Strengthening Transparency and Civilian Oversight Mechanisms in two Local Alternative Governments (LAGs) of Ecuador
The objective of the “Strengthening Transparency and Civilian Oversight Mechanisms in two Local Alternative Governments (LAGs) of Ecuador”project was to strengthen the transparency of two Ecuadorian LAGs by establishing an integral management model that fosters the use of local organizational oversight tools and structures.
Specifically, this model previews the adaptation of an Integral Management Model, based on strengthening the internal capacity of governments to manage resources with transparency, to the existing socio-economic and cultural realities within the participating municipalities of Chordeleg and Nabón. This was done to improve citizen’s access to information on local governments’ activities; to empower social actors to assume an effective, participatory, and equitable role as citizens of a democracy and to improve mechanisms for civilian oversight.
Therefore, the project was developed through the following four components:
(1)Effective Internal Legal Norms and Regulations: activities included the compilation, analysis, redesign, and consolidation of internal legal norms, especially those concerning with legal regulations related to social participation and coordination.
(2)Improving Administrative and Financial Systems: through training municipal authorities and staff in administrative and financial management and establishing or strengthening working groups to define priority intervention areas in the municipal budget, as well as a proposal that developed participatory budgets within the local government.
(3)Efficient Internal and External Communication Systems: through training local governments’ staff in communication strategies to make governmental activities and the use of economic resources transparent to citizens.
(4)Establishing and strengthening civilian oversight mechanisms: analysis of the existing civilian forms of participation and organization; citizen oversight training in civic responsibility and public management as well as the establishment and strengthening of citizen-oversight mechanisms to monitor local governments’ work.
The project paid special attention to the access of bilingual populations and sought to emphasize the participation of sectors traditionally excluded from oversight schemes, within its four components, such as: women, youth and rural communities in the counties of Chordeleg and Nabón.
Results and Impact
In the first phase of the project, an information system was implemented, aiming at complying to the requirements of the Law of Transparency and Access to Information, through the structuring of information centres in both local governments. In this regard, the purpose of the second phase is to strengthen the transparency of two alternative local governments (Nabón and Chordeleg) through the establishment of an integrated management model that suits the use of tools for citizen participation, structure and strengthen local organizations of social control.
Analyzing each of the components of the project, we can mention the following expected results:
Effective Internal Legal Norms and Regulations:
The expected impact of this component was to facilitate the accountability of local governments through the creation or strengthening of legal instruments to minimize the poor handling of public funds. This component sought to compile, redesign and consolidate the existing rules and procedures in local governments, such as those related to the selection and procurement of goods and services, administration and management of property and regulations related with social control
Improving Administrative and Financial Systems:
This component intended to develop or strengthen the capacities of personnel involved in the financial and administrative management of local governments to improve their knowledge and skills. However, beyond the impact on human resources, it was also expected to support in improving the internal processes of the areas mentioned.
Efficient Internal and External Communication Systems:
The component sought to strengthen the communication skills of staff within each Local Government promoting an efficient system that provides accurate information to the community, related to budget execution, execution of development projects in priority areas, as well as services required to the municipality.
Establishing and strengthening civilian oversight mechanisms:
The objective of this component was the identification of groups and local actors involved in the exercise of control processes; these were strengthened through training processes to establish a culture of civic participation that promotes social control spaces.
