Summary
The SNS Program completion report summarises key achievements and outcomes, including lessons learned over the entire program period.
Description
Because of the investment and the results SNS has achieved, most provinces, districts, and local governments are:
- integrating planning and budgeting processes
- allocating more money to key priority areas (a 32 per cent increase between 2005 and 2009)
- moving staff from provincial headquarters to districts and local government to improve services
- becoming more accountable for service delivery by submitting statutory national performance reports and through local multi-stakeholder performance monitoring forums.
More money is now flowing into service provision. The 2010 national budget increased funding for provincial and local service delivery by 22 per cent. There is more public accountability. The Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs has revived the inter-departmental provincial and lower level service monitoring authority that monitors and coordinates national and sub-national cooperation. It has also resurrected the practice of provinces preparing annual reports on service delivery outcomes for the PNG Parliament.
These developments suggest that the system is better able to manage its own affairs–and that bodes well for further advances in service delivery. But PNG remains a complex environment, with many challenges still to surmount. Although generally impressive, progress varies significantly across provinces. The most encouraging outcomes have been in provinces whose leadership–both political and administrative–is committed to positive change.