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Sr. Minister and MoF with support from MBAW lead Governance Forum discussions

_{Altogether, over 50 high level ministers and government officials of  Line Ministries participated in the Governance Forum held on 14 March 2012 held at  the Marble Palace, Sadarat, Kabul and co-chaired by H.E. Senior Minister Hedayat Amin Arsala, Head of the Governance Cluster and H.E Omar Zakhilwal, Minister of Finance.}  

_{This forum gains relevance with the much awaited and upcoming Tokyo Conference scheduled to be held in July 2012 and with the GIoRA in the process of “Transition” moving towards full Afghan ownership by 2014. Based on the discussions and assessments, carried out in the forum, the GIoRA will be making requests for pledges at the Tokyo conference for the implementation of the National Priority Programs (NPPs).}

 

_{The Governance Forum covered two separate days providing for both inter-Ministerial discussion and interaction between the Government and the International Community, held on 18 March 2012, on the progress made on all NPPs relevant to Governance Cluster and how they contribute towards Good Governance. The Governance Cluster looks into the following NPPs: Financial and Economic Reforms; National Transparency and Accountability Program; Efficient and Effective Government; Local Governance; Law and Justice for All; Human Rights and Civic Education.}

_{MBAW Project provided technical assistance to MoF, Sr. Minister’s office and to the Governance Cluster in organizing this event and by preparing a series of discussion papers and progress reports  that can also be  be used in the preparation of the upcoming Tokyo Conference. These papers focused on the six NPPs’ achievements under the Governance Cluster, updates on progress towards meeting the Governance Cluster benchmarks established by the Kabul and London Conferences, the identification of some multi-sectoral priority issues and discussion of a further set of indicators to measure progress.}

_{The MBAW Project has been directly involved in successfully putting this forum together as it provides technical assistance to MoF in the designing  the 22 NPPs.}

_{Keeping in line with the objective of the Forum, line ministries shared to date their respective Governance Cluster achievements based on the London-Kabul Communiqué benchmarks for Good Governance and identified and agreed on specific priorities, indicators and reforms that will further strengthen the ongoing development and stabilization of Afghanistan. The International Community has recently collated a set of indicators to help track progress for the Governance Cluster before the Tokyo conference.  Ministers are currently discussing these suggested indicators as some of them overlap with existing Benchmarks.}

_{A key achievement or benchmark for the MoF in Good Governance has been the formulation and the implementation of the Public Financial Management (PFM) Road map that further strengthens the transparency and accountability of Afghan Government systems and improves the budget execution rate. The MBAW Project was involved in the PFM Road map formulation and is currently assisting in its implementation.}

_{As a way forward, a time bound and measurable proposal for ‘tracking progress in Governance Cluster’ was prepared with technical assistance from MBAW Project national cluster advisors. This  was shared with Line Ministries and the International Community on 18 march 2012. There are three areas of focus and of them goal 3 is important- Budget Planning and Execution. The goal to achieve is Afghan peoples’ connection to government enhanced by ensuring local assets/services are maintained and service delivery is more responsive to local needs.}

_{The expected achievement by 2014 is: A national-provincial budgeting process that includes all significant line ministries with input from provincial authorities, inclusive of, and linked to, a provincial planning process in which Provincial Councils are involved with  the civil society.}

_{Of importance are the Pre-Tokyo indicators of Achievement:}

• _{·Government commits to funding and implementing financial year 1391 (2012) projects as identified in the Provincial Budgeting Pilot.}

• _{·Prepare a Policy on Operations & Maintenance (O&M) that will provide guidelines for at least five (5) line ministries, including a process to address asset prioritization.}

• _{·Expand provincial budgeting pilot in 1391 (beginning end-March 2012) to include operating budget formulation on a pilot basis for at least one line ministry. Continue the pilot with respect to development budget formulation for the current pilot line-ministries (MoE, MoPH, MAIL & MRRD). Hold a second Budget Symposium to announce these policies to national and provincial officials by April 2012.}
• _{·Ministry of Economy, IDLG and the Ministry of Finance, with at least one line ministry, propose a plan to improve the integration of provincial planning with the national-provincial budget process.}

_{The MBAW Project sees such forums as relevant not only to secure  future funding from International forums, but that Good Governance is a prequisite as the Government moves to full Transition and thereafter to the Transformation Decade. The Project recognises that good governance underpins both development and security and leads to economic growth and prosperity through adoption of sound legal, regulatory and institutional mechanisms that improve delivery of public services especially for women and children and where the government is able to spend its budgets effectively for national good.}

_{For further information on the NPPs and their status please visit:}

_{www.thekabulprocess.gov.af}

_{or the MABW Webpage on UNDP Afghanistan site: www.undp.org.af}

_{In partnership with the Ministry of Finance, Government of Afghanistan, the UNDP Making Budgets and Aid Work Project provides technical assistance to MoF to develop institutional capacity for improved budget planning and management, policy and strategy development including aid coordination for better service delivery. It strengthens the link between ANDS and the NPPs and helps in the design and implementation of the NPPs.}

_{The project donors are: Japan, CIDA, Germany, UK-AID and UNDP}