Strengthening citizen-centric local government
Good Governance and Civil Society
Client: GIZ
Period: 11/2016-06/2020
Country: Morocco
Context
More customer orientation, transparency and efficiency – this is what the citizens of Moroccan cities want from public administration. Cumbersome procedures and poorly defined responsibilities often make it difficult to access routine government services. At the same time, communication about the city council’s work is inadequate and citizens are generally not involved in the planning and implementation of municipal projects.
Project description
The aim of the project financed under the BMZ Special Initiative for Stabilization and Development in North Africa is to ensure that the population of selected cities increasingly benefit from needs-based, participatory services. Up to 10 municipalities with a population of 60,000 – 500,000 will be supported through the fields of action Service Efficiency (FA1), Communication with Citizens (FA2) and Participatory Pilot Projects (FA3) to strengthen the confidence of the population in public institutions by means of a local policy close to the citizens. Thus, local authorities are being assisted with establishing central reception centres where citizens can seek comprehensive information about the services available to them and administrative procedures. The project also advises municipalities on how to improve transparency and accountability by communicating more closely with the people, e.g. via reforming complaints management or establishing more professional communications departments and developing communication strategies. Finally, municipalities receive training on how to make use of citizen participation methods, which enables them to implement ongoing municipal projects with a greater emphasis on needs and thus more successfully. A particular focus here is on the needs of women and young people.
Services
AMBERO is responsible for the implementation of the advisory service „Capacity development of municipal actors in the field of conception and implementation of participation processes for the improvement of municipal services and development of approaches for their sustainability“ and thus contributes to all three fields of action mentioned above.
Services in detail:
- Implementation, together with the partner municipalities, of organisational and process analyses on the topics of service efficiency and communication with citizens using participative methods as well as elements from process tracking and design thinking;
- Development of plans to improve municipal communication with focus on: Municipal communication, reception (manual for signage and administrative procedures) and complaint management; support in the implementation of action plans;
- Organisation of intermunicipal exchange forums;
- Action-oriented training of municipal officials in the conception, planning and implementation of citizen participation procedures;
- Coaching-Workshops/Trainings to support the implementation of participatory measures in the communities;
- Supporting and advising municipalities in the implementation of initial participatory measures;
- Organisation and implementation of consultation rooms with civil society;
- Capitalization of experiences per field of action.