Strengthening Local Governance Institutions

The issue of local governance has become a central point of any discourse on development. This is more pronounced in the case of developing countries like Bangladesh. It has been observed that the development initiatives of the past decades could not achieve the desired results of bringing about qualitative changes in the lives especially of the people living in the rural areas. These development initiatives were mainly planned and implemented by the bureaucratic apparatus of the national government. Though some of them were also implemented at the initiatives of the local government (LG) institutions, but these initiatives were again subjected to the control of the bureaucracy. Of many reasons, ineffective or poor governance at the local level has been cited as the most important one for failures of such development initiatives. Mainly, citizens should be aware to demand their own rights and concerned departments should sincerely responsible to deliver the public services in time. Therefore, the linkage between supply and demand side actors is very important for steering sustainable development through progressive changes. The organization, in partnership with DANIDA through Governance Coalition, has implemented a project titled “Strengthen the Local Government and Good Governance through Increasing Responsibility and Participation of the Government Service Delivery Institutions” during December 2004 to December, 2010 in Damurhuda Upazila under Chuadanga District. The main purpose of the project was to make public service institutions more responsive through strengthening local government institutions and problem identification regarding health, education, and agriculture, strengthen UP standing committee, increase transparency and accountability through open budget and other participatory practices.