UNDP Appraises Its Programs And Projects In Somaliland

"UNDP and Somaliland's Ministry of Development & National Planning have agreed upon upgrading the UNDP Hargeysa office, from a liaison office to a fully fledged UNDP operation's head office" UNDP director, Mr Lemarquis

Hargeysa, Somaliland, July 7, 2007 (SL Times) – United Nations Development Program agency for Somalia/Somaliland office held a one day meeting on Thursday at Ambassador hotel in Hargeysa to review the projects of the past 6 months and programs implemented by the agency in Somaliland.

In 2006, the Somaliland Minister for Development and National Planning [MDNP], Ali Ibrahim Sanyare held a conference with all Nairobi UN agency heads and their various departments in Hargeysa. In that meeting it was agreed all UN agencies [UNICEF, UNDP, ILO, WHO, HABITAT, UNESCO, UNHCR, etc,.] working in Somaliland to present a working plan every 6 months to the MDNP, which covers all projects and programs intended for Somaliland by relevant UN agencies and to review and assess this working plan every 6 months with the MDNP.

The day long meeting was held in liaison with Somaliland’s MDNP and concluded with a joint press conference held in Ambassador Hotel. Ali Ibrahim Sanyare, the Somaliland Minister of MDNP and Bruno Lemarquis, the director of UNDP Somalia/Somaliland Office, chaired the press conference and gave a narrative of the day’s meeting and its outcome.

“Today’s meeting with MDNP was very successful. We have a very strong commitment with each other as partner agencies, and all things are on track. T he review and assessment made today of all UNDP programs and projects in Somaliland are exceeding the projected timetable milestones which we and the MDNP, in December last year, agreed to review and evaluate 6 months later”, UNDP S/SL office director Bruno Lemarquis said.

UNDP S/SL office director Bruno Lemarquis said, “in today’s meeting, we assessed completed and reviewed ongoing UNDP programs and projects for Somaliland, of these were developing resources and structuring, capacity building for government agencies and ministries, training for 1,500 civil servants, poverty reduction initiatives, human and child rights issues, gender equality programs, the building and refurbishment of government buildings, police stations, prisons”.

“We assessed in great detail all of last year’s UNDP projects and programs. We talked at length of our weaknesses and strengths, and all in all, we and the MDNP were most satisfied with the results and outcome of these discussions” Brono Lemarquis said.

UNDP S/SL office director Bruno Lemarquis, said the UNDP and MDNP have agreed upon upgrading the UNDP Hargeysa office, from a liaison office to a fully fledged UNDP operation's head office and introduced Mr Yahya Membala as the new resident UNDP Hargeysa Office head who will be responsible for all of UNDP’s operations in Somaliland.

Bruno Lemarquis pointed out that UNDP office in Nairobi will no longer be directly responsible for managing UNDP operations in Somaliland, but as from today the UNDP Hargeysa office has been allocated this responsibility and all decision making and budgeting will be carried out by the UNDP Hargeysa office in liaison with Somaliland government and its agencies.

Mr. Yahya Membala’s appointment comes after Somaliland’s ministry of Development and National planning set recommendations for structural changes to be made to the UN agencies policy-making and operation modes when it comes to working in Somaliland.

Mr. Yahya Membala is a national of Burkina Faso with 20 years track record working for the UN.

Source: Somaliland Times