Premier of Central Province, Hon. Polycarp Ghalaigu, and UNDP´s project manager, Mozammel Haque during the signing ceremony
THE Central Province of Solomon Islands will receive an initial grant of SBD 1,220,500 (USD $149,260) under UNDP’s Provincial Governance and Service Delivery project funded by the European Union after signing the Letter of Agreement on a ceremony held in Tulagi, capital of the Central Province, with the Premier Hon. Polycarp Ghalaigu, and UNDP´s project manager, Mozammel Haque, on Thursday, 29 February
With this grant, it is expected that Central Province will undertake five interventions to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) through supporting four schools and one healthcare facility to uphold the right to water and sanitation. Out of 44 primary schools in the province, this LoA will extend initial support to five schools where 657 students and 40 teachers will benefit directly. Besides, 519 community people, of whom 219 women will have access to improved sanitation and hygiene. In total, 1234 beneficiaries will benefit with the improved education and health care services at the provincial level, one of the main objectives of the project.
Hon. Policarp Ghalagi, Premier of Central Province, thanked UNDP and the European Union for thinking of the Central Province with this project and “help its people in areas where they most needed.”
Mozammel Haque, UNDP’s project manager, highlighted that “it is the province to decide the priorities and how the grant will be spent”.
After the signing in Central Province, 5 other provinces, namely Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Isabel, Temotu and Western Province will follow.
Due to the limited resource flow to the provinces, the weak capacity, and the lack of effective coordination among line ministries and Provincial Governments (PGs), the PGSD project aims at improving service delivery to the community. The Government’s initiative towards decentralization and developing a unified provincial administration is showing to be very slow in its reform initiative; hence, it’s missing the opportunity of delivering services to the remotest parts of the country, leaving Solomon Islands behind in achieving the development goals. Strengthening Provincial Government and Service Delivery Project contributes to goals 3,4,5.6,13, and 16 of the 2030 SDGs Agenda.
The Provincial Governance and Service Delivery project works closely with the Solomon Islands Government at national, provincial and community levels to improve service delivery and strengthen government capacities to support people-centered development.
Through the project, sector grants for health and education are provided to six out of the nine provinces in Solomon Islands to deliver vital water and sanitation activities. The project is disbursing the sector grants through the existing Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF), administered by the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening. Consultation on key policy areas to improve decentralized people-centered service delivery will also be a main feature of the project.
UNDP PRESS
