BAGHDAD CITY HALL TAKES INITIATIVE TO EXPAND ITS

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 002728 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KDEM PGOV PINR PINS EAID IZ SUBJECT: BAGHDAD CITY HALL TAKES INITIATIVE TO EXPAND ITS CAPACITY ¶1. (U) This is a Baghdad PRT reporting cable. ¶2. (SBU) Summary: The Baghdad Amanat (City Hall) has been independently continuing and improving earlier USG capacity building projects. In particular, a city Training Center is providing technical and management classes to Amanat professional staff in a center that was started initially through a USAID project. Similarly, an earlier USAID project had equipped the Geographic Information System (GIS) office of the city planning department and trained 8 key staff. The Amanat has since expanded that department to 28 staff and has provided the new staff with introductory professional training. End summary. -------------- Initial USG Investment -------------- ¶3. (U) The Amanat is a unique institution within Iraq. Throughout the rest of the country, the basic services of sewer, water, and solid waste disposal, are handled by the central government Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works. In Baghdad city, these services are provided by the Amanat, which is headed by the Mayor of Baghdad. Since 2005, the Mayor has been appointed by the Baghdad Provincial Council. Baghdad is thus the only city in Iraq where basic services are in the hands of a local organization, headed by an appointee of an elective body. ¶4. (SBU) Beginning in 2003, the USAID-funded Local Governance Program (LGP) worked with communities to stand-up local councils and to build the capacity of local officials. One aspect of this in Baghdad was to provide technical assistance to various departments of the Amanat. This included the establishment and equipping of a training center and a GIS section. Training support for these offices ended in 2005 after initial objectives were met. -------------- Amanat Training Center -------------- ¶5. (SBU) A recent trip to the Amanat showed that the Training Center was still in full operation. Classes were being held in topics ranging from basic instruction in the Windows operating system, to skills development for warehouse keepers, to the mastering of basic and intermediate GIS and engineering computer programs. Equipment in the Training Center was getting a bit out-dated for some of the required applications, but was being maintained and used for its intended purpose. A technical library established under LGP continues to be used to support training in the center. -------------- Amanat GIS Section -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Monitoring also showed that the the GIS Department of the Office of Planning had not only maintained its initial capacity, but expanded. An initial trained staff of 8 had risen to 28. The staff is well educated and literate in English. GIS was being used to develop overlays of the Baghdad water, sewer, and road systems, which were used by technical staffs of the Amanat to implement repair projects and to plan new projects. -------------- Conclusion -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Comment: The Baghdad Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) has long been convinced that the Amanat was one of the most professional institutions in Baghdad. Problems remain of course, but overall it is an institution with the capacity to address problems and with a professional and motivated staff. These examples reinforce this assessment. One of the main reasons for this success is that assistance was initially provided in areas that had been identified by Iraqis themselves. This helped provide an element of sustainability to the assistance. The Amanat has identified areas where the Training Center and the GIS Department could productively use additional assistance. With PRT assistance and coordination, LGP will be providing targeted assistance. In the case of the GIS Department, the Iraq Transition Assistance Office (ITAO) will also be providing assistance. End Comment. CROCKER