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Community activism

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance through Synergies and Sustainable Linkages between Communities and Government in North Afghanistan

What is required is a very long-term engagement to build the necessary capacities. For efforts to support democratic development and an active and dynamic civil society in Afghanistan, prospects of sustainability are yet more limited.
Project Partner
ACTED
Project Description
Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance in Northern Afghanistan was generally effective as a training project, but its overall design was not well-aligned with the overall objectives specified. The project made a difference for the trainees who benefited from the course provided, but did not contribute much to the institutional results linked to enhancing inclusive local governance. The grantee was a well-known international NGO. This was strength in some ways, but may have been a weakness in others. The project design had a “generic” quality to it, suggesting a lack of attention to the specific needs in the project sites that were addressed. Further, the lack of engagement with the project by ACTED Kabul at a management level, along with the absence of decentralization of decision-making to the local level, undermined project effectiveness.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance through Synergies and Sustainable Linkages between Communities and Government in North Afghanistan

The provincial/district forums in Afghanistan at the close of the project did not build effectively on the training, and, in any case, most trainees did not take part. The weakness of many training projects is the failure to reinforce through practice what is learned in courses and workshops, thus increasing the likelihood that what has been learned will be retained and applied.
Project Partner
ACTED
Project Description
Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance in Northern Afghanistan was generally effective as a training project, but its overall design was not well-aligned with the overall objectives specified. The project made a difference for the trainees who benefited from the course provided, but did not contribute much to the institutional results linked to enhancing inclusive local governance. The grantee was a well-known international NGO. This was strength in some ways, but may have been a weakness in others. The project design had a “generic” quality to it, suggesting a lack of attention to the specific needs in the project sites that were addressed. Further, the lack of engagement with the project by ACTED Kabul at a management level, along with the absence of decentralization of decision-making to the local level, undermined project effectiveness.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance through Synergies and Sustainable Linkages between Communities and Government in North Afghanistan

While the project may have helped to encourage informal linkages across the three sets of stakeholders listed, there is little evidence of “enhanced mechanisms” or the ability of the project to “enable synergies”. Further, the activities designed to bring the stakeholders together after training was completed, the forums, seemed to add no significant value to the project, although, as suggested in the Final Report, they may have helped to build connections, and to bring new initiatives proposed at community and district levels to the attention of government officials in Afghanistan.
Project Partner
ACTED
Project Description
Enhancing the Capacity for Inclusive Local Governance in Northern Afghanistan was generally effective as a training project, but its overall design was not well-aligned with the overall objectives specified. The project made a difference for the trainees who benefited from the course provided, but did not contribute much to the institutional results linked to enhancing inclusive local governance. The grantee was a well-known international NGO. This was strength in some ways, but may have been a weakness in others. The project design had a “generic” quality to it, suggesting a lack of attention to the specific needs in the project sites that were addressed. Further, the lack of engagement with the project by ACTED Kabul at a management level, along with the absence of decentralization of decision-making to the local level, undermined project effectiveness.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Coalition against Poverty: Oil Revenue under Public Oversight

The project achieved its strongest results through producing significant research on regional business, government, and civil society. Anecdotal evidence suggests that project activities were effective in raising awareness among organized civil society in the regions, perhaps in part because of their great need for information and capacity.
Project Partner
Sange Research Center
Project Description
The project aimed to improve understanding of transparency and accountability in the governance of the extractive sector in Kazakhstan. The project emphasised understanding of the extractive sector’s impact on poverty, environmental vulnerability, labour conditions and rights, income and access to services. Activities focused on multiple stakeholders operating in five regions of Kazakhstan, with the goal of developing more transparent, accountable, and effective institutions that would expand citizen participation and promote more sustainable development. The project targeted areas where extractive industries are important economic actors and where civil society needs increased capacity or support to more effectively engage in governance. Project activities tackled the gap in access to usable outside information through research, analysis, and outreach. Collaborative learning tactics supported increased local engagement.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Coalition against Poverty: Oil Revenue under Public Oversight

Round-table discussions were felt to be an especially useful approach and proved effective in helping participants increase their understanding of transparency and accountability and their ability to affect change. Stakeholders commented that this approach would continue to have value for a wide variety of participatory and learning activities.
Project Partner
Sange Research Center
Project Description
The project aimed to improve understanding of transparency and accountability in the governance of the extractive sector in Kazakhstan. The project emphasised understanding of the extractive sector’s impact on poverty, environmental vulnerability, labour conditions and rights, income and access to services. Activities focused on multiple stakeholders operating in five regions of Kazakhstan, with the goal of developing more transparent, accountable, and effective institutions that would expand citizen participation and promote more sustainable development. The project targeted areas where extractive industries are important economic actors and where civil society needs increased capacity or support to more effectively engage in governance. Project activities tackled the gap in access to usable outside information through research, analysis, and outreach. Collaborative learning tactics supported increased local engagement.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Coalition against Poverty: Oil Revenue under Public Oversight

Anecdotal evidence suggested that highlighting contradictions between constitutional or legal principles and the current operations of many local and regional institutions in Kazakhstan has raised civic awareness. While impact on corporate policy or behaviour was not measured it was widely believed that the challenging approach taken - if supported by bilateral donors - would not have been welcome in this isolated environment remote from Western influence.
Project Partner
Sange Research Center
Project Description
The project aimed to improve understanding of transparency and accountability in the governance of the extractive sector in Kazakhstan. The project emphasised understanding of the extractive sector’s impact on poverty, environmental vulnerability, labour conditions and rights, income and access to services. Activities focused on multiple stakeholders operating in five regions of Kazakhstan, with the goal of developing more transparent, accountable, and effective institutions that would expand citizen participation and promote more sustainable development. The project targeted areas where extractive industries are important economic actors and where civil society needs increased capacity or support to more effectively engage in governance. Project activities tackled the gap in access to usable outside information through research, analysis, and outreach. Collaborative learning tactics supported increased local engagement.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Coalition against Poverty: Oil Revenue under Public Oversight

The project’s original problem analysis and expected impact assessment were unrealistic. Project design and strategy underestimated structural and institutional resistance to reform in Kazakhstan, resulting in quite limited effects on formal institutions such as the national and local councils, and on official patterns of behaviour, such as decisions on social investment.
Project Partner
Sange Research Center
Project Description
The project aimed to improve understanding of transparency and accountability in the governance of the extractive sector in Kazakhstan. The project emphasised understanding of the extractive sector’s impact on poverty, environmental vulnerability, labour conditions and rights, income and access to services. Activities focused on multiple stakeholders operating in five regions of Kazakhstan, with the goal of developing more transparent, accountable, and effective institutions that would expand citizen participation and promote more sustainable development. The project targeted areas where extractive industries are important economic actors and where civil society needs increased capacity or support to more effectively engage in governance. Project activities tackled the gap in access to usable outside information through research, analysis, and outreach. Collaborative learning tactics supported increased local engagement.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Coalition against Poverty: Oil Revenue under Public Oversight

From a programme theory or design perspective, the project’s unrealistically high ambition was demonstrated in its expectation of behaviour change. The project aimed to change behaviour on three fronts: national and international extractive industry business interests; civil society; and local government. Some frustrations or disappointment could have been mitigated by reviewing the scope and scale of activities so that they were more appropriately matched to the problem analysis and by setting achievable goals and targets informed by better programme theory.
Project Partner
Sange Research Center
Project Description
The project aimed to improve understanding of transparency and accountability in the governance of the extractive sector in Kazakhstan. The project emphasised understanding of the extractive sector’s impact on poverty, environmental vulnerability, labour conditions and rights, income and access to services. Activities focused on multiple stakeholders operating in five regions of Kazakhstan, with the goal of developing more transparent, accountable, and effective institutions that would expand citizen participation and promote more sustainable development. The project targeted areas where extractive industries are important economic actors and where civil society needs increased capacity or support to more effectively engage in governance. Project activities tackled the gap in access to usable outside information through research, analysis, and outreach. Collaborative learning tactics supported increased local engagement.
Evaluation Date
April 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Civil Society Engagement for Democracy and Good Governance

Despite the socio-political and post-election crises in Côte d’Ivoire the grantee managed to inspire democratic behaviour. The project effectively put in place five Committees monitoring democracy and good governance in order to improve citizens understanding of how the local town hall works and what rights citizens have that allow them to participate actively in governance to improve their living conditions.
Project Partner
West Africa Network For Peacebuilding - Côte d'Ivoire
Project Description
The main focus of the project in Côte d’Ivoire was to put in place five departmental committees and one national committee for the monitoring of democracy and good governance. By strengthening the capacity of the members of these committees, the project promoted voluntary involvement in the management of communes and the exercise of civic control. By relying on the country’s policy of decentralization, the project helped local populations develop an interest in governing local affairs through learning about their roles as citizens. This was done through cooperation and engaging in dialogue with locally elected leaders. With this project the grantee integrated strategic priorities of the national decentralization policy into local governance. It also managed to take into account the context of the Ivorian crisis, which was characterized by a weakness of democracy and poor governance. It was therefore a kind of post-crisis pilot project on raising awareness and approaches to training in democratic education and good governance. The project could have applied a more nuanced approach in relation to the different groups that were part of the target population, particularly women and young people and provided more local support.
Evaluation Date
January 2013
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Civil Society Engagement for Democracy and Good Governance

The project successfully engaged with local state authorities in Côte d’Ivoire, notably the Ministry of the Interior, the Union of Cities and Communes, and members of the national monitoring Committee. These groups provided support to the trainings for elected representatives and civil society actors. This paved the way for establishing the monitoring Committees which allowed for practical dialogue and debate on local issues.
Project Partner
West Africa Network For Peacebuilding - Côte d'Ivoire
Project Description
The main focus of the project in Côte d’Ivoire was to put in place five departmental committees and one national committee for the monitoring of democracy and good governance. By strengthening the capacity of the members of these committees, the project promoted voluntary involvement in the management of communes and the exercise of civic control. By relying on the country’s policy of decentralization, the project helped local populations develop an interest in governing local affairs through learning about their roles as citizens. This was done through cooperation and engaging in dialogue with locally elected leaders. With this project the grantee integrated strategic priorities of the national decentralization policy into local governance. It also managed to take into account the context of the Ivorian crisis, which was characterized by a weakness of democracy and poor governance. It was therefore a kind of post-crisis pilot project on raising awareness and approaches to training in democratic education and good governance. The project could have applied a more nuanced approach in relation to the different groups that were part of the target population, particularly women and young people and provided more local support.
Evaluation Date
January 2013
Country