MANUAL

Basic Concepts and Participatory Tools of Transparency and Accountability in Local Governance

This innovative Training Module developed by ANSA-SAR partner Asia Foundation Sri Lanka on "Basic Concepts and Participatory Tools of Transparency and Accountability in Local Governance" has been designed to demystify and enhance conceptual understanding of terms like Transparency and Social Accountability, improve facilitation and planning skills of local authority staff and provincial administrators to be more accountable and responsive to citizens in their respective constituencies and help civil society organizations to develop an informed understanding on the scope, mandate and functions of local governments. This training module serves as a guide for creating action-oriented processes for generating effective civic participation and social accountability at the local authority level. It is expected that the implementation of this module will result in improved local governance and a culture of government accountability and responsiveness to citizens in cities, towns, and Pradeshiya Sabhas (provincial council) across Sri Lanka.

The Training Module consists of two parts. Part 1 presents the conceptual clarity and understanding of Transparency and Social Accountability, especially in the context of local governance. Part 2 provides two basic skills/tools to enhance citizen participation and encourage transparency and social accountability through a) facilitation of group processes using the Technology of Participation (ToP)- Basic Group Facilitation Methods; and b) participatory planning which covers a broader framework and guidance for participatory planning through community consultations. These skills/tools demonstrate the effectiveness of participatory processes in local development.

Presented in an extremely user friendly format, this Manual is a valuable addition to the growing repertoire of capacity building pedagogies in social accountability. Though developed in the Sri Lankan context, it is hoped that this Manual can be adapted and contextualized in other settings.

Please find the Training Module below as a PDF attachment.

NEWSLETTER

GREEN GOVERNANCE

In February 2010, ANSA SAR grantee and Bangalore-based civil society organisation Public Affairs Centre (PAC) embarked on a unique study on climate change, linking livelihoods and Environmental Governance. The 2-year project is entitled “Enhancing Community Centred Governance in Climate Change Affected Coastal Areas”. It focuses on developing a tool called Climate Change Score Card (CCSC) which will facilitate citizens' monitoring of the impact of climate change in their locality.

The project operates in the Gulf of Mannar region of Southern Tamil Nadu, where environmental concerns due to climate change and local human activity are significantly affecting the area’s ecological biosphere and the livelihoods of the poorest who rely on it. PAC's local partner organisation is People's Action for Development (PAD), an NGO working with the coastal communities for more than 15 years.

The first issue of PAC's newsletter Green Governance records the
progress of the project and offers valuable insights into the impact of citizen monitoring of Environmental Governance. The second issue
addresses the importance and challenges of accessing environmental data and locates some surprising sources. It also carries statements from coastal people and fishermen's collectives on co-management of coastal areas.

To read both newsletters in full, please download the PDF files below.

FIELD VISIT REPORTS

An important activity for ANSA SAR & GPF's knowledge generation mandate is field visits to project sites. It is important not only to document impact of these projects but to capture the innovations and the emerging problems and issues on site. The lessons learnt from these visits will inform the future activities of ANSA and also give rise to topics which need to be researched further in order to inform the field.

Through these reports, ANSA SAR tries to capture the voices of the people with whom its partners have been working, as these will continuously influence the ultimate goal and objective of ANSA and its work on social accountability.

To view the field visit reports, please click on the PDF attachments below.