Development challenge and key achievements:

In August 2012 UNDP Iraq facilitated an important twinning initiative between the Planning Ministries of Jordan and Iraq. After several years of development, the Jordanian Government has implemented an aid information management system, similar to Iraq`s Integrated Development Management System. Through this initiative, the Jordan Ministry of Planning was able to share its valuable practical experience with its Iraqi counterpart. This is expected to enhance Iraqi Ministry`s knowledge of strategic national planning, including monitoring and reporting on progress towards implementation of the revised National Development Plan (2013 - 2017) for Iraq.

The comparative advantage of the solution:

For the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq Budget Execution Support project, UNDP facilitated a partnership between the KRG and the Jordanian Institute for Public Administration (IPA). This body, the training arm of the Jordanian Government under its Ministry of Public Sector Development, maintains access to extensive expertise within Jordanian ministries and institutions. The project targets several line ministries and counterparts within the KRG that are involved in the preparation, execution and monitoring of the KRG`s public budget.

Many of the KRG`s line ministries and entities have limited technical capacity in the field of public financial management. The IPA is one of the few institutions in the region that can provide experts from several governmental entities, in order to transfer both theoretical and practical knowledge, particularly through using study tours as capacity development initiatives.

Transferability was ensured by addressing two barriers:

language and context. Language is a clear barrier in the capacity building of KRG institutions, and the Arabic language spoken by IPA trainers has been particularly useful in minimizing benefits lost due to language barriers. Additionally, partnering with an institution in the region ensured political and operational relevance, as the IPA understands the particular challenges faced by the KRG as the two bodies share similar regional conditions.

Most Recent Annual Budget (USD): 900,000

Total Budget (USD): 4,000,000

Focal Point and Contact:
Sudipto Mukerjee
Cluster Manager, Economic
Recovery and Poverty
Alleviation Unit
UNDP Iraq
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.