Strengthening Capacities for Strategic Planning and Policy Development (SPPD)
Background
The Strategic Planning and Policy Development (SPPD) Programme is a framework program designed to strengthen the strategic planning, policy development and public resources management capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s public institutions at state and entity level.
The SPPD Programme works together with line ministries at the level of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS), assisting them in the development and institutionalization of organizational and human resource capacities for strategic planning and policy development. Also, the SPPD supports the ministries in improving their budget submissions by aligning them with the strategic programs.
The strategic planning component is specifically aimed at improving the public institutions’ linkage between setting strategic priorities and relating available resources to them. The policy development component aims at assisting the SPPD’s partner ministries in the definition of policy initiatives, in the analytical preparation of policy options, in the ex ante impact assessment of options, in the consultative process with stakeholders as well as in the definition of appropriate measures and instruments for the implementation and monitoring of chosen policy options.
Overall, the SPPD project is a cross-cutting program that started working with three sectors in 2009 (energy, transport, labor and employment) and then expanded its activities to six sectors from 2010 onwards (including additionally the sectors agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises and social protection). The SPPD Programme is endorsed by the BiH Council of Ministers and both entity governments.
Objectives
The overarching objective of the SPPD Programme is to provide support to the establishment and successful functioning of strategic planning and policy development system/s at state and entity levels.
The SPPD Programme will develop the capacities of civil servants in selected line ministries to undertake policy development, strategic planning and public resources management. The development of such capacities will positively contribute to the efficiency, effectiveness and accountability of BiH’s public administration and support the EU accession process.
Achievements and Expected Results
In an implementation period of two and a half years, the SPPD Programme will ensure that the selected state and entity line ministries representing six sectors develop three-year strategic plans that take sufficient account of their governments’ legal and international obligations.
The SPPD Programme will work with participating ministries in strengthening their capacities to conduct policy development and produce policies in line with EU and OECD standards with a particular focus on public and inter-ministerial consultations, impact assessment of policy options and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
The Programme will also assist its partner organizations by improving the quality of their budget plans and by streamlining those plans better with the Budget Framework Papers. This includes helping the ministries to structure resources around main programs and to work out measurable performance indicators.
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