Under a campaign to involve the public in district decisions, district Sialkot is setting a new trend. As part of the campaign District Nazim Muhammad Akmal Cheema, invited a budget consultation from council members, citizen community boards, the district Mushavirat committee, citizens, NGOs, CBOs and other organisations ahead of issuing the budget call letter.
"The budget rules 2003 clearly state that the budget call letter shall be finalised after consultation with the relevant stakeholders", he explained to the stakeholders. "District That Works (DTW) has helped Mansehra and Khanewal with public participation, and we are able to become part of this approach", he said. The consultation is the sixth in a series of participatory consultations organised by Districts That Work project supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The DTW is providing the district government support in the use of participatory methods for decision-making under a focussed district capacity-building and technical assistance programme.
In Pakistan, the Local Government Ordinance 2001, Section 114 (5) and Section III Clause 11 (1) of the Budget Rules 2003 provide a legal mechanism for public consultations on the budget and citizen involvement in both planning and monitoring.
"Many local governments are either unaware of these provisions or face practical challenges in compliance. We will not only be taking into account the views of government institutions and the union council members but also civil society in order to maximise public participation in the budget making process," he said.
The consultation began with an analysis of the last three years' development budget (to show the priorities and neglected areas), followed by a question/answer session.
Individuals representing the council, CSOs, CCBs and NGOs presented their recommendations on the budget. "I think taking the public into confidence and building priorities based on their concerns will greatly affect the rate of progress", said the Nazim. DTW is providing training and technical assistance to six districts in Pakistan that helps local governments overcome these challenges, build relevant skills and effectively manage resources and use mechanisms that are participatory.
Through better decision-making, DTW's activities aim to contribute to effective service delivery and towards raising public confidence in representative institutions. 'DTW provides local governments the skills, tools and effective partnership mechanisms to improve service delivery, accountability, and transparency within their current constraints.' explained Barry Reed, Acting Chief of Party, DTW project.
"Districts That Work" (DTW) began in August 2006 when USAID/Pakistan awarded a contract to The Urban Institute to launch a three-year project focussing on empowering local government.
The core vision for this project is to help local leaders, councillors and administrative staff at the district level to adopt a 'governing-for-results' mindset, ie, an outcome-oriented, citizen-focused approach to governance.