GAP Coordination Board

The scale of the project and the need for its management and realization as a multi-faceted and integrated regional development effort necessitates the coordination of services extended by various governmental organizations and agencies. The State Ministry in charge of GAP considered that this need can be met by a board consisting of senior level staff from related ministries and organizations and formed a Coordination Board in 1988 by calling upon such organizations and ministries.

Such a board was indeed necessary to capacitate the Administration in its coordination and follow up tasks and management of the project in a synchronized manner together with other relevant organizations.

At present, the Board fills in an important gap in ensuring that relevant organizations accord the same priority to the project and adopt an integrated approach. Meanwhile, the interest of regional administrative and governmental bodies in the Board indicates that the Board has the same function also at regional level. Finally the participation of some non-governmental and voluntary organizations furnishes the mechanism by which the opinions and suggestions of such organizations are also received. It means that the Board is both an instrument for supplying continuous and consistent information about the activities of the Administration and also the only platform on which central and local organizations exchange information.

The GAP Coordination Board held 27 periodical meetings since its inception in 1988. However, this work had an hoc character since there is yet no regulation defining its operational procedures and principles. Yet, there is a space in the draft law on the institution of the GAP Administration for the procedures and principles governing the formation and meeting of the Board. This initiative aims at giving a formal identity to the Board.

The Board meets bi-monthly. It is adopted as a principle to hold one meeting in three in one of the provinces of the region. Also, adopted practice is to have provincial governors, mayors and representatives of the chambers of industry and commerce present at Board meetings. The number of organizations sending representatives to the Board has now reached 170.

The last meeting of the Coordination Board was held on 13 March 1998.