English - UNDP

Project
Clean Start for Local Councils –
Building Accountability at the Local
Level (2006)
Project title
Clean Start for Local Councils – Building
Accountability at the Local Level
Duration January – December 2006
transparency and accountability, as defined in the revised legal
framework (e.g. the Law on State Administration strengthened
the position of district councils in their budgetary and
administrative oversight). The scope of the intervention
was valid, appropriate, clear, coherent, and had a consistent
set of objectives in line with national priorities.
The real time assessment showed that the project remained
highly relevant throughout its implementation. Its targets
and results defined during the formulation phase were
appropriate, and adjustments were not needed. By addressing
key development priorities, such as strengthening of local
councils, reform of public administration, anti-corruption,
transparency and accountability in the public sector, results
contributed towards the development of good governance
in Tajikistan.
Effectiveness
The project was implemented effectively, and all planned results
were achieved.
Funding
Aim
Results
US$200,000 from DGTTF
Strengthen the capacity of local councils to
better guide local policy development to ensure
a professional level of self-government, with
a minimum of corruption, and a maximum of
accountability
a Capacity development programme for newly
elected district councils
a Citizen Report Cards introduced to measure
citizen satisfaction with public services
(delivered by local governments)
a Citizen charters introduced as a tool to increase
accountability at the local level
The project aimed to develop the capacities of newly elected
district councils. Specifically, they worked to generate better
performance, and to provide policy guidance to local councils
by reflecting citizen satisfaction and measuring performance
through citizens’ report cards. The project also worked to increase
local government accountability and commitment through
the introduction of a Citizens’ Charter. The project achieved all
of its objectives.
Relevance
The project was evaluated on its design phase and real time
relevance.
There was a high level of design phase relevance. The
project addressed the specific needs of newly elected
local government structures in Tajikistan (at district and
jamoat levels) to carry out their functions with increased
The capacity development component provided technical
assistance to district and jamoat-level civil servants in the five
pilot districts (Isfara, Vahdat, Tavildara, Rasht, and Kolkhozobad)
on topics related to public administration and local governance.
The project also addressed capacity needs of elected councillors
at the jamoat and district levels in those five districts, increasing
their knowledge of decentralization, civic participation, strategic
planning, and municipal budgeting.
Citizen Report Cards were designed and implemented in
the same five districts. Approximately 4,000 households
participated in the survey (the first pilot district accounted
for 900 households – 600 rural and 300 urban). The project
supported the implementation of the post-survey actions,
such as informing stakeholders of the survey findings, and
defining and implementing activities to improve specific
aspects of service delivery. At the project level, the population
of the five pilot districts reported a marked improvement in
the quality of communal services delivered in 2007 in areas
identified by the Citizens Report Cards in 2006 as problematic
in 2006.
Citizens’ charters in the jamoats were prepared with the
assistance of the Institute for Civil Servants Training. Support
to citizen participation in local decision-making processes
was strengthened by establishing district development
councils in the pilot districts. These are multi-sector forums
with representation from the public, private, and civil
society sectors. Four projects were selected by the district
15