DUSHANBE, December 11, 2009, Asia-Plus — A roundtable to discuss the results of the UNDP-supported project, Building Local and Regional Capacity for Creating and Monitoring Development Programs and Budgeting, in 2009 and its objectives for 2010 was held in Dushanbe on December 11.
The project, implemented by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) in cooperation with the UNDP CO in Tajikistan, brought together chairmen of pilot districts and cities, representatives of relevant ministries ad organizations, as well as international organizations active in the country.
The Project provides support to local governments on improvement of current planning process of development programs and budgeting in 15 pilot districts. Within the Project technical and methodological assistance will be offered to local government departments, including finance departments.
Speaking at the meeting, deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Umed Davlatzod, in particular, noted that the manual for development and implementation of medium-term rayon (district) development programs had been worked out in the frame of the Project.
“The MEDT board has endorsed the manual and recommended it for use to all bodies of local authorities,” said Davlatzod, “Over the past period, nine rayon development programs (RDP) have been worked out on the basis of this manual. Besides, 300 local beneficiaries have been trained in using methodology of planning, developing budget, introducing the RDP monitoring and assessment system and developing programmatic skills.”
He stressed that the UNDP CO in Tajikistan last year spent more than 580,000 U.S. dollars to support implementation of the developed programs.
The project coordinator, Mirzo Olimov, noted that the project stipulated involvement of local interested sides in the process of working out and implementing the development programs, providing opportunities for the government and civil society to forecast development on the basis of concerted priorities. Launched in May 2008, the project will be finished in December 2010, he added.
