mainstreaming social development: the sierra leone experience sd days march 30 th, 2005 dan owen...
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Mainstreaming Social Development: The
Sierra Leone Experience
SD Days March 30th, 2005Dan Owen (SDV)Rob Chase (SDV)
Yongmei Zhou (AFTPR)Samantha de Silva (HDNSP)
Dan Murphy (SDV)
Camilla Holmemo (SDV)
What are the SD strategic priorities again? Overall Social Development Objective
Empowering poor and marginalized men and women…
Through a process of transforming institutions… For greater inclusion, cohesion and accountability
Strategic priorities More Macro: Clients incorporate SD into
strategies and policy dialog Better Projects: Comprehensive and efficient
mainstreaming of SD into project-level processes Better Grounding: Improve research, capacity
building and partnerships
Sierra Leone and Social Development: So What? Sierra Leone embodies some promising
examples to mainstream social development into operations
More Macro: SD Principles of inclusion and accountability
incorporated into the CAS Better Projects:
Constructive synergies between decentralization & CDD
Better Grounding: Operational research on social development
impact
Sierra Leone: The Context Social Assessment 2004: better understand
poverty and vulnerability in order to strengthen CDD
Findings: Widespread practices of social exclusion Youth marginalization exacerbated by 11-year civil war Communities divided between leading lineages and the
rest Weak institutional structures from grassroots to
national level Need: reestablish mutual trust through inclusive
and accountable governance
Sierra Leone: The CAS Three pillars: governance, pro-poor
sustainable growth, human resource development
Governance pillar supports two promising entry points of governance reform Decentralization and empowerment Public financial management reform
Extreme poverty outside Freetown
GoSL vision of Decentralized Governance May 2004 Election of local councils Local Government Act 2004 requires
Devolution of functions, expenditures, revenue authorities to local councils during 2004-2008
Inter-governmental transfers based on transparent formula and principle of equity
Local councils autonomy in HRM and FM under guidelines
Transparency and accountability in council operation
CAS Helps GoSL Establish Effective Local Governance Support fiscal decentralization to empower LGs
with power and resources (IRCBP) Build LGs capacity in inclusive development
planning, accountable financial management and effective service delivery (IRCBP)
Empower communities to effectively express demand for public services and hold LGs accountable (IRCBP, JSDF, DevComm)
Promote inclusive decision making processes within communities, empower communities to undertake collective action and address own development challenges (NSAP, JSDF)
CAS Helps GoSL Improve Transparency and Accountability of Public Financial Management Improved strategic orientation of budget
(IRCBP, Development Policy Lending) Improved transparency of overall
government resource envelope and allocation (IRCBP, DPL)
Improved accountability of spending units (IRCBP, DPL)
We expect DfID ENCISS Project to help strengthen the monitoring and advocacy capacity of civil society groups
Institutional Reform and Capacity Building Project (IRCBP) – Decentralization Component Facilitating and financing Local Council
Rapid Results Initiatives: immediate disbursement to finance RRIs, implemented within 100 days.
Build functioning LGs which can institutionalize participatory planning have basic FM capacity establish local revenue mobilization capacity first maintain and later expand/improve service
delivery Reward LGs which adopt a transparent and
accountable management culture
Institutional Reform and Capacity Building Project – Decentralization Component (2)
Block grants to LGs so they can practice discretionary resource management skills
Access rules focus on transparency and accountability requirements of LG Act 2004
Allocation of formula-based LGDG among LGs based on equity principle: infrastructure needs, other financing available
Establish a credible transfer system for other financiers to use in future
IRCBP: Lessons Learned Promoting inclusion and strengthening
accountability is about changing people’s belief and behavior. How do we do it?
Nurturing inclusion and accountable governance culture in new LG institutions through Legal framework Processes Values Incentives Provide immediate reinforcement through
publicity and peer pressure Key to start with virtuous cycle
IRCBP: Lessons Learned (2) Strengthening accountability and promoting
inclusion in entrenched system may face more challenges.
Need to disturb equilibrium, e.g., supporting champions for change within government and in society.
National Social Action Project (NSAP) PDO
To empower communities in the process of selection, rehabilitation/construction and operation of social and economic infrastructures
Targeting especially the most vulnerable groups of society and in the areas most affected by the conflict or underserved by the government
Supporting communities in taking collective action for social change.
NSAP COMPONENTS Community Driven Program: Provision of
social services and economic infrastructure (primary schools, health posts, rural water, village roads, sanitation, small projects in agriculture, markets).
Public Works. Finances shelter and feeder roads. (Only in three most vulnerable districts: Kano, Kalahun and Koinadugu).
Management and Innovative Activities. Information, public education, communication, capacity building
NSAP: Strategy for Reaching the Vulnerable Targeting
District level. Resource allocation using vulnerability targeting (areas most affected by conflict, newly accessible areas)
Below district level. Targeting strategy uses Services and Opportunities Mapping to compare vulnerability across chiefdoms and wards.
Community level. Targets poor/remote communities. PPA and mobilization process ensures inclusion of VGs (e.g., returnees, IDPs, former combatants, widows, orphans).
Shelter Component – Works through NGOs. Finances shelter for vulnerable groups/families (amputees, disabled, widows etc.). Sensitizes communities on related issues.
Project uses specific indicators to track social inclusion and vulnerability.
NSAP: Criteria for Vulnerability Ranking(Below District level) Population (based on 2004 ranking) Education (operating standard education
facilities) Health (operating standard health facilities) Water (availability of potable water) Agriculture (availability of agricultural
services, rating of agricultural activities)
Natural resources (rating of availability of natural resources)
Transportation (rating of accessibility) Commercial activities (prevalence commercial opportunities
and activities) Civic facilities (availability of civic facilities) Support (rating of NGOs/GOSL support)
NSAP: RESULTS Reaching most vulnerable areas (conflict
affected/newly accessible): 33% of CDP projects in most vulnerable districts (target over
50%) PWP/Shelter. 388 shelters rehabilitated benefiting 6,294
beneficiaries. MOU –SLRA, DCs,NaCSA- signed to rehabilitate 100km of
feeder roads (30-40 roads) CDP financed 175 subprojects in poor/remote
communities. Communication campaign focuses on social cohesion
and community participation. Measuring impact. Developing common set of social
capital indicators (trust, inclusion, networks etc.) jointly with IRCBP and JSDF.
NSAP: Addressing Accountability Issues Communities given full control over decisions and
resources. PMCs accountable to the greater community Transparent procedures/rules in place Internal audits of community accounts
PPA and social mobilization process promotes transparency and accountability at all levels.
Strengthens links between local councils and communities
Information campaigns publicizes info about NaCSA (operating procedures, “rules of the game”, budgets, achievements, etc.)
NaCSA fully accountable to parliament.
Empowering the Grassroots: Capacity Development to Strengthen Social Capital (JSDF) Objectives: “Learning by doing” via bottom-up support
to decentralization (IRCBP link) Address Social Assessment finding of
fragile social capital: inclusion, trust, collective action, groups and networks, information and communication (NSAP link)
Scope: 2 year pilot in Bonthe and Bombali
Districts; Operates in 60 villages, 10 wards per
district. Recipient: Decentralization Secretariat
Empowering the Grassroots: Capacity Development to Strengthen Social Capital (JSDF) Design Highlights: Development Planning at village and ward
levels Strategic plans, identify concrete goals and action
steps to achieve them Community-Driven Initiatives at village and
ward levels Via Development Grants Results oriented, will use successful model of
RRI Community Driven Monitoring and Evaluation
(CDME) Communities choose indicators, track
progress, and make changes when necessary Simple, effective management tool
JSDF: Pre-requisites for Inclusion and Accountability Political will of key national
stakeholders critical Support institutional structures at
lower levels that can be sustained In Bombali District, average of 45
villages per ward Quality technical design: simple,
relevant, and scaleable approaches Engage most vulnerable: youth and
women
JSDF: Operational Value Added vis-à-vis Inclusion and Accountability Mobilization process allows communities to
examine intangibles (i.e. inclusion, accountability), that are reflected in planning and action
Support behavioral change by fostering a culture of inclusion and accountability at community level
Management of Development Grants Financial accountability via “learning by doing”
Community-Driven Monitoring and Evaluation: Inclusion and Accountability: explicitly and implicitly
JSDF: Lessons Learned? “Process” – nice rhetoric; Is it doable?
Necessary? In terms of addressing urgent development
needs, “Subsidiarity Principle” may not yet trickle down to community level. A proactive approach in short- to medium-term necessary.
Sustainability of village/ward level block grants questionable in short-term. Key is to demonstrate absorptive capacity of sub-district structures to Local Councils, GoSL, donors.
Are We Really Supporting Inclusion and Accountability? Joint Impact Evaluation Empowering people, transforming institutions,
promoting inclusion and accountability? Joint Impact Evaluation
Impacts on inclusion In development planning and implementation Inclusive leadership/decision-making
Impacts on accountability Public spending and services Communities empowered to hold leadership
accountable
Supporting Inclusion and Accountability: How did we do? Relative pros and cons
Which approach is more effective in promoting inclusive and accountable local governance?
Value added of participation? How are we going to do this?
Annual household surveys to track before/after Targeted quality studies in key sectors Annual Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys JSDF: Randomized impact evaluation –
qualitative + quantitative
Operational research on SD impact – so what? Better grounding: operational research
and capacity building Better projects: careful downstream
analysis More macro: build capacity to link
operations to policy through research and analysis