Transcript Kiribati Local Government – the Cinderella of CLGF

Effective Local Government in
Small States
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown, Bahamas, 11-15 May, 2009
Kiribati Local Government
– the Cinderella of CLGF
By Rikiaua Takeke
Secretary, Ministry of Internal & Social Affairs, Kiribati
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Areas of Discussion
•
•
•
•
•
Background
Strengths and Opportunities
Constraints and Challenges
Urbanisation and Urban Councils
Partnership between the Councils,
the CLGF and other partners
Background
• Kiribati is a sovereign state that gained independence
on 12 July, 1979.
• Located in the central Pacific, where the Equator
intersects the International Date Line,
• Population 93,500 (2005 Census)
• Micronesians, living on 33 tiny atolls that add up to 811
square kilometers (313 sq.miles).
• The atolls are grouped into three main groupings, the
Gilbert group in the West, Phoenix group in the middle,
and the Line group, in the East.
• The Line group, consists of three inhabited islands
including Christmas atoll, the biggest atoll in the world.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Map of Kiribati with areas that have been affected by CC and
disasters.)
I.D.L.
Phoenix Islands Protected Area
Economy
• The economy revolves around fisheries, copra (oil
extraction from coconuts), sea-weed cultivation,
tourism and handicrafts.
• Remittances from I-Kiribati working as seafarers
in overseas ships contribute to the economy.
• The GDP is around $60m and GDP per capita is
about $600.
• Unemployment is high, with government being the main
employer
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Councils
• Local Government a legacy of the Colonial
government
• Up to 2006, there were 22 Councils,
• 2006 - Christmas Island Council became the 23rd
• Three urban councils, two on the capital Tarawa
and one on Christmas Island,
• 49% of the population live in the urban areas
• Banaba Council has less than 1% of the
population.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Cinderella of the CLGF
• Very remote and isolated islands, vulnerable to climate
change
• Poor means of communication and irregular transport,
esp. Lines
• Operate with communities on subsistence economies,
• Limited resources and sources of income.
• Lack capacity, both institutional and human,
• Poor respect by their local communities.
• Urban Councils face urbanization, social ills,
environmental degradation, more.
Like Cinderella, they face daunting challenges from these
constraints and require assistance from the fairy
godmother, in this case, the government and donor
partners.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Strengths and opportunities
• Very stable central government, that fully supports and assists local
government
• Annual support grant make up, 50% (rural) and 30% (urban)
• Operate under a newly upgraded Local Government Act in 2007,
– Election of the Mayor by popular vote from eligible voters on
the whole island, rather than the Councilors
– Better leadership as a result of election of 2008
• The local communities own Councils and have a say in its policies
and activities
• The main link between communities and central government
• Agency for funding and other assistance from donor communities.
• Free from serious corruption
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Tackling Urbanisation by Councils
• Urbanisation an issue with Urban Councils.
–
–
–
–
–
–
Youth unemployment,
crime,
pollution,
congestion,
inadequate water supplies and
other social, economic and environmental problems
• Urban Councils are the Betio Town Council (BTC), Tarawa
Urban Council (TUC) and Kiritimati (Christmas) Urban
Council (KUC)
• BTC and TUC located on capital Tarawa with 40,000 people
• KUC on Christmas Island in the Line group of islands.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
The Sustainable Towns Programme
• Kiribati needs partnership to deal with urbanization
• NZaid provides financial and technical assistance with the
Sustainable Towns Programme
• Designed to address key urban challenges and meet the basic needs
of people in urban areas, including:–
–
–
–
–
–
poor water supply,
sanitation and solid waste disposal,
overcrowding in some areas,
poor road access and limited community facilities,
providing improved basic (‘lifeline’) services in the overcrowded areas,
provide technical assistance to relevant Ministries, Urban Councils and
community groups to ensure better forward planning and sustainable
operations and maintenance of the infrastructure
• It aims to involve more partners regionally and internationally,
including the Cities Alliance
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
CLGF’s assistance to Kiribati Councils
• Financial Management for Local Government (FMLG)
Roll Out (obj: 4.2)
• The Kiribati National Audit Office reports that financial
capacity of the Councils, to produce final annual
financial accounts - poor
• Implemented with the Local Government division of
MISA
• To be extended to all rural councils
• A similar complementary package used by the
Sustainable Town Programme to upgrade urban
councils in financial management capacity.
•
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
CLGF’s assistance to Kiribati Councils
• Standardisation of Council Bye-Laws and Translation to Kiribati
– All councils have the same rules for animals, Business, and Marine
resources
– All Enforcement officers are protected or secured under these laws
– Improve Council Income generation
• Locally Elected Leaders (LEL) Training
– Aimed at all Mayors, councilors and local leaders to enable them to
have an understanding of the LEL competencies;
– Enhance leadership skills to bring about good governance improve the
efficiency and responsiveness of urban and local authorities (councils)
– Feedback by Mayors ‘relevant and beneficial’ to their work.
• Scoping study visit
– To allow Council Clerks and mayors expose to a different setting
– To build Clerks capacities learning from their partners
– Will enable Clerks to transform and reform their council systems
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Other ongoing activities
• UNDP - Strengthening Decentralised Local
Governance, aimed at
– building the capacity of the local government division
in the government Ministries concerned, the councils
and the rural communities, in the formulation,
implementation and monitoring of small scale
projects.
– The main outcome - small grants for development
projects by the communities, to improve their
livelihood.
– This is ongoing with negotiations Phase 2.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
Conclusion
• Local government in Kiribati is strong and well supported,
despite the many challenges facing it.
• Local governments face many challenges including
Urbanization.
• These are challenges that are beyond Kiribati at this time
and therefore require effective partnership with other
organizations and countries, in order to deal with them.
• Many agencies such as the CLGF, UNDP, ADB as well as
donor partners, such as Taiwan, NZaid, and AusAID have
been working together with the Councils and government
to deal with local government issues to advance Councils to
become more accountable, transparent, democratic,
effective and sustainable.
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009
• Once these values are
realized the Cinderella
will be freed forever
from the poor
leadership and tyranny
of the ugly sisters and
the cruel step-mother.
The End
Commonwealth Local Government Forum
Meeting, Freetown., Bahamas, 11-15 May,
2009