GAROWE/NAIROBI, 10 August 2007 (UNDP Somalia) — The Minister of Justice for Puntland, Hon. Abdirizak Yasin Abdule, today launched the Somali state’s first Five-Year Development Plan (2007-2011), at a ceremony held to mark the occasion at the Presidential Palace in Garowe. Puntland’s Annual Plan (2007) and Puntland in Progress (2007) were launched at the same time. Representatives from government, UN agencies, national and international non-governmental organizations, donors, civil society, and local media were present. Speaking on behalf of the state government, the Minister of Justice affirmed that the plans would be “living documents, to be used as guiding strategies for the government and other stakeholders.”
The plan allocates 12.5% of the state budget to development-related activities and are the result of several months of consultations between government, public agencies, and other national and international partners. Indigenous expertise was maximized through the lead role of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
Guided by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and compatible with the Reconstruction and Development Plan for Puntland formulated jointly by the UN, World Bank, and Somali counterparts, the plans aim to harmonise initiatives to improve the lives of the people of Puntland. The Ministry of Planning will lead a monitoring and evaluation commission.
Both development plans express the state’s vision, strategic aspirations and priorities, policy guidelines, as well as goals and objectives for all sectors. In addition to guiding development partners, they provide directions and guidelines for more coherent and targeted international aid, harmonised with the state’s needs, priorities, and resources.
The Annual Plan (2007) is the first of five annual plans which will aid implementation of the Five-Year Development Plan. The booklet Puntland in Progress provides insight into the economic and social growth of the region from 1998 to 2005,
As part of its mandate to ensure that pro-poor, MDG-based policies are mainstreamed into national and regional reconstruction and development, UNDP has provided technical guidance and assistance to the Ministry of Planning of Puntland in preparing the documents. The organization aims to provide similar support at both national and regional levels in future.
THEY ARE DOING GREAT IN PUNTLAND
http://www.so.undp.org/index.php/Press/ ... Plans.html
