The course focuses on accomplishments, challenges and lessons in participatory governance in the Philippines within the context of decentralization and civil society participation. It provides an opportunity to enter into a learning discourse with seasoned development practitioners from government organizations, civil society organizations, and other relevant entities in the field of democratic local governance.

This training course will provide the participants knowledge and skills in participatory local governance including analysis of policy issues and challenges, best practices and framework in local governance, country and case study presentations, approaches to local governance, planning tools, methodologies, techniques and others. A field visit to local government units and formulation of an action plan will ensure that participants understand and apply what they have learned from the course.

There will be sharing of experiences to help participants initiate planning and develop strategies and courses of actions at the community level. They are also expected to come up with an action plan containing strategies and activities promoting participatory local governance in their communities.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, the participants shall have:

• acquired deeper understanding of the facilitating and hindering mechanisms toward a culture of participatory local governance (PLG)

• increased knowledge regarding an array of schemes for institution development, consequently developing a framework for a PLG-related capacity building

• identified effective strategies-cum-activities for systematic mobilization of PLG stakeholders

• shared experiences on PLG

• gained additional information on current PLG practices of civil society organizations (CSOs), academes, public sector unions, local government units (LGUs), and national government agencies (NGAs); and

• developed a PLG road map, for application in the participants’ respective institutions/organizations

Course contents

Module 1: Concepts and Current Practices in Local Governance

This module introduces the concepts and elements of good local governance, the required vertical and horizontal decentralization to achieve this and how issues of transparency and accountability are addressed.

This module will also cover the GO-NGO relations, GO-Business relations and efforts by the government to enhance citizen’s involvement in its projects.

Module 2: Capacity Building and Development

This module will provide guidance in the analysis of local governance capacities that needs to be developed to encourage a full range of participation on the part of the constituents. This module will discuss the tools and techniques for institutional building and strengthening and will present a simple framework for holistic capacity building on PLG.

Module 3: Public Sector Reform

This module will discuss organizational development in local government units, municipal management innovations and basic strategies and methods in development planning at the various levels of the government structure.

Module 4: Action Planning

This module will require the participants to prepare an action plan that will include a simple local governance design framework.

Training approach and trainers

The course will use a participatory training approach. Short lectures are complemented by group exercises, case study analysis, plenary discussions and field visits to communities. The trainers are experienced IIRR professionals and management level staff of partner organizations who have experienced working with local government units practicing participatory local governance

Who should attend?

This course is designed for project and program managers including NGO staff and local government officials from the village up to the provincial level especially those who are newly elected to their post and have limited experience in local governance.

Course prerequisites

Participants are expected to be involved in local governance programs and projects or belong to local government units in their respective countries so that they can actively participate and benefit from the lessons learned in the course.

Fee: USD2000

The fees cover course fee, meals and coffee breaks, double occupancy accomodation, course-related materials, field and agency visits, and airport transfers. Fees do not include international airfare, laundry and incidental expenses. Applicants are encouraged to secure financial support from their organizations or donor agencies.

For details, venue, other inquiries and the full course brochure, please contact: Dulce Dominguez Training Associate Email: dulce.dominguez@iirr.org Tel: +63 46 4300017

IIRR reserves the right to cancel the course one month before its schedule if the required quorum is not met. This will be immediately conveyed to the applicants. Course fees will be refunded in full.