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Note: This document may not always reflect the actual appropriations determined by Congress. Final budget allocations for USAID's programs are not determined until after passage of an appropriations bill and preparation of the Operating Year Budget (OYB).

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GUINEA

	FY 1997	FY 1998	FY 1999
	Actual	Estimate	Request
Child Survival and Disease..........	$7,200,000	$7,700,000	$7,500,000
Development Assistance..............	$5,300,000	$9,200,000	$9,300,000
P.L. 480 Title II...........................	$1,154,948	$822,700	$814,000

Introduction

The U.S. interest in supporting Guinea's development is based on the country's role as a positive and stabilizing force in the region. Besides supplying troops for U.S.-supported peacekeeping efforts in Liberia, Guinea is accommodating a large refugee population from Liberia and Sierra Leone. Rich in mineral resources and agricultural products, Guinea also provides investment opportunities for U.S. investors attracted by the success of its ongoing economic and political reforms.

The Development Challenge

Guinea's human resource base and domestic economy are still recovering from twenty-six years of Sekou Toure's rule. Under his regime, civil society and the private sector were suppressed, a prosperous agriculture sector was devastated, the judicial system atrophied, and essential social services and infrastructure collapsed. State central planning destroyed the economy.

The current government has, however, undertaken a program of dramatic political and economic reforms. This program liberalized the economy, restrained public sector spending, controlled inflation, and stabilized the exchange rate. Reforms also improved social services. Primary school enrollment increased between 1990 and 1996 from 28% to 50%, and girls' enrollment from 17% to 35%. In the health sector, the implementation of the new national population policy will reduce population growth, and family planning services are operational in over two-thirds of the public health centers. For the past five years, Guinea has achieved increases in agricultural production, but without improved natural resource management, this growth cannot be sustained. A large influx of refugees from Liberia and Sierra Leone who have been provided with the same services available to Guinea citizens has stretched Guinea's service delivery system and placed additional pressure on the local environment.

Guinea held multi-party presidential elections in 1993 and legislative elections in 1995. The opposition won a third of the National Assembly seats. The legislature now plays a strong role in national budget reviews. Guinea has a very active independent print media. Though the legal framework is largely in place for the creation of genuine democratic institutions, gaps exist between the laws and the reality of politics and administration, and between decision-makers and those who are affected by them.

Guinea has enormous potential to become both an economic and a political success. But without a much stronger human resource base; however, economic growth and democratization cannot be sustained. Thus, USAID has focused on basic education, natural resource management, democracy and governance, and health and family planning. Taking into consideration the current positive trend toward economic growth and democratization, Guinea is positioned to become a strong partner.

Other Donors

The lead donor is France ($47 million in 1995), followed by the U.S ($20 million) as the second largest donor. Other donors include Germany ($12 million), Japan ($11 million), and Canada ($10 million). Among the multilateral donors the European Economic Community ($68 million), the African Development Bank ($51 million), the World Bank ($37 million), the U.N. Agencies ($47 million) and the International Monetary Fund ($661,000) are the leaders.

FY 1999 Program

Natural resource management activities will assist smallholders to conserve Guinea's fragile natural resource base by investing in more profitable and less destructive agricultural and natural resource management practices. The approach is to transfer appropriate practices to farmers, to empower local populations to manage their resources, to obtain sustainable increases in farm production, and to improve agricultural marketing. The USAID program will provide greater access to agricultural markets and credit for smallholders. In addition, P.L. 480 Title II proceeds will help strengthen agricultural production.

The family planning and maternal child health (FP/MCH), sexually transmitted disease (STD) and AIDS prevention services activities will broaden access to and demand for health services, improve the quality of health care and strengthen the management and supervision of the decentralized primary health care system. The program will build on successes in responding to demand for contraceptive products through the private sector to further increase use of these products and oral rehydration salts. An increased effort to empower citizens and communities to participate in and influence health decision-making is planned. USAID will continue to use monetized proceeds from P.L. 480 Title II vegetable oil for investment in programs to promote nutrition.

Educational activities will continue to support multi-donor efforts to reform primary education. The reform aims to improve quality and equity of primary schooling and increase local community participation. USAID assistance will improve the Ministry's planning, management, and decision-making capabilities; improve instruction through in-service teacher training and provide low-cost teacher and student materials; and improve opportunities for regional and gender equity by increasing local communities' capacity to directly support education. A major strategy to accomplish these goals is through increased community participation and decision-making such as parent-teacher association development.

In the area of democracy and governance, USAID will expand support to reinforce the nascent civil society at the local level through training, institutional development, natural resource management and health and education programs. In addition, USAID will support civic education programs and targeted activities with national governance institutions such as the legislature and justice systems to increase the responsiveness of national decision-making to citizens' interests. The program will also support democratic local governance which requires the establishment of democratic institutions of political competition, rule of law, accountability, transparency and open public debate.

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GUINEA
FY 1999 PROGRAM SUMMARY
(in thousands of dollars)

USAID Strategies and Special Objectives	Economic Growth & Agriculture	Population & Health	Environment	Democracy	Human Capacity Development	Humanitarian Assistance	TOTALS
S.O. 1. Increased Use of Sustainable Natural Resources Management Practices - DA - P.L. 480/II	1,000 ---	--- ---	4,000 ---	--- ---	--- ---	--- 314	5,000 314
S.O. 2. Increased Use of Essential Family Planning, Maternal Child Health and STD/AIDS Services - CSD - DA - P.L. 480/II	--- --- ---	2,500 2,500 ---	--- --- ---	--- --- ---	--- --- ---	--- --- 500	2,500 2,500 500
S.O. 3. Quality Primary Education Provided to a Larger Percentage of Guinean Children - CSD	---	---	---	---	5,000	---	5,000
S.O. 4. Improved Local and National Governance Through Active Citizen Participation - DA	---	---	---	1,800	---	---	1,800
Totals - CSD - DA - P.L. 480/II	--- 1,000 ---	2,500 2,500 ---	--- 4,000 ---	--- 1,800 ---	5,000 --- ---	--- --- 814	7,500 9,300 814

USAID Director: John B. Flynn

ACTIVITY DATA SHEET

PROGRAM: GUINEA
TITLE AND NUMBER : Increased Use of Sustainable Natural Resource Management Practices, 675-SO01
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE : FY 1999: $5,000,000 DA; $314,000 P.L. 480 Title II
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1998; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE : FY 2005

Purpose: The Natural Resource Management objective assists the Republic of Guinea protect the country's fragile agro-ecological areas against accelerating environmental degradation caused by use of inappropriate agricultural and natural resource management practices, and by the lack of alternative income-generating opportunities for resource-poor rural households. This strategic objective helps Guinea manage its forest resources optimally, exploit its agricultural resource base for food production and income on a sustainable basis, and conserve biological diversity.

USAID Role and Achievements to Date: Through the pilot Natural Resource Management (NRM) project implemented in 1993, USAID has assisted the Government of Guinea (GOG) to improve the management of natural resources in three targeted watersheds in the Fouta Djallon Highlands where the sources of the three major rivers in West Africa -- Niger, Senegal, and Gambia -- are located. This community-based activity focuses on the improvement of natural resource management for profitable and sustainable agricultural production in these watersheds.

The NRM project has successfully achieved results envisioned for the pilot phase: 1) The areas of protected forests, the number of forest sites, and the areas under sustainable agricultural practices in the targeted zones have increased significantly, and 2) sustainable production of cash crops and new village enterprises have brought additional incomes to villagers. Through these approaches farmers will eventually stop slash-and-burn farming on the fragile marginal lands and concentrate their activities on more productive lands which are less subject to erosion. The success of the NRM project is due largely to a dynamic partnership of USAID, U.S. Peace Corps, Guinean non-governmental organizations (NGOs), U.S. private voluntary organizations (PVOs), public services, and local communities. This partnership not only fosters improved natural resource management, but it also enhances the empowerment of local populations to improve their broader economic and social well-being.

USAID has fostered joint community-government management of common natural resources. This model for natural resource management in Guinea will greatly extend the impacts of the NRM project beyond the three targeted watersheds. A partnership was established among the Forest Service, local authorities, a Guinean non-governmental organization, and local villagers to develop a co-management plan for a highly degraded forest reserve. This plan calls for the GOG and the resource users to share the responsibility and the benefits of protecting the forest. Another positive result is the transformation of the public forest agent's role from a repressive regulation enforcer to a technical advisor.

Description: This objective will be achieved through on-going and newly designed activities. These activities will: (1) transfer sustainable agricultural and natural resource management technologies and practices to resource users; (2) empower local populations to manage their natural resources; (3) create a sustainable increase in farm production and productivity; (4) improve agricultural marketing; (5) develop village micro and small enterprises; and (6) establish an enabling policy environment.

Using the New Partnership Initiative approach, USAID will work with the GOG, other donors, international organizations, private businesses and enterprises, U.S. PVOs, NGOs, U.S. Peace Corps, and other elements of civil society to foster enabling conditions and create linkages and synergies among these and other partners. This cooperation will support sustainable natural resource management by improving smallholders' agricultural production and revenue, increasing off-farm income-generating

opportunities for land-poor households, and strengthening the capacity of local populations in managing their natural resources.

Activities under this strategic objective will start mainly in the Fouta Djallon Highlands and the Forest Region, and then will gradually expand into other regions in Guinea. U.S. PVOs and U.S. Peace Corps will be the principal implementors, working in close collaboration with the GOG's Forest Service and Guinean NGOs and communities. USAID will also support actions to mitigate the adverse impacts of hundreds of thousands of refugees on the environment in the Forest Region.

Host Country and Other Donors: Natural resource management in Guinea is a multi-donor effort. The United Nations Development Program, France, Germany, Canada, the European Union, Italy, and the World Bank have supported activities in the ecologically fragile Fouta Djallon Highlands as well as in other regions of Guinea. Their total contributions to recent and on-going activities are about $269.5 million. The GOG has contributed significantly to the NRM project in both direct budget allocations and in-kind contributions such as personnel salaries and facilities.

Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of this objective are primarily smallholders who account for 96% of the rural households in Guinea. Strong emphasis will be placed on women, especially the socially and economically disadvantaged, as they play a crucial role in natural resource management. Agricultural traders and micro and small entrepreneurs are also ultimate customers. From the regional perspective, millions of people in countries whose livelihood depends on the water flows in the three important rivers which originate in the Fouta Djallon Highlands can be considered secondary beneficiaries. The success of this strategic objective in improving water levels and river flows in the countries downstream will contribute to sustainable economic activities in agriculture, livestock and fisheries throughout the region.

Principal Contractors, Grantees or Agencies: USAID implements these activities through U.S. PVOs (Winrock, Volunteers in Technical Assistance), Guinean non-governmental organizations, U.S. Peace Corps, and the Guinean Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forests.

Major Result Indicators: Activities under this objective will be implemented on a large scale and scope in newly targeted geographic areas in Guinea. A survey will be conducted in early 1998 to establish the baseline which will be used to set the targets for the following results indicators which will also validate the previously obtained baseline data: 1) Percentage of producers using appropriate practices, 2) Average yield per hectare of key crops over time on fields where appropriate production practices are used, 3) Number of enterprises newly established or expanded, 4) Number of individuals engaged or earning money in newly established or expanded enterprises, and 5) Percentage of people satisfied with the application of policies, regulations, and legislation that affect their economic and natural resource management activities.

				 Baseline	Target
				(1997-98)	(2005)

Area of forests or tree plantations under sustainable management	 10,000	100,000 
  by communities and/or households (in hectares)
Area of land under sustainable agricultural practices by	 		      80	       	      400 
  communities and/or households (in hectares)				
Number of acceptable NRM plans prepared by communities		        5	       100
Number of NRM plans successfully implemented by communities	        0   	         80

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ACTIVITY DATA SHEET
PROGRAM: GUINEA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Increased Use of Essential Family Planning, Maternal Child Health, and Sexually-transmitted Diseases and AIDS Services, 675-SO02
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1999: $2,500,000 CSD; $2,500,000 DA; $500,000 P.L. 480 Title II
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1997; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2005

Purpose: Increased use of essential family planning/maternal child health and sexually transmitted illnesses and HIV/AIDS-prevention services and practices.

USAID Role and Achievements to Date: USAID will build on recent success in increasing demand for family planning products and services and will utilize its experience in social marketing and public sector integration to establish a broader range of reproductive health services. USAID's Health objective calls for a major effort in community involvement at the central and peripheral levels to achieve overall improvements in preventive health care and health delivery services. Since 1991, USAID has helped reduce population growth and has brought family planning services to 106 of the 150 national primary health system facilities that offer family planning services. This has created access to services for over two million people in remote and sparsely populated regions of the country. Public knowledge of family planning and sexually transmitted illnesses and AIDS prevention has increased markedly in Guinea due almost entirely to USAID's information, education and communication strategies. A nationwide network of commercial outlets for family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention products has also been established. Through this extensive network, over ten million retail condom sales were made available through the private sector during the past five years with sales increasing by at least 25% in 1996.

Description: USAID's population activities in Guinea have focused on three areas: improving the policy and legal climate for family planning; integrating family planning services into the national primary health care system; and distributing contraceptive products and oral rehydration salts in the private sector through a social marketing system. In FY 1998, USAID began the implementation of a new Family Planning and Health program. This program will build on current successes in demand generation, social marketing and public sector integration through introduction of a broader range of family health services. Under this program, USAID in partnership with the Ministry of Health and other donors, will broaden access to and demand for health services, improve the quality of health care, and strengthen management and supervision of Guinea's decentralized primary health care system.

Critical to the delivery of primary health care services is the building of sustainable linkages and relationships with multiple partners, including other government ministries, donors, NGOs and PVOs, and creating community participation and support for these programs. In addition to supporting USAID's New Partnership Initiative, such linkages will support democracy and governance by working directly with communities to empower their members to participate in health decision-making at the community level. In addition, linkages will be established with business associations, religious and traditional leaders to underscore community participation. USAID will continue to target proceeds from P.L. 480 Title II vegetable oil sales in the local market for investment in programs to promote nutrition.

Host Country and Other Donors: Through government and donor coordination, a dedicated effort has been made to prevent duplication of efforts to ensure effective use of limited resources. This government-donor partnership has been crucial to establishing and sustaining the delivery of health and family planning services to Guineans. USAID and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are the two major donors supporting family planning in Guinea and conducting similar activities in their respective target regions. UNFPA's budget is approximately $7.7 million for 1997-2001. United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) is the principal provider of assistance for integrating primary health care services into the national health system. The World Bank is providing credit to the government for a variety of health,

population and nutrition activities with an estimated budget of $26 million for 1994 - 2001. The German Development Bank is planning to finance social marketing activities with an estimated budget of $6.7 million from mid-1997 to 2002. A demographic health survey will start in the first quarter of 1998 with financing from USAID, UNFPA and UNICEF. Other donors include the European Community, the African Development Bank, Italy and Japan.

Beneficiaries: Women of child-bearing age and sexually active adults are the primary beneficiaries of USAID's current assistance. Over two million sexually active Guineans now have access to USAID-supported health centers in the most remote regions of the country, and nearly 40,000 couple-years of protection are supplied to Guinean couples per year due to the success of this activity. Under the new activity, children under five years of age and pregnant women will become direct beneficiaries of child survival and maternal health interventions.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: Management Sciences for Health, Population Services International and its local affiliate, and Africare are the principal grantees for the implementation of the new family planning and health program.

Major Results Indicators:
				Baseline	Target

Increase in Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (%)			2 % (1992)	5 %  (2001)
Increased use of immunizations services (children under 5)  (%)	55% (1995)	80% (2001)
Improved prenatal care (tetanus immunization %)			39% (1995)	75% (2001)
Oral Rehydration Therapy use rate (%)			42% (1992)	85% (2001)

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ACTIVITY DATA SHEET

PROGRAM: GUINEA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Quality Primary Education Provided to a Larger Percentage of Guinean Children, with Emphasis on Girls and Rural Children, 675-SO03
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1999: $5,000,000 CSD
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1995; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2002

Purpose: To ensure that an increasing number of school-aged children receive, on a more equitable basis, an improved quality of primary education which adequately prepares them for a productive role in Guinean society.

USAID Role and Achievements to Date: Since 1990, USAID has been part of a multi-donor effort to assist the Government of Guinea (GOG) implement its primary education sector reform program. The first phase of the reform, from 1990 - 1995, focused on increasing primary school enrollment, which stood at 28% in 1990. Initially, USAID leveraged increased GOG budget share for primary education. As a direct result, the GOG's allocation for its education sector budget rose from 13% of the national budget in 1989 to 26% in 1996. Primary education's share of the education budget rose from 35% to 39% over the same period, and over 1,800 teachers were redeployed from the secondary to the primary school level. USAID's technical assistance to the Ministry of Education helped bring planning closer to the local school level as certain key budgeting and management functions were decentralized with the creation of 46 regional and local finance and administration units. These units maintain a regular reporting system based on actual local primary school expenditures. Finally, USAID was the first donor in Guinea to emphasize the issue of equity in primary schooling. USAID helped the Ministry of Education's Equity Committee to carry out a highly successful social awareness campaign for the education of girls and rural children in the mid-1990's. As a result, girls' enrollment rates for grades 1 - 6 rose from 17% to 35% between 1990 and 1996, and the share of girls' enrollment in first grade went from 34% to 45%. Overall, the success of USAID and other donors' contributions to the GOG's education reform effort is reflected in the increase in the primary school gross enrollment rate, which rose from 28% in 1990 to 50% in 1996.

Description: The second phase of the GOG primary education reform program (1996 - 2000) focuses on improving the quality and equity of education, and increasing local community participation in school-level education management. USAID supports these goals as part of a multi-donor effort, through the Fundamental Quality and Equity Levels Activity. The three main areas of emphasis are:

1) Improving the Ministry of Pre-University Education's (MEPU) strategic planning, management, and decision-making capabilities. USAID activities strengthen strategic planning capacity and the link between budgeting and planning. Personnel are trained to analyze policy options within a context of budgetary and human resource limits. USAID aids the decentralization process and trains regional units that plan, budget, and are held accountable for good resource management. MEPU staff will also receive training on how to increase stakeholder participation in planning and developing guidance and procedures for regular policy dialogue with public and private sector stakeholders.

2) Improving instruction in primary schools. To improve classroom quality, USAID supports in-service teacher training and assists the National Pedagogical Institute to develop its capacity to produce low-cost teaching manuals and student materials. Eliminating biases and stereotyping in school materials and teaching methods is an important aspect of USAID's curriculum development efforts.

3) Improving opportunities for regional and gender equity in primary education. Several U.S. and Guinean NGOs and associations are taking the lead in building the capacity of local NGOs and parent associations to increase community support for primary schooling. These efforts are taking place in some of the poorest rural communities in Guinea, where equity and access to education are major

problems. Special priority is given to changing attitudes toward girls' education. USAID's Girls and Women Education Activity works with the MEPU's Equity Committee and a newly formed National Working Group for Girls' Education to develop, plan, and manage activities that increase girls' and rural children's participation in education. Broadening support for education of disadvantaged groups beyond the education sector, to include the private sector and other governmental and non-governmental organizations, is an important component.

Host Country and Other Donors: The primary education reform program is one of the most successful examples of multi-donor cooperation. For the period 1996 - 2000, the World Bank education reform program will total approximately $53 million: 80% of this comes from the Bank, 16% from the MEPU, and 4% from communities. The French are financing approximately $5 million in education assistance, providing technical advice on monitoring and evaluation of program impact, personnel issues, and curriculum reform, particularly at the secondary level. The World Bank finances school construction, school nutrition programs, and school management micro-projects. Donors coordinate their activities through a series of joint reviews and periodic meetings to collaborate on technical and policy issues. The GOG provides office space for technical advisors and pays the salaries of all Guinean participants in USAID's education activities as part of its contribution.

Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of USAID assistance in the education sector are the approximately 1.3 million primary school-aged children in Guinea and 13,000 primary school teachers. They will receive school materials in the form of low-cost brochures and teacher manuals, training to improve the classroom learning environment. They also will be the focus of efforts to improve overall quality and equity in schools. Intermediary beneficiaries include individuals and entities at the MEPU, parents' associations, and community associations and NGOs that work to support primary schooling. All of these groups will receive training and other support from USAID activities.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: USAID implements activities through a contract with Education Development Center and subcontractors, Research Triangle Institute and Creative Associates, and grants to U.S. PVOs, World Education and Save the Children, and the local NGO affiliate of Plan International, "Plan Guinée."

Major Results Indicators:
			Baseline		Target

Gross Enrollment Rate		28% (1990)		56% (1999)
Girls' Gross Enrollment Rate		17% (1990)		43% (1999)
Rural Gross Enrollment Rate		21% (1990)		41% (1999)
First Grade Admission Rate (7 year old)		49% (1997)		53% (1999)
Girls' First Grade Admission Rate (7 year old)  		40% (1997)		44% (1999)
National Equity Strategy defined, approved,                      			                  (1999)
and being implemented					

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ACTIVITY DATA SHEET

PROGRAM: GUINEA
TITLE AND NUMBER: Improved Local and National Governance through Active Citizen Participation, 675-SO04
STATUS: Continuing
PROPOSED OBLIGATION AND FUNDING SOURCE: FY 1999: $1,800,000 DA
INITIAL OBLIGATION: FY 1998; ESTIMATED COMPLETION DATE: FY 2005

Purpose:: To improve local and national governance through active citizen participation.

USAID Role and Achievement to Date: A democracy and governance (DG) assessment was completed in 1997, and provided the framework for the new DG strategic objective. Previous DG studies, including a study on local community organizations in Upper Guinea, and elections assessments (1993 presidential and 1995 legislative), also contributed to the development of the new DG strategy. USAID provided funds to the U.S. private voluntary organization, National Cooperative Business Association, to work with local-level organizations in the maritime region to train members in democratic and transparent management principles and practices, and to be more involved (as individuals and organizations) in political and economic decisions impacting their lives and communities. Several of these associations have already created financial oversight committees, increased their participation in general assemblies, restructured their organizations, demanded more transparency from their executive boards and rural development committees, and effectively mobilized financial resources for their activities. Based on this success, 15 rural development committees (locally elected government units) are now participating in the same programs. Another USAID partner, the African Development Foundation (ADF), is training local community organizations and rural development committees in participatory rural infrastructure management techniques, a pilot project which will be replicated throughout Guinea with World Bank support. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) was a USAID partner in supporting civic education and technical training in electoral processes for the 1993 presidential, the 1995 legislative and will continue to provide assistance for the 1998 presidential elections. In 1996, USAID supported an educational visit to the U.S. for 12 key members of Guinea's first multi-party National Assembly to observe and interact with both national and state policymakers. Members increased their understanding of the role and functioning of the legislative branch within a democracy, and increased their capacity in the areas of budget review and negotiation with the executive branch. USAID is also sponsoring an intensive organizational development training program for key national non-governmental organizations to become better representatives of citizens' interests.

Description: USAID is implementing this strategic objective with targeted activities at the national level and more comprehensive activities in selected local areas. Civil society strengthening activities in the Guinea Maritime region and with national NGOs will increase the capacity of local citizen organizations and associations to democratically manage their own institutions and to collaborate effectively with local government units. A comprehensive national NGO training program for key national NGO partners will increase their capacity to articulate and represent their interests and to influence the Government of Guinea's (GOG) plans and policies at the local and national levels. At the same time, greater demand for citizen input will be fostered through targeted interventions with the National Assembly. The successful National Assembly educational visit to the U.S. will be reenforced through specific activities to strengthen the policy-making and outreach capacity within the National Assembly. USAID will also conduct targeted training activities in elections administration and monitoring, and civic education for the 1998 presidential elections. Through increased accessibility of legal codes and information, and promotion of civic education, citizens will become more aware of their rights and responsibilities and participate actively in the decision making processes which affect their daily lives. In addition to these DG-specific activities, USAID/Guinea's New Partnership Initiative (NPI) approach supports improved governance across all the strategic objectives. Examples include training parent teacher associations

and community health committees in democratic management practices and creating an enabling policy environment to facilitate community management of forest resources.

Host Country and Other Donors: The GOG has a decentralization program and provides limited training activities for local elected and appointed officials. The same ministry (Decentralization and Interior) is also responsible for administering national and local elections, and has already contributed roughly 15% of the projected cost (in staff and material resources) for conducting voter registration for the 1998 presidential election. France provides most of its support to strengthening government structures, particularly at the central level, and through material support and short-term training. The European Union and Canada also provide support to NGO and civil society strengthening, in material resources and training programs. Germany has provided support (conferences and training programs) to civic advocacy groups, to state and independent media organizations, and the National Assembly. The United Nations Development Program is currently developing a decentralization program with the GOG and is hoping to get co-financing from Other Donors The World Bank is beginning a 12-year participatory community development and infrastructure program to strengthen the capacity of local community development associations to develop and maintain basic community infrastructure (roads, sanitation, schools, health centers) throughout Guinea.

Beneficiaries: The direct beneficiaries of these activities include the National Assembly, national NGOs, and targeted local citizen organizations. However, all the citizens of Guinea stand to benefit from a strengthened civil society and more responsive local and national governance.

Principal Contractors, Grantees, or Agencies: Activities are currently being implemented by the National Cooperative Business Association, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the African Development Foundation, and Guinean NGOs. As USAID expands its activities, additional contractors and grantees will be identified.

Major Results Indicators:

The DG program design stage will be completed in June 1998 at which time baseline information will be collected and specific targets will be set. Possible indicators are:

    Number/percent of targeted communities with mechanisms for citizen participation in decision-making.

    Percent of locally generated revenues reinvested in public services in targeted local communities.

    Number/percent of targeted local and national government units and civil society organizations demonstrating improved democratic governance processes.

    Number of consultation meetings between local government and citizens and civil society organizations in targeted areas.

    Number/percent of bills and/or resolutions amended or initiated by the National Assembly.

    Number/percent of legislators which organize informational and consultative meetings with their constituents.

    Percentage of targeted elections (national, local, and NGOs) planned and held according to defined procedures and schedules.

    Number of civic education activities organized by targeted public/private/civil society organizations.

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