Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BAGHDAD2026
2007-06-19 18:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Baghdad
Cable title:  

PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT

Tags:  IZ PREL SOCI 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO9808
PP RUEHBC RUEHDA RUEHDE RUEHIHL RUEHKUK
DE RUEHGB #2026/01 1701813
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 191813Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1776
INFO RUCNRAQ/IRAQ COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002026 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IZ PREL SOCI
SUBJECT: PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
COMMITTEES (PRDCS) - ITAO PROGRAM UPDATE

Summary
-------

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 002026

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: IZ PREL SOCI
SUBJECT: PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT
COMMITTEES (PRDCS) - ITAO PROGRAM UPDATE

Summary
--------------


1. (U) Since mid-2005, Provincial Reconstruction and
Development Committees (PRDCs) have worked alongside
provincial governments across Iraq. Developed to build
capacity of newly elected provincial governments, PRDCs
continue to provide assistance throughout the provinces.
They are a premier program to improve Iraqi provincial
governance. Pursuing that goal has necessarily meant a
relatively slow disbursal of funds compared to programs with
no formal Iraqi consultation. However, part of the program's
success can be seen in that the provinces have now submitted
more approved projects than current funding can support. End
Summary.


PRDCs
--------------


2. (U) Provincial Reconstruction and Development Committees
(PRDCs) are comprised of provincial council members, governor
appointees, local directors general of national ministries,
local business interests and community members at-large.
Initially funded by IRRF, but now also funded by ESF, our
goal remains the same; to strengthen the ability of
provincial governments to set priorities, deliver basic
services to their communities, and improve economic
development at the provincial and local levels.

PRDC Process
--------------


3. (U) Each PRDC creates a prioritized list of
reconstruction projects that addresses provincial needs. The
projects lists are then discussed in a public forum, during
which time the PRDC further vets, prioritizes and finalizes
the projects with its constituents.


4. (U) Following PRDC review, the projects lists are
submitted to the Provincial Council (PC) for review and
approval.


5. (U) Projects approved by the Provincial Council are then
forwarded to the Provincial Reconstruction Team's (PRT's)
Provincial Program Manager (PPM). Provided the PPM concurs
based on USG policies and legal limitations, the list
proceeds to the Embassy's Iraq Transition and Assistance
Office (ITAO) for review and approval.


6. (U) The ITAO Budget Office - in conjunction with ITAO
Essential Services, the Office of Provincial Affairs, and
other Mission subject matter experts - reviews the projects
to ensure they meet ESF and other applicable guidelines. The
National Embassy Team (NET),made up of the same

stakeholders, provides final approval. This can take between
7 to 10 days.


7. (U) Upon approval the lengthiest part of the process lies
ahead. Projects must then be scoped, estimated, bid and
finally awarded, which can take upwards of 5 months to
complete. To date, seventy-nine projects have been awarded;
work has commenced on 18 of those projects. Some project
starts have been hindered, most notably due to security.

Initial Challenges
--------------


8. (U) PRDCs were given significant autonomy to create and
govern themselves; a necessary tool to respond to unique,
localized issues and needs.


9. (U) This emphasis on local autonomy; however, resulted in
time being spent by provincial officials to stand up PRDCs,
leading to subsequent delays in actually implementing PRDC
activities. Moreover, the ad hoc terms and conditions of
PRDC membership has at times fostered a lack of
accountability and transparency, with some PRDC members
focusing their efforts solely on party, tribal and/or
religious affiliations.


10. (U) Several other factors presented obstacles to the
PRDC initiative with the first IRRF funded program in FY06,
including mid-stream changes in the NET submission process
and IRRF sector-specific funding constraints, both of which
made the process less responsive to the PRDCs. In addition,
a first-come first-served approach to funding project cost
growth without regard to provincial allocations meant that
provinces that submitted projects late did not receive
contracts to their full allocation. Numerous process changes
in the ESF PRDC process have improved responsiveness to and
engagement with the PRDCs.

BAGHDAD 00002026 002 OF 002



PRDC Successes
--------------


11. (U) After a bumpy start, the PRDC initiative has gained
momentum and continues to show progress. For example, over
the last six months PRDCs have reviewed and approved 258
projects. One of these projects is the Musayib Maternity
Hospital.


12. (U) The Musayib Maternity Hospital, located in Babil
province's embattled and predominantly Sunni northern region,
is representational of the successes found in the PRDC
initiative. Babil - a Shi'a governed province with no Sunni
representation on the Provincial Council (PC) - received
$8.9M in FY06 ESF. Yet at the request of the Babil PRDC, the
PC agreed to approve the Musayib Maternity Hospital at a cost
of $6.3M; or 70% of Babil's FY06 ESF budget. Moreover, in
order to ensure that Musayib Maternity Hospital by quickly
and properly implemented, the PC tasked a team of Iraqi
engineers and supervisors to work with the USG. This level
of Iraqi ownership in a USG-funded and managed project - a
level of cooperation and commitment that clearly crossed the
Sunni/Shi'a sectarian divide - came about as a direct result
of the PRDC initiative.

Comment
--------------


13. (U) Not intended as principally a reconstruction effort,
but as a means to stimulate engagement and capacity building
at the provincial government level, PRDCs have provided a
mechanism for local and provincial participation and
management of assistance funds. These young governments have
gained valuable skills in democratic decision-making through
the PRDC process, a process that evokes conversation, debate
and compromise. As an increasing number of the approved
projects are completed, constituents are expected to have an
enhanced quality of life to include; more effective local
governments, improved delivery of electricity, water and
sewage collection services.


14. (U) The PRDC effort also highlights the tension between
spending money quickly and spending it well. If we had
elbowed provincial authorities aside and had dispensed with
the local consultation process, we could have spent more of
the funding dedicated to PRDC projects more quickly. There
are some circumstances in which a PRT should move forward
quickly, which is why FY07 "Quick Response Fund" will use a
more expedited process. However, taking the time to allow
local processes and Iraqi "buy in" to develop means that the
PRDC system may be able to continue in the future as a purely
Iraqi-funded and operated process. As of June 2007, the
PRDCs have now submitted projects (which have withstood our
review process) in numbers and amounts that exceed our
available funding. It has been worth the wait.
CROCKER