SALAR International strengthens collaboration with official partners in Iraq
During late May 2024, SALAR International paid a visit to official partners in south and central Iraq to follow-up on project progress and reenforce working relations with new leaders and high officials after the local elections.
The visit included several days to the southern governorates of Muthanna and Diwaniyah where the delegation; Gunnar Andersson met the governorate administrations, planning departments, local decision-makers, the women sections, and many others. This was followed by five days in Baghdad where the SALAR International and IRFAD team met with key experts and official partners, most significantly the Ministry of Planning and the Higher Commission for the Coordination among Provinces (HCCP) under the Prime Minister.
The Head of HCCP, Mr Aqeel Al-Fatlawi emphasized how important the work of SALAR International and IRFAD is to provide practical and locally tested models and supporting local-central policy dialogue that could help move forward with decentralization reform in Iraq.
Gunnar Andersson, SALAR International, and the head of HCCP, Mr. Aqeel Al-Fatlawi at the Prime Minister office.
Strengthening local governance and service delivery in Iraq
Since last year, SALAR International is together with its partner IRFAD implementing the second phase of the Local Governance Development in Iraq (LOGDEVI) project. The project collaborate with local, regional and federal authorities on a wide range of reform areas related to local governance including public policy, annual and strategic planning, budgeting and financial management, administrative structures and mandates, fact-based and data-drive decision making. The project is currently implemented in Duhok, Al-Diwaniya, and Al-Muthanna governorates and with significant engagement in Baghdad and Erbil.