92191 Cambodia DFGG Learning Note 3 Beneficiary and Third Party Monitoring of District Services: Enhancing the performance of One Window Service Offices through monitoring and awareness building Beneficiary and third party monitoring of government taken through semi-annual/annual forums, by conducting services is new to Cambodia, but recent efforts at the periodic information campaigns, and through a baseline to district level have paved the way for local NGOs to venture evaluate citizen awareness. The second strategy into this field successfully. As a part of an initiative to empowered citizens to engage in the monitoring of the provide transparent and accountable administrative services provided. DND employed community scorecards services at the district level, a DFGG grant stimulated a (CSC) to gather feedback from citizens on staff behavior, partnership between the One Window Service Office punctuality, level of service, fees, service quality, (OWSO) and a provincial NGO. This partnership is unique transparency and the accountability of the front and back in so much as it supported government in promoting office staff. Comparing the results of the first and second awareness of citizens through outreach and mobilization CSCs enabled community discussion with OWSO officials. activities. At the same time the arrangement provided an This reporting mechanism was supplemented by random important monitoring and feedback mechanism. Although visits to the OWSOs to monitor any change in the services this dual role creates a complex set of activities and a multi- provided. The third strategy mobilized and empowered sided relationship with the One Window Service Office citizens to feedback these findings through “citizen’s (OWSO) and District Administration, it has been very bodies”. These citizen’s organizations were briefed in the effective in improving accountability and responsiveness. principles of decentralization, social accountability, good The approach is now being replicated to OWSOs in 24 governance, democracy and other aspects of governance, provinces – not only through grants to NGOs, but also by and encouraged to engage in direct feedback of OWSO OWSO directly contracting NGOs. performance in the monthly “citizen’s hours” with district governors. The fourth (supply side) strategy included The design of the Demand for Good Governance (DFGG) capacity building to improve the complaints handling project included a non-state actors component that mechanism, to specifically support the District Ombudsman channeled grants to NGOs to conduct social accountability (DO) and assistants, and build capacity of the activities. “Partnership grants” were established to District/Municipal Councils. This included the facilitation of facilitate improved collaboration between non-state actors “partnership meetings”, together with the national support and those state institutions engaged in the DFGG project. team and the municipal/district administration. The goal was to extend the reach, scope and effectiveness of a state institution’s efforts and to support independent monitoring and assessment of the activities they were undertaking. In 2011, in the first phase of funding from the non-state actors component, the local NGO, Democracy Resource Center for National Development (DND), developed and implemented a partnership with OWSOs (citizen service centers) in three districts (Soung, Kompong Cham, Kratie Municipality, Kratie, and Peam Ror District, Prey Veng Province) with a budget of US$98,500. DND’s support to the OWSO initiative had both governance and service delivery objectives: • To strengthen community participation in sub-national administrative reform in project areas • To create a sustainable model for citizen feedback and dialogue with district authorities and increase citizen trust • To increase the quality, effectiveness, accessibility, transparency and accountability of services. Results. In December 2011, an external evaluation measured some of the results achieved in the targeted Approach. The approach adopted by DND was undertaken OWSOs. The awareness of OWSOs had increased through four social accountability strategies. The first dramatically. Citizen awareness of OWSOs increased from strategy aimed to promote citizen awareness and access to 20% to 60%, and income increased by 300% from one information about the principles and practice of the quarter to the next. The citizen’s bodies (with a OWSO initiative in participating districts. This was under- membership of 90 citizens by the end of 2011) proved Cambodia DFGG The Asia Foundation Beneficiary and Third Party Monitoring effective as a means to effectively and rapidly share ministry at a senior level. Not only was the official fired and information on OWSOs, and enabled citizens to raise their replaced, but the OWSO also agreed to introduce signs in grievances and concerns to the OWSO, DO and all OWSO front offices warning users against the payment Municipal/District councils. The partnership meetings and of unofficial fees. This action sent a strong message to workshops also enabled peer learning across OWSO offices OWSO staff that the accountability principles of the OWSO – officials could share best practices and discuss challenges. were to be upheld. Overall, the scorecards reflected an increase in the number of transactions that were provided in a speedy, transparent Overall, these monitoring and feedback processes, and the and accountable manner and improvements in the subsequent actions at the national level, produced friendliness of the OWSO staff. significant change in the target districts. The NGO report indicated that the payment of informal fees reduced by 60- Citizen’s empowered to voice their views: Most 70% from the first to the second quarter of 2011. importantly, the process facilitated citizen voice. The Furthermore, citizen feedback showed that after six monthly “citizen’s hours” hosted by the District Governors’ months of project implementation the number of OWSO in 3 districts provided 20-30 citizens with the opportunity staff that were late for work dropped from 46% to 13%. to highlight what worked and what didn’t in their local OWSOs. For instance, citizens noted that: some services Participatory were not yet fully ‘one-stop’ (e.g. the customs import Baseline certification process necessary for motorbike registration Partnership survey Citizen was not yet under the same roof), some procedures were Meetings Forums still not clear, and that the process of obtaining some Capacity licenses was still overly long and unpredictable. Users also Building Information noted that staff turned-up to work lat, making District Campaigns Admin citizens/service users wait. These reports and perceptions were fed back to the OWSO support team and action was DND Capacity Activities taken to improve staff performance. As the citizen’s hour is Building Community a platform for dialogue between government officials and District score cards Ombudsman citizens, accountability and responsiveness are key. In one district, the Governor agreed to send an official letter to a Ministry to improve the way the service was delegated. Citizen' s Field Hour monitoring Independent monitoring assists the OWSO improve Citizens' External performance: The monitoring conducted by DND (one day Body Evaluation per month) in the three districts was also effective. As users exited the OWS offices, DND asked their opinions – particularly on fees paid, transparency and staff behavior. Through the development of a home-grown social This exit survey highlighted areas of good and poor accountability mechanism, the initiative developed by this performance. Users noted how well they were assisted to local NGO helped improve service delivery. It promoted notarize documents and to obtain licenses (“the awareness of the delegated services available and the legalization service works well - it is easy and quick, and accountability and transparency citizens should expect, as fees are low”), and also that OWSO officials were generally well as providing an avenue for monitoring and feedback friendly. However, exit surveys also provided further that encouraged citizens to voice concerns. As a result, verification that officials were often late for work, informal OWSO officials also better understood, and were more fees were still being solicited and/or paid on occasion, and driven to meet, the objectives of accountable service that staff were not always available to provide the services delivery. This awareness building and monitoring initiative intended. (A back office post was vacant for 6 months in is now being expanded to all functioning OWSOs both one district making it impossible to obtain these services). through grants and by direct contracts to NGOs. This will create a platform of state and non-state agencies The partnership initiative was also very successful in helping the national management of the OWSO to improve in Cambodia with experience of citizen/NGO efforts to establish transparent and accountable monitoring of services. administrative services at the district level. More The DFGG Learning Note Series provides quick summaries of the lessons specifically, monitoring was used as a channel for citizens learned in the DFGG project. The information is obtained from progress to feedback information to OWSO management that a reports, meetings, workshops and World Bank Implementation Support. It is anticipated that the end evaluations of each component will provide further district OWSO Manager had requested citizens to make reflection on these issues. informal payments for out-of-hours services. The DFGG Learning Note 3 reflects on lessons learned in the OWSO and non-state beneficiary complaint was handled promptly by the host actor’s components. It is based on experiences reported in the April 2012 Quarterly Progress Reports and an earlier World Bank field visit. Written by Janelle Plummer and Andreas Dolk.