United Nations Development ProgrammeRegional Bureau for Europe & CIS ● Bratislava Regional Centre

Inclusive Participation & PA Assessments in

KazakhstanConsensus-Building Strategies

Inclusive Participation in PA: Why?

Growing recognition to improve public administration and services, in addition to efforts focused on ‘supply side’ mechanisms, need to capacitate the ‘demand side’

1. users of public services informed of their rights and entitlements 2. exercise their rights by monitoring the quality of public services and

holding the government and service providers accountable. Experiences around the world have demonstrated that generating and using information on the performance of service providers by both government and non-governmental leads to

1. enhancement of public transparency & accountability which fosters2. adherence to higher quality standards in service delivery.

>> Stakeholders to use several tools for one same objective , through consensus-building and mutually reinforcing processes

Benefits of Inclusive Participation – Increased OwnershipBenefits :- Increased legitimacy and public trust in the exercise.

-Direct and objective user feedback to service providers

- Objective knowledge + quantified information >> communities and citizen empowered to hold governments & service providers accountable, increase popular pressure to achieve the targets

- Local stakeholders active participants , not mere sources of information

- Results better integrated in planning & improved quality of services and public works

>> Strengthen accountability & consensus-building for one same goal

How? Assessment & Social Accountability Agenda

UNDP Approach:

• promoting multi-stakeholder participation

• aligning governance assessments with national development plans

• strengthening evidence-based policymaking

How? Steps in a nationally owned governance assessment

Identify key stakeholders

Raise fundsEstablish a

steering committee

Identify national institution or civil

society organization for hosting initiative

Decide on how to

collect the data

Conduct multi-stakeholder dialogue

on governance priorities

Decide on who will do

the research

Select type of

assessment

Decide on assessment framework

Decide on indicators

Conduct multi-

stakeholder consultation

Decide on sampling

Disseminate results

Conduct policy reform or advocate for reform

Develop policy

recommend-ations

Analyse results

Institutionalize the assessment

and repeat at regular intervals

Inclusive CS engagement in PA assessment: Vietnam Public Administration Index (PAPI)

• A survey by ruling party, a civil society research institute, and UNDP

• PAPI complements PAR efforts at the provincial level

• Provincial authorities made aware of strengths and weaknesses for improving the performance of the public administration system

• Assesses 3 mutually reinforcing processes: policy making, policy implementation and monitoring of public service delivery

>> supports transparency; stimulates reform; enlarges ‘space’ for civil society in planning, implementation, and monitoring; pool of data

>> managed substantively and technically by a national advisory board and a group of international governance measurement experts

Kazakhstan’s considerable potential

• Increase in NGO numbers: 400 in the 1990s, 1,600 during 1994 to 1997 (international funding ).

Now: gradual consolidation of NGO sector, and rise of organizations engaged in service provision

• President support: has declared repeatedly that he wants civil society to monitor every important project.

• Process initiated: 2 round tables for NGOs in 2011 to inform them about PA assessment effort from the onset, of call for feedback and provide initial knowledge on state methodology for assessment.

>> As a result 21 self registered NGOs: tremendous potential!

…Areas for further consideration

1) Key precondition for successful and meaningful involvement of CSOs: Law on Free Access to Public Information.

>> The tool: to support government transparency and facilitate the dissemination of public information is “Access to information monitoring”, developed by OSI. (Macedonia)

2) Address resources needs (human and financial) for sustainability, which demands some trade off between values and operations. Competition in public funding > available amounts very desirable

>> Cooperation between the government, civil society and the private sector need to be improved and/or explored (PPP, philanthropy?)

>> In the short-term, role of coalitions: pool funds, build join proposals

…Areas for further consideration

3)Capacity : NGOs (esp. in the regions) to benefit from professional capacity development (tools) to evaluate state bodies and their performance

>> Training of CSO on governance assessment, how to conduct own analyses, conduct evidence-based policy making

>> Training of relevant executive authorities on all levels to increase understanding on advantages of cooperation with CSOs.

>> coalition building: NGOs (Armenia) & independent experts

Several tools available to provide complementary information to government assessments:

>> will focus on 2 main areas: public service delivery and IT

Public service delivery & participatory monitoring

Would nicely complement GA of Public Service Delivery

1.Citizen Report Cards (CRC) & Community Score Card (CSC)

>> user feedback on quality and performance of public services>> Findings placed in public domain through the use of media & public mtgs 2.Social Audit

>> Like financial audit verifies how money is spent, social audit verifies how programs and services carried out

- whether reflective of social, environmental &community objectives- involves a systematic evaluation of public records & user feedback

Ukraine - People’s Voice projectRomania – inclusion of users in service delivery

Information Technology for participatory monitoring

Would nicely complement GA of use of information technologies

1.Information-sharing tools: Draft policy documents or progress reports on existing policies shared via

-traditional media and websites or stalls in public spaces -or by Gov teaming up with CSOs like citizen groups or unions who can channel the information to their members.

2.Connectivity with the Government for Dialogue, Participation and Decision-Making -- “Networked Government ”

citizens’ networks voice opinion and proposals through e-polling, online town halls) or more advances input in policy making

>> Estonia - launch of government’s participation portal & E-gov academy>> An ICT approach to participatory policy-making in Nepal

Inclusive Participation

In short, GA can very well be carried out without IP...

... yet, IP processes strengthen accountability & consensus-building:

>> in addition to executive branch checking on performance of the administration

>> citizens, civil society, elected officials and think tanks form a strategic alliance which multiplies ability to ‘watch’ and improve performance

Thank you!