Transition Initiatives in Sierra Leone
Project Background
Five years after
the peace process, Sierra Leone finds itself in the
position of transiting from Emergence Relief to
Development Assistant. While humanitarian assistance at
the time was gradually declining, several organizations
have major development programmes coming on line. Many
initiatives and strategies needed to be consolidated at
operational level, particularly in districts with high
concentration of returning populations.
In the earlier phase, the UNCT adopted a transition
approach, to support the process, by establishing the
Transition Support Team (TST), to work with District
Recovery Committees (DRCs) and Line Ministries in their
efforts to take the lead in the recovery and transition
process.
In 2005, the focus of the UNCT changed to support the
next phase of the transition. As such, The ‘UN Support
to Transition Initiatives in Sierra Leone’ namely the
Transition Initiatives Funds (TIF) project was conceived
to support the country’s decentralization process,
initiated after the 2004 Local Council Elections, with a
view to facilitate the identification and implementation
of transition projects at district level based on and in
support of the district development plans; strengthening
the capacity of Local Councils in coordination,
development planning, monitoring and evaluation, and
information management, in view of their broad mandate
of decentralized service delivery.
TIF seeks to channel funds efficiently to the areas of
need, while supporting the decentralization process by
enabling the local authorities and recipient communities
to identify, together with the TST officers, gaps in
assistance, and access funds to cover those gaps.
Councils are free to develop initiatives under any of
the service areas mandated to them in the 2004 Local
Government Act, and submit a concept paper to the TIF
management Committee, outlining the proposed project.
Once approved, the Council works with the UNDT (United
Nations District Teams) and TST, specifically
established to work with councils, to develop and submit
a detailed implementation plan to the TIF Management
Committee for review prior to the disbursement of funds
Project Objectives
The project’s main objectives
were to;
-
Strengthen the
capacities of local councils in coordination, development planning,
information management and M&E
-
Facilitate the
identification and funding of transitional projects based on the
district development plans and
-
Keep track of the
priorities in the decentralization process.
Project
Outcome
-
Management of
the transition process from emergency to recovery strengthened at
District Level.
-
Decentralization process supported, though improved
Districts development planning, management and coordination skills
-
Local Revenue Generation improved at District level
-
Provision of
basic social infrastructures strengthened at community level
Links
with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
The
activities of the TST are linked to achieving the MDGs in
term of; (1). improving commitment to good governance; (2)
community empowerment and development; (3) rehabilitation
and creation of social infrastructure, thus ensuring local
revenue generation.
|
Sierra Leone