Based On the recommendations of the Evaluation Team of the LICP project, which is funded by the Belgian Technical Cooperation, a workshop was held at the Grand Park Hotel to discuss the findings of the evaluation team which was collected through various visits and meetings with all the beneficiaries of the project as well as visits which had been held with NGOs and international institutions operating in the Palestinian territories, which are implementing similar projects.


Mr. Hans Olsen, Chairman of the ET, summarized the workshop agenda and introduced the six criteria that have been adopted to assess the LICP project. The most important things of the six criteria were effectiveness efficiency, coherence and the social impact. The Evaluation is in general very positive and the team recommended a transitional extension to the LICP project as well as considering a second phase of the project, taking into account the commitment to the Palestinian comprehensive national plan of development.


Mr. Luc Laloo, Resident Representative of the Belgian cooperation, welcomed and thanked the attendance for their participation at the workshop including the LICP project team who were complemented for their distinguished performance. Ms. Mageda Nabhan, LICP project manager, summarized the progress of the project and what has been done at all components, including infrastructure projects, capacity building, the financial management system and institution-building.

Forty three participants attended the workshop representing, the MOLG in the three districts who benefited from the LICP project ,representatives from the BTC, mayors and heads of local councils, NGOs, the LICP staff and others.


Mr. Abdel Karim Sidr, coordinator of donor countries at the ministry of local government, commended the positive findings by ET and noted the importance of increasing cooperation and coordination with the MOLG by the LICP project in the future, especially with regard to the use of the Training Institute for local governance in Jericho.

Mr. Abdul Karim emphasized the idea of focusing on a particular sector by donors instead of scattering the fund among different sectors in order to cover an entire sector by each donor, he also focused on the national plan which calls for strengthening the Joint Service Councils and the need to align with the Palestinian national plan for development by donors.


Most of the participants contributed in the discussion including, JICA representative, the director general of the local government in the province of Salfit , the director general of local government in the province of Tulkarem and the directorate of Joint Service councils, they all expressed their support to the role of the DJSCPD, in addition to others.


Al Quds Newspaper, November 19th 2007