The Pró-Gestão (Pro Management) Technical Assistance Project places Rio de Janeiro among Brazilian states that have adopted innovative performance-based management for the public sector, including in health care and education services. The new system increases transparency and government accountability.

“This is the first time that Rio has obtained a World Bank financing devoted exclusively to activities that focus on the modernization of public administration. The Pró-Gestão project, coordinated by the State Secretariat of Planning and Management, will strengthen strategic public policies in health care and education, as well as in the areas of property management and the state pension system. It also calls for a broad agreement on desired results, thus inaugurating a new dynamic in State administration,” said Sérgio Cabral, Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro.

Rio de Janeiro ranks second in the nation in terms of GDP. In 2007, the State Government laid the foundations for a comprehensive managerial reform, seeking to improve management of public resources. Those efforts are now part of the Pró-Gestão project.

“Efficient public management that is well coordinated and based on accurate, high-quality information is vital for the economic, social, and sustainable development of Rio. With the Pró-Gestão project, the Government will be able to improve the quality of its public spending and thereby provide better services, especially in education and health, for the people,” said Makhtar Diop, World Bank Brazil Country Director.

The principal objectives of the project are:

· Creation of performance indicators for the public sector, to enable the Government to assess the impact of strategic projects and improve transparency;

· Modernization of real estate property management. Pró-Gestão will finance the collection of data on State-owned properties, enabling more efficient management and increases in revenues;

· Modernization of social security management, to allow better internal control over pension fund contributions and improve the monitoring of court proceedings;

· Strengthening Education Management Capacity to evaluate the impact of strategic projects and to establish school-level performance targets. The program will also invest in human capital via in-service training and continuing education for about 50,000 teachers; and

· Modernization of Health Management and Information Systems. The program will help develop an accreditation system and a cost-accounting system for the new Urgent Care Facilities (UPAs), as well as implement a new information system for medical supply-chain management.