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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
Local Governance and Decentralization development councils and supported with small grants of US$3,000 24 . Efficiency The project was implemented under the UNDP Direct Execution Modality, whereby UNDP Tajikistan took overall responsibility for its general and financial management. Implementation was efficient, with timely outputs and fund utilization. The implementation mechanism developed for the Communities Programme was used, and that further increased efficiency in terms of using available resources in the office. Innovation The DGTTF funds have enabled UNDP Tajikistan to strengthen local governance by creating partnerships between the public, private, and civil society sectors at the jamoat and district levels. The project addressed gaps in the capacity of district councils to comprehensively implement new functions arising from the reformed legal framework. It has also enabled UNDP to introduce innovative tools, such as citizen report card surveys and citizens’ charters, to improve public service delivery. The project applied the following innovative methodology and tools: a The project pursued a systematic approach to training, encompassing the following key elements: situation analysis and training needs assessment (focused on analysing the existing problem and identification of the training needs); design of training (including model and methodology, learning objectives, and the content of training based on the results of the analysis); implementation of training (including mentoring and on the job-training to ensure that the training is relevant and practical), and evaluation of training. a Citizen Report Cards were developed for the first time to reflect public perceptions of the Poverty Reduction Strategy through transparent and systematic analysis of public services. The mechanism was based on a survey of the actual users of public services: the feedback of the households on their experiences with public services was collected, analysed and disseminated. a Citizen charters were designed to complement the citizens’ report card system. They list services that local governments provide, along with information on fees and service charges, including the time required to complete a formal administrative procedure or provide requested service. Catalytic effect The Government of Tajikistan took firm ownership of the project and its immediate results. Activities initially implemented in five pilot districts were expanded to a further six districts. The Strategic Research Centre led implementation of the citizens’ report cards and citizen charters, while the Institute for Civil Service Training directed the capacity development programme. These activities were supported financially by UNDP, DFID, ADB, CIDA, and GTZ, through the multi-donor funded Communities Programme 2007-2009. The total project budget for this period was approximately US$22 million, while this particular component was supported with around US$3.5 million 25 . The District Development Committees established with support from the DGTTF project introduced development plans in the five districts. The follow up project, Building National Capacities for Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies (US$130,000), helped communities to identify development priorities through the interaction of public, private, and civil society sectors represented in the committees. This approach was expanded further in a large scale Rural Growth Programme (funded by DFID, UNDP, and GTZ). A total of US$5 million is allocated for the 2010 – 2012 Good Governance component, whose key focus is development planning for 14 districts and 65 jamoats. Sustainability The review of each project’s sustainability suggests a very high level of sustainability for elements of the project. Training for the Institute for Civil Servants adopted the programme used to train civil servants in the pilot districts. In the preceding three years, nearly four thousand civil servants from the central and local governments, as well as local authorities, were trained. Then, in 2009, the Institute for Civil Servants launched a Master’s Degree Programme in Public Administration, where 61 civil servants are now continuing their education 26 . The Institute for Civil Servants also took responsibility for implementing the Citizens Charters, which are now funded from national resources. Meanwhile, the President of Tajikistan’s Strategic Research Centre took over responsibility for the implementation of the Citizens 24 The approved projects were: the construction of an IP telephone station in Tavildara, the construction of a women’s hospital in Kolkhozobod, the rehabilition of a water supply system in Isfara, and the reconstruction of a women’s clinic in Vahdat. 25 UNDP (2009) : Outcomes Evaluation Report: Communities Program in Tajikistan, prepared by Ton de Klerk, Elena Krylova-Mueller. 26 The official presentation of the Institute for Improving the Qualifications of Civil Servants of the Republic of Tajikistan: www.dtixd.tj Last access: 26 April 2011. 16
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