Strengthening Government in Iraq’s Provinces .

In 2008, the Iraqi parliament passed Law 21, giving certain governance responsibilities and powers to the 18 provincial governments around the country. Although the law intended for provincial councils to govern the communities they serve, this has not translated into action. USAID’s Governance Strengthening Project (GSP), also called “Taqadum” (Arabic for “moving forward”), built the capacity of these subnational government units to better respond to the needs of their constituencies. The project supported provincial governments to plan, deliver, and monitor municipal services and also linked provincial governments to the communities they serve and to central governments that provide critical resources and regulatory guidance.