Tunisia, Programme d’Appui à la Réforme de Décentralisation

The Programme d’Appui à la Réforme de Décentralisation (PARD, Program in support of the decentralization reform) unites two completementary projects to accompany and support the decentralization and deconcentration process in Tunisia, led by the Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment. The two projects are for institutional and communication support, of which VNG International implements the former.

The overall objective of the project for Institutional support is to accompany the country in reinforcing territorial development and reduction of local and regional disparities within the decentralization process. The objectives are (1) Support key actors of the process in institutional and organizational strengthening for the reform, and (2) contribute to supporting the actors of the process of implementation of the decentralization process.

The project is structured around 6 components:

1. Supporting the “Instance de Prospective et d’Accompagnement du Processus de la Dãcentralisation” in strategic management of the reform and operational coordination of actors and stakeholders.
2. Reinforcing the training offered to elected officials and civil servants in local governments and contributing to itsimplementation, as well as guiding the institutional evolutions of the public system for training and technical assistance directed to local governments, in order to improve its effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.
3. Adaptation of legal, institutional, and technical frameworks on local government financing, and modernization of the approaches to the management of local finances.
4. Guiding the transfer of competences based on the new Law on local government, and clarifying the governance competencies that have been divided between the state and local governments.
5. Guidance on the approaches and tools of management and human resource monitoring in local governments, as well as professionalization of human resource management.
6. Professionalizing management of local affairs through developing guidelines as well as management and training tools.

Component 1:

• Prognosis on the management as it stands and provide recommendations
• Implement an M&E system for the reform
• Formulate a communication strategy on the reform
• Coordinate with actors of the process and engage them in meetings and debates about the subject
• Training on change management to executives within key ministries
• Implement an online library of documents on decentralization for wider access

Component 2:

• Review and survey local governments and their agents on training regarding job takeover, and distribute the training model and documents for sustainable training provision to civil servants
• Reinforce capacities of territorial agents and elected officials through training and coaching

Component 3:

•  Conduct a study on the debate and points of adaptation for local taxation as well as regional councils
• Conduct an audit of the local taxation method and propose scenarios for its improvement
• International benchmarking study on equalization schemes between local and regional governments
• Technical assistance to the High Instance on Local Finances
• Guide the modernization of expenditure management of local governments

Component 4:

•  Facilitate preliminary meetings with sector ministry executives working with the transfer of competences and municipalities, to understand the points of discussion and conditions of success for the process and concluding with elaboration of a strategic note on the transfer of competences and resources.
• Organize an international benchmarking seminar on local governance and the transfer of competencies.

Component 5:

• Develop a job repository adapted to the organization of municipalities based on the repository of the CFAD
• Conduct an audit on the management of jobs and the payroll within local governments
• Professionalize the functioning of human resources in local governments.

Component 6:

• Prognosis on administering of receiving conditions as well as delivery of municipal services.
• Organize a workshop/seminar on organizational and functional relations between elected officials and communal staff.
• Develop a guide on the practicalities and technical aspects for installation of city/town halls.