Sharique Phase IV : SDC LGov Programme

The Seventh Five Years Plan 2016-2020 of the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) recognizes that Local Governments are key vehicles for local democracy and service-delivery. Local Governance reform has been unfolding slowly since the adoption of promising laws in 2009-2011. The main efforts made by GoB have been in increasing the financial volumes of transfers to Local Governments. Human resources remain weak and need further strengthening to manage local affairs effectively and to allow citizen participation for prioritisation and oversight of services.

Sharique contributes to the empowerment of local citizens to make and implement inclusive, gender sensitive and pro-poor collective choices about their lives and livelihoods through more democratic, transparent, inclusive and effective local government systems

• 167 UPs in the districts of Gaibandha and Barisal will go through the complete package of capacity building for improved Local Governance. 407’000 rural citizens in those Unions will benefit directly.
• 207 UPs in four districts covered in the previous phase will consolidate their practice through light peer learning. (About 400’000 beneficiaries).
• The National Institute of Local Government will be strengthened and partner with other specialized public training institutes in the fields of UP planning and public finance management.
  

• Citizens participate more effectively in decision-making and hold Union Parishads to account in the selected (2) districts.
• Union Parishads in the selected (6) districts apply more effective, accountable and inclusive public management systems.
• National actors use and institutionalize tested SHARIQUE capacity development tools and delivery model for strengthening Union Parishad governance.
  

Resultados previstos:  

• Citizen are mobilised to engage meaningfully in Union Parishad planning and in oversight of public services delivered in the Unions.
• BRDB builds the capacities of Union Parishads using Sharique tools following a district based approach in 2 districts.
• Selected national public training institutes have revised their curricula based on Sharique tools.
• NILG developed a model for decentralized delegated training delivery.
  

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

• The stronger capacities and link between the Union Parishads (UPs) and the citizens has resulted in 32% increase of UPs own source revenues (increased taxes) from 2013 to 2016.
• By 2016, 207 UPs allocated in average 43% of their annual budgets in favor of targeted services for poor and women citizen (in 2013 it was 9%).
• Some of the emerging practices were institutionalized and have become part of the UP system (e.g. UDCC as a platform for service providers’ coordination, and ward planning methodology).
  

Public institutes: National Institute of Local Government, Institute of Public Finance, National Academy for Planning and Development, Local Government Division

Civil society: BUPF (Local Government association), Manusher Jonno Foundation, Steps towards Development

Other relevant development programmes: LGSP III (WB) , SALG (UNDP)

Other SDC projects: Horizontal Learning Programme, Aparajita women’s political empowerment, Shomoshti

Fase 4 01.03.2017 - 31.01.2021   (Completed)