Promoting Governance, Accountability, Transparency and Integrity Project (PROGATI)
Achievements:
2008-2009
Nationwide citizen watchdog
formed to monitor government services
Connections and network
has been strengthened between and among civil society organizations,
leaders and mass at all levels to design and guide anticorruption reform
process. As a part of the mission, day-long divisional consultation
meetings were carried out in five divisions and a national consultation
in Dhaka from July 2008 to January 2009 with the members of the civil
society from the cross-section of society. The consultation meetings
followed by training and campaign through forming local citizen committee
to oversee the government services. Thus PROGATI plays a crucial role
in forming the nationwide citizen watchdog
Better oriented CBOs to promote transparency and accountability
A number of specialized civil society organization watchdog expertise
have been developed through trainings in 2009 who would be able to monitor
and analyze transparency and accountability at local level. With an
objective to strengthen civil society organizations, coalitions and
networks to support and promote anti-corruption reforms, during June-October
2009 Democracywatch has successfully conducted training on two issues:
Citizen Monitoring
of Public Services
Monitoring
and analysis of transparency, accountability and corruption in public
expenditure;
Publicity of
transparency, accountability and corruption in public expenditure
Role of Citizen
in National Budget Development
Budget development
and decision making;
Budget implementation
as service delivery
All training was of an estimated duration of 30 hours of instruction. A total of 121 persons representing approximately 42 CSOs had participated in Citizen Monitoring of Public Services training. Again, 224 persons from approximately 75 CSOs had participated in National Budget Development training.
Awareness campaigns where corruption becomes a hard task.
During April-November 2009, in close collaboration with local CSOs, Democracywatch
helped in developing plan, manage and implement successfully campaigns
on three thematic issues. These are:
Anticorruption Awareness
Citizen Monitoring of Public
Expenditure
Oversight of National Budget
Development
A total of 64 campaigns had been conducted in 16 areas of Feni, Khagrachari,
Chittagong and Cox's Bazar districts under Chittagong division. The campaigns
were a blend of rally, discussion sessions, cultural shows including street-drama
on anticorruption theme, signature campaigns etc.
Well developed knowledge base, anticorruption strategy and way forward.
Democracywatch had maintained close association all along in developing
training manuals and materials developed by other PROGATI CS partners
on three thematic issues: anticorruption awareness; citizen monitoring
of public services; and national budget development.