Under the motto “For a Coordinated Local Governance at the Service of the Citizen”, the first session of the National Coordination Council was held on 25 August 2021 in Maputo city within the framework of the coordination and articulation mechanism between the central bodies of the State, the provincial decentralized governance bodies, local authorities and bodies representing the State in the Provinces. The meeting is part of the Program for the Promotion of Decentralized Governance (DGPP), with funds and technical support from UNDP, in partnership with the Ministry of State Administration and Public Function (MAEFP) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) on behalf of the Government of Mozambique.

The Session had as its objectives the approval of the internal regulations of the National Coordination Council and the improvement of the understanding on the principles of articulation and coordination between central State bodies, provincial decentralized governance bodies, State representation bodies in the provinces and local authorities.

To support the Government of Mozambique and as a result of a coherent dialogue in the implementation of the new decentralization reforms, UNDP developed the Program for the Promotion of Decentralized Governance in partnership with MAEFP and MEF, fully aligned with the legislative revisions introduced in the Decentralization Package.

The President of the Republic, Filipe Nyusi, who led the opening session spoke about the benefits of Decentralization and drew attention to the need for a good process conduction, saying that “the benefits of Decentralization surpass its challenges and the concern must be to seek solutions to these challenges. By itself, decentralization is a means to achieve the goals we have defined.”

In the opinion of the Mozambican Head of State, “wrongly conducted decentralization can hamper the implementation of development programs in the country. Therefore, to avoid non-compliance with the plans outlined, a high degree of cooperation, coordination, and flexibility in action is recommended.”

The National Coordination Council was created through the Decree No. 4/2020, of 04 February, which approves the regulation for the organization and functioning of the National Coordination Council and the Provincial Coordination Council and is composed of provincial decentralized governance bodies, local municipalities and state representation bodies in the provinces.

UNDP supports the Government to undertake fundamental reforms that result in a more inclusive form of decentralized governance, based on citizen inclusion and participation, strengthening the systemic capacities of subnational governments in relation to their mandates and increasing equity in terms of access to economic opportunities, particularly for women, youth and vulnerable segments, including the disabled and minorities.

Also within the scope of the DGPP, UNDP promotes the institutional strengthening of public bodies, through technical and financial support for the production of consultation materials, supply of electronic equipment, installation of information and communication technologies, training in the area of ​​human resources and of personnel in the different sectors of the public administration.