Seventh Six-month progress report for project

Assistance for the Establishment of the Secretariat for the International Compact with Iraq C9-22

REPORT COVER PAGE

Participating UN Organization: UNOPS	Cluster: C- Governance

Project No. and Project Title: C9-22 Assistance for the Establishment of the Secretariat for the International Compact with Iraq (Compact Secretariat)	Report Number: 1

Reporting Period:	Project Budget :
1 July – 31 December 2007 (October 10th – December 31st)	US$ 3,414,816 Expenditure USD 3,706

List Implementing Partners:	Geographic Coverage/Scope:
Secretariat of the International Compact with Iraq International development partners - UNAMI and World Bank	Baghdad – in proximity to the offices of the relevant Government of Iraq institutions and international development partners with travel outside Iraq as requested by the GoI

Abbreviations and acronyms:	Project Status: Duration
ICI – International Compact with Iraq D/PM - Deputy Prime Minister ATU - Administration and Technical Unit PPU- Policy and Planning Unit WB – World Bank EC - European Commission IZ - International Zone	12 months – start date October 10th

NARRATIVE REPORT FORMAT

Purpose

1.1 Provide the main objectives, outcomes, outputs of the programme/project

Main Objectives

Provide policy, program, technical and administrative support for the implementation of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI) by the identification and contracting of an external management company. The company will

Establish and manage the Administrative and Technical Support Unit

Provide procurement support to the Unit is terms of identifying and contracting consultants (4) in the relevant fields to shadow/ mentor the government staff seconded

Select consultants to support the Secretariat administratively and technically on a short term basis as requested by the Secretariat Director

Work with the Compact Steering Committee to develop a programme/ project pipeline

Support the selected service provider by acting as a liaison with other UN agencies, development partners and any other relevant stakeholders.

Outcome

Effective, accountable and sustainable Iraqi mechanism for policy planning, program design, monitoring and evaluation to support the implementation of the International Compact with Iraq.

Outputs

Definition of Management Company ToR by UN and development partners and agreement to these by the Secretariat Director and Compact Steering Committee

Successfully implemented Management Company procurement process in line with UN procurement procedures

Engagement of selected company, according to UN and UNOPS procedures, by UNOPS to provide the required consultancy services as defined in the approved ToR

Support to the Administrative and Technical Support Unit from one full time management consultant and activities as defined in the ToR for the Secretariat

Recruitment of Management Consultants (pool of experts) with the specific skill sets as defined in ToRs to be responsible for “shadowing” the Programme Officers seconded from the GoI (Deputy Minister/ DG) sit in PPU

Necessary skills have been put in place to ensure Iraqi management of the Secretariat in line with the pre-defined transition arrangements through the work of the Management Consultants together with the GoI Secretariat Organisation

Assigned UNOPS project manager to act as liaison with other stakeholders and
facilitate coordination between this project and complementary projects managed by
other agencies.

1.2 Explain how the programme/project is relevant to the following benchmarks:

UN Assistance Strategy for Iraq,

UN Millennium Development Goals,

Joint Needs Assessment ,

Iraqi National Development Strategy

The International Compact with Iraq (ICI) is an initiative led by the GoI towards partnership with the international community. The goal is to move Iraq in the direction of peace and prosperity through a medium term action program which encompasses socio-economic, political and security areas. Through the Compact, the government, in collaboration with the international community, is expected to achieve a range of policy objectives in support of a National Vision, as outlined in the ICI documentation and Joint Monitoring Matrix (JMM).

This project relates to the UN governance sector strategy in the strengthening of public institutions and other entities to operate effectively and efficiently and in accordance to the principles of sustainable development. In this manner the project’s objectives, outputs and activities will be guided by the following conceptual documents:

International Compact with Iraq;

Draft National Development Strategy 2007-2010

Joint Programming Action Plan (JPAP) 2007-2010.

The interim 2011 MDGs are at the heart of the Compact and constitute not only benchmarks for measuring progress but key criteria for measuring success of the entire endeavour.

1.3 Indicate the main implementing partners, their roles and responsibilities, and their interaction with the Agency

The Secretariat of the ICI – as the GoI counterpart in this project the Secretariat team have been involved in planning and implementation at all stages

UNAMI – as co-chair of the Executive Committee of the Secretariat are actively involved in the activities of the Secretariat and will provide quality assurance on project activities

World Bank – as co-chair of the Technical Committee are consulted by the project as an advisory agency

Human Resources

International Staff

Project Manager 1 (charged at 50% )

Methods of Operating

3.1 Summarize the implementation mechanisms primarily utilized and how they are adapted to achieve maximum impact given the challenging operating context.

UNAMI proposed the engagement of an external management consultancy to overcome the limitations of the UN Baghdad “ceiling” and to increase flexibility of movement for the consultants

UNOPS coordinated with the Secretariat, UNAMI and WB in drafting the project proposal and in developing the Terms of Reference for the procurement process

UNOPS liaises closely with the UNAMI focal point and with the Secretariat team

UN ceiling for Baghdad precludes the continued presence of the Project Manager, back stopping is provided by UNAMI

3.2 Provide details on the procurement procedures utilized and explain variances in standard procedures.

UNOPS standard procurement practices were employed in the selection and contracting of an international management consultancy ( Request for Proposals).

Terms of Reference within the RFP were reviewed by the GoI and by International Development Partners.

The RFP was published on the UNOPS website, and companies known to have the relevant expertise and operational capacity inside Iraq were alerted.

Evaluation was observed by a representative from UNAMI

Future recruitment and procurement is incorporated in the contract – with all final selections requiring approval of both UNAMI and UNOPS in addition to the contractor (CTG Global)

3.3 Provide details on the monitoring system(s) that are being used and how you identify and incorporate lessons learned into the ongoing programme/project.

The consultant selected for the ATU has a defined reporting schedule

Reports and all substantive documentation will be provided to UNOPS and to UNAMI

UNAMI will assess progress and provide quality assurance

Input of technical experts into ICI products (annual review, mid year review, achievement of benchmarks ), will be documented

3.4 Report on any assessments, evaluations or studies undertaken.

An informal three month review of the project is forseen in March

ICI annual review preliminary draft is also planned for March and will be indicative of project progress

Results

4.1 Provide a summary of programme/project progress in relation to planned outcomes and outputs; explain any variance in achieved versus planned outputs during the six month reporting period.

As the project start date was October 10th the progress up to the end of 2007 is limited

UNOPS Project Manager (part time) in place

Terms of reference for the Management Consultancy approved by the Secretariat

Procurement process completed

Management Company selected and contracted

First consultant arrives in Baghdad

Consultant initiates the process of identifying offices and establishing the ATU

Generic Terms of Reference for subsequent consultants and technical experts developed

4.2 Report on progress made toward the achievement of specific medium-term outcomes of the programme/project as a result of the achieved short-term outputs during this reporting period.

Not applicable given the time frame of the report in relation to project start date

4.3 Report on the key outputs achieved in the six month period including # and nature of the activities (inputs), % of completion and beneficiaries.

Definition of Management Company ToR by UN and development partners and agreement to these by the Secretariat Director and Compact Steering Committee Completed 100%

Successfully implemented Management Company procurement process in line with UN procurement procedures Completed 100%

Engagement of selected company, according to UN and UNOPS procedures, by UNOPS to provide the required consultancy services as defined in the approved ToR Completed 100%

Support to the Administrative and Technical Support Unit from one full time management consultant and activities as defined in the ToR for the Secretariat Completed 20%, on-going

The Consultant has been in post since November 2007, and activities are ongoing

Recruitment of Management Consultants (pool of experts) with the specific skill sets as defined in ToRs to be responsible for “shadowing” the Programme Officers seconded from the GoI (Deputy Minister/ DG) sit in PPU Starting up

Terms of reference for the first two experts requested by the Secretariat are being developed in line with the generic terms of reference

Necessary skills have been put in place to ensure Iraqi management of the Secretariat in line with the pre-defined transition arrangements through the work of the Management Consultants together with the GoI Secretariat Organisation Starting up

Assigned UNOPS project manager to act as liaison with other stakeholders and
facilitate coordination between this project and complementary projects managed by
other agencies. Competed 25%, ongoing

4.4 Explain, if relevant, delays in programme/project implementation, the nature of the constraints, lessons learned in the process and actions taken to mitigate future delays.

All activities planned for the first two months of the implementation period have been completed.

However since the success of the project hinges on the presence of GoI counterparts who will be mentored in their work for the ICI by the international consultants the recruitment of the next experts may be delayed until the GoI nominees will be in place

To ensure that any such delays are minimised the selected management consultancy has been requested to proceed with the identification of potential candidates for the positions requested and therefore recruitment process will be prompt

4.5 List the key partnerships and collaborations, and explain how such relationships impact on the achievement of results.

UNOPS has been guided by UNAMI and the other international development partners in the development and implementation of the project to date

UNOPS contractor, CTG Global, has established links with the relevant partners (ICI Secretariat, international development partners) and the activities undertaken by their consultant are in line with the ICI Secretariat workplan

4.6 Summarize achievements against planned results for cross cutting issues: security, gender, human rights, employment (including # of short and/or long-term jobs created), and environment.

Not applicable given the time frame of the report in relation to project start date

Future Work Plan

5.1 Summarize the projected activities up to the end of June 2008 indicating any major adjustments in strategies, targets or key outcomes and outputs planned.

UNOPS plan the to achieve the following through the activities of the contracted management consultancy

Identification and engagement of technical experts to support GoI members of the PPU

Mentoring of the GoI counterparts in the PPU

Additional procurement processes in line with the project document and as requested by the Secretariat

Gradual handover of a functional Secretariat to the GoI

Ongoing liaison with other ICI stakeholders through the interaction of the UNOPS Project Manager