The Ambassador of Italy to Kenya H.E. Alberto Pieri and the UNDP Resident Representative Mr. Walid Badawi on 04 December 2019 signed the agreement hosted at the Italian Ambassador’s Residence in Nairobi ratifying the Italian contribution to the Consolidating Gains and Deepening Devolution in Kenya Programme. The programme will be implemented from January 2020 to December 2022 and is co-funded with Sweden and Finland.
The Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) is contributing 400.000 Euros in support of specific activities aimed at strengthening local finance management systems and enhanced transparent and participatory financial planning. By leveraging the comparative advantage and the close linkages with county and national government, UNDP, UNICEF and UN WOMEN, will through the Programme strengthen county governance capacity in areas related to Public Financial Management (PFM), performance monitoring and reporting, resilience to environmental risks, citizen engagement and inclusiveness (especially policy concerns of women, youth and persons with disability).
At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Pieri praised both the strong commitment of the UN Agencies that will implement this Programme to “deliver as one” under the leadership of UNDP, and the longstanding partnership between Italy and the United Nations in Kenya. “A partnership that spans in sectors of utmost importance for the development of Kenya and which, with the contribution to this Programme, will now support central and local governments towards a sounder devolution system attentive to end harmful practices and policies against women, with stronger ownership, improved governance, and wider socio-economic development.”
Thanking the Italian Embassy to Kenya and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, UNDP’s Resident Representative, Walid Badawi, noted that, “Italy’s support is very much appreciated, it is timely and targets a critical issue for Kenya; improved public financial management is a prerequisite to improving service delivery in Kenya’s counties and improving the lives of Kenyan citizens. This support will leverage Kenya’s own public expenditures and help Kenya achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.”