A high level of trust between the government and citizens is essential for good governance and citizen participation. In order to build trust, governments need to communicate with citizens in a transparent and participatory fashion about their past and future decisions and actions. Citizen involvement and participation should be considered one of the key factors in making effective decisions. Governments, therefore, should not only suffice by just informing the citizens. The ideas and opinions they put forward in policymaking and implementation processes, provide valuable input for improving the quality of local policies and services.

This training program will discuss the accountability chain, the participation ladder, and the dos and don’ts of citizen participation. Furthermore, it will emphasize case studies from different parts of the world, discussing best practices and successful examples of well-implemented social accountability initiatives across the globe.

Program Objectives

• Develop effective tools and techniques for communication with citizens, NGOs and other stakeholders
• Identify and develop instruments for increasing social and financial accountability
• Define their own roles and responsibilities in participation processes as well as the role of partners
• Specify conditions and dos and don’ts for successful participation projects

Target Audience

• Donor Development Agency Staff
• Economic Development and Planning Staff
• Municipality and Community Development Project Directors, Managers, and Staff
• Municipal, Provincial, and National Government Officials
• Policy Makers
• Anyone interested in Citizen Participation and Social Accountability

Training Period

• Classroom: 5 Days
• Online: 7 Days

MODULES

Module 1

• Foundations and Principles of Good Governance
• Good Governance Indicators
• Defining the key agents and their roles for good governance
• Citizen Participation – Why is it important?
• Roles of Citizen Groups in Promoting Good Governance
• Ethical Leadership in Governance
• Two Dimensions of Ethics

Module 2

• Defining Civic Engagement
• Constructive Civic Engagement and its strategies
• Enabling Environment for Constructive Civic Engagement
• Introduction to Decentralization; Discussing the 4 types
• Conditions for effective Decentralization of Governance
• Best Practices of Decentralization across the globe; Contemporary Challenges

Module 3:

• Defining Social Accountability
• Rationale and 4 pillars of Social Accountability
• Mechanisms and Applications of Social Accountability
• Discussing Critical Success Factors for Social Accountability
• Introduction to Public Financial Management
• Citizen Participation in Planning
• What are the benefits of engaging citizens in planning?

Module 4:

• Participatory Budgeting
• Benefits and Preconditions of Participatory Budgeting; Discussing the Challenges
• Participatory Expenditure; Expenditure tracking
• Public Expenditure Tracking Survey
• Public Procurement and Procurement Monitoring
• Participatory Performance Monitoring
• Constructive Civic Engagement for Social Accountability
• Building the capacity of citizen groups and local government
• Media and Good Governance

Delivery Method

This program is taught through a mix of practical activities, theory, group work and case studies. Training manuals and additional reference materials are provided to the participants.

CERTIFICATION

Upon successful completion of the training, participants will be awarded a certificate of course completion

Course Booking

Please use the “book now” or “inquire” buttons on this page to either book your space or make further enquiries.