Washington, March 27, 2018 — The Minister for Foreign Trade and Cooperation of the Netherlands, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, and Mr. Michael Schaeffer, acting Bank Group Libya Country Manager have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which expresses the intention of the Netherlands and the World Bank Group to support the Government of Libya, to undertake a coordinated program of reforms to strengthen management of public resources in Libya.
Consistent with their respective mandates, the Netherlands and the World Bank Group desire to collaborate in carrying out activities aimed at supporting the transition process for the State of Libya from conflict and instability to a country that focuses on strong service delivery and good governance practice. In this process, the Netherlands and the World Bank Groups are supporting the State of Libya with respect to creating an accountable government that can manage public resources effectively and transparently.
The proposed collaboration aims at building the capacity of the Government to operate, manage resources and address medium and long-term policy issues. The proposed collaboration comprises of three components critical for an effective functioning of a democratic government and the delivery of public services to citizens and businesses:
- Management of public financial resources both at the national and sub-national levels;
- Management of information and human resources;
- Coordination and collaboration among government institutions and between government and citizens
These three components are the foundations of effective, transparent and accountable governments and are critical to ensure a successful transition from conflict to peace and growth. These components will be integrated both at the central and at the local level, as the strengthening of local governance is a critical factor to ensure a sustained peace process and growth.
The Netherlands and the World Bank Group intend to achieve these goals by sharing knowledge, ideas and lessons learned; pool efforts and expertise; and jointly engage in a dialogue with stakeholders and others interested in funding and supporting these activities. As part of this collaboration, the Netherlands intends to make a financial contribution of EUR 2,000,000 to the existing Multi-Donor Trust Fund for "Public Financial Management and Governance Strengthening" managed by the World Bank. The ultimate objective of these efforts is to create a conducive environment for the economic development of the country.
Contacts:
Washington: Ebrahim Al-Harazi, +1-202-855-1565, ealharazi@worldbank.org
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