BAGHDAD CITY PLANNING: A CAPACITY BUILDING SUCCESS

UNCLAS BAGHDAD 001189

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SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV EAID PINR KCRS IZ
SUBJECT: BAGHDAD CITY PLANNING: A CAPACITY BUILDING SUCCESS
STORY

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1. (SBU) Summary: What began five years ago as a request
for USG assistance with electronically mapping four Baghdad
neighborhoods has grown into a sustainable Geographic
Information System (GIS) Center within the Mayor's office,
also known as the Amanat. The Baghdad Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) and USAID helped the Mayor's office
lay the foundation for an urban planning center. Other
elements of the GOI now wish to emulate the Amanat's success
with GIS technology in their own project planning. An
opportunity exists to leverage past success and help Iraq
create a GIS hub to support national government ministries.
End summary

Background
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2. (SBU) During a 2004 meeting, Baghdad's then-Mayor raised
the urgent need for a GIS program to expedite the city's
rehabilitation and development. At the time, Baghdad City
Hall, or Amanat, relied solely on paper documents, and had no
ability to produce electronic maps that would allow it to
dynamically overlay electric, sewer, water, or transportation
networks. Working with the Amanat, a USAID implementer
provided GIS equipment, software, and training for eight
staff members as part of USAID's Local Governance Program
(LGP). The Embassy's Iraq Transition Assistance Office
(ITAO) also provided hardware and software. The original
plan called for mapping only four of Baghdad's,
municipalities, or Beladiyas. However, the Mayor was so
impressed with the project's progress he authorized
government funds to expand the scope to include all of the
city's 14 Beladiyas.

Current State of Play
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3. (SBU) At the Mayor's request, the PRT and LGP continued
to mentor the Amanat's GIS Center, which now employees 75
staff members who support Baghdad's Master Plan Development
program for essential services and who will lead the
country's 2009 census. LGP advisors remain involved in the
program, but the PRT believes the Amanat's GIS Center has
reached a level of sustainability and growth that would
continue even without their presence. For example,
unassisted by mentors, Amanat staff are perfecting essential
service overlays in an effort to develop a modern land use
plan for Baghdad that will be used to identify locations for
new housing, parks, and agricultural developments.

Mapping the Future
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4. (SBU) The success of the Amanat's GIS Center led to
inquiries from various ministries (e.g., Energy, Oil,
Environment, and Defense) about the possibility of creating a
GIS program to support the needs of the GOI writ large. The
PRT is now in discussions with Baghdad University, which has
expressed an interest in creating such a national GIS hub in
conjunction with a degree program. This not only would
immediately benefit various ministries, whose staff could
attend training programs, it would also allow Iraqi students
to pursue a degree in modern urban planning, a skill sorely
lacking in the country today.

Comment
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5. (SBU) Fundamental to the achievements of the Amanat's GIS
Center is the fact it was a need identified by Iraqis.
Additionally, USG assistance largely continues to target
areas in which the Amanat itself recognizes shortcomings.
The PRT realized early on that the Amanat was one of the more
professional governmental organizations in Baghdad, staffed
by talented Iraqis who lacked only technology and the
training to effectively utilize it. By exploiting a
Qtraining to effectively utilize it. By exploiting a
pre-existing level of competency, motivation, and foresight
through focused training and mentoring, the PRT and USAID
have produced a case study on successful interagency capacity
building in Iraq.
HILL