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What's Being Done On . . . Strengthening Local Governance ?
Center for Anti-War Action - Serbia www.caa.org.yu/Srpski/indexsrb.htm Contact: caa@caa.org.yu The Center for Anti-War Action seeks to promote civic and political activism and respect for human rights in the former Yugoslavia. Through its various regional centers, the Center for Anti-War Action has been conducting town meetings and educational seminars which bring together local authorities, local political party representatives, business and union leaders, journalists, and civic activists to discuss fundamental issues that concern every citizen at the local level. These activities raise popular awareness of and promote civic participation in the local political process, and they advance citizens' knowledge of the basic principles of democratic processes, civic responsibility, and human rights. Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) - Montenegro www.cedet.org.yu/ Contact: cedet@cedet.org.yu The Center for Democratic Transition (CDT) seeks to contribute to the advancement and practical implementation of human rights, the rule of law, modern market economy and an open and democratic society in the region of Southeast Europe. The Center implements civic education and parliamentary monitoring programs that enable citizens to become better acquainted with the work of their national parliament and local municipal councils and to make elected representatives more accountable to their constituents. Specific activities include organizing town hall meetings among parliament members, local government officials, and their constituents; encouraging MPs to establish office hours for their constituents; and monitoring and publicizing activities of municipal councils of four key towns. Civil Society Promotion Center - Bosnia-Hercegovina www.civnet.org/civitas/memberList.htm Contact: cspc@epn.baor otufo@epn.ba The Civil Society Promotion Center seeks to strengthen the nongovernmental sector in Bosnia-Hercegovina by increasing civic involvement in the local decision-making process. The Center conducts a series of training seminars for local government representatives in six municipalities in the Bosnian Federation entity, which will increase the public relations skills of those officials and encourage them to involve the nongovernmental sector more directly in their work. The Center has also organized town-hall meetings in six towns that gave municipal officials a chance to explain their local decision-making processes to their constituents and to discuss new ideas for integrating citizens' input into those processes. Civic Forum Institute (CFI) - West Bank/Palestine http://www.cfip.org/index.html Contact: cfip@cfip.org The Civic Forum Institute (CFI) is a grassroots civic education organization that has developed and cultivated a network of about 370 organizations throughout the West Bank and Gaza. In order for NGOs to strengthen their role as effective institutions that can better represent and advocate on behalf of their constituents, liaise with local leadership and encourage an environment of participatory democracy, CFI conducted a series of thirty trainings for Palestinian NGOs throughout the West Bank on topics of institutional development. These included strategic planning, project management, communication skills, and evaluation methodologies. The Institute then compiled all of the training materials and experience into a manual for other NGOs. Citizenship Forum (CF) - Morocco Contact: mokabdal@hotmail.com The Citizenship Forum is dedicated to promoting and institutionalizing democracy in Morocco. The Forum implemented a project to train a cadre of twenty civic education trainers. These trainers then formed local cells; targeted youth aged 16-19 at schools and youth centers, and disseminated concepts of democracy, pluralism, tolerance, transparency, accountability, and active participation. The training and evaluation materials were then compiled into a book which will serve as a reference on civic education in Morocco. Community Foundation Sibiu - Romania Contact: fcsibiu@rdslink.lo The Community Foundation Sibui works to increase citizens' involvement in local government affairs in Romania. In collaboration with the Pro-Democracy Association Brasov and the Association for Community Partnership Foscani, the Foundation has been working on establishing local working groups and conducting town hall meetings. In this way the program increases citizens' involvement in the local decision-making process on the allocation of municipal budgets, thereby improving cooperation between citizens and their local governmental representatives. Federación Nacional de Concejales (FENACON) - Colombia Contact: fenacon@multiphone.net.co The Federación Nacional de Concejales (FENACON) aims to promote institutional strengthening at the local level and improve municipal administration. FENACON trains local council representatives in the most effective models and practices of ensuring broad citizen participation in the work of the councils. FENACON also organizes a national meeting of local council members where they learn various mechanisms for encouraging citizen participation. General Union of Cultural Centers (GUCC) - Gaza Strip Contact: meheressa@hotmail.com The General Union of Cultural Centers has 34 member organizations that represent a cross-section of groups who organize and sponsor cultural and educational activities for the community. To strengthen the ability of NGOs to better serve the community, advocate to local elected officials, and enhance civil society and democracy at the local level, GUCC organized twenty, one-day trainings to address institutional development for 60 representatives of its Gaza-based member organizations. Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace (LFPCP) - Lebanon http://www.kleudge.com/flpcp/ Contact: amessarra@kleudge.com The Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace aims to promote theoretical, applied, and multi-disciplinary research with a view toward consolidating civil peace in Lebanon. One of its projects focuses on building coalitions of citizens, NGOs, elected and appointed officials, and representatives from the private sector who share a common interest in strengthening and democratizing municipal government in Lebanon. To this end, the Foundation has been conducting a series of workshops; implementing small pilot projects aimed at improving municipal development; and working to publish a book to serve as a resource guide for local government. Municipal Training Center (MTC) of Kaunas Technical University - Lithuania http://admin2.logincee.org/smc/index.asp?varLang=EN The Municipal Training (MTC), based in Lithuania, aims to foster democratic reform in Lithuania by helping citizens to exercise their rights and by teaching local officials the skills necessary to govern a state undergoing a democratic transition. It also engages in cross-border work, such as its activities in the Kaliningrad Region in Russia. In this area, MTC conducts roundtables and training workshops to encourage cooperation between NGOs in Kaliningrad and to promote more effective citizen participation in the local governments of four municipalities in the region. Approximately 120 NGO and local government activists have participated in the program. Municipal Management Development Center - Ukraine Contact:dnipro@ferrexpo.poltava.va The Municipal Management Development Center's goal is to develop civil society and local self-government in Ukraine. The Center has established a program of public information activities, public roundtables and hearings, and training programs for NGO leaders and government officials. The program intends both to overcome citizens' lack of knowledge and to provide NGO leaders and local self-government officials with concrete skills needed to facilitate higher citizen participation. The Center operates a public information office, produces informational bulletins and organizes television programs, while simultaneously training NGO leaders and local self-government officials in public advocacy and management techniques. Panorama-Palestinian Center for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development- West Bank/Gaza http://www.panoramacenter.org/ Contact: panorama@panoramacenter.org Panorama works to promote and disseminate issues related to democracy, human rights, participation in public life and the different decision-making processes that are based on the concept of freedom of expression in Palestinian society. Panorama convenes capacity-building courses for civil servants in Palestinian ministries, municipalities, local councils, and security forces to address human rights, democratic development, transparency, and power-sharing. The goal is to build capacity in these areas, thereby strengthening the ability of these institutions to function in a strong, effective, and credible manner. The Society for Democratic Culture - Albania Contact: shkd @sdc.tirana.al The Society for Democratic Culture is dedicated to promoting democratic values through civic education and to enhancing the integrity of the electoral process through systematic monitoring. It conducts programs aimed at encouraging civic activism and greater interaction between citizens and government at the local level, and increasing citizens' involvement in the decision-making process in their communities. Through a series of town hall meetings, educational seminars, and publication projects organized by its network of branch offices, SDC works to increase citizens' understanding of how local government works; helps local public administrators understand and implement more efficiently the new Code on Local Public Administration by educating them on specific provisions of the new law; and increases the level of communication and cooperation between local government officials and citizens in order to solve the most pressing problems facing communities throughout the country. Urals Foundation for Social Innovations- Russia www.ufsi.ural.ru/ Contact: ufsi@ural.ru The Urals Foundation for Social Innovations conducts a program of seminars and information exchange for local self-government officials in the Urals region. These seminars are designed to bring self-government officials into closer contact with local NGOs, citizens, and representatives of important economic interests in order to promote greater citizen involvement in local decision-making by encouraging the exchange of information, ideas, and skills. It also produced a reference book, Local Government in the Urals-21st Century, that was distributed to local officials and NGO leaders. Tolerance and Mutual Aid Foundation - Bulgaria Contact: ivan_v_ivanov@hotmail.com The "Tolerance and Mutual Aid" Foundation advocates for human rights and the prevention of all forms of discrimination in Bulgaria. The Foundation has been conducting a leadership training project for young Roma throughout Bulgaria by establishing regional Roma contact groups to act as liaisons between local government officials and the Roma community. This project gives young Roma a unique opportunity to become more involved in Bulgaria's political process at the local level and provides them with the expertise and network of contacts necessary to participate in the policy-making process in their communities. GURT Resource Centre for NGO Development - Ukraine www.gurt.org.ua Contact: info@gurt.org.ua The GURT Resource Centre for NGO Development is a national information and support center that provides a range of quality services to strengthen civil society organizations of all types and sizes. GURT Resource Centre's current project, "Towards Democratic Changes in Ukraine Through Enhancing the Role of NGOs in the Policy-Making Process at the Local Level," works to increase NGO participation in the local decision-making process. Groups of NGO leaders and local government officials work to develop a joint plan of action to solve local problems. NGO leaders are also trained in effective advocacy and lobbying. Horizonti, Foundation for the Third Sector - Georgia www.horizonti.org/ Horizonti, Foundation for the Third Sector is dedicated to supporting development of civil society in Georgia. In order for citizens to increase citizens' awareness of the role of their local government representatives and of their own rights, Horizonti is producing a television series and public service announcements that will be broadcast in the regions of Telavi and Akhaltsikhe and in Tblilisi. The television series will promote interaction between citizens and their local governments. About "What's Being Done On . . . " For three months at a time, we highlight the activities of various organizations in different global regions, and links to important resources, that are focused on a particular theme or area of democracy work. Each new theme is announced via DemocracyNews, and the information from the previous installment is placed in the archives below. We hope to receive and post information about the work you or others may be doing that is focused on these issues. Send information via e-mail to the or by fax to (202) 378-9889. |
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