GOVERNMENT-DONOR COORDINATION COMMITTEE (GDCC)

MOP Report to GDCC Meeting

Progress regarding the Integration of Planning, Budgeting, and Cooperation Financing Management Processes and the Process of Preparation of NSDP, 2009-2013

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Excellency Deputy Prime Minister,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Ministry of Planning, I would like to thank His Excellency Chairman for giving us the opportunity to report on the progress made in integrating planning, budgeting, and cooperation financing management processes and in pursuing the process of preparing the NSDP, 2009-2013.

First, I would like to give the meeting a brief account of developments in the integration process. The NSDP and its updates including the MTR have clearly acknowledged and recognised the need for close coordination among various central agencies in regard to better integration of planning, budgeting, and cooperation financing management processes. A high-level meeting of the four central agencies namely SNEC, MEF, MOP, CDC/CRDB was held at the Supreme National Economic Council on the 6^th of January under the chairmanship of HE DPM, Minister of Economy and Finance. The need for MOP to lead the process in close coordination with MEF and CRDB/CDC and the necessity of establishing an inter-agency taskforce and developing a programme for this purpose were considered immediate endeavours to be pursued. As a follow-up, MOP had drafted a first sketch of the role of the taskforce and a programme for the integration of these processes. MOP has also drafted a Joint Prakas to establish an inter-agency taskforce comprised of the representatives from the main stakeholders. The draft Prakas was sent to the main stakeholders, MEF and CRDB/CDC, for comments on the 1^st of April. MOP is waiting for their comments and suggestions. These follow-up activities were presented on several occasions: to the meetings of the TWG PPR on the 12^th of February and 24^th of April and to the meeting of the TWG P&H on the 27^th of February.

Secondly, I will be briefly touching upon the progress in the preparation process of the NSDP 2009-2013. The Royal Government has decided to prepare a fresh National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) by extending the current term of the NSDP to end in 2013. The details of preparation process will be described in an RGC Circular to be issued soon. MOP also provided a full brief of developments till then to the meetings of the core group of TWG-PPR on the 12^th of February and the 24^th of April 2009.

This decision was taken in order to respond to the “the need to ensure consistency in terms of hierarchy, role, substance, coherence and synchronisation between the Rectangular Strategy, the National Strategic Development Plan and the Sectoral Development Strategies, as well as other policy documents, investment programmes and the national budget” as articulated in the Rectangular Strategy, Phase II. In addition, this has been induced by the need for taking a fresh look at the progress so far and the current situation, both domestic and external, including the highly volatile external factors (such as global recession, financial crisis, changing commodity prices and the like).

Thank you.