The Government-UNDP Cuba joint Programme for Local Human Development (PDHL) began in 1998 as a United Nations strategy to accompany the efforts national authorities had directed towards facilitating the coordinated action of the international cooperation in support of the decentralisation and local development processes prioritised by the country, in the quest for achieving the MDGs. The PHDL delivers to both the country and the different international cooperation actors an operative, programmatic and managerial framework that favours action coordination in support for the aforementioned processes.

Local human development is one of the five priorities included in the 2008-2012 United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) in Cuba, an area where the PDHL is inserted as an action coordination instrument, and is also one of the four UNDP’s Programme-Framework priorities for 2008-2010.

The Government-UNDP jointly identified PDHL thematic priorities are: the strengthening of governments and local entities’ management capacities, including community participation, a gender approach and the use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs); the support for increasing capacities for local economic management; and the promotion of national strategies contributing to local human development. Its chief action lines are: assistance to food security programmes at the local level, the development and diversification of the local economy, environment preservation, the use of renewable energies, the reinforcement of territorial social services - mainly health and education, support to vulnerable groups, the rational use of water resources and the strengthening of inclusive territorial planning and community participation.

The PDHL began to be implemented in the Provinces of Granma and Pinar del Río and in the pilot municipality of La Habana Vieja. After evaluating the results achieved by the Programme’s methodology, the government recognised its utility and requested its extension to other provinces. It currently operated in 8 of the 14 Cuban provinces - Pinar del Río and the Municipality of La Habana Vieja in the Western Region, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus in the Central Region, and Las Tunas, Holguín, Granma, Santiago and Guantánamo in the Eastern Region - and in 69 out of 169 municipalities.

 

Resource Mobilisation and Execution

 

The PDHL covers 15 big projects that are then implemented in the territory through 150 local projects and actions, which have been led and, supported and counted with the participation of 860 local and national entities and 254 international actors. In 2009, the financial execution was of 2.1 million USD and 5.8 million Cuba pesos, as well as of 780 thousand USD contributed to in kind and 59 thousand USD in valued technical assistance, for a total of 2,848,926 USD in 2009.

 

Programme at a Glance

 

Duration	Since 1998
Current Phase	Approval and current implementation of the 2008-2012 Programme Framework.
Projects	During 2009, the PDHL implemented projects along the following strategic lines: In the Central Region: food security, sustainable access and efficient use of potable water, environmental quality, sustainable community development, computing development and knowledge management. In the Eastern Region: food production and diversification, water and sanitation, local economic development, knowledge management, basic services, socio-cultural invigoration, environment, energy, gender and employment. And in the Western Region: local food security, social services, heritage, environment and infrastructure preservation, housing, local management, lodgement, local management and local economic development.
Donors and Partners	Bilateral Partners: European Union; Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency (COSUDE);Canadian Agency for International Development (CIDA); Spanish International Development Cooperation Agency (AECID). Decentralised Cooperation Partners: the PHDL currently counts on 254 decentralised cooperation actors as partners; 15 NGOs, 8 universities, 231 cities, regions and provinces organised in 37 cooperation committees, local funds and other groups from 7 countries: Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, UNS Agencies: UNICEF; WFP; FAO; UNHABITAT; UNFPA; UNEP; UNDP; UNFPA. Budget Total amount executed: 2,848,926 USD
National Management	National Counterpart: the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Investment (MINCEX) is the national institution responsible for the PDHL. In October 2009, and ascribed to the MINCEX, the National Coordination Office (NCO) was created as the PDHL Director entity. The Programme’s national coordination is in charge of the NCO, which is in charge of articulating and facilitating the actions undertaken by the Provincial (PWGs) and the Municipal Work Groups (MWGs) and the decentralised cooperation partners.
Local Management	At the local level, the Programme is coordinated by the Municipal and Provincial Governments and rests upon the participation of economic, social and cultural actors in the territories. At the provincial level, the Popular Power Provincial Assemblies are in charge of the Programme. Each province has a coordination operative structure, namely the Provincial Working Group (PWG), responsible for the articulation of international cooperation with the territorial priorities and integrated by the permanent delegates (members) – identified according to the territories’ priorities - and by delegates whose participation is limited to the management of rather concrete issues. At the municipal level, the coordination operative structure is the Municipal Working Group (MWG), which follows the same structure and functioning modality of the PWG. Both the PWGs and MWGs are local bodies established with Programme support but mostly financed by local governments. Within the current Programme institutionalisation framework, the groups are assuming new responsibilities as delegated by the local governments in order to articulate national projects and resources supporting local development.

 

Results and Activities atr the Local Level

 

Streghtening of Local level Management Capacities

► Support to 10 new municipalities in El Pinar, Las Tunas, Sancti Spiritus Santiago de Cuba with strategic instruments on local management and implementation of ICT for information management. ► Training of 40 local decision makers (40% women) in development management. ► Capacity development and strengthening of 40 basic social services in 20 municipalities, benefiting 80,000 people. ► Support to 20 local community participation and development in 20 municipalities of 55 projects created with community involvement. ► Training in participatory and strategic planning, and programming of national and international funds to 3,500 people representing over 500 institutions in 45 municipalities. ► Strengthening the Working Groups as a platform for interagency planning and implementation of joint projects: MDG Fund, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, UNFPA, UN-Habitat, UNEP, AECID and EU. ► Gender awareness raising in the local media.

 

Increased Local Capacity for Economic Management

► Implementation of 4 operational instruments and economic initiatives to generate local resources related to food security in Cienfuegos, Las Tunas, Guantánamo and Matanzas: “credits mechanisms”, “Municipal Offices in Support of Local Management,” “Instances of implementation of economic projects.“ ►Creation of the Fund to Fostering import-substituting local projects. ► Credit access for 4 local companies within the FRIDEL framework. ► Support to the Ministry of Economy and Planning in the decentralisation of economic management functions to pilot municipalities (Martí, La Palma, Río Cauto, Yaguajay and El Salvador) as part of the PDHL.

 

Promotion of National Strategies for Local Human Development

► Systematisation and application of 4 methodologies and tools for the implementation of national strategies at the local level: ranches, cooperative autonomy, loan funds and local statistics. ► Formulation and implementation of 33inter-sectorial local projects, with the participation of 3 ministries and the territories, whilst promoting the participation of women. ► Training to 8 institutions in methodologies and tools to assess project impact.

 

Eastern Region

Provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguín and Las Tunas, and 41 municipalities within these 5 Provinces

 

Local Coordination and Partners

► Currently, 180 decentralised cooperation entities, 3 bilateral agencies – CIDA, AECID and COSUDE – and seven UNS Agencies use the PDHL as a programmatic and managerial framework to undertake their actions and implement their projects in the Eastern Region. ► Multi-disciplinary Provincial Working Groups have been constituted in the 5 provinces serving as managerial, articulation and facilitation of joint actions. ► These same structures exist in the 41 municipalities where the PDHL works.

 

Food Security Programmes

Development of urban agriculture: intensification of the creation of “Organoponic” urban, organic gardens. ► Implementation of a process for agricultural diversification. ►Exploitation of the potential in cattle raising, forestry, gardens, and the production of fruit and grains. ► Development of 21 agricultural cooperatives, resulting in the production of 8,932 tons of produce and fresh condiments (productivity of 114.6 t/ha) and benefiting 900,000 inhabitants.

 

Urban Planning and Rehabilitation

► Repairing of social housing units and social institutions and rehabilitation and conservation of the accommodation fund. ► Quality improvements in urban and architectural design. ► Improvement of public lighting resulting in the monthly production of 78,000 blocks of concrete, the construction of 44 houses and rehabilitation of 787 more, benefiting 19,312 inhabitants.

 

Territorial Social Services

► Strengthening of potable water aqueducts, sewage and rain drainage infrastructure. ► Maintenance and repairing of the accommodation fund employing alternative resources and with community participation. ► Reinforcement of social amenities and services for the population via the use of ICTs. ► Rehabilitation and resizing of numerous health care, educational and cultural centres. ► Capacity building and technical exchange for the benefit of 10,689 inhabitants, reducing settlements’ morbidity rates by 50%.

 

Environment and Renewable Energy

► Amelioration of solid waste management. ► Creation of forestall farms for soil protection and wetlands. ► Support for reforestation, right against desertification, and drought prevention and mitigation programmes. This has led to the reforestation of 1,375 ha benefiting 326,000 inhabitants, the creation of 3 pasture farms, the recovery of more than 33 tons of manure, the daily recuperation of 8.5 kg of plastic and the improvement of the community’s hygienic-sanitary conditions following a 60% reduction of waste.

 

Sugar Reconversion

Dynamic economic recuperation in 8 communities where sugar processing factories have been close, creating 155 jobs.

 

Vulnerable Groups

► Creation of 10 care centres and rehabilitation of health clinics. ► Food security support to 23 elderly care centres for the benefit of 1,876 individuals. ► Support to 4 women and family orientation houses. ► Creation and/or strengthening of 18 grandparents’ houses, 7 homes for the elderly and 1,709 grandparents associations in the communities for the benefit of 3,500 individuals. ► 1,900 disabled people benefited from using these facilities. ► Installation of new refrigeration equipments for the benefit of 47 childcare centres and 3,376 children. ► Rehabilitation and equipment of 450 schools. ► 514 students from special schools, 134 students from elementary school students and 2,621 teachers benefited.

 

Local Economic Development

► Creation of 3,694 new jobs through the actions developed by the Programme, 1,498 of them for women.

 

Capacity Building and/or Strengthening

► Participation of 172 training workshops on gender. ► Conduction of training actions for the beneficiaries and actors of cooperation related to PDHL: benefited 4,800 pupils in boarding centres, 973 in special schools, 7,536 in primary schools. ► Offered 44 workshops on project formulation. ► Implementation of 324 training workshops on project management, the PDHL operational mode, diagnosis, group work, gender and accounting issues with the participation of 5,607 people. ► Training of project management groups and the community and undertaking activities on health promotion and protection of the environment, with the participation of 321 students, 10 cultural promoters, 50 activists, 2 teachers, 1 doctor and 2 nurses. ► Undertaking of educational advocacy activities and pedagogical exchanges on health and learning of children with special educational needs, with the participation of 209 parents, 31 methodologists, 21 managers, 56 teachers and the community groups. ► Organisation of training workshops on environment and planning strategies, with the participation of over 400 professionals and technicians.

 

Central Region

Provinces of Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus, and 13 municipalities of these 2 Provinces

 

Local Coordination and Partners

► Currently 34 decentralised cooperation entities, COSUDE and the AECID and 4 UNS Agencies - FAO, UNESCO, UN-HABITAT and UNEP - use the PDHL as a programmatic and management framework for their activities and projects in the Central Region. ► In the two provinces there is a multidisciplinary Provincial Working Group, which serves as a mechanism for management, coordination and facilitation of international cooperation activities and support to local development. ► The same structure exists at the municipal level in the nine municipalities where PDHL works.

 

Food Security

► Support food production through the conversion of a former cane-producing unit into a food-producing unit, achieving an increase in food production and improving efficiency in the conservation and marketing of the agricultural products.

 

Local Economic Development

► Infrastructure revitalisation for the production of food and building materials: generation of 30 new jobs, 21 for women and 9 for men, in a pickle factory, a sweets factory and a pulp factory, in the semi-covered cultivation of vegetables and in the functioning of the Expo-fair.

 

Environment and Renewable Energy

► Promotion of sustainable land management, the treatment of liquid and solid waste pollutants. ► Improvements in the access and supply of drinking water to the population. ► Electrification of homes through alternative energy sources. ► Promotion of environmental education and the community environmental culture and recovery of natural and heritage values.

 

Recovery of the Historical Heritage

► Development of the recovery strategy of the historic centre of Cienfuegos, world heritage, and start-up of its rehabilitation process.

 

Urban Construction and Rehabilitation

► Provision to 102 families, as a loan, of modules of tools for the construction of their homes and to another 222 families for other construction activities. ► Increased production of concrete blocks to 400 units a day. ► Training of 310 housing workers and technicians, including 132 women. ► Implementation of 2,801 projects in response to the request by the Investors Units of the Housing; strengthening their operational capacity achieving a reduction in the processing and implementing time of the projects. ► Training of architects in the participatory design approach through a workshop, a technical event and the presentation of 11 works previously selected in each municipality. ► Rehabilitation and equipping of 3 primary schools, 1 house of children, 2 facilities for recreation and culture and 1 food services unit which provided services to 2,823 inhabitants.

 

Capacity Building and/or Strengthening

► Alignment of the research lines of the university centres in the municipality with the local development priorities. ► Support to the undertaking by these institutions of 12 diagnoses and 2 researches. ► Carrying out of 48 knowledge management activities among the workshops, postgraduate, diplomas and courses, organized at the provincial and local level with the participation of 1,011 people (among them 463 women). ► Replication of these courses at the municipal level with the participation of 2,153 workers and technicians (among whom 405 were women). ► Creation of specialised classrooms for knowledge management in the Ministries of Agriculture and Sugar of the Sancti Spiritus Province. ► Strengthening of the capacities of the Working Groups allowing their engagement in other forms of international cooperation as implementers, facilitators or consultants, becoming drivers of local development initiatives.

 

Vulnerable Groups

► Ongoing implementation of the literacy plans in Braille System in the territory’s public libraries and continuous use of the computer lab for 15 hours by teachers and students of the school for the blind and visually weak in Cienfuegos. ► Assured computer literacy to all students of that school in the Province of Cienfuegos. ► Increments of the learning efficiency indicator of 21 blind and visually weak students and secured continuation of studies to 29 blind students. ► Development of exchange therapeutic actions with other people, the natural environment and fauna for the bio-psycho-social balance of children with disabilities, creating the necessary conditions for the implementation of the therapy with horses.

 

Support for the Municipal Initiative for Local Development (IMDL)

► Support for the development of this initiative in the Central Region, which aims to ensure the active participation of Municipal Governments in the development strategy through the implementation of self-financed economic projects, income generation initiatives that will enable the effective replacement of imports (especially food) and of benefits for local development: ► Identification of the municipalities with the following characteristics: potential for agricultural development, loss of economic growth, unfavourable demographic situation and proximity to tourist destinations. ► Undertaking, in the Cienfuegos Province, of a workshop on project identification, IMDL management, development of business plans, among others, with the participation of the Municipal and Provincial Working Groups, the Provincial Directorate of Economics and Planning and the Vice President of the Provincial Assembly of Popular Power.

 

Western Region

Pinar del Río Province, 15 of its municipalities and the Municipality of Habana Vieja

 

Food Security

► Enhancing livestock, forestry, fruit, vegetable and grain production in Integral Farms. ► Strengthening ofthe popular agriculture and the local agribusiness. ► Strengthening of the marketing system of agricultural products. ► Support for the reconversion of the sugar industry. Strengthening of the food production and distribution capacity of 13 educational centres in Pinar del Rio, for the benefit of 5,552 students and 883 teachers, and enhancing their ability to “food care” to the population in case of emergency.

 

Local Economic Development

► Reactivation of the local industry through the promotion and use of the Rotatory Fund for Local Economic Development Initiatives (FRIDEL) credit facility. ► Support for the local production of housing construction and rehabilitation materials. ► Enhancing of the diversification of the region's economy through the application of the ICT and the creation of jobs through initiatives linked to the creative economies or cultural industries. Through the creation of 59 new jobs (25 occupied by women) and the consolidation of 27 others; production of ornamental plaster and ironwork elements for the rehabilitation of social housing and the physical recovery of the territory; restoring the production capacity of a woodworking in the Municipality of La Palma via the FRIDEL credit facility, as a IMDL pilot experience in the territory.

 

Territorial Social Services

► Improvement in the quality of services of drinking water supply. ► Increased quality of the elderly care service and the maternal and child care and health surveillance. ► Improvement of the living and study conditions in educational institutions. Through the delivery of 82 special cars for children with severe disabilities and the support for the integration of those with special educational needs; encouragement and strengthening of sport and recreation for the benefit of 5,331 inhabitants of the Pinar del Río Province; restoration and equipment of the major cultural facility and construction of a playground in the People's Council Pablo de la Torriente Brau of the Pinar del Río Province benefiting 3,600 people; creation of protected residences for senior citizens and improving care quality for the 280 residents of the Provincial Elderly Nursing Home; improvement in the quality of care to 480 elderly people through the rehabilitation and equipping of 15 Elderly Homes in the Province of Pinar del Río and amelioration of elderly care through the provision of ophthalmological services in the Historical Centre of La Havana.

 

Sustainable Development

► Improvements on environmental and urban quality through the modernisation of the water and waste management system. Through the integrated management of watersheds, coastal areas and protected areas; soil rehabilitation, combating desertification and drought; increase capacities for water and solid waste management; provision of solar electricity in 20 rural households in the Valley of Vinales Valley, benefiting 102 people; activation of a water treatment plant in the City of Pinar del Rio for the benefit of 110,000 inhabitants; rehabilitation of the water supply network, valves and pumping equipment; creation of a potable water supply system benefiting 13,600 inhabitants; improvements in the quality of the supply service of San Diego de Los Baños for the benefit of 15,000 people, and the provision of 110 cleaning trolleys to the manual sweeping brigade of the Historic Centre of La Havana.

 

Construction of Social Housing

► Integral rehabilitation of the Historic Centre of La Havana, with the main objective of constructing new social housing and recovering the room fund with a high degree of deterioration, benefiting 18 households.

 

Local Management

► Strengthening of the management structures through the application of ICT and knowledge management. Through the implementation of 155 actions in project management and development and local programming training for the benefit of 1,500 people, and implementation of the local programming cycle of the “PALMA Project” to modernise the agricultural sector, in nine municipalities of the Province of Pinar del Río.

 

Local Coordination and Partners

►Currently 78 decentralised cooperation institutions, the AECID and 3 UN Agencies - UNESCO, FAO and UNICEF - use the PDHL as a programmatic and management framework for their operations and projects in the Western Region. ► In the Pinar del Río Province, there is a multidisciplinary Provincial Working Group that serves as a mechanism for management, coordination and facilitation of international cooperation activities and support to local development. ► The very same structure exists at the municipal level in the 15 municipalities where the PDHL works.

 

International Missions

► Carrying out of 14 decentralised cooperation missions comprising 27 specialists, technicians and decision makers, who jointly worked with the local structures in programming, implementation and exchange of knowledge and experiences. ► Development of 20 monitoring missions consisting of 39 specialists and technicians, which validated the implementation of the joint projects. ► Organisation of a mission to present the achieved results and mobilisation of resources in 2009. ► Participation in the Regional Workshop "Territorialisation of the Millennium Development Goals and South-South Cooperation" (Montevideo, Uruguay, October 2009). ► Participation in the International Forum "Territory, Decentralised Cooperation and New Active Multilateralism", (Seville, November 2009) and the International Forum "ART 4: Years 10 Results: Progress, Challenges and Perspectives" (Seville, 25-27 November 2009). ► Undertaking of Cuba’s support activities to countries in the Region in capacity building for local human development: two horizontal cooperation activities conducted on the management of historic centres and local-rural economic development.

 

Knowledge Management

► Designation by the MINCEX (March 9) of a coordinator for the IDEASS and UNIVERSITAS projects, establishment of the Advisory Committee (comprised by the Chair of Human Development at the University of Havana, the Research Centre for the World Economy; Centre for Research on Women and PDHL/UNDP) and approval by the Advisory Group of a short and medium term working plan. ► Design of the diploma proposal “International Partnership for Development” and its presentation to the Universities of Pinar del Río, Havana, Cienfuegos and Guantánamo. ► Design of the “Global Economic Crisis” workshop and presentation to the Universities of Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos and Guantánamo. ► Starting the design of a “Course for Managers of International Cooperation Projects” and initial discussion with the mentioned universities. ► Undertaking a workshop on gender in Cienfuegos. ► Development with the University of Pinar del Río of a knowledge management project with technical assistance from Argentina. ► Establishment of a system for selective information dissemination to the PDHL’s PWGs and associated individuals. ► Definition with the Working Groups of activities on knowledge systematisation and transfer in the framework of the PDHL: design of the Critical Path of the Programme’s processes as a central axis for systematising activities.

 

Innovation Exchange

► Continuation of the work on systematised Cuban innovations, for instance the transfer of "Stabilak" to several countries, notably Bolivia. ► Ongoing strengthening of this component, both domestically and internationally, as a key element of South-South cooperation.

 

Results and Activities at the National Level

 

The PDHL implements more than 80% of its actions and projects in the local realm, linked to national strategies, through the articulation and dialogue with the competent national entities. The latter give continuous follow up to the set of innovative actions developed in the territories on each one of the PDHL priority areas, with the aim of assuring their assimilation and replication at the national level. National entities are then feed by locally developed initiatives, guaranteeing the devise of high-impact local development national strategies, permitting the decentralisation of functions and capacities towards the territories.

 

PDHL Institutionalisation

► Creation of the MINCEX’s National Office for Local Development Coordination, concretising the Programme’s national institutionalisation within the international cooperation branch.

 

Support for National Strategies

► Restructuring of the agricultural sector: municipal decentralisation towards food security – Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG). ► Municipal Initiative for Local Development: competency and financial decentralisation towards the municipalities – Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP). ► Local industrial development: decentralised capacity development on this economic activity in favour of the provinces – Ministry of the Light Industry (MINIL). ► Municipalisation of Higher Education: development the role municipal universities can play as providers of knowledge for development – Ministry of Higher Education (MES). ► Reconversion of the sugar industry: restructuring of local economic chains for employment generation in those municipalities where factories have been closed – Sugar Ministry (MINAZ). ► Local statistics: capacity building and information generation on local indicators measuring progress on the MDGs – National Statistics Office (ONE). ► Agro-industry: decentralisation of local productive organisations – Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) and Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP). ► Business fine tuning: support local enterprises’ capacities on formulating business plans and access to foreign-exchanged quoted credit – Credit and Trade Bank (BANDEC) and the Ministry of Economy and Planning (MEP). ► Local housing construction: strategy fostering local factories for the production of construction materials – Housing National Institute (INV). ► Computerisation of society – Ministry of Information Technology and Communications (MIC). ► Local and community risk management – Civil Defence.

 

Bilateral Cooperation

► Has been gaining terrain and during 2009 it had a positive effect regarding resource availability (33% of the executed amount in 2009). The Programme’s bilateral partners support the PDHL’s innovative vision and approach, incorporating its knowledge, experiences and approaches to the local and national strategies the Programme supports. ► Assistance in the negotiation, formulation and approval of the Supporting Programme for the Modernisation of Agriculture in Cuba (PALMA) to be implemented over the next three years with the collaboration of the European Commission

 

Decentralised Cooperation

► The PDHL’s 254 decentralised cooperation partners provide the element defining the nature of the international cooperation in the country: innovation. The implementation of the innovation component in the territories takes places through the exchange and transference of innovations and best practices between the decentralised entities from other countries and their Cuban counterparts.

 

UNS Agencies

► The 7 partner Agencies use the PDHL as a local planning and programming mechanism for their cooperation actions. The territories through the Working Groups incorporate the Agencies’ visions and methodologies whenever their fields of expertise match local priorities and the Agencies then mobilise their knowledge, experience and financial resources to support the Cuban territories face the different thematic challenges. ► Support for the negotiation, formulation and approval of the “Support to the new decentralisation and productive stimulus initiatives in Cuba” programme with the participation of 3 Agencies – UNDP, FAO and UNESCO – within the framework of the United Nations’ MDGs Fund financed by Spain.

 

Capacity Development

► All the way through 2009, activities or capacity building and strengthening for national institutions were undertaken on thematic areas emerging from the implementation of local strategies: ► Organisation of the Diploma on “International Cooperation Management” in the Province of Pinar del Río. ► Carrying out of the Diploma on “Managers Training for the agro-industrial reconversion process within the context of local human development” in the Province of Holguín, with the participation of 26 assistants, 83% of which graduated and 24 business initiatives resulted from the presented thesis.

 

Strengthening of Local Management Capacities

► Reinforcement of 10 new municipalities in El Pinar, Las Tunas, Sancti Spíritus and Santiago de Cuba with strategic instruments for local management and application of CITs to information management. ► Training of 40 local decision-makers (40% women) on development management. ► Capacity building and reinforcement of 40 basic social services in 20 municipalities, benefiting 80,000 people. ► Support to 20 local entities of community participation in 20 municipalities and development of 55 projects created with community participation. ► Training on participatory and strategic planning and national and international fund programming for 3,500 persons representing more than 500 institutions from 45 municipalities. ► Working Group reinforcement inter-agency programming platforms and the implementation of joint projects: MDGs Fund, UNICEF, FAO, WFP, UN HABITAT, UNEP and EU. ► Gender awareness raising in local media.

 

Increase of Capacities on Local Economic Management

► Implementation of 4 operating instruments and economic initiatives for the generation of local resources associated to food security in Cienfuegos, Las Tunas, Guantánamo and Matanzas: “credit mechanisms”; “Local Management Municipal Support Offices”; “Implementation instances of economic projects.” ► Creation of the fund for fostering import-substituting local projects. ► Credit access by 4 local enterprises within the FRIDEL framework. ► Support for the Ministry of Economy and Planning in decentralising economic management functions to the pilot municipalities (Martí, La Palma, Río Cauto, Yaguajay and El Salvador) within the PDHL framework.

 

Promotion of National Strategies for Local Human Development

► Systematization and application of 4 methodologies and instruments for the implementation of national strategies at the local level: cattle raising farms, cooperative autonomy, credit funds and local statistics. ► Formulation and implementation of 33 inter-sectorial local projects with the participation of 3 ministries and the territories and whilst promoting the participation of women. ► Training of 8 institutions on methodologies and instruments for evaluating project impact.

 

BEST PRACTICES ► Support to the care programme for the elderly and handicapped: creation and improvement of evening community care centres; improvement on the functioning of the provincial networks of ‘Grandparents’ Houses’; development of Braille literacy plans in public libraries; support for the integral care community service for the elderly. This took place in the provinces of Guantánamo, Cienfuegos and Pinar del Río and in the Municipality of La Habana Vieja, with support from the Cuban Cooperation Association, the Committee of Decentralised Cooperation from Val di Cecina and the Region of Tuscany. ► Strengthening of the construction materials industry for the erection and rehabilitation of social housing units: decrease the running down of the living fund; and improvement and increase of the production of materials via technological equipment. This was seen in provinces of Guantánamo, Santiago and the Municipality of La Habana Vieja with the support of cooperation actors such as Euskal Fondoa, Vitoria Gasteiz, Canadá Noel, the Foundation Rosa Luxemburgo, and the Swiss Development Agency (COSUDE). ► Education and healthy recreation for boys and girls: improvement of the spaces for healthy recreation; promotion and development of integral learning in educational centres; promotion of culture, recreation and sport; improvement in health care and the hygienic and sanitary conditions and nutrition in educational centres; support to teachers in guaranteeing labour preparation for boys, girls and adolescents. This was carried out in the Eastern provinces and in the municipality of La Habana Vieja with UNICEF support. ► Agricultural Development to contribute to food security: strengthening of the sugar reconversion process; production of fruit and vegetables preserves assuring their availability and quality throughout the year; fostering of local economic development; introduction of house gardens, vegetables and peanuts in plots and patios; increases in the production of pork and goat meet; water supply for agricultural production; diversification of irrigated agricultural production; support for the development of new production technologies; increases in milk production with the use of pedestal technology; reinforcement of the productive capacity in Food Processing Centres. Such practices were identified in the Eastern Region and the Province of Santic Spiritus with the support of the Basque Government, NGO Allende, BEAZ, CIDA, the ART Programme, TRAC Funds, FAMSI and Canadian municipalities. ► Processing of solid waste and cleaning of public areas: creation of an Urban Solid Waste Processing Centre; acquisition of carts and other gadgets for picking up solid waste; creation of a raw materials Recycling Centre in the Province of Guantánamo that received the country’s national environment award and it is being replicated in the Province of Holguín, Santic Spíritus and the Municipality of La Habana Vieja, this with the support of the Basque government and BEAZ.

 

Results and Activities at the International

 

Level

 

International Missions

► Conduction of 14 decentralized cooperation missions composed of 27 specialists, technicians and decision makers, who worked together with local structures in programming, implementation and exchange of knowledge and experiences. ► Development of 20 monitoring missions consisting of 39 specialists and technicians during which the implementation of joint projects was validated. ► Organization of a results presentation and resource mobilization mission for the year 2009. ► Participation in the regional workshop "Territorialization of the Millennium Development Goals and South-South Cooperation" (Montevideo, Uruguay, October 2009). ► Participation in the international forum "Territory, Decentralized Cooperation and the New Active Multilateralism", (Seville, November 2009) and the "International ART Forum: 4 years and 10 results" (Seville, November 2009). ► Cuba Undertook actions in support of countries in the region in capacity building for local human development: 2 horizontal cooperation activities conducted on the management of historic centers and local-rural economic development.

 

Knowledge Management

► Designation by the MINCEX (March 9, 2009) of a project coordinator for UNIVERSITAS and IDEASS, establishment of the Advisory Committee (comprised by the: Chair in Human Development at the University of Havana, Research Centre for World Economy, Centre for Women Studies and the PDHL/PNUD) and approval by the Advisory Group of a short and medium term work plan. ► Design of a proposal for the diploma on "International Partnership for Development" and presentation to the Universities of Pinar del Río, Havana, Cienfuegos and Guantánamo. ► Design of the "Global Economic Crisis" workshop and presentation to the Universities of Pinar del Río, Cienfuegos and Guantánamo. ► Commencement of the design of a “Course for International Cooperation Project Managers “ and initial discussion with the aforementioned universities. ► Development in Cienfuegos of a workshop on gender. ► Development along the University of Pinar del Río of a knowledge management project with technical assistance from Argentina. ► Establishment of a system for the selective dissemination of information to the PDHL’s PWGs and involved persons. ► Definition with the Working Groups of actions on the systematization and transfer of knowledge within the PDHL: design of the Critical Path for the programme’s processes as a central axis for the systematization initiatives.

 

Innovation Exchange

► Continued work on the systematized Cuban innovations, for example the transfer of Stabilak in several countries, mainly Bolivia. ► Ongoing strengthening of this component both internal and internationally as a key element of South-South cooperation.

 

Programme's Challenges for 2010

 

At the Local Level

► Continue developing planning and project management skills of the LWGs and consolidation of the strategic capacity of the PWGs. ► Keep the accent on the vision of development as a process, planning strategies and prioritizing processes within the broad Guidelines. ► Implement the system for monitoring, evaluation and systematisation of projects, processes, lessons learned and best practices. ► Implement decentralisation in decision-making and financial management. ► Strengthen the participatory planning process.

 

At the National Level

► Accompanying the ONC in assuming its responsibilities and mandate of PDHL management. ► Contribute to the Municipal Initiative for Local Development (IMDL) supporting the development of management skills and ownership of local governments, making available to the national and local actors the experience and innovative tools developed in other territories. ► Implement the pilot strategy for local economic development. ► Refine and/or develop tools for monitoring, evaluation and systematisation of the programme, local projects and processes, lessons learned and best practices.

 

At the International Level

► Encourage substantive and financial participation of decentralized cooperation entities and other donors, identify entities with experience and good practices in the priority areas in order to increase the exchange and transfer of innovations. ► Exchange and transfer of experiences and innovations with other countries taking advantage of the ART framework and the South-South cooperation, especially in Latin America.

 

Contacts