Within its overall governance efforts, UNDP is implementing the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) Project “Empowering Municipal Councils” with the overall objective to empower municipal councils in order to become active in exercising their roles of oversight and representation thus making municipal government more accountable and effective in meeting the needs of the citizens.
The expected outcomes from the project implementation are:
- Outcome 1: Municipal councils become more autonomous bodies, better able to withstand the executive’s influence, by properly fulfilling their constitutionally assigned roles of oversight and representation.
- Outcome 2: Municipal policies are designed in a participatory manner to better meet citizens’ needs through increased transparency and accountability of municipal bodies.
- Outcome 3: Improvements of the legal and institutional framework within which municipal councils function are initiated and sustained through a functional and institutionalized national network of councillors.
This concept for establishment of the councilor’s network closely relates to the outcome 3 of the project.
The key challenge to be addressed
Municipal council members have little contact with their peers outside their own municipalities. The esprit de corps is lacking that might support a collective drive for normative or practical reforms to address the systemic deficits and improve the functioning of municipal councils. There is thus a clear need for improved networking, using the ZELS Committee of Councils as an anchor.
The project will work on building trust among councillors (as a necessary element of the networking), between councillors and Mayors/administration and between councillors and citizens. Solid ground for efficient and effective networking was laid down during the numerous consultative events held with councillors and other stakeholders in the preparatory phase of the project. The councillors got to know each other better and started to recognize the common interests. In that regard, the project will support the ZELS Council Committee as the main driving force for the networking.
Proposed action
One of the specific project goals is to assist the process of designing, building and expanding a network among council members from different municipalities, as a way of improving horizontal communication and cooperation and promote the formulation of joint positions on common needs and interests regardless of their political party affiliations. Together, the council members can then push for legislative and practical changes needed for municipal councils to function more effectively.
The network will help to achieve the project aims by creating and sustaining a mutually reinforcing learning environment to complement the classroom training and online learning. Opportunities will be created for peer-to-peer sharing of experience and lessons learned.
The project is open to all 81 municipal councils in the country and the design of project components and activities follows that logic. The components on networking as well as the e-knowledge platform are meant to encompass all 1,347 councillors and the stakeholders with which they are structurally connected as potential beneficiaries.
The project will organize three types of networking: face-to-face thematic networking events; virtual peer groups organized through the e-learning platform; and cross-border cooperation with peers across the region.
In line with initial consultations, networking will be coordinated through of the Committee of Councils (CoC) of the Association of Local Self-Government Units (ZELS). This will give project activities a strong institutional foundation, since the CoC participates in the ZELS executive and oversight bodies and in the ZELS General Assembly. It will also promote the long-term sustainability of the network
Output 3.1: Off-line and online network created in which one-fourth of all councilors participate
Depending on the needs and the specific weight of the questions, thematic events will be organized for the presidents of the councils of all municipalities and for the chairpersons of the Financing and Budget Committees, Equal Opportunities Committees, Inter-Community Relations Committees and other committees under the councils of the local self-government units (eg. urban planning, social services).
This approach will build upon the preliminary networking already organized in the preparatory phase.
The networking events will be structured around the key challenges identified by the council members themselves during the baseline assessments. These main challenges include:
- General challenges related to the overall systemic deficiencies in the normative and institutional framework for the implementation of the councillor’s mandate; deficiencies in existing capacities, lack of training opportunities, complex and weak internal structural and functional relations; inconsistent opportunities and mechanisms for interaction with citizens.
- Challenges related to the oversight of the financial aspects of the work done by the municipal executive bodies: marginal role of the councillors in budget preparation and monitoring, insufficient cooperation with the mayors and the municipal administration in that work; lack of specific skills for performing these functions; weaknesses in the internal financial control and audit; lack of preventive mechanisms and tools for the Councils to exercise oversight position etc.
- Challenges related to the functioning of the Equal Opportunity Committees/Inter-Community Relations Committees: lack of capacities and skills within the Committees to properly discharge their roles, inappropriate budgeting for the activities proposed by the two committees despite the existing action plans and other policies and measures; logistical challenges related to the work of both committees; underestimation of the systemic role of these committees.
In addition to face-to-face events, virtual networking will be forged through the e-learning platform. All council members from all local self-government units will be invited to join a “councillors only” on-line club, so this will be open not only to the 24 selected councils that will participate in the classroom training and the grants scheme, but for all councils in all 81 municipalities. Councillors will have access to all content and can elect to receive emails on news and events as well as prompts to engage in online activities.
The e-learning platform will be integrated in the project website, but it can also function as a self-standing website. At its most basic level, the website will give councillors access to the latest news on topics of interest to them, as well as standard information on municipalities and municipal processes. To provide a broader comparative framework reaching beyond strictly national norms and practices, news on regional and international developments in municipal governance will also be available. A search function will help councillors find solutions to specific legal challenges faced in their work.
But the e-learning platform is designed to be far more than a repository of information. Councillors will be able to enrol in online courses from an ample menu, and also share feedback and learning experiences. The platform will provide access to recorded lectures, and councillors will be able to make recommendations to their peers to listen to featured lectures. They will also be able to submit requests and proposals for new training courses, and these will be made available as soon as demand reaches a threshold of at least 50 councillors. This will help bring together councillors around shared interests.
The platform will also feature yardstick tools to facilitate easy comparative municipal analysis.
The platform is designed to be lively and interactive. Opinion polls will be organized in which councillors will be able to cast votes on specific questions and compare their views with those of other councillors. To help motivate council members to build up their knowledge, the website will display self-test scores when councillors choose to share results. Recognition rewards in the form of online medals will be displayed in halls of fame for login times and use of e-learning.
In addition, the website will feature moderated chat rooms to encourage discussion on municipal governance issues. This mechanism will encourage councillors to share experience on topics of mutual interest in municipal governance. The discussions will have expert moderation to ensure that they remain of abiding interest to participants and that opinion is appropriately supplemented with expertise.
Networking features will also allow councillors to post their contacts and social network addresses if they wish to connect with peers. Councillors will be able to create thematic groups on shared interests, after review by the platform administrator. Using these mechanisms, councillors will be able to connect with peers from other municipalities on issues of shared concern or interest, and post issues and requests for comments. In the end, the platform will serve as the mechanism to create a lively virtual community.
Activities for output 3.1:
- Creation of thematic groups consisting of 15-25 councillors each belonging to the Financing and Budget Committee, Equal Opportunities Committee, Inter-Community Relations Committee and other committees under the councils of the local self-government units (e.g. urban planning, social services).
- Organization of a series of networking events for councillors to participate and share experiences. These events will have a dual function. Each will have a substantive focus of intrinsic interest to participants, showcasing municipal experiences and expert speakers on topics of shared interest. At the same time, they will build an esprit de corps through contacts and discussion.
- Organization of groups for peer-to-peer support and learning for the councillors and designing thematic meetings and roundtables around various topics of interest.[1]
- Organization of policy workshops with participation from national authorities and other relevant institutions.
- Preparation of a comparative review of the role of the councils in the local self-government to inform the networking discussions.
- Revival and revision of the Code of Ethics for Local Government Officials to promote a clearer and more visible role of the councillors in support of local government integrity efforts.
- Establishment of a virtual councillors’ community through the e-knowledge platform.
- Design of opinion polls for councillors and analysis of responses and needs, through the e-knowledge platform.
- Establishment of on-line focus groups of councillors.
- Monitoring of networking activities and opinions and exploring opportunities to address needs.
- Verification and codification of all project outputs and practices through the established network of councillors.
- Institutionalization of the project products and results through the established network and systems, through ZELS in particular.
Output 3.2: Exposure to regional and global best practices in empowered municipal councils
This output will be primarily directed towards promoting exchange of sub-regional experiences, but also potentially broader cooperation with more advanced countries in EU and the world that are considered leaders in capitalizing on the role of locally elected officials in the budgeting processes and overall promotion of the principles of good governance at the local level.
The many benefits of these exchanges include: use of experience and capacity that already exists elsewhere towards development of new capacities in the country; opening of additional channels of communication among countries; enhancement of the multiplier effect of technical cooperation; increased knowledge of and confidence in the capacities already available in the country; coordination of policies on development issues relevant to a number of developing countries; development of indigenous solutions and introduction of techniques better adapted to local needs, and accelerated professional development.
Under this output, the project will closely cooperate with ZELS and the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South-East Europe (NALAS) as well as with the UNDP country offices in the region and the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub (IRH). UNDP’s other global networks and outreach facilities will be utilized as well as, where relevant, the experiences of other partner organizations.
Activities for output 3.2:
- Identification of best practices and the organization of two study visits for councillors for learning purposes, specifically on issues related to budgeting, finance and application of the principles of good governance at the local level. Eligibility for participation in study visits will depend on the commitment of the councillors to implement the comprehensive capacity development programme provided under Component 1 of the project.
- Facilitating the participation of councillors in topical regional and international events.
- Facilitating twinning arrangements to expose the councillors to the best international practices. Considering the large number of participants in the project, twinning will also be used as a performance incentive, as only the best performers will be eligible to take part.
Expected outcomes
Through the project, councillors are expected to develop an effective, articulate and visible network that will enable them to advocate with the national Government and the Parliament for improvements in the existing legal and institutional local government system. Moreover, the Councillor network shall take a lead in creating experiential community for learning and sharing practices, supporting acquisition of knowledge as well as increased engagement in governance processes.
The role of ZELS as partner organization in implementation of the project
Building upon consultations and active participation in the preparatory phase, the project will establish close cooperation with ZELS around the councillors networking agenda and for sustaining the capacities, tools and knowledge products beyond the duration of the project.
More specifically, UNDP will work with ZELS, through its Committee of Councils:
- to consult and coordinate on the relevance of the project activities and the intended results;
- to allow for access to the project benefits and results to all municipalities;
- to facilitate and promote networking among councillors; and
- to ensure that the established consultations systems, all the networking mechanisms, learning tools and knowledge products are sustained and institutionalized and made available to the next generation of councillors, as well as to all other interested stakeholders.
In practical terms and to secure optimal technical and substantive support for the ZELS CoC, the project will establish a contractual relationship with ZELS. Funds will be provided to cover the part-time engagement of dedicated ZELS staff.
All other networking costs will be covered directly by the project.
The partnership with ZELS will contribute to the project’s sustainability and is part of the exit strategy.
[1]From participating councils, up to three members will be invited to work as ‘council nodes’ to link with the councillor network. The nodal councillors will be given briefings by the project team and requested to participate in organization of activities. They will also be given special roles in organizing networking events. Within the council, peer groups will be encouraged around the nodal councillors. The nodal councillors will be provided with organized contact and communication with other nodal councillors across municipalities, as well as materials for continued learning relating to municipal governance.
