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Egypt
>> Regional Overview >> Egypt Overview ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: Egypt
TITLE AND NUMBER: Egyptian Initiatives in Governance and Participation Strengthened, 263-021
STATUS: Continuing
PLANNED FY 2001 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $11,092,000 ESF
PROPOSED FY 2002 OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: $13,727,000 ESF
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1996 ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2009Summary: An environment that encourages private sector job creation and a more sustainable resource base depends upon transparent and accountable governance that, in turn, is founded on widespread citizen participation and the ability of institutions to respond. In Egypt today, there are two main forces pressing for reform: private sector actors empowered by economic reforms, who are most interested in improved governance of the economy, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and other elements of civil society, who are calling for improved and more responsive services. During the 1990s, the Government of Egypt (GOE) became increasingly responsive to the private sector, resulting in numerous improvements to economic governance. The GOE has begun to raise the profile of social development, with an emphasis on increased private participation and public-private partnerships to improve services and reduce poverty.
This objective includes funds previously obligated under "Increased Citizen Participation in Public Decision Making" (263-003), "Increased Use of Information Services by the Legislature in Decision Making" (263-010), and "Improved Civil Legal System" (263-011). Activities under this objective will support changes in governance and participation-changes for which there is significant government and nongovernment support and that have the potential to expand into broader reforms. In this regard, USAID will continue to support a stronger role for civil society, as well as improvements in the administration of justice designed to assist the GOE in strengthening democratic initiatives that contribute to lawful governance. It also will begin the application of innovative models for the management of essential community services, such as electricity and sanitation, in targeted communities.
Activities are explicitly formulated to respond to Egyptian initiatives and, therefore, their contribution to governance and participation depends on the quantity and quality of those initiatives. They can continue at their current pace or, if there are significant positive developments, USAID can expand activities to strengthen more diverse elements of civil society, to further extend and institutionalize participation in public decision making, and to improve the administration of justice.
Key Results: Key results include: (1) improved capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to participate in development; (2) increased stakeholder collaboration for community-level services; and (3) improvements in selected areas of administration of justice.
Participation in the development process by CSOs and community-level stakeholders will be improved by strengthening the relevant capacities of CSOs to serve their constituencies and by facilitating more stakeholder collaboration in making and implementing policies for community-level services. Governance will be enhanced by improvements in the administration of justice and by increased interaction between governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in the provision of services. With activities in support of CSOs and stakeholder collaboration for community-level services just beginning, the most significant results achieved thus far concern the administration of justice. To date, results achieved include a 41% reduction in case processing time in two pilot commercial courts; a 17% increase in business lawyer's confidence in pilot court efficiency; and a 24% increase in judges' knowledge of Egyptian civil law. As a result, commercial law cases are being resolved more expeditiously, which in turn is enabling the court system to become more responsive to private sector needs, including the creation of an environment more conducive to foreign and local investment. Most importantly, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) remains committed to nationwide replication of the pilot court model.
Performance and Prospects: The FY 2001 and FY 2002 activities are illustrative.
In FY 2001 and FY 2002 ($11.1 million and $13.7 million, respectively), three sets of activities are being implemented: the NGO Service Center, governance in new communities, and the administration of justice support activity.
The NGO Service Center activity focuses on helping CSOs become full partners in the development process. Training, technical assistance and grants are provided to individual NGOs to help strengthen their technical and institutional capacities. Operational support and opportunities for networking and information exchange among NGOs, the private sector, and government also is being provided. Full-fledged implementation began in April 2000, and outreach has been carried out nationwide. Nine technical workshops have been conducted with 259 NGOs from 23 governorates. Grants have been made to support the increased civic action role of NGOs in the areas of environment and women's civil participation. Fifty-seven NGO representatives attended in-country and out-of-country conferences and training activities in the areas of advocacy, networking, social development, and management. Planned activities during FY 2001 and FY 2002 will focus on strengthening the capacities of individual NGOs in community relations and in their ability to manage development activities. Assistance will also focus on working with intermediary level NGOs in order to improve their ability to provide support to hundreds of smaller associations, as well as strengthening NGO collaboration with decision-makers. To this end, FY 2002 activities will include: the strengthening of NGO resource centers in Cairo and other regions to make them fully operational; support for increased interaction among NGOs working on gender issues; the delivery of 45 training events in the areas of advocacy, government, and management; and grants to improve services, reaching 1,258 NGO representatives.
In the area of local governance, Egyptian citizens are increasingly demanding improved public services. To meet this demand, resources beyond those of the central government must be mobilized. This has created a receptive climate for new models of local governance emphasizing the link between broader local participation and improved service delivery, and has led to the initiation of an activity intended to improve selected public services through enhanced participation and resource mobilization at the local level. The activity is expected to have a major impact upon citizen-government relations, manifested initially by increased participation in local decision making and by improvements in selected local services in selected communities. In FY 2001 and FY 2002, models of participatory local governance focusing on improved delivery of services will be developed for broader replication with the cooperation of government and non-government stakeholders.
Through administration of justice activities, anticipated results include the development of a GOE-financed extension of project innovations from the initial pilot courts to the national courts system and the completion of training and process re-engineering to ensure greater impact on overall court operations. Furthermore, validation and replication of North Cairo Court management procedures will be applied to the Ismailia Court. The activity will test and validate software and human re-engineering procedures. In addition, technical assistance will continue until project-supported automation solutions are sustainable and suitable for nationwide adoption. Finally, the project will ensure that adequate personnel training and staff development have been completed at the pilot courts.
Possible Adjustments to Plans: None.
Other Donor Programs: USAID is the lead donor in the area of governance and participation. Multilateral donors working with civil society organizations include the United Nations Children's Fund, the European Union, and the World Bank. Donors working in rural participation activities include the United Nations Development Program, the World Health Organization, the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Denmark, and Switzerland. USAID is the only donor working with the Ministry of Justice in support of its procedural reform program.
Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: USAID implements activities through two U.S. private voluntary organizations and one contractor: Save the Children; America-Mideast Educational and Training Services, Inc.; and Development Alternatives, Inc. Other partners are Associates for Rural Development; Development Associates; and the Department of State's Public Affairs Bureau.
FY 2002 Performance Table
Egypt: 263-021
Performance Measures:
Indicator FY97 (Actual) FY98 (Actual) FY99 (Actual) FY00 (Actual) FY00 (Plan) FY01 (Plan) FY02 (Plan) Indicator 1: Milestones and percentage of achievement in the establishment and implementation of mechanisms for stakeholders collaboration to improve public services at the community level NA NA NA tbd tbd tbd tbd Indicator 2: Milestones (1-9) in the establishment and functioning of the NGO Service Center NA NA 0 1 1 2,3 4,5,6 Indicator 3: Selected court systems tested and accepted for replication by the Ministry of Justice NA NA 0 1 1 2 3 Indicator Information:
Indicator Level (S) or (IR) Unit of Measure Source Indicator Description Indicator 1: IR Milestones and percentage of achievement Findings of the field assessments of each community conducted by the contractor-records of stakeholder meetings-observation Indicator measures the mechanisms that lead to the collaboration between community stakeholders, over a 3-year period, that allow for improved delivery of public services in selected communities. Qualitative performance measures will be used to assess the presence and nature of each milestone achieved. Indicator 2: IR Milestones Semi annual Results Reports submitted by NGO Service Center Milestones:1) Draft NGOSC sustainability plan presented to Advisory Committee; 2) Draft of NGOSC internal governance structure presented to Advisory Committee; 3) Draft mission statement and services profile for future NGOSC; 4) Founding Board of Directors is proposed by the Advisory Committee; 5) 3-year plan for NGO SC's organizational development and financing drafted; 6) Staffing plan and job description for senior management staff drafted; 7) NGOSC legally registered as an Egyptian institution; 8) Proposal presented to USAID for endowment fund for NGOSC; 9) Proposals submitted to non-USAID donors, foundations, and private sector to support Center activities and achieve financial sustainability Indicator 3: IR MOJ acceptance of systems with minor modifications MOJ official court records and project related activities. Contractor's quarterly and annual progress reports Two courts located in two different cities (Ismailia and North-Cairo) have been selected to constitute the Model Pilot Court system. The Model Court will be efficient and capable of delivering judicial services on a timely basis. Once successfully completed, this model will be accepted by the MOJ to be replicated in all the civil commercial courts nationwide U.S. Financing
(In thousands of dollars)
Obligations Expenditures Unliquidated Through September 30, 1999* 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 29,333 ESF 0 ESF 29,333 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Fiscal Year 2000 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 8,684 ESF 9,965 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA Through September 30, 2000 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 38,017 ESF 9,965 ESF 28,052 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA Prior Year Unobligated Funds 0 DA 0 CSD 0 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Planned Fiscal Year 2001 NOA 0 DA 0 CSD 11,092 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Total Planned Fiscal Year 2001 0 DA 0 CSD 11,092 ESF 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 DFA Future Obligations Est. Total Cost Proposed Fiscal Year 2002 NOA 0 DA 0 DA 0 DA 0 CSD 0 CSD 0 CSD 13,727 ESF 109,156 ESF 171,992 ESF 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 SEED 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 FSA 0 DFA 0 DFA 0 DFA * These funds were previously obligated under former objectives 263-003, 263-010 and 263-011, whose activities have been merged into this SO.
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Last Updated on: May 29, 2002 |
