The LIMIYÈ AK ÒGANIZASYON POU KOLEKTIVITE YO ALE LWEN (LOKAL+) project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aimed to support decentralization and deconcentrated services in Haiti. The project began on October 1st, 2013, and concluded on September 30th, 2014.
The project’s main purpose was to strengthen the capability of communal governments to provide services, generate a sustainable increase in local revenues to pay for local services, leverage greater access to central government funding and services, improve national-level policy and legislation in support of decentralization and deconcentrated services, and increase transparency, oversight, and accountability of local governments and deconcentrated service providers.
The project focused on five key objectives, each with specific accomplishments, ongoing activities, and challenges encountered. Objective 1 aimed to strengthen the capability of communal governments to provide services, with accomplishments including the development of a training program for local government officials and the establishment of a system for tracking and monitoring local government performance.
Objective 2 focused on generating a sustainable increase in local revenues to pay for local services, with accomplishments including the development of a revenue generation plan and the establishment of a system for collecting and managing local government revenues.
Objective 3 aimed to leverage greater access to central government funding and services, with accomplishments including the negotiation of a memorandum of understanding with the Haitian government and the establishment of a system for tracking and monitoring central government funding and services.
Objective 4 focused on improving national-level policy and legislation in support of decentralization and deconcentrated services, with accomplishments including the development of a policy brief on decentralization and the establishment of a working group to promote decentralization.
Objective 5 aimed to increase transparency, oversight, and accountability of local governments and deconcentrated service providers, with accomplishments including the development of a system for tracking and monitoring local government performance and the establishment of a working group to promote transparency and accountability.
The project also included cross-cutting activities, such as monitoring and evaluation, project management, and budgeting. The project’s monitoring and evaluation plan included the development of performance indicators and the establishment of a system for tracking and monitoring project progress.
The project’s personnel included a Chief of Party, a Deputy Chief of Party, and a team of local and international staff. The project’s offices were located in Port-au-Prince and other locations throughout Haiti. The project’s budget was managed by a Contracting Officer’s Representative and a team of financial staff.
The project’s accomplishments and challenges were documented in a series of reports and annexes, including a summary of financial costs and LOE, a list of training delivered, and a summary of progress on performance indicators. The project’s final report concluded that the project had made significant progress in supporting decentralization and deconcentrated services in Haiti, but that challenges remained in terms of sustaining project gains and ensuring the long-term sustainability of project activities