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Lessons learned and recommendations Citizen Report Cards have limited impact in the centralized decision making system The development of tailor-made citizen report cards as an alternative and innovative tool to monitor access to, and quality of, basic public services in Tajikistan was a key achievement of the DGTTF. Initial activities showed for the first time how people perceived services and service providers. The citizen report cards method is currently the responsibility of the Centre for Strategic Research. Progress in its implementation is noticeable – it has spread to all districts – and it is becoming an attractive tool for monitoring changes based on citizens’ perception. However, the Tajikistan experience suggests that the real impact of citizen report cards is limited by centralized planning and decision-making. There is little evidence to suggest that local authorities directly concerned with the results of the citizen report cards are able to bring about change and invest in service improvement. Therefore, in order to ensure that citizen report cards improve performance, they should be part of a broader decentralization process. That should strengthen downward and upward accountability within governance structures 30 . Successful data-collection systems require national leadership and ownership The DGTTF projects supported improvement of the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public policy. This included strengthening the capacities of regional and district authorities in data collection. This new approach enabled the alignment of collected data from district and regional levels with national level indicators (primarily, indicators related to the national MDG targets, and National Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy targets). The project’s results established a basis for improving governance practices, especially in evidence-based policy and decisionmaking, and in monitoring and evaluation of public policies. Unfortunately, this was utilized only to a limited degree, as Tajikistan remains heavily centralized and the collected data and information are not publicly available. Therefore, development of a data collection system and a sound mechanism for monitoring and evaluating public policies have to be implemented in parallel with other activities aimed at improving the transparency and accountability of public institutions. The involvement of the National Office for Statistics is needed to ensure that the data collection methods and monitoring and evaluation are properly integrated into the overall system of statistics and reporting at all levels. Engagement of all key stakeholders in preparation of Methodology for district development planning was crucial The training provided through the DGTTF project support during the preparation of district development plans strengthened the abilities of the district development councils to embark on the planning process. The inclusion of district council members in training activities proved beneficial for their understanding of the potential role of mid-term planning in local development processes. Engaging regional and national authorities proved crucial for the success of the project, as it ensured that the critical views and comments from the national and regional decision makers were reflected. The proposed methodology was adopted as a standard participatory planning approach compatible with the overall system of planning and budgeting in Tajikistan. In this way, the DGTTF project introduced an innovative and unique practice in Tajikistan that differed from other similar district planning initiatives. Currently, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Ministry of Finance, in partnership with <strong>UNDP</strong>, provide technical support to district development committees in formulating their plans. 30 <strong>UNDP</strong> (2010): Fostering Social Accountability: from Principle to Practice. A Guidance Note. Page 9. 23
Local Governance and Decentralization Implementation of the District Development Plans requires financial resources from national budgets The methodology introduced for district development planning promoted a new development paradigm in Tajikistan. But the implementation of district development plans remains a much more challenging task, mainly due to limited financial resources. Financing district development plans is restricted mainly to mobilizing extra-budgetary funds (local and international) with no link to the national or regional budgets. Implementation is also hindered by cumbersome financial and reporting procedures imposed by international development partners. The Tajikistan experience shows that participatory planning could be successful during the planning phase. But to ensure that priorities are acted upon, planning processes must be linked to the national budgeting and expenditure frameworks. For better utilization of funds from international funding opportunities, there is a need to develop commonly adopted procedures in parallel with planning. The sustainability of a participatory planning concept at the district level has to be ensured District development councils supported through the DGTTF projects served as a coordination mechanism for different activities within the district development framework. By bringing together local stakeholders, including government, civil society, and the private sector around common development priorities, the councils have served as a platform for building confidence and trust among them and for participatory decision and policy making. The establishment and functioning of the district development councils is inherently linked to sustainability. The district development councils were an effective interim solution in the aftermath of the civil war and during the transition period for the establishment of the national (governance) institutions. However, there is a need to transform district development councils into a more meaningful and sustainable form of (district) development planning. The DGTTF support provided a solid basis for sustainability, especially by addressing gaps in technical expertise. Therefore, it will be essential to start with the transformation of district development councils, taking into consideration activities and results of the DGTTF supported projects in Tajikistan. DGTTF – need for comprehensive knowledge management DGTTF projects in Tajikistan produced valuable tools and knowledge products, such as citizens’ report cards, citizen charters, a methodology for planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation at district level, a methodology for regional development planning, and a number of practical documents and learning materials to support transparent and accountable governance. However, this knowledge is not collected and captured systematically. Some of these documents are either stored in the project archives or are unavailable because of changes in the project management, or because of closure of project tools and products. Opportunities to establish a comprehensive and user-friendly knowledge management system to codify and store generated knowledge should be explored. This will facilitate the horizontal learning process and ensure better exchange of information and access to knowledge derived from different DGTTF projects. DGTTF should improve monitoring practice The review of the DGTTF projects in Tajikistan showed that monitoring (and, to a large degree, reporting practice) was critical in the management of projects. Projects were approved and implemented without a clear and measurable set of indicators at different levels of intervention logic (outcome, objective, results). Monitoring visits were not organized during implementation. This review was the first on-site visit to DGTTF projects in Tajikistan and it occurred long after completion of projects. Changes to the DGTTF implementation framework (extended duration of projects and increased budgets) would require a robust monitoring system. Considering that the project duration is two years, it is recommended that mid-term reviews are conducted after the first year of project implementation. This could identify deficiencies in the project implementation and provide recommendations for the remainder of the project period. Therefore, it will be essential to concretely define the results (outputs) at the formulation phase so that they are expressed in a manner that enables effective monitoring and subsequent evaluation 31 . 31 In other words, the results should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound) 24
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