UNDP strengthens local authorities to address post tsunami reconstruction needs

THE United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka handed 63 tractors and trailers to local authorities of tsunami affected districts in the Southern and North-Eastern Provinces recently as part of a resource and skills enhancement project to help better handle post disaster reconstruction activities and needs.

These were provided as part of a UNDP effort to strengthen local networks in the post tsunami recovery activities under the 'Capacity Development of Recovery Programme' (CADREP) with funding from Norwegian and German Governments.

The project aimed to promote good governance including efficiency, effectiveness, responsiveness, accountability and transparency. These would drive the project in each focus area and, in so doing would enhance the resources, competencies and skills of government and civil society stakeholders in disaster recovery management and sustainable service improvement.

"There remains a need to support the Government in sustaining the recovery process and to address the governance capacity challenges for planning, implementing and monitoring the delivery of reconstruction activities, at the central, district and divisional levels", Miguel Bermeo, Resident Representative of UNDP in Colombo said.

Bermeo said that through this effort the project aimed at strong local partnerships which would encourage greater and more efficient exchange of information, experiences and best practices.

Specialised training from experts in participatory planning, project cycle management, engineering management and financial management as well as management development and process consulting support will be given to programme co-ordinators and selected civil and government employees.

"The main objective of the project will be to develop the capacity of government and civil society in the planning, disaster and information coordination, management and delivery of recovery and reconstruction services on a sustainable basis", said Rajendrakumar Ganesarajah, Advisor, Governance and Capacity Development, UNDP.

This project will provide assistance to 10 district secretariats, 48 divisional secretariats, 10 district audit offices, two provincial administration and agencies such as provincial education, health and engineering, 10 assistant commissioners for local government, 59 local authorities in addition to Vocational Training Authority, Public Service Training Institute, Sri Lanka Institute of Local Governance and Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration.

This assistance also includes providing office space to some Government Agent offices and providing human resources for functions such as planning, land management coordination, livelihoods and recovery, civil construction and so on.