Middle East & North Africa development of smes exports through virtual market places

G.IMPLEMENTATION

1. Institutional and Implementation Arrangements

100. 
     The Project will be implemented by a Regional Implementing Agency (RIA), the International Trade Center (ITC), and Project Implementation Units (PIUs) to be set up in each country and hosted by the main Trade Support Institutions (TSIs). The World Bank will carry out the overall supervision of the Project.
     

101. 
     The institutional focal point for the project per country will be:
     

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  Jordan – Ministry of Industry and Trade
  
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  Morocco – Department of International Relations (DRCI) Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Investment, Digital Economy – Delegated Minister for International Trade
  
• 
  Tunisia – General Directorate for E-Commerce – Ministry of Trade and Handicrafts
  

102. 
     The project will be implemented in collaboration with the lead partner agency and partner institutions in the participating transition countries. Since national TSIs have been part of most countries national export strategy for a long time, the team deems that these would be the most obvious partners for ITC in the implementation of the project. At country level, the project will be under the oversight of an Oversight Committee (OC) to ensure the good governance, timely delivery and provide the adequate reporting to the concerned government agencies, the WB and the ITC.
     

Role of ITC

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  ITC will manage all funds and procurement for activities
  
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  open a Designated Account into which funds from the World Bank will be deposited
  
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  organize regular steering committee meetings to provide operational guidance
  
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  appoint staff and recruit consultants where necessary for project implementation (PIU) , Virtual Market Places experts, Export Advisors
  
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  ITC will coordinate the communication campaign and outreach
  
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  maintain and, where necessary, update the Operations Manual
  
• 
  monitor implementation with the support of the PIU
  
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  responsible for all the financial aspects of the project
  
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  ensure proper financial management of funds and compliance with World Bank’s requirements when applicable;
  
• 
  ensure proper and appropriate procurement procedures
  
• 
  submit regular reports and disseminate findings
  
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  organize workshops
  
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  provide business intelligence
  
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  Set up partnerships with VMPs with the participation of the WB.
  

Role of the Oversight Committees

103. 
     The role of the OCs consists of i) oversight and approve major directions and changes in the program, ii) discuss and decide on any proposal/issues raised by the WB, ITC and/or PIU, iii) facilitate the dialogue across institutions and organizations, iv) support the PIU in the dissemination, communication and outreach of the project, v) jointly develop a scorecard to monitor project implementation and results, and vi) support the inter-ministerial committee on institutional reform by providing analysis and information on VMP and related overall e-commerce regulatory and institutional bottleneck.
     

104. 
     Members of the OC are i) representatives from: Government (Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Finance, and Information Technologies), ii) representatives from WB and ITC, iii) representatives of the TSI, iv) representatives of business associations and sectors, vi) representatives from women and youth business associations, and vii) heads of the PIUs.
     

Role of the PIUs

105. 
     The PIUs will be a light structured support team at country level responsible for in-country project implementation and day to day management. Each PIU will be headed by a Project Coordinator (PC), to be recruited by ITC and one assistant.
     

106. 
     The PIUs will be hosted by the lead TSIs:
     

• 
  Jordan – Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) – Ministry of Industry and Trade.
  
• 
  Morocco – Department of International Trade Relations (DRCI) - Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Investment, Digital Economy – Delegated Minister for International Trade
  
• 
  Tunisia – Center for Export Promotion (CEPEX) – Ministry of Trade and Handicrafts
  

107. 
     It is expected that the project counterpart institutions will provide in-kind contributions, such as office facilities, support to the organization of workshops, and dissemination of reports to concerned entities. The concrete in-kind contributions will be agreed during the inception phase of the project. The main responsibilities of the PIU are:
     

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  selection and coordination of the EAs
  
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  outreach and communication campaign
  
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  monitor and make the final decision on the selection of SMEs that may qualify for premium accounts
  
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  overall in-country M & E and reporting to the Oversight Committee
  
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  conduct day-to-day dialogue with country partners, and
  
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  Report to ITC.
  

7. Financial Management, Disbursement and Procurement

108. 
     In accordance with the United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules, the project will comply with ITC internal and external auditing, accounting and inspection requirements within the framework of the current WB-UN agencies standard arrangements³³. The arrangement between the WB and ITC will be similar to that envisaged under Special Conditions for UNDP contracts (Supplements and amendments to the General Terms and Conditions of Contract for Operational Consulting Services (03/2008)).
     

109. 
     Financial Assessment. A financial assessment because UN financial management procedures are considered acceptable to the Bank.
     

110. 
     Financial reporting. The FM Section at ITC will use the institutional accounting system, to prepare consolidated semi-annual unaudited Project Interim Financial Reports (IFRs) and the annual audited project financial statements. These reports will be prepared on a cash basis, in US dollars, using the standard formats that will be agreed between ITC and the Bank. ITC will also provide any additional reporting required by the Coordination Unit of the Transition Fund.
     

8.