Support to Sub-National Governance Institutions (RC East/South)

Provinces	Bamyan, Daykundi, Ghazni, Hilmand, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktya, Panjsher, Parwan, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul
Program	Democracy & Governance (Strengthening institutions for good governance)
Dates	June 2008 - December 2009
Partner	Consortium For Elections, Public Policy Services
Website

OVERVIEW
The Support to Sub-National Governance Institutions program provides training and support to 20 provincial councils to conduct oversight and contribute to the provincial development process, as well as 20 governors’ offices to understand and meet constituent needs.  The program includes technical assistance on budget/fiscal responsibility, public opinion polling, town hall meetings, and development of media strategies in Regional Command-East and Regional Command-South.  Targeted provinces include Bamyan, Daykundi, Ghazni, Hilmand, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktya, Panjsher, Parwan, Uruzgan, Wardak, and Zabul.  Support to Sub-National Governance Institutions is implemented by the Consortium for Electoral and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS), comprising the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute.

ACTIVITIES

• Strengthening the capacity of provincial councils to conduct more effective development planning.
• Supporting provincial councils as they conduct oversight over provincial development projects and budgets.
• Building the capacity of governors’ offices to understand and respond to constituent needs.
• Increasing the capacity of governors’ offices to communicate their policies to their constituents.

RESULTS

• Conducted training sessions and workshops for provincial councils in the South and East in the following areas: project management, office filing systems, report-writing skills and monitoring and evaluation techniques.  Provincial councils now have the ability to provide consultation and conduct oversight for on-going provincial development projects and budgets.
• Designed the Ask Your Governor media program in consultation with the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG).  The program, which will enable citizens to communicate their needs and concerns directly to their governor, will be implemented after the elections. 
• Designed and conducted citizen satisfaction surveys in 20 provinces.  The surveys will be conducted three times over the life of the program, helping provincial governments further define the needs of their constituents and track the effectiveness of the government’s responses.
• Implemented town hall meetings to create a dialogue and understanding among diverse stakeholders throughout Afghanistan’s southern and eastern provinces.  These meetings will enable provincial councils to incorporate citizen input in development proposals, leading to increased transparency and greater legitimacy of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

 

All Democracy & Governance activities