Based on its experience as a subcontractor on the Iraq Local Governance Program (LGP), ICMA was selected to provide training and technical assistance to district and subdistrict governments during the third phase of the USAID-funded Iraq Community Action Program (CAP III). CAP became active in Iraq in 2003, focusing first on community development and the completion of public works projects and other local priorities. CAP III took this assistance a step further by developing the leadership and management capacity of local officials.
The stated goal of the CAP III program was to restore responsive and effective local government institutions. It sought three primary objectives, or outcomes: (1) communities better articulate their needs and mobilize resources to solve common problems; (2) local governments in CAP communities better meet the articulated needs of the community; and (3) civilian victims of conflict are assisted.
ICMA’s role was to meet the second of these objectives, working as a subcontractor to three organizations with overall responsibility for the program: International Relief & Development (IRD), ACDI/VOCA, and CHF International, each of which was assigned a specific geographic region.
ICMA began by assessing the needs of local officials, their understanding of their responsibilities, and their capacity to formulate budgets, manage the delivery of basic services, and access funding from higher levels of government. Based on the assessment, ICMA developed and delivered training tailored to local needs.
The training curriculum, based on similar training ICMA has developed in Iraq and other countries, covered a wide range of leadership and management topics. It focused heavily on the Provincial Powers Law that provides mechanisms for funding to flow from the national and provincial governments to the districts and subdistricts. It was designed to help local officials understand the process of community participation in infrastructure and service delivery planning, so that improvements are better sustained in the long term and so that local transactions are more democratic, participatory, and transparent.
Drawing on networks developed earlier in the CAP program, ICMA prepared local trainers to deliver the training to groups of officials throughout the country. ICMA also provide a manual for all participants, including resources that local governments can adapt to local needs and use in the future—such as model council procedures and rules, budget formats, planning processes, and other tools.
