Lebanon, July 1, 7 participants, Organizer: Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace The meeting was a space for people from different backgrounds to share their experiences, ideas, and thoughts about local participatory democracy. It was an interesting discussion. The meeting highlighted the need for educating local people about their civic rights, accountability, and transparency, as…
Sudan, June 29, 5 participants, Organizer: Sudanese Development Initiative (SUDIA) On 29 June 2014, the Sudanese Development Initiative (SUDIA) organized a Focus Group Discussion on Local Participatory Democracy. 5 people participated in the meeting including representatives from: the Nuba Women for Education and Development Association (NuWEDA), the Public Budget Monitoring Forum, the Al-Alag Media Centre, the…
Côte d’Ivoire, June 26, 16 participants, Organizer: La Convention de la Société Civile Ivoirienne (CSCI) As part of the implementation of the Participatory Local Democracy Project, the Convention of the Ivorian Civil Society (CSCI) conducted a focus group in Abidjan Cocody-City ADB. The focus group was conducted to complete the survey on the situation of participatory…
The Global Movement for Budget Transparency, Accountability and Participation (BTAP) was initiated through its first Global Assembly held in Tanzania at the end of 2011. BTAP believes that “transparent and inclusive budgets are a key piece to improve service delivery, poverty alleviation, the realization of human rights, social justice, and environmental sustainability.” Currently, the independent…
What is the role of local governments in ensuring human rights? Are they of significance or is it the state’s responsibility to protect human rights ? In their statement provided for the UN Human Rights Council in May 2013, the Egypt Habitat International Coalition discusses this topic, and underlines the importance of local governments in…
Ethiopia, June 5 and 6, 15 participants, Organizer: Association for Forced Migrants (AFM) The deputy head of the wereda administration and the head of the economic development and finance wereda office were presents as knowledgeable persons for urban and rural governance in the wereda the lower administrative unit. Women, Youth, farmers and urban citizens representatives from…
India, May 30, 10 participants, Organizer: Institute of Social Sciences The meeting was a great opportunity to bring together a group of committed scholars and activists to reflect upon some of the critical issues on local government, decentralization and grassroots democracy. The Focus Group Discussion proved to be thought provoking. The participants were all experts in…
The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) takes a rights-based approach to poverty alleviation–the organization’s mission is to “promote local democracy in developing countries in accordance with Sweden’s global development policies.” The ICLD aims to empower people to influence their own lives and development by strengthening local institutions, and promoting decentralization and citizens’ influence. The…
Guatemala, May 23, 8 participants, Organizer: Acción Ciudadana (Citizen Action) The meeting was a space where members of civil society organizations could share their experiences of participatory democracy. Women could express their perceptions of women’s inclusion in local government policies and participation to formulate plans. Maya organizations explained how the State and local governments open…
Tajikistan, May 20, 8 participants, Organizer: Center for Civic Initiative The focus group participants reacted to this friendly survey and actively participated in the discussions, as the questionnaire raised important questions that are associated with the participation of citizens in public life. The participants also noted that such a survey should be conducted in all regions…
