Background
The Local Governance Development Public Expenditure and Management (LGDPEM) programme is a pioneering intervention that helps build effective, legitimate, and resilient states in Eastern Sudan.The programme focuses on public sector processes and how to involve civil society in political, economic and administrative decision making. This post conflict development programme strives to overcome challenges such as weak state legitimacy, polarization along identity lines, weak capacity for decentralization, poor fiscal management, and social distrust.

The LGDPEM promotes inclusive participation of all members of society by strengthening State-Federal relations, supporting efficient and effective public resource management, helping to build up responsive governing institutions and strengthening the capacity for decentralized governance in line with the interim national constitution and development priorities.

Under this programme, mechanisms are set up and local capacities built to undertake small scale community based projects under the Local Development Fund. The overarching goal is to improve living conditions through strong partnerships between the local authorities and the target communities.

Snapshots of the project's major achievements
• Consultative workshop held on coordination and harmonization of Federal-State relations.
• Communiqué signed between Ministry of International Cooperation, Ministry of Federal Governance, Ministry of Finance and UNDP on a plan of action to strengthen the framework of decentralization in Sudan.
• Steering Committees in three states (Kassala, Gedaref and Red Sea) established with the aim to develop a more sector-coordinated management approach, both at the state and the regional level.