Citizen Action for results, Transparency and Accountability
Introduction
First
Local Governance Support Project (LGSP) as an umbrella program has introduced
some new milestone changes in the inter-governmental fiscal transfer,
transparency, community participation and accountability. Through the
project, UPs nationwide have been provided with enhanced resources and
discretion in deciding their spending priorities through community participatory
process, while being held accountable for their performance through a
number of accountability measures. The CG members and community people
of UPs have also benefitted from capacity building program that strengthens
their capabilities in a set of core functional areas. From the experiences
of LGSP I the critical/ problematic issues that came out are,
1. Due to delay of fund disbursement UPs have been given the opportunity
of spend project allocation within short time. Therefore, in one side
they could not implement bigger and sustainable projects. On the other
hand they have been given the opportunity for corruption;
2. Although in paper UPs selected schemes in a participatory method but
in reality a small section of the community are involved in the scheme
selection process (relatives and friends of the chairmen and members);
3. Level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the community is not measured
and/ or considered;
4. Although LGSP is a wide program but the information is not widely disseminated
through national media. People at large do not know much about this project.
5. Social auditing was done in a limited manner;
6. There was not any visible advocacy initiative based on the experiences
of implementation of the project;
Democracywatch will organize Citizen Groups (CG) which will promote the
Demand for Good Governance (DFGG). CGs will be formed with participation
of 27 enthusiastic cross sectional community representatives including
at least one third of the female in each UP. Three community representatives
including one female from each ward and thus in total 27 members' committee
will be trained about Community Scorecard Process (CSP). One of the objectives
of CSP as social accountability tools is to empower people for improving
the system, process and authority in order to assert their rights and
quality implementation of LGSP-II. Besides, CSP will assist implementing
agency to know and identify its critical areas of improvements and how
best the program can be implemented through people's participation. It's
a way towards successful implementation of program for the people and
by the implementer. The CG will also act as: (a) third party tracking
of project processes and results, (b) promotion of potential beneficiaries'
access to information regarding LGSP implementation, (c) strengthened
citizen capacity to respond to emerging issues/concerns, and (d) increased
citizen ability to improve project outcomes by holding project implementation
agencies more responsive. The prime development objective of the second
LGSP is to strengthen UP as a transparent institutions involving the community
and prioritizing their development concerns. That's why among other social
accountability tools CSP might be the best method to monitor the LGSP
projects more efficiently and effectively as community people proactively
involved in different steps of CSP. The CGs will only play the role of
facilitation and compilation. It is expected to play the following roles
step by step:
Step 1: CGs will create
a favorable atmosphere in the community and UPs where CSP will be practiced.
LGSP project related information/input tracking by consulting with the
community, UP representatives, concerned department and office will be
compiled by CGs member. RTI request form might be submitted to respective
personnel to collect relevant information where need as timely.
Step 2: CG members will facilitate FGD at their respective wards where
7-12 community people will attend in each FGD session. The FGD participants
will take part and express their opinion and score on quality implementation
of the LGSP grants utilization against set indicators. The facilitators
will develop the key indicators/methods of 2nd LGSP project identification
and prioritization of community concerns nurtured by WC and the SSC members'
supportive supervision to WC. On the other hand, union level discussion
meeting will be arranged with SSC and SIC where they will provide score/self-assessment
score on same indicators to know how efficiently and accurately they implemented
the project.
Step 3: Respective union level CG members and the LGU representatives
will arrange an interface meeting to compile and present the community
scorecard report. This score will give the picture about overall performance
of utilization of BBG of LGSP project implemented by UP. Therefore, it
will be disclosed in the UP information board. The findings/ report of
the CSP will be submitted to the respective UNO and DDLG to ensure the
bottom up accountability/vertical linkage of LGSP projects. The CSP is
a continuous community monitoring processes and expected to conduct three
times over the project span. The inactiveness of UP Standing Committee
(SC) is also appears as a barrier towards establishing local governance.
Hence, the CG members along with respective SC members of the UPs will
oversee the LGSP block grants project implementations and monitoring.
DW will submit a copy of CSP report to BUPF (LG association) central committee
and district committee in order to keep the sub project freed from external
influences and make a vertical and horizontal linkage with LG association.
Goal: Promote local governance's responsiveness through ensuring accountability and transparency of UPs for better performance in particularly LGSP-II involved by community people.
Long
term Objective:
Increased accessibility
of community people (especially disadvantaged groups women, regardless
of sex, caste, class, religion and ethnicity) in the management system
of selected UPs that convey the positive change of local governance representatives
to utilize the BBG properly at 30 UPs as quality services for the grassroots
people.
Specific
Objective:
1) To promote transparency and accountability
of LGSP-II performance by involving community using social accountability
(SA) tools specially community scoring card process.
2) Increased LG related information flow/room for access to information
for the mass people
3) Ensure pro-people participation in local governance procedure in the
UPs
4) Local policy implementers sensitized on citizen actions towards increasing
transparency and accountability of UPs
Geographic location:
|
District |
Upazila |
Union Parishad |
|
Nilphamari |
Sadar |
15 UPs |
| Jessore | Sadar | 15
UPs (Echali, Narendrapur, Upasahar, Noapara, Lebutala, Kochua, Kasimpur, Bosundia, Fatepur, Diara, Churamonkhati, Hebotpur, Chachra, Arabpur, Ramnagar) |