Transparency and Public Participation in the local budget process Presented by:. Gubad Ibadoglu Economic Research Centre
Program «Increasing of the role of local government in poverty reduction (2004 year and it still continues) 2
Purpose 1 Methodical and Institutional Assistance to Municipalities in the sphere of budgeting work. It encompasses; Methodical and Technical Assistance to Municipalities in the sphere of strengthening of budgeting work. Methodical and Technical Assistance to Municipalities in the preparing and developing social-economic programs. 3
Purpose 2. Achieving institutional changes in the sphere of budgeting work. It encompasses : Increasing of accountabilities of municipalities; Supporting of public participation in decision-making process regarding to the budget process and increasing their role in the budget execution; Increasing of public access to the information on municipal budget. 4
Following activities have been done to achieve those purposes : Increasing citizen s initiatives regarding to the budget process and holding public hearing on budget with participation of local citizens. For that: Holding of public hearing for publicizing main problems of municipalities; Involving of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the process; Organizing of different events with participation of various social groups; Discussing and approving of municipality budget project for next fiscal year and reporting on current budget execution with participation of citizens. 5
Increasing of public access to the budget information: Publishing of information on municipality budget in local mass-media; Using of Electron Mass-Media in municipality territory; Holding of Blackboards for budget documents in order to them be publicized among citizens; Budget Documents Packet for Public Access was put in schools and libraries; Creating of possibilities to familiar with them in municipality office; 6
Public Hearing to familiar with public initiatives : Learning of citizens living in municipality territories as well as different social groups in selecting budget priorities, reaching of results for considering of public initiatives in local budget process including budget expenditures and revenues. 7
Different events in institutional changes Preparing of social-economic development programs for municipalities for up-coming 3 years. Those programs have been developed with taking into account specificity of municipality territories including concrete financial resources, volume of resources and etc. 8
The Budget Packet Encompasses : Budget project for next fiscal year Classification of budget revenues on sources and report of budget execution; Classification of budget expenditures in detail; Statement for requiring financial assistance from the central budget; Listing of groups that need assistance Listing of social assistances. 9
Increasing of public awareness: Report on execution of municipal budget in 2006 was published in local newspaper. The newspaper was distributed between citizens living in municipalities. 10
Blackboard on budget information. Increasing of public awareness 11
Familiarizing with public opinions: Holding of postboxes 12
Familiarizing with public opinions: Holding of public hearings 13
Enhancing public control: For municipalities applied software «Transparent Budget». 14
Supporting of advocacy: Holding of roundtable discussions 15
Partners within Municipal Program Associations Municipalities (city, town, rural) We are working with this associations to study community problems, conduct surveys between residents, and hold public events. The organization offers personal and organizational support. Oxfam» GB, OSI-SF Eurasia Foundation, Counterpart International The organization is funding our initiatives in municipalities. Secretariat of State Program on Poverty Reduction and Economic Development Our organization is working within Working Group on Financial Potential of Municipalities within State Program on Sustainable Development. ERC prepares policy recommendations to improve financial potential of municipalities and enhance decentralization and secretariat submits those recommendations to relevant government bodies. 16
Our expectations from the process: Enhancing budget transparency in municipality and promoting of regulations in the local budget process, studying of initiatives addressing to improvement of budget legislations. Preparing and developing of regional socioeconomic programs for next 3 years, evaluating of budget priorities to support successful implementation of programs. Preparing of mechanisms to use different financial sources to solve local municipal problems. 17
Cont d Increasing access of citizens to budget documents including information. Promoting of public participation in the budget process. Specifically increasing of public participation in decision-making process on budget sphere, using of required social techniques in municipalities. Providing of access to information technology gives opportunity to enhance transparency, supporting of regulation of budget process as well as good governance in municipality. 18
Thank You! Economic Research Centre Address: Az1001. Seid Rustamov 3/6, apt.3, Phone: 497-1161, 492-5280 Fax: 598-4431 Email: erc-az@azeurotel.com Web: www.erc-az.org 19