Country Tunisia
Region Africa
Duration Start 8 October, 2019 till 7 October, 2022
Field of expertise Building More Effective Public Administration
Policy field(s) Institutional development
Partners SKL International AB
GFA Management GmbH
CILG-VNG International
Funding European Commission - DG INTPA ex-EuropeAid
Project code 11417
The Programme d'Appui à la Réfome 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 Décentralisation" 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.