What We Do

The Department of Local Authorities (DLA) sits within the portfolio of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA). The Department is a government agency responsible for administering, managing and enforcing the principal legislation (Decentralization Act-CAP 230) related to the Provincial Government Councils and Area Councils. DLA is the key ad­vis­er to the Gov­ern­ment on mat­ters re­lat­ed to lo­cal au­thor­i­ties. The depart­ment is re­spon­si­ble for strength­en­ing the sus­tain­abil­i­ty, per­for­mance, in­tegrity, transparency and ac­count­abil­i­ty of lo­cal au­thor­i­ties. It op­er­ates through a mix of mon­i­tor­ing, inter­ven­tion, ca­pac­i­ty build­ing and co­or­di­na­tion ac­tiv­i­ties. DLA works col­lab­o­ra­tive­ly with local au­thor­i­ties to en­sure good gov­er­nance and ser­vice de­liv­ery to com­mu­ni­ties. The Department is arranged into several unit, each with responsibilities for different aspects of the Department mandate and operations and overall support to the Provincial Government councils and Area Councils. This Unit includes the office of the Director, Finance Unit, Decentralization Unit and Regional Planning and Development Unit

Office of the Director

The Director supported by the Deputy Director leads the activities of the Department and is responsible for the overall functioning of the Department and Provide the oversight over the Provinces and Area Councils. The office of Director is supported by the Administration staff which includes, the office Manager, Assistant Office Manager, Cleaner and Driver.

Decentralization Unit

The Decentralization unit is responsible to develops and proposes policies for the Department and Provincial Government by researching, reviewing existing policies, and suggesting improvements. The unit also coordinates the implementation of decentralization activities. It engages with stakeholders, including local authorities and NGOs, to gather input and foster collaboration, ensuring policies meet the needs of provinces and communities. The unit also supports capacity building by providing training and resources to local government officials and staff. The unit provides advisory support to the Director, Decentralization Working Committee (DWC), and Provincial Government Council, offering expert advice and recommendations on decentralization plans and policies.

There are two positions under this Unit. The Manager Decentralization that oversees the activities under this unit supported by the Senior Decentralization Policy officer.

Regional Development Planning Unit

The Regional Development and Planning Unit under DLA function to enhance and provide advice on the Provincial and Area Council Planning and support for the socio-economic development for the rural Vanuatu. The unit also supports capacity building through training and resources for the Area Councils on collections and analyses of data to inform decisions and bottom-up planning Approach. Additionally, it provides advisory support, offering expert advice and addressing challenges related to local development and planning to the office of Director and Provincial Government Council. The unit consists of four officers; the Principal Regional Development and Planning officer coordinate the functions of this unit and supported by Planning and Development officer North, Planning and Development officer South and Planning and Development officer Central.

Finance Unit

The Finance Unit is responsible to manages the financial operations of the Department and oversees the financial operations of the six Provinces by ensuring proper budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting. The unit oversees the allocation and utilization of funds, ensuring resources are used efficiently and in accordance with regulations. It also monitors expenditures, conducts financial audits, and provides financial advice to support decision-making at the Department, Provincial and Area Council level. Additionally, the unit is involved in providing and facilitating capacity training to the Provincial Accountants and Area Councils on the Government Financial systems and structures, financial management practices and ensuring transparency and accountability in all financial matters. There are 3 officers under this Unit. The Principal Finance officer is responsible to manage the unit and oversee the functions of this unit supported by Senior Finance officer North and Senior Finance officer South