In 1997, a Resource Cities partnership was created between Quetzaltenango and Albuquerque, New Mexico, to provide technical assistance in the areas of solid waste and wastewater management as a preliminary step toward economic development.
Most recently, in 2009, ICMA received an award from the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) to assist flood-prone communities in Guatemala by assessing their disaster readiness and developing a training and exercise program for them. ICMA conducted focus groups with key stakeholders to identify gaps in information and knowledge, prepared an assessment, and developed a training guide in English and Spanish. The overall objective was to improve disaster mitigation and response capabilities for these communities.
In 2005, ICMA, as a subcontractor to DevTech Systems, Inc., was awarded a four-year contract by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the Decentralization and Local Governance Program (Programa de Descentralizacion y Gobernabilidad Local, or PDGL) to enhance transparency and accountability and improve citizens’ trust in government. ICMA’s role is to provide critical support at the national and local levels to strengthen local government financial management, including
- Implementing the national-level integrated financial management system in 13 municipalities in four regions of Guatemala, many of which are isolated and have high indigenous populations
- Designing a certification program for municipal financial managers
- Promoting transparency in municipal procurement processes, procedures, and systems
- Strengthening policies and practices that regulate and stimulate responsible municipal indebtedness
- Ensuring that internal audit and financial management units are operating effectively in selected municipalities.
ICMA also provides support to three local government associations: the National Association of Municipalities (ANAM), the Guatemalan Association of Mayors and Indigenous Authorities (AGAAI), and the Association of Women in Municipal Government (ASMUGOM). ICMA has several long-term Guatemalan experts on the project, supplemented as needed by short-term technical assistance from the region and selected Spanish-speaking city managers and consultants.
Accomplishments of PDGL have included
- Implementing the integrated financial management system in 13 municipalities, many of which are isolated and have high indigenous populations and high poverty and illiteracy rates, and establishing internal audit units
- Designing and implementing a national-level certification program for municipal financial managers (more than 100 individuals had been certified by the end of 2008)
- Completing studies on the impact of the USAID-funded civil and tax registry systems implemented in previous programs, with recommendations for revisions and future replication
- Developing several guides, including guides to (1) improving municipal financial administration and transparency; (2) establishing municipal internal audit units; and (3) raising own-source revenue generation in municipalities
- Developing an internal and external communications plan to enable the Municipality of Cobán to be more effective in providing citizens with services and more responsive to citizen needs and input
- Supporting local government associations that represent municipalities and local officials.
The PDLG has launched a Web site that serves as a portal for information on the program's activities to strengthen decentralization and local governance throughout the country. It also showcases the program's results through a series of “success stories” and includes downloadable copies of guides and other tools for municipal officials.