board meetings as required. The Programme Coordination meetings are attended by nominated managers for the 7 outputs, the Programme Officers from UNDP and UNCDF, as well contributing donors. Representatives from provinces, in rotation, participate in these coordination meetings. The representatives of district projects meet at the provincial office of the Governor, twice a year, to ensure coordination and oversight.
Project Assurance
Delegated by the Programme Board, the Project Assurance role is ensured by the Governance Unit of the UNDP Country Office and the UNCDF Asia-Pacific Regional team. Project assurance ensures that the project management delivers planned outputs as per the annual work plan on the basis of the monthly, quarterly and annual progress reports.
Administrative Agent
The Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF Office) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) serves as the Administrative Agent (AA) of the Joint Programme. The AA is responsible for concluding Standard Administrative Arrangements (SAAs) with donors and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Participating UN Organisations.
