78158 Program for Accountability in Nepal (PRAN) TH E WORLD BANK GROUP Overview The Program for Accountability in of promoting transparency and Nepal (PRAN) has been crucial in accountability in the public sector, strengthening practical training, PRAN has stepped in as a strong action learning and networking catalytic partner. aimed at developing the capacity of civil society and government actors Organized civil society now has to promote social accountability in an enhanced role in helping to Nepal. put in place stable, responsive and accountable state institutions. The program has been designed to In this situation, strengthening respond to a unique opportunity civil society organizations to in the process of state building play a constructive role is a key in Nepal. Limited transparency contribution that can be made by and accountability undermines the development partners in Nepal. governmental capacity for Nepal has a long tradition of service delivery and hampers civil society organizations. the implementation of important Their effectiveness, however, reforms. Issues of exclusion are is constrained by problems of especially significant at the district fragmentation, politicization, and village levels, with vulnerable limited capacity, insufficient groups poorly represented in coordination, and uneven links decision making bodies, prejudiced with the state. in their ability to access services and unable to voice their concerns. There is a broad consensus among political actors in Nepal In the absence of inclusive and development partners that participation in governance improved governance is the key to reforms, mainly hindered by setting Nepal on a path to inclusive limited knowledge of, and capacity pro-poor social and economic 2 development. Good governance never had the chance to participate in the requires not only strong and municipal budget consultations. effective government institutions „We were not involved in any of the but also active and engaged citizens planning consultations. We did not and civil society organizations. The even know our entitlements. Until we overall program promotes both the were informed by the Community „supply‰ and „demand‰ side of Communication Centre (CCC) last year, we stayed inside our homes, without a good governance and links them clue about the budget for women. We together. were missing out on the opportunity to develop ourselves but we wonÊt let this With the funding from State and happen anymore,‰ says a frustrated Peace Building Fund (SPBF) and 50 year old social worker, Suk Kumari Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), Bishwakarma. PRAN has been supporting social Community Communication Centre accountability activities in three (CCC) implemented the project on the focal areas: Public Financial use of Social Accountability tool of Management (PFM), Municipal Public Expenditure Tracking System Governance and Public Service (PETS) through PRAN. More than 200 women were interviewed to know about Delivery (PSD). their roles in budget planning and 15 focus group discussions were organised. Lesson Learned: Turning CCC also held six citizen awareness Information into Empowerment discussions and a public hearing to highlight womenÊs roles in budgetary In Lekhnath Municipality, Western Nepal, planning. women are demanding to be heard and included as a result of PRAN. The women want their budget for women-specific programs, such as Every year, 10% of the municipal budget workshops on embroidery, farming, of the block grant is allocated to women in cash crops etc. They are of the opinion Nepal. However, the 10% entitlement does that women can only be equal if they not always reach the women as intended. are able to earn just as well as their male The Lekhnath women were simply counterparts. unaware such allocation existed and thus, PRAN’s Thematic Areas Good governance requires not only Over the past decade an impressive strong and effective government array of social accountability institutions but also active and approaches and tools has evolved engaged citizens and civil society globally. These practices have been organizations. well honed in countries where they are widely implemented and have In Nepal the World BankÊs become powerful instruments governance program is two to underpin „demand for good pronged: governance‰. (i) strengthening the effectiveness, responsiveness, transparency The World Bank is now supporting and internal accountability of the use of such approaches in the state institutions and programs it supports across the (ii) enhancing GovernmentÊs world. The Government of Nepal, accountability and for its part, recognizes the need for transparency by supporting a demand side to accountability social accountability and improved service delivery. mechanisms. Starting with the Ninth Plan, Social accountability refers to the Government accorded a key approaches that enhance the role to civil society in planning ability of citizens, civil society and implementing development organizations, and other non- strategy. It has recently enacted a state actors to hold the state Good Governance Act and a Right accountable and that also enhance To Information (RTI) Act which, the capacity of the state to become taken together, clearly recognize more transparent, accountable, the need for accountable and and responsive to the needs and demands of citizens. 4 honest government and the right Public Service Delivery of citizens to be properly informed Ć Use of community scorecards and empowered to monitor (and other participatory M&E government performance. methods) to monitor services. Ć Citizen report cards In order to address the priority Ć Community management and/ thematic areas, Public Financial or oversight committees. Management (PFM), Municipal Ć Public posting of entitlements Governance and Public Service and fees by service providers. Delivery, the program concentrates Ć Citizen charters on these components: Ć Social audits Ć Introduction of effective Public Financial Management complaints mechanisms. Ć Independent budget analysis (by CSOs, think tanks, research PRANÊs Success: institutes, etc.) Use of Community Score Card Ć Demystification and public 21 community schools in 13 villages of dissemination of budget Nawalaparasi District helped improve information services to students through the use of Community Score Cards over 10 Ć Raising levels of public months under PRAN. awareness and budget literacy Ć Participatory expenditure The Community Score Card (CSC) tracking involved a 6 step process, the most important of which was getting agreement between all stakeholders Municipal Governance (parents, students, teachers, MoE Ć Formation of civic unions officials, SMCs and PTAs) on the issues (to interface with municipal that needed to be addressed. authorities) The exercise is a valuable mechanism Ć Establishment of social contracts to get agreement from service receivers (between municipal authorities and service providers on an action plan. and citizens) The use of the CSC in Nawalparasi did Ć Mechanisms for regular three things: dialogue between citizens and The CSC ensured it got agreement from municipal government all stakeholders about the important Ć Mechanisms for enhanced issues affecting education. municipal transparency and It presented service providersÊ and „downwards‰ accountability service receiversÊ points of view to the Ć Participatory municipal other. planning It ensured a joint commitment to an Ć Participatory budgeting action plan for the issues both agreed were important. 5 PRAN’s Approach To achieve its program objectives, are selected based on objective the PRAN has the following criteria and using a process which components, each managed by a is transparent. Demands for Nepali partner organization. training and capacity development will be assessed through a series Capacity Development and of national and sub-national Awareness Raising consultations, and the program will Through this component, the remain flexible in order to tailor program supports: capacity development activities a) Training in social accountability and respond over time according to techniques for both civil society expressed demand. and government practitioners; b) On-the-job mentoring and PRANÊs capacity development coaching; activities target civil society and c) Exchange visits and government practitioners. scholarships, and; Grant Making for Action Learning d) Special programs for targeted This program component supports: audiences. a) Grants for pilot social accountability projects (up to PRANÊs capacity development $50,000) and, activities target civil society and b) Small grants for tool government practitioners. They development and action aim to enhance skills in social research (up to $15,000). accountability methods already in use in Nepal and, where appropriate, Civil society organizations that to adapt and apply global practices receive grants will be provided that have been tested and proven mentoring and coaching by effective elsewhere. Participants experienced advisors while in capacity development activities implementing their grants 6 activities. Grants will cover the monitor and evaluate program- costs of developing and testing supported activities and to social accountability tools for distil lessons of relevance Nepal and adapting them to the for strengthening social Nepali context, monitoring their accountability in Nepal. implementation, and disseminating b) Other special studies - PRAN the results as case studies to guide supports research on topics further operational and capacity that warrant further study in building initiatives. order to guide and enhance the practice of social accountability Knowledge sharing and in Nepal over time. Networking This program component supports: Program Leadership and a) Knowledge management Administration services Finally, a central but small, b) Mutual support networks PRAN Coordination Unit (PCU), and coalitions for social located in the World Bank Nepal Accountability Country Office, is responsible for coordinating program activities. Research, Monitoring, Evaluation The PCU is also responsible for and Learning making sure that programs are This component supports: carefully monitored, and experience a) Monitoring, impact evaluation gathered and lessons learned and learning ă including the are fed back into strengthening development of an ongoing the PRAN, as well as serving as „learning by doing‰ strategy a basis for mainstreaming social for the PRAN and independent accountability activities in the evidence-based research to World BankÊs Country Program in Nepal. 7 TH E WORLD BANK GROUP The World Bank Nepal Office P.O. Box 798 Yak and Yeti Hotel Complex Durbar Marg Kathmandu, Nepal Tel.: 4226792, 4226793 Fax: 4225112 Website: www.worldbank.org.np May 2013 Photo courtesy: The World Bank and Pro Public Program activities under PRAN are funded by State and Peacebuilding Fund (SPBF) and Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF). 8