MinDA, UN join hands to assist Mindanao LGUs seek dev’t funding
DAVAO CITY – Local government units in Mindanao will have a helping hand in the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in the formulation of their programs, including finding fund sources.
This was after the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and the UNOPS signed a memorandum of understanding to capacitate LGUs in implementing projects, said Secretary Maria Belen S. Acosta, MinDA chair.
The partnership, Acosta said, will help LGUs in preparing their projects by providing them technical assistance, as well as help them access funding for these projects.
Acosta said the technical assistance is important to comply with project preparation guidelines “because overseas development assistance (in case projects need international funding sources) would be very particular in terms of paperwork.”
With the help of UNOPS, MinDA, the agency specifically mandated not only to ensure growth in Mindanao but also to assist LGUs in their programs, will have a partner in implementing its mandates in relation to LGUs.
Oscar Leonel Ruiz, UNOPS country manager, said that the two agencies will craft a set of policies that will identify projects that will be attractive to funding agencies. “Sometimes the lack of funding is not a problem. The problem is the lack of projects that can be financed,” said Ruiz.
The two parties, he said, will focus on setting up a “project preparation facility” which is necessary for the implementation of projects as this will help LGUs to ensure the realization of their projects.”
In April, the two agencies will showcase to American donors the projects in Mindanao as the initial goal is to raise $10 million for the project preparation facility.
Ruiz said projects need “to be selected and aligned with the specific development goals” as he identified the sectors that need to be given priority as “energy, food security, and transportation.”
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