Asian Regional Conference on Effective Local Governance Accountability, Participation and Inclusion

Programme for Local Development and Decentralization (dldp) have been represented in the Asian Regional Conference on Effective Local Governance, hold in June 2-4, Kathamandu, Nepal organized by PRIA Global Partnership (PGP), Local Governance Initiative South Asia (LoGIn), Logo Link South Asia and Institute for Governance and Development (IGD).

Most Asian countries have now embarked upon reorganising their governance structures through decentralisation process. Local governance institutions in these countries are expected to assume greater responsibilities to promote participatory democratic practices, equitable development and effective provisioning of public services. As these institutions assume such roles and responsibilities, they must be capacitated as well as be  made accountable to the citizens, particularly to the poor and marginalised.

Asian Regional Conference on Effective Local Governance: Accountability, Participation and Inclusion is conceptualised as a multi-stakeholder platform of civil society organisations, academicians, government and donor agencies for engagement on strengthening local governance in the region. It is envisaged as a forum for deliberating findings from empirical research, systematisation of learning from grassroots actions and experiences from on-going policy engagements.

Mrs. Valbona Karakaçi, Programme Manager of dldp, has contributed in the panel of International Perspectives on Strengthening Local Governance.  The challenges and opportunities faced by other regions are presented in the form of important lessons for the Asian region as well. The civil society challenges as well as the democratic processes in the local level have been debated from an international perspective.

PRIA Global Partnership (PGP) with the support from Local Governance Initiative South Asia (LoGIn), a project of Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and LogoLink undertook a number of empirical cross-country (Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) comparative research studies on the themes of democratic decentralisation, capacity development, democratic accountability, citizen participation and social inclusion, right to information and participatory planning in the context of local governance. The findings of these studies are shared in this conference with the expectation that they will be further enriched by the deliberations in the conference.