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COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY ~
BAGHDAD
October [181, 2003
FOR:
THE GOVERNING COUNCIL
FROM:
THE ADMINISTRATOR, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer
SUBJECT
Civil Service Reform and Training
The Iraqi civil service faces a period of great change. Whatever the model of government
adopted by the Iraqi people, it wiU be radically diJTerent from the system under which most
civil servants previously operated. Since the removal of senior level Ba'athists, important
posts have only recently been ftUed or are still vacant. New civil servants are being
recruited on merit, as new ministries form up and local government develops. If future
Iraqi governments are to succeed, they wUJ need a cadre of officiaJs with the necessary
professional skills to lead and manage change. A major training program is required,
building on Iraq's strong tradition of public service training.
Change to the civil service will come in various ways. Public officials will be accountable for
their actions. Decision-making will have to be a transparent process. Government will have to
be free of favoritism and corruption. Ministers and officials will have to communicate
effectively to the public and its elected representatives, who will expect decisions to be made
fairly, on the basis of evidence. Officials will have to understand the needs of the people they
serve. Transition to a free market economy will change some roles. As elsewhere, information
technology will have an increasing impact on the way that the Iraqi government operates.
All of this adds up to a huge challenge for the Iraqi civil service leadership and ministers. There
are a number of relevant projects already under way, including central training and training
within ministries. A large US AID program of assistance to local government has begun. A
series of short study visits to the US, focused on budget preparation and execution, is being
arranged for a number of senior civil servants. The Ministry of Planning, which has the lead on
civil service training, is considering how its colleges can be developed as centers of excellence.
You will also wish to be aware that a small team from the UK Department for International
Development is visiting Baghdad to make an assessment of civil service training needs. The
team will meet ministers and officials in several ministries. While there is scope for a range of
training programs, there will need to be some co-ordination to make best use of resources and
ensure there are no significant gaps in coverage. There may also be a need for new official
machinery to develop and implement a policy on civil service human resources.
There are no decisions to take now, but we shall all need to think hard about plans for the
development of the Iraqi civil service. The current visit will contribute to that. I am also asking
CPA senior advisors to work with their ministers to facilitate the development of manpower and
training plans for their ministries. Once some further work has been done, there may be
proposals that you will need to consider.

COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
BAGHDAD
ACTION MEMO
December I 0, 2003
FOR: THE ADMINISTRATOR
FROM:
~.... l (b_)_ (6
_ ) __ ___Jiomce of Policy, Planning and Analysis
SUBJECf: Cross-Cutting Priority Resource Support
Resources to support Capacity-Building, Ant, i-Corruption, Professional Civil Service
Development and Engaging Iraqis in Transition Plarming actions are likely to be insufficient.
We can intuitively estimate a huge need, as much as $1 b. A much more sifiPJificant professional
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edule _ §J} ~ID.§_~essary .
CPA's priority actions have been focused on the short-term, emergency efforts. One effort to
assess the Ministry training requirements in September resulted in an incomplete and inadequate
response. Current planning efforts are also likely to fall short of the results needed to develop
competent plans in the time required.
Some resource commitments have been made. World Bank experts have emphasized training
requirements. The results of the donor conference will be available soon. UK's Department for
International Development is planning to provide a significant contribution. Yet given the
unprecedented nature of CPA's task, the risk of letting an iterative effort evolve may result in an
inadequate preparation for a healthy transition (even assuming a transition period lasting 12-18
mo. following CPA dissolution).
RECOMMENDATION (1): That CPA staff a concentrated effort to determine the
requirements in two steps: a) OPPA conduct a half-day session to brainstorm order-of-magnitude
estimates of requirements with existing CPA staff, using the results of the responses from the
Ministers plus past experiences, followed by: b) fielding a team of experts in early January to
refine the estimates and design program options, including resource estimates, which reasonably
satisfy the requirements.
Approve: ___ _ Disapprove: __ _ Approve with modification: __ _
RECOMMENDATION (2): That resource options which provide levels of assistance
anticipated be researched among, inter alia,
• Existing approved programs.
• New donor commitments.
• Flexibility in supplemental funding.
UNCLASSIFIED

-2-
• DFI resources.
Approve: __ _ Disapprove: ___ _
Approve with modification: __
COORDINATION: Dick Jones __
J. Keith Kellog
UNCLASSIFIED

COALITION PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY
BAGHDAD
UNCLASSIFlliD