Partnership Forward: USAID/Iraq Tarabot highlights

PARTNERSHIP FORWARD

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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I welcome the opportunity to preface the Tarabot Annual Report for 2012. This may be the first year for Tarabot, but it has already become a symbol of Iraqi-American cooperation.

We see the partnership between USAID-Tarabot and our people as one of mutual respect between true colleagues, and value the daily contributions made by USAID and the Tarabot team.

In 2012, Iraq is addressing significant challenges. My own Ministry of Migration & Displacement is dealing with tens of thousands of Iraqis still in need of their government’s support.

USAID-Tarabot goes beyond planning and training; the team has rolled up its sleeves and works side-by-side with us on our most crucial priorities. We can get advice from anywhere – but Tarabot is a real partner that stays with us from defining the problem to successfully implementing the solution.

As the Iraqi government progresses in its duty to its people, and as we refine and sharpen our capabilities, the relationship with USAID and Tarabot is the right model for cooperation.

The Iraqi government has demonstrated its commitment to this partnership with a significant financial investment to match and expand on our joint work. I look forward to many more years of success as we continue to build Iraq’s future together.

Dindar Najman Shafiq Minister of Migration & Displacement

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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OVERVIEW

The Iraqi government of 2012 is rising above its recent past to focus on a new era.

With the government ably managing its own administrative affairs, its focus has shifted towards more complex issues facing Iraqi citizens. This maturing vision includes a modernized civil service, robust policy-making mechanisms, and the provision of quality services to all of its citizens from the general public to the most marginalized persons. Initiated in 2011, the USAIDTarabot program is designed to complement this vision with expertise, systems, and know-how in high-level public administration.

USAID-Tarabot is a “whole-of-government� project built on three pillars: Civil Service Reform, National Policy Management, and Administrative Decentralization. These components, separately and together, are assisting the Iraqi government to initiate far reaching changes for the benefit of its citizens.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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NATIONAL POLICY MANAGEMENT (NPM)

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM (CSR) The CSR component provides top-to-bottom technical assistance to improve Iraq’s civil service. With more than two million Iraqis working for the government, an effective civil service helps build popular support for the legitimacy of a unified, non-sectarian elected government. At the highest levels of government, the CSR component works with Iraq’s High Committee for Civil Service Reform to produce comprehensive civil service legislation and develop guidelines, standard procedures, and training materials for Iraq’s Federal Civil Service Commission. At the institutional level, the CSR component assists ministries and other entities to establish integrated human resources departments that link together the hiring, promoting, manpower planning and training functions. USAID-Tarabot is helping to put in place the infrastructure of an effective, efficient government and a culture of service to Iraq’s citizens.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

The NPM component assists the highest levels of government to design and implement policies that are well-researched and inclusive of all appropriate stakeholders. NPM staff work with the government’s top decision-makers to establish effective units to formulate policy; communicate policy changes; consult effectively with ministerial, provincial, and private stakeholders; and guide the introduction of new policies once they become law. A regulatory reform initiative focuses on streamlining or eliminating ineffective, out-dated, and business-inhibiting laws, decrees, and regulations.

ADMINISTRATIVE DECENTRALIZATION (AD) The AD component works in close cooperation with the Government of Iraq (GoI) to strengthen the nation’s service infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms while facilitating decentralization of administrative functions to lower levels of government. Effective service delivery requires the active involvement of municipal and provincial officials, who are closer to beneficiaries, as well as line ministries in Baghdad. AD assists 24 Iraqi ministries, from the largest-spending, biggest-building ministries (Oil, Municipalities & Public Works) to specialized ministries (Migration & Displacement). The AD component also works with governors’ offices to increase operational decision-making authority and shift that ability closer to the levels where services are actually delivered.

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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WHAT DOES A WHOLE-OF-GOVERNMENT REFORM PROJECT LOOK LIKE? NUMBER OF TARABOT ACTIVITIES BY PROVINCES AND KEY INSTITUTIONS MINISTRIES

PROVINCES

95

64

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS SECRETARIAT

PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE AND ADVISORY COUNCIL

111 MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

94

32%

WOMEN

PARTICIPANTS KIRKUK

NINAWA

66

47

MINISTRY OF CONSTRUCTION & HOUSING

SALAH AD DIN

48

128

MINISTRY OF MIGRATION & DISPLACEMENT

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

33

48

MINISTRY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

106 MINISTRY OF PLANNING

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MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

65

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

82 MINISTRY OF ELECTRICITY

68

MINISTRY OF LABOR & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

143 MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

216

MINISTRY OF MUNICIPALITIES & PUBLIC WORKS

21 ANBAR

43

85

BAGHDAD

1298

DIYALA

40

BABIL

39

KARBALA

47 56

46

48

WASIT

MAYSAN

DIWANIYAH

52

NAJAF

DHI QAR

449

OTHER MINISTRIES

139

OTHER EXECUTIVE OFFICES

MUTHANNA

46

BASRAH

117

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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CIVIL SERVICE LEGISLATION In April, the Council of Ministers Secretariat completed the draft Federal Civil Service Law with extensive assistance from USAIDTarabot’s CSR advisors and submitted it to the State Shura Council.

The legislation mandates transparency and accountability in Iraq’s civil service by introducing merit-based hiring practices, a standard performance appraisal system, uniform job descriptions, and more.

The draft legislation also provides concrete rights and protections for Iraq’s women, minorities, and other marginalized persons in the nation’s civil service. USAID-Tarabot has supported the law as a vehicle to ingrain professionalism in the civil service and as an antidote to corruption and sectarianism.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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CIVIL SERVICE REFORM

FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION (FCSC) • Contains nine commissioners that oversee implementation of the FSC law • Offers guidance and issues regulations based on FCS law

USAID-TARABOT

• Oversees and assists institutional reform and restructuring in the ministries

Designed the structure, scope for work, and job descriptions of the entire FCSC.

• Approves Senior Executive Service actions

CIVIL SERVICE REFORM HIGH COMMITTEE • Drafted the Federal Civil Service Law(FCS) and organizational documents for the Federal Civil Service Commission and the Federal Civil Service Training Institute • Presented the draft law to the State Shura Council • Currently acting as the de facto

USAID-TARABOT As a full member of the committee, Tarabot provides technical assistance to and coordination among Iraq’s executive bodies to develop legislation that will enable a modern, effective Iraqi civil service.

USAID-TARABOT Designed the organizational structure, implementation plan, and set of core public administration course offerings mandatory for all Iraqi civil servants.

Federal Civil Service Commission

FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE TRAINING INSTITUTE • Designs training courses and training policies • Trains federal civil servants in core public administration fields of HR, Finance, Procurement, Project Management, and Strategic Planning • Provides mandatory training courses for all incoming Senior Executive Civil Servants

FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE LAW • Standardizes HR practices across the Iraqi government • Mandates merit-based, transparent HR practices • Introduces equal opportunity principles • Creates the permanent Federal Civil Service Commission and the Federal Civil Service Training Institute

USAID-TARABOT Provided technical assistance with the drafting, particularly in inclusion of equal rights and affirmative action for Iraq’s women, ethnic minorities, and disabled persons for the first time in Iraq’s history.

MINISTRY AND GOVERNORS OFFICES’ HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENTS • Establish a unified General Directorate for HR • Implement policies laid out in the law, as directed by the FCSC • Offer equal opportunities to Iraq’s women, minorities, and disabled persons • Carry out systematic employee reviews • Make organizational changes to ensure compliance with FCS Law

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT Works with ministries to prepare for passage of the law by assisting them to carry out organizational reforms, establish systems for merit based hirings, and introduce concepts of transparency and equality.

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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NATIONAL POLICY MANAGEMENT Over the first year of the project, the NPM component brought policy makers from the government face-to-face with a wide array of policy shapers, including universities, think tanks, businesses, NGOs, and professional associations. The team helps to build long-term policy capacity in critical offices by emphasising the involvement of a range of voices in prospective policy, including traditionally marginalized groups.

In a particularly notable milestone, USAID-Tarabot’s NPM component helped the GoI establish Iraq’s first ever Prime Minister’s Office of Policy Development. Tarabot’s ongoing contributions includes technical support, organizational innovation, and the creation of conduits for policy communication and outreach.

The list of non-governmental actors brought to the policy discussion table under NPM’s initiative includes Al Nahrain and Baghdad Universities, the Al-Amal NGO, the Iraqi gender affairs think tank ESTIQRAA, the Iraqi Civil Dialogue Forum, Iraqi Women in Business Association, and many more.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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REGULATORY REFORM There are over 25,000 regulations on the books in Iraq, and many are unnecessary or harmful to business start-up and operations. Starting a new business in Iraq takes several months and thousands of dollars. With 16% unemployment and more than 200,000 Iraqis entering the labor force each year, a growing private sector is the key to the

prosperity and stability of the country.

The number of newly-registered Iraqi companies has dropped by

63 % since 2008

According to the World Bank’s “Doing Business Report,” Iraq is currently ranked:

#177 out of 185 countries for registering a business #179 out of 185 countries for trade across borders #84 out of 185 for issuing construction permits Registering a company in Iraq takes 14 separate procedures 16

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

SOLUTION: Iraq Solutions for Regulatory and Administrative Reform/ISRAR

Eliminates

unnecessary steps from the process,

streamlines administrative requirements, and removes

opportunities for corruption.

IMPROVES Iraq’s performance in doing business by

50 %

FOSTERS a private sector that is more robust and responsive to Iraq’s market needs

RESULT: By opening the door for new investments and new investors, Iraq’s standing in the global economy will rise significantly.

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EDUCATION CAPACITY BUILDING 2012 marked the start of significant USAID engagement with the Iraqi Ministry of Education(MoED). The ministry’s management systems, curricula, and even facilities had remained relatively unchanged despite the massive modernization campaign underway throughout the country. However, ministry leadership is focused on the urgent need for improvement on all levels. USAID chose the Tarabot project as the vehicle for this engagement.

In April 2012, USAID-Tarabot kicked off the Education Capacity Building Initiative, a direct assistance program for the Ministry of Education. This skills and capacity building initiative is training a critical mass of the MoED’s staff in fiscal management, procurement, information technology, project management, leadership and communications. More than 400 participants from the ministry are already trained, employing their new skills in day-to-day operations that touch every family in the country. Improved MoED service delivery is key to sustaining Iraq’s reintegration into the global community.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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“Tarabot’s Financial Management workshops provided not only essential training, but also helped me to connect with other ministry staff facing similar challenges. In collaboration with other participants, I am sharing with schools the procedures and templates that I learned to make the audit process less cumbersome and more transparent, extending the benefits of training down to the communities.”

“I have much better techniques for dealing with conflict in the workplace. Whereas before Tarabot’s help, I would remove the employee for negativity in the office; I hold regular staff meetings to discuss problems and find alternative solutions, and to anticipate problems instead of reacting to them.”

-Mrs. Hawazin Abdulsalam, MoED Engineer

-Ms. Eman Hamdil Hasan, MoED Auditing Manager USAID-Tarabot’s success in bolstering the ministry’s public administration systems has paved the way for even more significant reforms and improvements to Iraq’s education system in the “With Tarabot’s help, I am drafting a 2013 procurement plan, with tender deadlines, for my directorate. In past years, to achieve the 75% expenditure rate required of the directorates, they issued contracts without planning, frequently late in the year. This year, the directorate is planning ahead and setting reasonable deadlines to ensure that funds go toward priority areas and are not wasted.”

-Mr. Laith Abdul Hussain Ali, Head of a MoED Contracts Unit

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

coming years.

“We began our partnership with Tarabot only a year ago, but it is clear that opening up to the international experience has already started a significant transformation within the ministry.”

– Dr. Nihad Al Juboori, Deputy Minister of Education in remarks made during Iraq’s First Ministries’ Development Conference in Baghdad, June 2012.

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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MSI’s One-Stop Shop approach is built on three pillars: Infrastructure: Welcoming facilities in which Iraq’s citizens can comfortably do their business.

Systems: Efficient, linear service systems and processes that allow citizens to start and finish their business in the same trip with minimal hassle or redundancy.

Service: Polite and accountable GoI civil servants that provide services to their customers with dignity and respect.

MINISTRY

ONE STOP FOR SERVICE IMPROVEMENT As Iraq continues to rebuild and reconstruct, its citizens continue to demand better basic services, whether it is medicines in clinics, clean water, or garbage removal. Long lines, unclear procedures, deep bureaucratic redundancy, and a lack of accountability among some civil servants are chief among the challenges facing public service delivery in Iraq.

USAID-Tarabot introduced the One-Stop Shop concept to make a rapid, tangible impact on Iraq’s public services. One-Stop Shop service centers will vastly improve service delivery for Iraq’s citizens by offering locations for citizen services that are organized, well-managed, and operate with streamlined procedures. These tangible signs of effective government are currently being developed for the Ministries of Justice, Migration & Displacement, Municipalities & Public Works, and more.

These centers not only streamline important publics services but are central to the broad effort to encourage a culture of citizen-oriented service and public accountability.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

SERVICE OFFERED

LOCATION(S)

JUSTICE

NOTARY PUBLIC

2 SITES IN BAGHDAD

MIGRATION

IDP REGISTRATION AND SERVICES

BAGHDAD

MUNICIPALITIES

MUNICIPAL SERVICE CENTERS

5 IN THE PROVINCES

LABOR

SOCIAL SAFETY BENEFITS

NATIONWIDE

HIGHER EDUCATION

STUDENT SERVICES/REGISTRAR

BAGHDAD

FINANCE

PENSION SERVICES (COLLABORATION WITH THE WORLD BANK)

NATIONWIDE, PILOT IN DHI QAR

“It’s the worst kind of bureaucracy... a committee sent me to a committee, who sent me here. I have queued since dawn, the gate opened at eight, and they closed the window at 9:30. I started this process six months ago. A one-stop shop service would answer all our prayers.”

– Mr. Ahmed Haj Ali, Internally Displaced Person, at Ministry of Displacement and Migration, Returnees Service Center in Harithia, Baghdad USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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SOCIAL SAFETY NET (SSN) The SSN is an early success in Tarabot’s effort to help the government be more responsive to the needs of the public. Tarabot developed the SSN software system in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MoLSA) to automate the distribution of benefits to Iraq’s poor and marginalized citizens. So far, the SSN system has helped MoLSA disburse over US$80 million. By streamlining and reducing duplicate entries, the Iraqi government estimated that it saved more than US$20 million - funds which will now be redirected to the truly needy.

“USAID-Tarabot’s help to develop this system has been invaluable, not only from the administrator’s perspective of my ministry, but also from the perspectives of our most needy persons – Iraq’s widows, orphans, seniors, and disabled people.”

– Mr. Dara Hassan Rasheed, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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PROCUREMENT & PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS REFORM USAID-Tarabot’s AD component assisted the largest-spending, biggestbuilding ministries as well as 15 governors’ offices to improve their capital investment and service infrastructure. Tarabot uses a five-point approach that includes tailored technical assistance in public procurement and project management. Every system, process, and facet of Tarabot’s capital investment assistance is compliant with internationally-recognized practices and standards. The introduction of these systems places many of Iraq’s most important institutions in a position to deal professionally and transparently with leading international and local contractors to implement projects in the future.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

TARABOT HAS BEEN: • Creating Project Management Offices (PMOs) in eight governors’ offices • Implementing internationally-recognized project management processes in 13 ministries and all governors’ offices • Standardizing procurement processes in 20 ministries and all governors’ offices • Making procurement regulations, instructions, tenders, and standard bidding documents available online • Implementing the Iraq Development Management System to automate key processes in the capital investment cycle

“With the help of USAID-Tarabot, the Ministry structurally reorganized and developed job descriptions based on the ISO9001 quality management standard. The road and bridges directorate, in particular, was assisted with international accreditation, allowing us to work more safely and responsibly.”

– Randah Sadii Saleem, Engineer from the Road and Bridges Directorate at the Ministry of Construction and Housing USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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AT THE MINISTRY LEVEL

USAID-Tarabot assists counterpart ministries to ensure that their investment plans and projects are in line with the national plan as well as locally-articulated goals.

STRENGTHENING PLANNING LINKAGES ACROSS IRAQ 2

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IN THE PROVINCES

USAID-Tarabot helps establish investment project steering committees between federal and provincial government officials.

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AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL USAID-Tarabot assists the Ministry of Planning to develop a robust National Development Plan to steer economic and social development in Iraq for the coming five years.

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LOCAL LEVEL

USAID-Tarabot supports linkages at the provincial level to better communicate local needs.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTION In the first year of the project, USAID-Tarabot has built a true partnership with the Iraqi government to contribute Iraqi resources and pick up major costs in support of joint initiatives. This partnership is a product of the project’s distinct design and level of Iraqi ownership as well as the GoI’s increasing ability to utilize its ample resources. Some major examples of GoI contributions to USAIDTarabot’s activities include: • Over eight million dollars designated for direct cost-sharing with USAID-Tarabot in 2012, as well as over 100 million dollars expected over the life of the project • Inclusion of Tarabot-supported One-Stop Shop Service Centers into ministries’ annual project plans and budgets • Commitments to pay for custom-designed and tailored software suites, including the national Human Resources Management Information System (HRMIS) • Ministries and governors’ offices are paying for 80% to 90% of direct event expenses, including workshops, training courses, and conferences • Significant numbers of GoI staff dedicated to implementing Tarabot’s suggestions in every field, including civil service reform, procurement reform, organizational development and more • Seventeen counterpart ministries allocated offices or desk spaces for USAID-Tarabot’s advisors In year two, USAID-Tarabot will continue to solicit and utilize GoI resources to the maximum extent possible. The project is also a pioneer in developing tracking and management systems to help all USAID projects manage Iraqi government cost-share effectively.

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USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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NEXT YEAR The USAID-Tarabot project concludes its first year with major successes and a clear direction forward, building upon an unprecedented partnership that spans the entire Iraqi government.

A band of Iraqi musicians, comprised entirely of physically-impaired persons, playing traditional music at the Ministry of Human Rights 32

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

Entering the second year of the project, USAID-Tarabot’s focus has already progressed well beyond engagement and into targeted technical assistance, higher level advisory services, and hands-on reform activities. USAIDTarabot will continue with its integrated approach built upon improving the nation’s civil service, public policy-making capabilites, and mechanisms for service delivery and generation. In year two, USAID-Tarabot expects to see the passage of key legislation, development of vital policies, and the opening of professional One-Stop Shop service centers on behalf of Iraqis across the country. USAID-Tarabot expects its broad partnership with the GoI to produce visible impacts that will be directly felt by many Iraqi citizens, particularly the traditionally marginal and vulnerable.

USAID-TARABOT ANNUAL REPORT

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