IRAQ PRTS ASSESS PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS - JAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 BAGHDAD 000792 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV ECON MOPS PREL IZ SUBJECT: IRAQ PRTS ASSESS PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS - JAN 2006 ¶1. (U) INTRODUCTION. Each Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Iraq reports monthly the status of the provincial level government's ability to function effectively and the obstacles that prevent full self- governance. The PRTs assess provincial governments in the three areas (pillars) of governance, infrastructure, and economic development; the Multi- National Corps assesses the fourth area, security (which is included in the overall assessment). "Governance" includes the governor's office, provincial council (PC),directors general (DGs),and rule of law/transparency. "Infrastructure" encompasses basic needs; capacity of electricity, fuel, telecom, transportation, and irrigation systems; and education systems. The "Economic Development" category measures finance, banking and business; labor and unemployment; transportation; and agriculture and food. The sub-categories are broken down even further to ensure full consideration of the various functions that fall into the respective categories. ¶2. (U) PRT members evaluate each area and assign a color to identify its current status. Considering each sub-category's status, the three main pillars are assigned status color codes that roll up into the overall evaluation for the respective PC. Green indicates good progress with no identified problems; amber (or yellow) means progress being made with only minor problems; orange indicates slow progress with significant problems; and red means very slow progress with major problems. The following paragraphs summarize the January 2006 assessments for the PRTs in Ninawa, Kirkuk, and Babil Provinces. END INTRODUCTION. -------------- NINAWA PROVINCE -------------- ¶3. (SBU) OVERALL AND GOVERNANCE. All three main pillars were rated orange for the Ninawa provincial government for January 2006, resulting in an overall assessment of orange. The PRT members cited the difficulty in obtaining resources and legal authority from the national government as an obstacle that must be overcome in order for Ninawa provincial leaders to execute an essential services master plan and show progress. Although the Governor currently executes his duties well, he is unable to effect the changes necessary to improve conditions within the province. The PC needs to establish and enforce greater attendance at meetings and demonstrate the ability to function even during absences of the chairman. Other actions that could help to improve the orange governance assessment to amber would be to fund and fully staff provincial courts with trained clerical personnel, develop an effective method of communication between the PC and Ninawa citizens, and develop a strategy to provide essential services and encourage economic growth in the province. ¶4. (U) INFRASTRUCTURE. Infrastructure was rated overall orange with basic needs coded orange, capacity of the various systems such as electricity, fuel, telecom, etc., coded red; and the education system coded amber. To move the basic needs rating to amber the sanitary and sewage systems' directorates (currently rated red) must demonstrate responsiveness to issues affecting the region and citizens of the province. The municipality must re-establish basic maintenance of existing sewer systems and eliminate illegal taps into the storm water system, which empties directly into the Tigris River. It also must reinvigorate a solid waste collection and removal program. Emergency and fire services, rated orange, need an additional six fire stations, personnel and equipment. Ninawa Province needs to establish a coordinated communication system integrating police, fire, medical, and other agencies in an emergency response network. ¶5. (U) Some actions necessary to move the electricity, fuel, telecom, transportation, and irrigation systems to amber include the electricity directorate development of a strategy to achieve self-sufficiency independent of Coalition Forces and increased electricity availability of at least twelve hours per day. Fuel system capacity is rated red and must show an increase in storage capacity and an increase in production or importation. Rail network capacity BAGHDAD 00000792 002 OF 004 needs to increase by 25 percent. ¶6. (U) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Economic development factors were rated overall orange. Some actions that would increase the rating include retrofitting and rebuilding state-owned companies and moving them towards a privatization program. Another major concern is unemployment, estimated to be between 14-16 percent. Job creation must be a top priority. There must be growth in businesses and industry to drive those jobs. Government must invest in this process and encourage outside investment. -------------- TAMIM (KIRKUK) PROVINCE -------------- ¶7. (U) OVERALL AND GOVERNANCE. Kirkuk was rated overall orange, as were the three main pillars. The PC has limited effectiveness as it is affected by the central government's control of the budget. Some actions that would improve the governance rating include appointment of the deputy governor and increasing the Governor's power base beyond Kirkuk city. The PC must adopt a viable charter and follow its by-laws. Attendance at the PC meetings needs to improve. The courts system must establish a facility that is physically secure, as well as provide adequate protection of judges away from the courthouse. Handwritten court logs and ledgers need to be automated. ¶8. (U) INFRASTRUCTURE. Infrastructure was rated overall orange with basic needs and capacity of the various systems such as electricity, fuel, telecom, etc., coded orange, the education system coded amber, and civil service coded red. Actions that would increase the infrastructure rating include expanding the capacity of a water plant to 51 percent or more and increasing access to potable water. Sewage treatment plant capacity, availability of trash removal, vaccinations of children against communicable diseases, and the ratio of fire stations to fit the needs of the population must all increase as well. ¶9. (U) Electricity capacity needs to increase to 10-12 hours per day, and the percentage of houses connected to the electrical grid or private generators needs to reach 90 percent. Rail network and airport capacity needs to increase by 25 percent or more. The education system needs to increase the percentage of teachers meeting minimum qualifications to 90 percent or more. Enrollment in secondary school needs to increase for girls. Two areas in civil service were rated red: no provincial vehicle registration program exists, and there is no computerized record system for the province. The province needs a viable civil service code from the central government in Baghdad, and the percentage of civil service jobs that are based on patronage should be reduced. ¶10. (U) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Factors affecting the economic development rating were overall orange. High unemployment, estimated at 30 to 40 percent, is a major concern in Kirkuk. Banking facilities should be expanded; there is currently only one bank in Kirkuk. The province needs a master plan to improve agricultural production and must have increased irrigation to put such a plan in place. -------------- BABIL PROVINCE -------------- ¶11. (U) OVERALL AND GOVERNANCE. Babil Province was overall assessed at orange. Governance was coded amber, while infrastructure and economic development were coded orange. Most governance sub-categories were rated as functioning well. The PC is making rapid but cautious progress. It is now holding its weekly meetings at Council Hall with high participation and attendance by council members. The only governance area rated red was transparency under rule of law. Public access to records and agency information is restricted and requires special permission from the PC. ¶12. (U) INFRASTRUCTURE. The overall infrastructure assessment for Babil Province was rated orange. Indicators that would increase the rating include: an BAGHDAD 00000792 003 OF 004 improved sewage system, greater water capabilities in both rural and urban developments, and improved supply distribution of healthcare items. ¶13. (U) Power supply, as in the other two provinces, is not sufficient to meet the demand. Fuel for cooking, heating, and transportation, especially diesel and benzene, is not readily available. The average purchase wait time was reported to be 5-6 hours long. ¶14. (U) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The economic development category was rated overall orange. Many areas of economic development were not rated during January. The Team Leader noted that further assessment is necessary to depict an accurate overall status. The provincial leadership identified tourism as a top priority for economic development. Babil Province has a rich historical culture, is home to many cultural and ancient ruins, and is widely known throughout Iraq for its monuments and green space. -------------- SUMMARY TABLE -------------- ¶15. (U) The following table summarizes, by province, the assessment report in governance, infrastructure, economic development, and security, the four areas that contribute to the overall assessment. NINAWA PROVINCE: Overall Assessment Orange Governance Overall Orange --Governor's Office Orange --Provincial Council Orange --Directors General Orange --Rule of Law and Transparency Orange Infrastructure Overall Orange --Basic Needs Orange --Economic Infrastructure Red --Education Yellow Economic Development Overall Orange --Finance/Banking/Business Orange --Labor and Unemployment Orange --Transportation Orange --Agriculture/Food Orange Security Not Reported TAMIM (KIRKUK) PROVINCE: Overall Assessment Orange Governance Overall Orange --Governor's Office Orange --Provincial Council Orange --Director's General Orange --Rule of Law and Transparency Orange Infrastructure Overall Orange --Basic Needs Orange --Economic Infrastructure Orange --Education Yellow Economic Development Overall Orange --Finance/Banking/Business Red --Labor and Unemployment Orange --Transportation Orange --Agriculture/Food Orange Security Overall Orange --Capable Iraqi Army Orange --Capable IPS Orange --Detention Red --PJCC Green --PSC Green BABIL PROVINCE: Overall Assessment Orange Governance Overall Yellow --Governor's Office Yellow --Provincial Council Yellow --Director's General Orange --Rule of Law and Transparency Yellow Infrastructure Overall Orange BAGHDAD 00000792 004 OF 004 --Basic Needs Orange --Economic Infrastructure Orange --Education Orange Economic Development Overall Orange --Finance/Banking/Business Orange --Labor and Unemployment Orange --Transportation Not Assessed --Agriculture/Food Yellow Security Overall Orange --Capable Iraqi Army Orange --Capable IPS Yellow --Detention Orange --PJCC Red --PSC Yellow ¶16. (U) CONCLUSION. The assessment is performed each month by the PRTs and evaluates information existing at the time. In some cases, the PRT members do not have sufficient data to make a fair evaluation without further research. The rating identifies areas that need improvement to pursue the provincial governments' path to self-sufficiency. It serves as a roadmap for future PRT training efforts, as well as a measurement of progress made. The items cited in the above paragraphs are not totally inclusive, but rather a sampling of the actions necessary for further progress. KHALILZAD