Jordan Times
Sunday, December 5, 2004
Awadallah stresses transparency, accountability and partnership
AMMAN (Petra) — In enhancing development efforts, the government emphasises transparency, accountability and partnership in decision making on all levels, Planning and International Cooperation Minister Bassem Awadallah said Saturday.
Opening a workshop, organised by the ministry in cooperation with the World Bank, on the local administration in the Kingdom, Awadallah stressed that government administration in the governorates should heed development issues as much as they observe and mind other matters.
The minister indicated that “efforts to institutionalise the development work should meet people's aspirations and expectations.”
Representatives from the French Development Agency, the United States Agency for International Development, the European Union and several government institutions associated with development management are taking part in the workshop.
Joseph Saba, director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the World Bank, said Jordan realises the role of the local administration in development.
The workshop examined experiences and analyses related to local administration, especially the importance of effective response to citizens' needs through encouraging them to participate and take speedy and deeply-thought decisions based on their real living conditions, Saba added.
Participants in the workshop examined several regional and global experiences in the field of local governance, decentralisation and municipalities' finance.
They also discussed the vision of the Jordanian government for the future role of the municipalities and the financing of local development besides the legal requirements.
The workshop aimed at arriving at successful international and regional development models that are deemed appropriate for Jordan to follow and make use of.