Working with Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia to Facilitate Decentralization and Good Governance

We recently launched a project under the USAID Good Governance Initiative (GGI), as part of a consortium led by Tetra Tech ARD to support the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia (MRDI) to facilitate the development of a mid-term strategy of decentralization and good governance at the local level.

In order to meet the needs of the MRDI, the project targets three main issues: broadening the scope of delegated local self-government powers and responsibilities; providing adequate financing to local self-governments; and ensuring the highest standards of good governance from local self-governments (LSGs).

More specifically, the project team will develop a concept document outlining a strategic review for service delivery functions and good governance standards of the LSGs. To ensure the effectiveness of the collaboration, the team will develop guidelines, covering issues such as:

• • Delegation of new services to LSGs

• • Quality monitoring and assurance mechanisms for effective delivery of existing and new services

• • Assurance of efficiency, transparency and accountability at external and internal levels

Additionally, a report covering the implications of the decentralization initiative from economic, social and gender perspectives will also be developed.

By the end of collaboration, it is expected that the project will have had a positive impact on the achievement of the highest service delivery standards in the LSGs and on the elaboration of an adequate financial system, which is an essential part of ensuring good governance principles.