MSDSP Local Governance Programme

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MOUNTAIN SOCIETIES DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT PROGRAMME
Local Governance Programme Community Development
Unit
Project of Aga Khan Foundation, Tajikistan
February 2007
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Guiding principles

• Learning organisation
• Driven by emerging needs, challenges
  opportunities
• People centred development
• Partnership with other players

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Changing focus

• Early 90s Food security
• Late 90s Food security, credit social
  mobilisation
• 2001-now Community-driven development
• From now Mobilising civil society partners,
  private sector local governance

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Transition to facilitating CS partners

• Village Organization
• High role of MSDSP
• High control by MSDSP
• Direct implementation
• No linkage with local government
• High donor investment (Financial and human
  resources)
• Less opportunities for partnerships and networking

• Social Union for the Development of
• Village Organizations
• Less role of MSDSP
• Less control by MSDSP
• Facilitator
• More linkage with local government
• Less donor investment, more local resources
  mobilised
• More opportunities for partnerships

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Transition from direct delivery of services to
facilitating sustainable partners

• Tajikistan Governance and Livelihoods Programme

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Main Focus Areas

• Capacity building of local government officials
• Capacity building of civil society organizations
  and their members
• Participatory development planning and project
  implementation advocacy
• Gender and development

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Sub-District Development Committee (SdDC)
Regional MSDSP
Regional Government
District Government
District MSDSP
Sub-District Government
SUDVO
SdDC
VO
VO
VO
Village
Committees
Households
Local Governance Programme
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Composition of SdDC members

• Representative from District government
• 2 Representatives from sub-district government
• 3 Representatives from SUDVOs
• 1 Representative from MSDSP/AKF
• 2 Representatives from Women Groups
• 1 Sector specialist-invitee
• An observation team ensures transparency and
  communication

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Lessons Learned and Challenges

• Plus
• Active government involvement in the
  deliberations of the Committee
• Government staff motivated to learn new skills
• Trust and confidence between local communities in
  some cases built
• Minus
• Limited legitimacy of local officials in the eyes
  of the communities in some Jamaots
• Women play a marginal role
• Lack of resources on the part of Local Government
  to maintain infrastructure
• Divergence in the needs between local communities
  and local government conflict of interest
  between govt community

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Risks

• Involving government in planning NGO investment
  funds but not in implementation
• Over-emphasis on building planning capacity and
  neglect of advocacy
• Dual planning systems for NGO funds and
  government funds

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Sub-district Development Committees (SdDC)
46 SdDC started
2
4
6
3
7
7
1
2
1
6
7
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Donors

• Swedish International Development Agency (Sida)
• Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)
• Novib and CIDA

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• Thank you