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Box 5.3. Governance for poverty alleviation in eastern Sudan
In eastern Sudan, weaknesses in governance contributed to high unemployment, malnutrition, inadequate access to healthcare and education, land degradation,
diminishing access to pasture, and low-level conflict. After rebels on the Eastern Front signed a peace agreement with the Government of Sudan
in 2006, UNDP Sudan began supporting a governance project in the Red Sea State, the poorest state in the region, to promote peace and alleviate poverty.
Developed in consultation with the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, local authorities, and civil society organizations, the project strengthened the
capacity of civil society and the private sector to demand good governance. The project also strengthened the capacity of state institutions to design and
implement responsive, pro-poor policies.
Increasing the demand for good governance involved…
(a) Development of the capacity of the media to raise awareness of the links between poverty and governance and to encourage citizens to engage in governance
processes;
(b) Community dialogues enabling women, in particular, to participate in recovery planning;
(c) Establishment of community development committees to monitor the implementation of recovery plans and to manage and maintain infrastructure
projects; and
(d) Provision of skills training and micro-enterprise start-up packages containing livestock, seeds, and tools to women.
Strengthening the capacity of government institutions for responsive, pro-poor policy development and service delivery involved…
(a) Provision of training to officials at the national level on inclusive, participatory planning processes, gender-sensitive performance budgeting, budget
execution, and financial management;
(b) Development of Planning and Information Units in ten localities throughout the state to collect and provide data for pro-poor planning; and
(c) Clarification of the mandates of government institutions at various levels, which enabled the transfer of funds from line ministries to local governments
and empowered the local governments to utilize these funds.
The project brought together all stakeholders—national and local authorities, civil society, the private sector, and communities. The project also helped
the stakeholders to build the trust and confidence that they needed to work together to realize livelihoods opportunities, build peace, and accelerate local
development.
5.2.7 Programming for institutional development
From a variety of angles, UNDP programming can help countries to address the damage
that crises cause to state, private-sector, and civil-society institutions, the effectiveness
of which is essential for livelihoods and economic recovery.
State institutions. To protect the rights of crisis-affected populations and create an enabling
environment for economic activity, state institutions are likely to need support to
effectively and equitably implement policies, manage public resources, and administer
justice. Depending on the particular context, this support may involve public administration
reform, decentralization processes, the establishment of anti-corruption committees, or
the capacity development of particular government bodies. The following are examples
of institutional support that is often appropriate in crisis and post-crisis situations:
• Ministries of Finance and tax and customs authorities often need assistance with
developing and instituting systems for public financial management, including budget
preparation and planning, budget execution, procurement, accounting and fiscal
reporting, debt management, and audit.
• Ministries of Labour may require support for protecting workers’ rights and creating
favourable dialogue between labour unions and employers’ associations. (Here, ILO
takes the lead among U.N. agencies, and UNDP can provide a supporting role.)
• Agencies involved in business registration may require support to simplify procedures
so that more businesses can start up and operate legitimately.
Livelihoods & Economic Recovery in Crisis Situations