Significance of 28 decrees on decentralization and delegation of authority

These decrees clarify the authority of the central Government and local administrations, indicating the country's strong innovation in public governance.

The promulgation of these decrees came as a result of the great efforts by ministries, agencies and localities in reviewing legal documents and identifying tasks that should be delegated to local administrations.

Under these decrees, the Government has decided to delegate 2,718 out of 6,738 tasks to local administrations, including 1,470 tasks delegated to provincial-level administrations and 1,248 tasks to communal levels.

The above figures show that the Government does not only delegate authority to provincial-level administrations but also communal-level administrations. However, this process requires comprehensive measures to enhance the capacity of grassroots-level cadres and civil servants as authority should not be delegated to incompetent ones.

The Government needs to improve financial-budget institutions for local administrations to mobilize resources in a transparent manner while strengthening supervision and evaluation of the performance of local administrations for further improvements.

Empowering local administrations is a consistent effort to put an end to long-lasting "ask-give" mechanism, reduce intermediate management levels, increase their autonomy and accountability, and lay foundation for creating a modern and effective public governance system.