Citizens Information and Training Centres

1
Citizens Information and Training Centres

• Uzbekistan
• Joint Bishkek CoP meeting on "Localizing the MDGs
  through Improved Local Governance and Civic
  Engagement" - 31 October/1 November 2006

2
Objective of the good practice

• Empower local communities in their socioeconomic
  development
• OR
• Help communities to help themselves in the
  respect of local traditions, culture and local
  environment

3
Description of the problem

• Lack of participation by communities in their own
  development
• OR
• Difficulty of communities to identify their main
  problems in a participatory way and agree on how
  to overcome them jointly

4
Strategy of the good practice

• The 6 district centres are link between
  communities, authorities and donors to better
  focus and coordinate their activities in local
  development
• Set up through a one off grants on something
  already existing
• Assist local authorities to collect socioeconomic
  data(mapping) in 100 local communities in six
  districts to be fed into the Welfare
  Improvement Strategy Paper and living standards
  profiles at district-community level
• Provide support to community-based self-help
  initiatives and facilitate citizens interaction
  with Local Government departments
• Distribute share information on the Millennium
  Development Goals in Uzbekistan and their
  relevance to the specific development context of
  the communities .

5
Innovative aspect

• Utilize and maximize the potential of existing
  local capacities, including those of traditional
  community based structures
• AND
• Enable the local community based structure
  (Mahalla Fund) to serve as a repository and
  disseminator of information on the role of civil
  society and citizens in development.

6
Activities

• Organize participatory workshops and training by
  stimulating discussion around the MDGs and their
  relevance to development planning and monitoring
  at local level (MDG localization).
• Provide support to communities, farmers, local
  authorities and others in preparing project
  proposals for the rehabilitation of social
  infrastructures and business/management plans
• Function as liaison between authorities and
  communities, and maintain a rudimentary data and
  information systems.
• Provide basic office services, against a modest
  payment, in particular for computer use,
  photocopying, printing, etc.

7
Partnerships
mahallas (associations of citizens) Khokimiyats
(regional and district governments) and
communities to rehabilitate water and other
social infrastructures in three districts of
Karakalpakstan - and of Namangan region donors
(UNDP for its area based development and EC
mainly) farmers local microcredit institutions
local schools and youth centres
8
Results

• Enabled the local community based structure
  (Mahalla Fund) to serve as a repository and
  disseminator of information on the role of civil
  society and citizens in development

9
Problems

• The bureaucracy involved in setting the centres
  up
• the short time of the project supporting their
  establishment, monitoring and evaluation
• preference by the donors to work with NGOs rather
  than community based organizations

10
Sustainability

• Centres have been working for just over a year,
  the prospects are promising
• build successfully on existing structures to
  create a service that is likely to be useful and
  sustainable in the long run.
• Set up sufficiently modestly so that they require
  little money for their upkeep. Mahalla Funds, who
  do have a budget, are eager to make the centres
  work and local authorities are very supportive.
• The running costs of the centres are already
  covered from the budgets of the Mahalla Funds.

11
Replicability

• The centres in Karakalpakstan and Namangan are
  now replicated in Fergana region