taj

United Nations Development Programme

Tajikistan

United Nations Development Programme Regional Centre in Bratislava Grosslingova 35 811 09 Bratislava Slovak Republic europeandcis.undp.org

Local Governance and Decentralization

Bureau for Development Policy Democratic Governance Group 304 East 45th Street, 10th Fl. New York, NY 10017

May 2011

Oslo Governance Centre Inkognitogata 37, 0256 Oslo, Norway www.undp.org/governance www.undp.org/oslocentre

Project Assessment

The DGTTF Lessons Learned Series

Tajikistan Local Governance and Decentralization Project Assessment

Author: Tomislav Novovic Project coordination: Darko Pavlovic Designer: Keen Media (DGTTF Series); of this report, Phoenix Design Aid UNDP Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations, including UNDP, or its Member States.

For further information please contact: United Nations Development Programme Regional Centre in Bratislava Grosslingova 35 811 09 Bratislava Slovak Republic europeandcis.undp.org United Nations Development Programme Bureau for Development Policy Democratic Governance Group 304 East 45th Street, 10th Fl. New York, NY 10017 Oslo Governance Centre Inkognitogata 37, 0256 Oslo, Norway www.undp.org/governance www.undp.org/oslocentre United Nations Development Programme Tajiskistan 39 Aini Street Dushanbe Tajikistan www.undp.tj Copyright Š2011 by the United Nations Development Programme. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents

4 5

Acknowledgements Preface

6

Executive summary

9 9 10

11 Country context 11 Socio-economic situation 12 Local governance system in Tajikistan

12 13

Introduction Purpose, scope and methodology Structure of the report

Legal framework Financing of local government in Tajikistan

15 Project Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level (2006)

15 Relevance

15 Effectiveness

16 Efficiency

16 Innovation

16 Catalytic effect

16 Sustainability

17 Gender

18 Project Building National Capacities for Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies (2007)

18 Relevance

18 Effectiveness

19 Efficiency

19 Innovation

19 Catalytic effect

19 Sustainability

20 Gender

21 Project Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting (2008)

21 Relevance

21 Effectiveness

21 Efficiency

22 Innovation

22 Catalytic effect

22 Sustainability

22 Gender

23 Lessons learned and recommendations

25 26 27

nnex I: Codification of tools and instruments used A Annex II: List of persons interviewed Annex III: Bibliography

Local Governance and Decentralization

Acknowledgments This report is published by the Regional Centre in Bratislava, in cooperation with the UNDP Democratic Governance Group through the Oslo Governance Centre, with funding from the UNDP Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund. The Regional Centre and the Oslo Governance Centre are grateful to the author, Tomislav Novovic, the language editor, Tom Woodhatch, and all those who were interviewed and consulted in the preparation and writing of this assessment report, who are listed here in alphabetical order: Abdugani Mamadazimov, Abdushukur Nazarov, Ali Aliev, Alijon Isoev, Dzamsir Nozirov, Halimov Rustam, Ibodullo Fattoev, Jamil Oglukov, Jan Bernard De Milito, Malika Boymuradova, Maqsud Aripov, Mirzo Olimov, Munirjon Aminov, Rastislav Vrbensky, Rustam Babajanov, Umed Davlatzod, Yusuf Kurbonkhojaev, and the project beneficiaries from the water supply project in Isfara. Also, we would like to thank Artur Ayvazov, Clare Romanik and Henri Schumacher. Javier Fabra has provided invaluable support to the coordination of this publication series. The project was coordinated by Darko Pavlovic.

May 2011

4

Tajikistan Project Assessment

Preface The Millennium Declaration from the Millennium Summit in 2000 emphasizes the centrality of democratic governance for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). World leaders agreed that improving the quality of democratic institutions and processes, and managing the changing roles of the state and civil society in an increasingly globalized world, should underpin national efforts to reduce poverty, sustain the environment, and promote human development.

The Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF) was created in 2001 to enable UNDP Country Offices to explore innovative and catalytic approaches to supporting democratic governance on the ground. The DGTTF Lessons Learned Series represents a collective effort to capture lessons learned and best practices in a systematic manner, to be shared with all stakeholders, to serve as an input to organizational learning, and to inform future UNDP policy and programming processes.

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planning, and in the management and implementation of local development projects. The project strived to enhance local accountability, increase access to rural finance, and improve infrastructure and the delivery of basic services.

The three projects supported through the DGTTF were integrated into a large UNDP Tajikistan poverty, rural development, and local governance portfolio, and were implemented within the Communities Programme framework.

Executive summary

The first project, Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level, began in 2006 with a total DGTTF contribution of US$200,000. It was designed to strengthen the capacity of local councils to perform their functions professionally, transparently, and accountably. The project also supported citizens’ participation in local decisionmaking processes through citizens’ report cards and the introduction of a Citizen Charter. The project helped to establish participatory planning mechanisms in the pilot districts.

This report contains the findings of a review of three projects, funded by the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF), in Tajikistan in 2006, 2007 and 2008. The review was conducted by an independent consultant. The projects were part of UNDP’s broad efforts to support the development of local governance and provide assistance to regional development in Tajikistan.

The project promoted an innovative approach to the delivery of public services by introducing new tools, such as citizen report card surveys and citizens’ charters. It also worked to build the capacity of district councils to comprehensively implement new functions deriving from the reformed legal framework.

The review examined the projects’ impacts within the context of history and political processes, relating specifically to local governance and regional development. It focused on the projects’ effectiveness, efficiency, innovation, catalytic effect, and sustainability. The report considers key underlying factors, drivers, and future scenarios, which provide a basis for determining the projects’ impact.

The project was implemented using the Communities Programme management and operational structure. This contributed to its effectiveness and efficiency, and all planned results were achieved within the planned timeframe.

Its catalytic effect is found in its extension to the multi-donor funded Communities Programme (2007-2009). This programme had a total budget of around US$22 million, and was funded by UNDP, DFID, Asian Development Bank, CIDA, and GTZ.

Tajikistan is among the world’s least accessible countries. Its high, mountainous terrain and remoteness, compounded by a lack of infrastructure and a weak governance and regulatory framework, are significant barriers to external trade, connectivity, and investment. Its post-independence civil war (1992-97) resulted in substantial economic and human losses. The country remains the poorest of the former Soviet Union republics.

About 53 percent of the total population, and up to 70 percent of people in isolated rural and mountainous areas, live below the poverty line.

The participation of national partners in all project activities contributed towards a high level of sustainability. In addition, the Strategic Research Centre and the Institute for Civil Service Training adopted project results into their regular work and continued with implementation.

DGTTF supported another project in 2007, Building national capacities for implementation of poverty reduction strategies, with US$130,000. This project developed a capacity development programme for elected representatives and civil servants from district and jamoat levels (third-level administrative divisions, similar to communes) to promote strategic planning for socio-economic development. This enabled district development plans to be prepared in three districts of Zarafshan Valley. In addition, the project assisted with the improvement of

UNDP Tajikistan used a multi-sector approach to address poverty, rural, and local development. Work on poverty alleviation, decentralization, and local governance began in the aftermath of the civil war, and continued with the flagship intervention of UNDP Tajikistan Communities Programme (2004-2012). This programme supported the stated goals of the Government of Tajikistan to improve participatory processes by enhancing opportunities for community participation in local development

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Tajikistan Project Assessment

a The project was highly innovative by introducing a new

the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring and evaluation of public policy.

implementation approach to planning and budgeting in Tajikistan. This new approach was reflected in the Methodology for Planning, Budgeting and Monitoring and Evaluation at district and jamoat levels.

The project began on time and achieved all its planned objectives. It introduced a unique and innovative approach in Tajikistan in preparing district development plans. These applied a participatory approach to identifying strategic priorities and establishing transparent implementation mechanisms. For the first time, a monitoring system based on specific local indicators (aligned with NDS/PRSP indicators) was introduced, and financial resources for implementation of priorities were identified.

a The

project supported the implementation of a new planning and budgeting practice. For the first time in Tajikistan, national, (horizontal) and district and jamoats (vertical) planning and budgeting processes were integrated and coordinated.

A new mechanism for donor aid coordination was supported by developing a comprehensive information system, collecting data from jamoat, district, and national levels on a wide range of issues.

a The catalytic effect was recognized as the project ex-

The project offered a catalytic springboard for a further phase of the Communities Programme: Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting. Funding for this came from the DGTTF, the UK Department for International Development, and the Canadian International Development Agency.

of Economic Development and Trade. The initial DGTTF project was followed up with a larger UNDP project (US$3 million core funding), financed from UNDP’s own resources. Within the framework of this larger project, UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, expanded activities throughout the country by providing technical assistance to the new planning and budgeting model.

panded the scope of the Communities Programme to public administration.

a The project team was institutionalized in the Ministry

Partnership between UNDP and key national stakeholders were strengthened further. This is reflected in the cooperation agreements signed between UNDP and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Strategic Research Centre, the Institute for Civil Servants Training, the Ministry of Finance, the State Statistic Committee, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the Parliament.

a The

engagement of regional authorities and national actors in introducing a standard participatory planning methodology was recognized as a key priority for Tajikistan. The methodology’s sustainability in preparing district development plans was strongly supported by national institutions.

The DGTTF provided US$150,000 for a third project, Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting. This contributed to the development of a comprehensive Programme of Reform of Tajikistan’s Planning, Budgeting, and Monitoring and Evaluation Methodology at district and regional levels. It also worked on a Guidelines and Training Curriculum for the new methodology, and enhanced the capacities of 220 district and regional officials to work with the new procedures.

a The sustainability of training programmes for strategic planning, participatory budgeting, poverty mapping, and monitoring was ensured, as they were adopted by the Institute for Civil Service Training for its regular curricula for professional advancement of civil servants.

Key lessons learned

a The Citizens’ Report Cards activities represent an effective

a The project was effective in delivering results through

approach to articulating public perceptions of the performance of public services. However, local authorities directly concerned with the results of the citizens’ report cards were not able to bring about change or invest in service improvement. This activity should, therefore, be implemented as a part of a broader decentralization process, which should strengthen both downward and upward accountability within the governance structures.

the Methodology for Planning, Budgeting, and Monitoring and Evaluation at District and jamoat level, backed up with a methodological guidelines and a training/mentoring programme for planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation.

a The project was implemented efficiently through the existing structure of the country programme’s head office in Dushanbe and area offices.

a Successful data-collection systems require national lead7

Local Governance and Decentralization ership and ownership, and should be part of the overall effort to increase the transparency and accountability of public management. Involvement of the national offices for statistics is crucial in ensuring that data collection methods, along with monitoring and evaluation, are properly integrated into the overall system of statistics and reporting at all levels.

a Engagement

of all key stakeholders in preparing the methodology for district development planning is crucial.

It ensures that the critical views and comments from the national and regional decision makers are reflected and included.

a A clearer link should be established between the financial resources needed for the implementation of district development plans and budget planning at the national level.

a The sustainability of a participatory planning concept at the district level should be ensured. The district development councils should, therefore, be transformed into a more meaningful and sustainable institutionalized form of (district) development planning.

a To facilitate horizontal learning and improve access to, and exchange of, knowledge developed during projects, it is recommended that DGTTF management works with the relevant regional service centre to establish a userfriendly knowledge management system.

a Changes in the DGTTF implementation framework (extended duration of projects and increased budgets) will require a robust monitoring system. Given the two-year project period, it is recommended that mid-term reviews take place after the first year of implementation.

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Specifically, the project was designed to support the preparation of regional development plans, which reflected local and regional development priorities. At the same time, links with the national strategic framework and financial resources were established.

The second and the third projects are interlinked and it is difficult to review one without also considering the other. While the two projects are presented separately, the similarities are evident.

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of these projects within the criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, innovation, catalytic effect, and sustainability, defined according to these DGTTF guidelines:

a Relevance – How relevant is the project to the country’s Purpose, Scope and Methodology

priority needs, and was the right strategy applied within the country’s specific political, economic, and social contexts?

The Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF) was created in 2001 to provide an opportunity for UNDP Country Offices to undertake innovative activities that could have a catalytic effect in supporting sustainable democratic governance.

a Effectiveness – Effectiveness is a measure of the extent to which an aid activity attains its objectives.

Within a broader range of UNDP activities in Tajikistan, the country office implemented three local governance projects, funded by the DGTTF, in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

a Efficiency

The first project, Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level, with total DGTTF contribution of US$200,000, was designed to strengthen the capacity of local councils to work professionally, transparently and accountably. In addition, the project supported citizens’ participation in local decision-making processes through the implementation of citizens’ report cards and the introduction of a Citizens’ Charter. The project supported the establishment of participatory planning mechanisms in the pilot districts embodied in the District Development Councils.

a Innovation

– Efficiency measures the outputs in relation to the inputs. Were activities cost-efficient and were objectives achieved on time?

– Innovative projects address recognized critical democratic governance issues that, if resolved, may lead to substantial improvements in democratic governance. They are initiatives, in terms of the problem addressed or the approach taken, that have never before been attempted in a given country. And although they may be potentially risky or less certain of success than traditional projects, they will position UNDP as a key player in democratic governance, one that ‘pushes the frontier’.

a Catalytic effect – A catalytic project has a high likelihood of receiving support from government or other governance institutions (including other donors) for scaling up or following up, if the project is successful.

The second project, Building National Capacities for Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies, supported with US$130,000 funding from DGTTF, was designed to address development challenges at the district level by establishing district development plans, and connecting district authorities to civil society and the private sector. The project also worked to increase district authorities’ knowledge of budget planning and financial management, and to enhance capacities for aid coordination, especially with international donors.

a Sustainability – Sustainability is concerned with measuring whether the benefits of an activity are likely to continue after donor funding has been withdrawn. Projects also need to be financially sustainable.

The methodology utilized for this study consists of a preliminary literature review of all available project documents and reports, a political economy analysis of the situation in Tajikistan, and a field visit to Dushanbe and Sughd province.

The third project, Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting, also supported with US$150,000 from the DGTTF, built on the achievements of the second project.

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Local Governance and Decentralization

Structure of the report The report is structured in four sections, in the following manner:

a In order to situate the DGTTF projects assessed in this report, the first section, Country Context, presents an overview of the socio-economic situation as well as the local system in Tajikistan.

a The second, third and forth sections provide an analysis of the impact of the DGTTF projects Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level (2006), Building national capacities for implementation of poverty reduction strategies (2007) and Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting (2008), following the above-mentioned criteria.

a Finally, lessons learned and recommendations are presented in the fifth section.

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sustainable national development2. Following the PAR Strategy, a new public administration system for the country was adopted3, and work on reorganizing public entities and institutions began.

Corruption remains one of the most serious problems for Tajikistan. One of the first steps taken to address the issue was the OECD’s Anti-Corruption Plan, adopted in Istanbul in 20034. The government developed the National Anti-Corruption Strategy, 2008 – 2012, as a nationwide anti-corruption plan. The State Committee on Financial Control and Fighting Corruption5 is responsible for implementing the anti-corruption measures.

Country ­context

Socio-economic trends and developments Tajikistan’s macroeconomic performance has improved steadily in recent years. It has seen GDP grow at 8 percent annually, declining inflation, greater fiscal discipline, and a manageable external debt. Growth was fuelled mainly by high world prices for aluminium and cotton, Tajikistan’s principal exports, and by remittances.6 The economy is gradually diversifying, and this is reflected, inter alia, in the much smaller share of aluminium and cotton in value added products7, and an increase in the output of non-traditional products. But Tajikistan remains the poorest of the former Soviet Union republics, with income per capita reaching just US$2,020 in 20108. It has made progress in terms of enabling the business environment9, but efforts are still far below those of neighbouring countries10. Poverty has declined since 1999 (from 72.4 percent in 2003 to 46.7 percent in 200911), but still remains high. About 53 percent of the population, rising to 70 percent in isolated rural and mountainous areas, lives below the poverty line12.

A small, landlocked nation with a population of about 7.2 million, Tajikistan is one of the world’s least accessible countries. Its high, mountainous terrain and remoteness are compounded by a lack of infrastructure and a weak governance and regulatory framework. These are significant barriers to external trade, connectivity, and investment. It remains the poorest of the countries that emerged from the former Soviet Union and its fragile economy, still heavily reliant on agriculture, aluminium, and hydroelectric power – as well as on its neighbours, especially Uzbekistan, for international trade and transit – is vulnerable to unexpected shocks, such as the severe 2007-08 winter, the 2007 upsurge in world food and fuel prices, and, more recently, the global economic crisis. Its post-independence five-year civil war (1992-97) resulted in significant economic and human losses amounting to an estimated 60 percent of GDP, and up to 50,000 deaths, and greatly complicated its initial economic transition.

1

Approved by Presidential Decree No. 1713 on 15 March 2006.

Specific objectives are to i) Increase effectiveness of the national development management: ii) Improve public administration in line with the market economy principles; iii) Increase effectiveness of the public finance management; iv) Form modern professional civil service; v) Develop administrative and territorial management; vi) Form local self-governance capable to provide qualitative services to the population.

3 Presidential Decree 541 (September 2008).

4 http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/51/3/37228458.pdf Last access: 26 April 2011. In particular, the Istanbul Action Plan of the ACN creates a peer review mechanism for a group of ex-Soviet countries. Tajikistan made its first status report to the group in January 2004, and remains committed to implement the resulting 21 recommendations.

5 Signed by the President on 24 January 2008.

6 Remittances rose from $82 million (5% of GDP) in 2003 to $2.6 billion (50% of GDP) in 2008.

7 10% in 2006 compared to 30% in 2000.

8 Compared for example with USD 2291 Kyrgyzstan and 3,084 Uzbekistan for more details ref. to: http://hdrstats.undp.org/images/explanations/TJK.pdf Last access: 26 April 2011.

9 World Bank’s Doing Business 2011 report showed improvement from 149 in 2010 to 139 in 2011.

10 For example: Kazakhstan (59) and the Kyrgyz Republic (44).

11 MDG Progress Report.

12 Projections based on World Bank. 2008. Tajikistan Living Standards Measurement Survey, 2008. Washington, DC.

Tajikistan is a presidential republic, with a bicameral legislature.

The heavily centralized country is led by the President, Imomali Rahmon. The People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan, led by the President, won the February 2010 general election with 71.04 percent of the vote, and controls both houses. Real power is concentrated in the executive rather than the legislative branch of government. The role of civil society in politics, policy development, and decision-making processes remains weak.

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The public sector is also weak. Many public institutions are inefficient, lacking accountability and transparency in financial management and internal controls. The systems, procedures, and capacity to fight corruption are frail, and the legal and regulatory frameworks remain underdeveloped. The government has, though, attempted to deal with these deficiencies. In March 2006, it adopted the Public Administration Reform Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan1 (2005-2015), whose goal was to develop an effective public administration system as a basis for

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Local Governance and Decentralization Tajikistan’s territory is divided by regions (oblasts) that, in turn, are sub-divided into districts, towns and villages. The GornoBadakhshan Autonomous Region is a special territorial and administrative unit with more autonomy than Sughd and Khatlon regions. Among the country’s administrative and territorial units, only the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region enjoys the right of legislative initiative. Formation and abolishment of regions is the responsibility of Parliament, when requested by the government.

Since early 2009, the global economic and financial crisis has negatively affected Tajikistan’s fragile economy. Remittances from migrant workers fell by almost 15 percent13, affecting private consumption, reducing imports, and reducing construction activities. In addition, labour migrants returning to Tajikistan, mainly from Russia, are placing new demands on public services and pressurizing the country’s social fabric14. As a result, poverty rates are likely to increase in the short to medium term. Job creation and fiscal stimulus measures are challenging under current macroeconomic conditions.

The administrative structure has another specific feature: 13 districts do not have a regional authority, but are directly ruled by the centre, including three towns, 91 jamoats and three settlements. This is because these districts are located close to the centre. In most cases, towns are directly accountable to regions and the central government17.

The fundamental challenge facing economic policy and future reforms in Tajikistan is to ensure an acceptable post-crisis growth for the economy, to alleviate poverty, and to increase employment.

In 2005, the government, in partnership with UNDP, undertook a detailed assessment of resources needed to achieve the MDGs. A key conclusion highlighted a large resource gap and recommended donors to double aid to help the country to meet its MDG targets by 2015. The assessment formed a basis for alignment of national development strategies and policies with MDG priorities.

The local government structure is organized as follows:

a The community level: village and town governments in rural areas (jamoat, shakhrak and dekhot).

a The district level: administrations of cities and districts (rayons) subordinated to regions (oblasts), four Dushanbe city districts subordinate to Dushanbe city government as well as those of thirteen districts directly subordinate to the Republic.

Following this assessment, the Government of Tajikistan, with UNDP’s support, designed and adopted the National Development Strategy15 2006-2015. This strategy focuses on three interlinked goals: (a) promotion of sustainable economic growth, (b) improvement of public administration, and (c) development of human resources.

a The regional level: administrations of Dushanbe, the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and Khatlon and Leninabad regions, all of which are directly subordinate to the national government.

Two poverty reduction strategies (2004-2006 and 20072009) were also developed to help implement the National Development Strategy. The government subsequently adopted a third poverty reduction strategy (2010-2012), which included an action plan with much more realistic and focused targets. However, implementation of that action plan remains challenging, as there are no direct links between the strategic framework and financial resources from the national budget.

Local authorities consist of representative and executive bodies that act within their terms of reference. Representative bodies in regions, cities and districts are assemblies (majils) whose delegates are elected for a period of five years. The khukumat is the assembly’s executive body. Both the representative and the executive bodies are headed by a chairman, who is appointed by the president and approved by an assembly18. In contrast,

Local governance system in Tajikistan Legal framework The administrative and territorial structure of the Republic of Tajikistan did not change after independence from the Soviet Union. It is still determined by the country’s administrativeterritorial structure16, defined in the Law on Local Government and the Order of Formation and Restructuring of the Administrative-Territorial Units.

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The Country Partnership Strategy for Tajikistan 2010-2014 by the Asian Development Bank 14 According to the Asian Development Bank Country Partnership Strategy 2010-2014, the number of labour migrants returning to Tajikistan is estimated at 460,000.

15 http://www.untj.org/principals/files/nds/nds_first_draft.pdf- National Development Strategy for the Republic of Tajikistan 2006-2015. Last access: 26 April 2011.

16 Art. 76-80 and 83 of the Constitution of the Republic of Tajikistan.

17 These are so-called ‘direct rule towns’, which have a population of less than 200,000, but are of significant administrative, industrial and social and cultural importance. However, the legislation does not clearly define the concept of ‘republican importance’ and ‘direct republican rule’.

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Tajikistan Project Assessment Figure 1 Administrative and territorial structure of the Republic of Tajikistan Republic of Tajikistan

GORNOBADAKHSHAN Autonomous Region

KHATLON Region

SUGHD Region

7 districts and 1 city

24 districts 3 direct rule districts 1 town of region rule

14 districts 7 cities of region rule

43 jamaots

130 jamoats 6 settlements

20 urban type settlements 113 jamoats

13 direct rule districts 3 direct rule cities

91 jamaots 3 settlements

Financing local government in Tajikistan Distribution of responsibilities between the central and local governments, and the procedure of planning and operating local budgets, are defined by the Constitution, the laws on Self-Government Bodies in Settlements and Villages, on State Finance, and annual Public Budget laws.

the village-level local administration is represented by a directly elected village jamoat.

The way that local government functions is defined by the Constitution, the Law on Local Public Administration, and the Law on Local Self-Government in Villages and Towns.

Local governments’ functions are categorized as their own (exclusive), delegated, joint, and those functions based on voluntary initiatives. Local governments have their own responsibilities and can propose initiatives, make decisions, and implement activities autonomously. Any issues not previously delegated to other authorities and involving local interests are referred to the local government. In addition, the Constitution grants local governments some authority to develop and implement their own budgets in coordination with national institutions, and to establish local fees, taxes, and duties. The Law on Local Public Administration allocates income tax to local budgets, to be utilized for the social needs of the territory in keeping with the Law on Social Insurance.

Article 5 of the law on State Finance of the Republic of Tajikistan deals with local budgets: a) the budget of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region and its cities and districts, b) the budgets of regions, cities and districts of regional rule, c) the budget of Dushanbe and its districts, d) the budgets of directly ruled cities and districts, and e) the budget of jamoats. However, financial autonomy in Tajikistan can be considered only at the level of regions, cities and districts. Therefore, jamoats do not have financial autonomy and their basic expenses are financed from city and district budgets22.

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The Assembly has a right to carry out a vote of no-confidence in the head and other officials of local administration.

19 In this law, local self-governance is described as “the system of organizing public activities to address issues of local importance autonomously and at their own discretion, directly or indirectly, in accordance with the legislation of Republic of Tajikistan. Local self-governments resolve issues within their competence directly or through their representatives.”

20 The Constitutional Law “On Elections to Local Councils (Madjlis) of People’s Deputies” was proposed and adopted in December 1999 (effective as of 2000).

It reflects the new political realities and enables participation of political parties and community organizations in the election process. In addition, this law stipulated that the establishment of no less than 70 single-seat electoral constituencies for the elections of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous region, regional and Dushanbe city councils, and no less than 40 single-seat electoral constituencies for elections of district and city councils.

21 Currently active are makhallia (community) committees, microraion councils, housing block committees or other kishlak (villages).

22 According to the amendment made in the law in 2009, jamoats can have their own budgets with effect from 2011. But the mechanism for implementation of this amendment has not yet been developed.

The Constitution states that a jamoat is an institution of selfgovernment in towns and villages. The framework for their authority is set forth in the Law on Local Self-government in Towns and Villages19. Jamoats are formed on a territorial basis and possess legal status and an official seal. Town or village self-government revenue sources include budget allocations from city or regional councils, voluntary donations from citizens, and working collectives.

The Law on Self-Activity and the Law on Public Association (kishlak – village organizations20) regulate the workings of local self-government institutions21.

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Local Governance and Decentralization The Tax Code (2004) specifies the local tax revenues: property tax, transport tax, state duties, and retail taxes. However, all other taxes are national and are shared between central and local budgets23. This is done in accordance with the Public Budget law for the following year. Non-tax revenues and duties include the proceeds from privatization, the sale of shares, patent fees, dividends on government shares, interest on state capital investments, administrative fees, fines, and penalties.

Local budgets also receive revenue in the form of targeted funds, bank loans, and transfers for mutual settlement or the reduction of budget deficits.

The budgeting process is centralized, with the Ministry of Finance playing a key role. It determines, on the basis of norms and estimations and required subsidies, the revenues and expenditures of local budgets. The gap between expenses and generated revenues has to be covered by the annual review of national tax distribution between central and local budgets, as well as by subsidies.

23 Taxes are shared in accordance with the Public Budget law for the following year.

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transparency and accountability, as defined in the revised legal framework (e.g. the Law on State Administration strengthened the position of district councils in their budgetary and administrative oversight). The scope of the intervention was valid, appropriate, clear, coherent, and had a consistent set of objectives in line with national priorities.

Project

The real time assessment showed that the project remained highly relevant throughout its implementation. Its targets and results defined during the formulation phase were appropriate, and adjustments were not needed. By addressing key development priorities, such as strengthening of local councils, reform of public administration, anti-corruption, transparency and accountability in the public sector, results contributed towards the development of good governance in Tajikistan.

Clean Start for Local Councils – ­Building Accountability at the Local Level (2006)

Project title

Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level

Duration

January – December 2006

Funding

US$200,000 from DGTTF

Aim

Strengthen the capacity of local councils to better guide local policy development to ensure a professional level of self-government, with a minimum of corruption, and a maximum of accountability

Effectiveness The project was implemented effectively, and all planned results were achieved.

The capacity development component provided technical assistance to district and jamoat-level civil servants in the five pilot districts (Isfara, Vahdat, Tavildara, Rasht, and Kolkhozobad) on topics related to public administration and local governance.

The project also addressed capacity needs of elected councillors at the jamoat and district levels in those five districts, increasing their knowledge of decentralization, civic participation, strategic planning, and municipal budgeting.

a Capacity development programme for newly elected district councils

Results

a Citizen Report Cards introduced to measure citizen satisfaction with public services (delivered by local governments) a Citizen charters introduced as a tool to increase accountability at the local level

Citizen Report Cards were designed and implemented in the same five districts. Approximately 4,000 households participated in the survey (the first pilot district accounted for 900 households – 600 rural and 300 urban). The project supported the implementation of the post-survey actions, such as informing stakeholders of the survey findings, and defining and implementing activities to improve specific aspects of service delivery. At the project level, the population of the five pilot districts reported a marked improvement in the quality of communal services delivered in 2007 in areas identified by the Citizens Report Cards in 2006 as problematic in 2006.

The project aimed to develop the capacities of newly elected district councils. Specifically, they worked to generate better performance, and to provide policy guidance to local councils by reflecting citizen satisfaction and measuring performance through citizens’ report cards. The project also worked to increase local government accountability and commitment through the introduction of a Citizens’ Charter. The project achieved all of its objectives.

Relevance

Citizens’ charters in the jamoats were prepared with the assistance of the Institute for Civil Servants Training. Support to citizen participation in local decision-making processes was strengthened by establishing district development councils in the pilot districts. These are multi-sector forums with representation from the public, private, and civil society sectors. Four projects were selected by the district

The project was evaluated on its design phase and real time relevance.

There was a high level of design phase relevance. The project addressed the specific needs of newly elected local government structures in Tajikistan (at district and jamoat levels) to carry out their functions with increased

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Local Governance and Decentralization

Catalytic effect

development councils and supported with small grants of US$3,00024.

The Government of Tajikistan took firm ownership of the project and its immediate results. Activities initially implemented in five pilot districts were expanded to a further six districts. The Strategic Research Centre led implementation of the citizens’ report cards and citizen charters, while the Institute for Civil Service Training directed the capacity development programme.

These activities were supported financially by UNDP, DFID, ADB, CIDA, and GTZ, through the multi-donor funded Communities Programme 2007-2009. The total project budget for this period was approximately US$22 million, while this particular component was supported with around US$3.5 million25.

Efficiency The project was implemented under the UNDP Direct Execution Modality, whereby UNDP Tajikistan took overall responsibility for its general and financial management.

Implementation was efficient, with timely outputs and fund utilization. The implementation mechanism developed for the Communities Programme was used, and that further increased efficiency in terms of using available resources in the office.

Innovation

The District Development Committees established with support from the DGTTF project introduced development plans in the five districts. The follow up project, Building National Capacities for Implementation of Poverty Reduction Strategies (US$130,000), helped communities to identify development priorities through the interaction of public, private, and civil society sectors represented in the committees. This approach was expanded further in a large scale Rural Growth Programme (funded by DFID, UNDP, and GTZ). A total of US$5 million is allocated for the 2010 – 2012 Good Governance component, whose key focus is development planning for 14 districts and 65 jamoats.

The DGTTF funds have enabled UNDP Tajikistan to strengthen local governance by creating partnerships between the public, private, and civil society sectors at the jamoat and district levels.

The project addressed gaps in the capacity of district councils to comprehensively implement new functions arising from the reformed legal framework. It has also enabled UNDP to introduce innovative tools, such as citizen report card surveys and citizens’ charters, to improve public service delivery.

The project applied the following innovative methodology and tools:

Sustainability

a The project pursued a systematic approach to training,

The review of each project’s sustainability suggests a very high level of sustainability for elements of the project.

encompassing the following key elements: situation analysis and training needs assessment (focused on analysing the existing problem and identification of the training needs); design of training (including model and methodology, learning objectives, and the content of training based on the results of the analysis); implementation of training (including mentoring and on the job-training to ensure that the training is relevant and practical), and evaluation of training.

Training for the Institute for Civil Servants adopted the programme used to train civil servants in the pilot districts. In the preceding three years, nearly four thousand civil servants from the central and local governments, as well as local authorities, were trained. Then, in 2009, the Institute for Civil Servants launched a Master’s Degree Programme in Public Administration, where 61 civil servants are now continuing their education26.

a Citizen Report Cards were developed for the first time

The Institute for Civil Servants also took responsibility for implementing the Citizens Charters, which are now funded from national resources.

to reflect public perceptions of the Poverty Reduction Strategy through transparent and systematic analysis of public services. The mechanism was based on a survey of the actual users of public services: the feedback of the households on their experiences with public services was collected, analysed and disseminated.

Meanwhile, the President of Tajikistan’s Strategic Research Centre took over responsibility for the implementation of the Citizens 24

The approved projects were: the construction of an IP telephone station in Tavildara, the construction of a women’s hospital in Kolkhozobod, the rehabilition of a water supply system in Isfara, and the reconstruction of a women’s clinic in Vahdat.

25 UNDP (2009) : Outcomes Evaluation Report: Communities Program in Tajikistan, prepared by Ton de Klerk, Elena Krylova-Mueller.

26 The official presentation of the Institute for Improving the Qualifications of Civil Servants of the Republic of Tajikistan: www.dtixd.tj Last access: 26 April 2011.

a Citizen charters were designed to complement the citizens’ report card system. They list services that local governments provide, along with information on fees and service charges, including the time required to complete a formal administrative procedure or provide requested service.

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Tajikistan Project Assessment Report Cards, and this has become one of its core services. It is driven and financed by the Strategic Research Centre and the survey reports are released regularly in each calendar year.

District Development Councils were established as a model for inclusive and transparent decision-making. They brought together local stakeholders, including government, civil society, and the private sector around common development challenges.

These councils built trust between government, civil society, and the private sector, as well as helping to include some groups that have traditionally had limited access to decision-making27.

Gender Since gender indicators were not included at the project design stage, gender mainstreaming was difficult to assess. Therefore, an analysis of the gender dimension within this project was done indirectly, reviewing activities, processes and analysing outputs.

The training delivery reports show that all training sessions had an equal number of women and men. The project also promoted a gender balance in the district development councils. It will be more challenging to identify how district development priorities and goals affect women and men differently, and how to promote gender equality in implementing the strategy.

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e.g. opposition or small political parties.

team with partners from the central and local level. The analysis included a review of results from the previous Communities Programme (including DGTTF projects) and the key objectives and priorities as highlighted in the national development framework28. Therefore, by addressing regional and district development discrepancies, capacity gaps at the district levels in planning, budgeting, and financial management, along with lack of aid coordination mechanisms at the district level, the project proved highly relevant.

Project Building national capacities for ­implementation of poverty reduction strategies (2007)

The project intervention remained valid and relevant throughout its implementation: its results and targets, defined during the formulation phase, remained relevant during its implementation and adjustments were not needed.

Effectiveness The project’s expected results were completed, contributing to the achievement of the overall objective.

Project title

Building national capacities for implementation of poverty reduction strategies

Duration

January – December 2007

The project’s key achievements included:

Funding

US$130,000 from DGTTF

a The district development plans, which were implement-

Aim

To address district development differences through participatory mechanisms for identification of development priorities

ed in three Zarafshan Valley districts, based on locally identified priorities and results of a baseline survey. The documents were also linked to National Development Strategy, Poverty Reduction Strategy, and MDG indicators to balance local needs with national priorities. From the perspective of district authorities and district development committee members, the plans served as a mechanism for coordinating the contributions of different actors to local development, including international assistance.

By linking budget/financial resources with the District Development Plan, local authorities and citizens increased their awareness of the budget allocation system and reforms needed for full-fledged application of bottom-up planning and budgeting.

a District Development Plans elaborated in three Zarafshan Valley districts

a Comprehensive capacity development Results

programme for elected representatives and civil servants from the district and jamoat level a Improvement of the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring and evaluation of public policy

The project aimed to address district development differences through participatory mechanisms for identifying development priorities. Specifically, it facilitated preparation District Development Plans in three Zarafshan Valley districts, using a participatory approach. In parallel, the project worked to enhance the capacities of elected representatives and civil servants from the district and jamoat levels to prioritize poverty reduction activities. At the national level, the project supported improvement of the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public policy. The project achieved all its objectives.

a The project designed and implemented a comprehensive training programme: i) training on planning for district authorities and jamoat representatives; ii) training on poverty reduction planning and monitoring for the Economic Reforms, Statistics, and Finance departments, the Land Committees, the District Employment Centres; and iii) training for participatory budgeting and planning for councillors (local council deputies) and district finance officers.

Relevance The project was designed coherently and based on a detailed participatory approach involving stakeholders (target groups and beneficiaries) from the central government and district levels. The programming process followed an established model: the situation and needs analysis were conducted by the UNDP

28

Priorities are highlighted in the National Development Strategy, the PRS and the Public Administration Reform Strategy.

18

Tajikistan Project Assessment

a Although

information on the effectiveness of training inputs is missing, district level actors and interviewed stakeholders from the district development committees confirmed that training provided in the process of elaborating district development plans made them better able to contribute to the planning process. Inclusion of district council members in the training proved beneficial for their understanding of the potential role of mid-term planning in the local development process.

development plans. It used a participatory approach to identify strategic priorities and to establish specific local mechanisms, instruments and indicators, aligned with National Development Strategy and Poverty Reduction Strategy indicators, and to allocate the required financial resources to implement priorities.

In addition, the project provided tailor-made capacity development programme (training and mentoring) on poverty reduction planning and monitoring, plus design of district development plans.

a The project helped improve the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public policy. This was done by introducing district and regional authorities to new information collection and registration tools, and aligning collected data with national indicators of MDG, National Development Strategy and Poverty Reduction Strategy targets. In addition to the main statistical data entry tool, other instruments were also introduced, such as socio-economic baseline survey and citizen report cards (these instruments were originally development within the framework of the DGTTFsupported project Clean Start for Local Councils – Building Accountability at the Local Level).

Finally, the project supported a new approach to donor aid coordination through a comprehensive information system.

This system encompassed data from the jamoats, and from the district and national level on a wide range of issues and in particular, as a matter of priority, on development and poverty reduction trends in different parts of the country.

Catalytic effect The project operated within an existing partnership between UNDP and key national and international development partners, because it was implemented as a part of the Communities Programme.

Efficiency

The positive experience and achievements of the project set the ground for the next phase of the Communities Programme.

The project had secured additional funding from DGTTF (for the Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting project, which was integrated into the Communities Programme), as well as from the UK Department for International Development and the Canadian International Development Agency.

In recognition of the special development situation of Tajikistan and the limited capacity of local authorities to execute the project, it was agreed to use the Direct Execution implementation modality. The project was implemented directly

by UNDP Tajikistan under the umbrella of UNDP’s Communities Programme in close collaboration with the government. This arrangement ensured efficient project delivery, with the overall responsibility for the management of the project resting with the Communities Programme.

In addition, the project contributed directly to enhancing partnerships between UNDP and national partners. This is reflected by the agreements signed between UNDP and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Strategic Research Centre, the Institute for the Civil Servants Training, the Ministry of Finance, the State Statistic Committee, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, and the Parliament.

The Communities Programme adapted its structures as required, and established transparent project administration procedures and operation systems. This helped ensure the scheduled delivery of inputs and production of outputs. The project’s financial management was based on UNDP procedures, and regular financial reports were prepared.

Sustainability Based on the results of the DGTTF project and following the same approach, the District Development Plans were prepared for the new six districts (in addition to those targeted by the project). At the same time, three districts that had already adopted development plans focussed on their implementation.

These activities were implemented within the framework of the Communities Programme.

Innovation In post-conflict Tajikistan, the gap between districts deepened as a consequence of the existing differences in the economy, infrastructure, employment, income, and living standards between the country’s regions. At the same time, there was a lack of a comprehensive methodological framework to address priorities at the national, regional and local level and establish links between planning and budgeting processes. The project introduced a unique and innovative approach to prepare district

The key role in this preparation process and implementation was and remained with the district development councils. They fulfill

19

Local Governance and Decentralization a number of functions that in a long run should become the responsibilities of district authorities and their departments (e.g. strategic development planning, decision making on resources allocation, updating, maintaining and analysing district socioeconomic database, coordination of development plans, and investments with external actors). The councils are currently supported through different projects and activities, which is why their sustainability remains critical.

The sustainability of training programmes designed and tested with support of this project was ensured, because the Institute for Civil Service Training adopted them for its regular curricula.

Training was delivered to district stakeholders in districts that have started to prepare development plans. However, capacities available at the district level are still weak, which affects the sustainability of the participatory planning concept. Despite intensive local capacity development efforts, the process of developing plans is being led to a large extent by national level experts, which is why further work on improving capacities at the district level is required.

Improving the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring and evaluation of public policy helped to improve informed decision making and planning process. It also helped in monitoring and evaluating development inputs based on up-to-date and accurate data available at the district level. The introduction of multiple data collection and assessment tools required effort in terms of developing local partner capacities, but it currently operates well.

The citizen report cards method became an attractive tool for monitoring changes based on citizens’ perception. The Centre for Strategic Research is leading and coordinating all activities related to collection of this information.

Gender Gender indicators were not included at the project design stage, so gender mainstreaming was difficult to assess. The gender dimension within this project was, therefore, indirectly analysed, by reviewing activities, processes and analysing outputs.

According to the training delivery reports, in all training sessions there were equal numbers of women and men. In addition, the project promoted gender balance in the district development councils. The data collected through the information system were disaggregated for men and women. This is the first required step in preparation of more gender sensitive policies.

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centralized and uncoordinated budgeting and a general lack of capacities among the civil servants.

The project intervention remained valid and relevant throughout its implementation. The results and targets defined during the formulation phase remained relevant during its implementation and adjustments were not needed.

Project

Effectiveness

Building a Framework for Local ­Planning and Budgeting (2008)

Implementation of the project was effective. The expected results were completed, contributing to the achievement of the overall objective.

The project delivered the following key results:

a The Methodology for planning, budgeting, and moniProject title

Building a Framework for Local Planning and Budgeting

Duration

January – December 2008

Funding

US$130,000 from DGTTF

Aim

To strengthen effective and responsive governance by partnering with national level government institutions to reform the planning and budgeting processes at the district and region levels

toring and evaluation at district and jamoat levels: the methodology was based on the Proposal for Reform of Tajikistan’s Planning and Budgeting System, prepared by the National Expert Working Group29. In addition, the methodology reflected practical experience and results from the previous DGTTF projects, including lessons learned and recommendations.

a A

comprehensive capacity development programme, which comprised methodological guidelines and a training/mentoring programme for planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation was developed.

a The methodology for planning, budgeting Results

and monitoring and evaluation at district and jamoat level a Proposal for reform of Tajikistan’s planning and budgeting system a Capacity development programme for planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation a Training for district and region officials and results evaluated

a Training was delivered to 220 district and regional officials, and the results were evaluated.

Efficiency Like the other projects in this review, this project was directly executed in accordance with the DEX guidelines under the umbrella of UNDP’s Communities Programme and in close collaboration with the government. This arrangement ensured efficient project delivery, with overall responsibility for the project’s management, including financial management, resting with the Communities Programme.

The project aimed to prepare a comprehensive programme of reform of Tajikistan’s planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation methodology at district and regional levels. It also aimed to prepare guidelines and a training curriculum for the new methodology to enhance the capacities of 220 district and regional officials to comply with new procedures. The project achieved all of its objectives.

The project was implemented through the existing structure of the Communities Programme’s head office in Dushanbe. Area offices in Ayni, Khujand, Kulyab, Shaartuz, and Gharm were responsible for assisting local councils and district development

Relevance In terms of the design phase, the project was highly relevant.

It established a clear rationale for the intervention, with a welldefined hierarchy of objectives and a set of robust progress indicators at each stage. In terms of content, the project was designed to address some of the most challenging governance issues in Tajikistan: public sector inefficiency, lack of coordination and accountability in the public finance system, including

29

National Expert Working Group represented the partnership between UNDP, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the Ministry of Finance, with the principle role being to identify current planning and budgeting practices and determine how it can be best incorporated into the government’s existing planning and budgeting framework.

21

Local Governance and Decentralization committees in following up on the training, and for backstopping the activities.

country by providing technical assistance to implement the new planning and budgeting model.

The project management structure ensured efficient implementation, with all results produced within the proposed timeframe. In addition, it enabled swift integration of achievements into the Communities Programme.

Sustainability Engaging regional authorities and national actors into a standard participatory planning methodology was deemed an absolute priority. The sustainability of methodology for preparation of district development plans was strongly supported by the key national institutions (including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the Strategic Research Centre under the President), resulting in its adoption as the national platform for planning at district level.

Innovation The project introduced a new implementation approach to planning and budgeting in Tajikistan. This was elaborated in the methodology for planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation at district and jamoat levels. At the same time, the project supported a new planning and budgeting practice.

For the first time in Tajikistan, this integrated and coordinated national (horizontal), and district and jamoats (vertical) planning and budgeting processes.

Implementing the participatory planning and budgeting methodology has experienced some limitations, such as the lack of financial resources (especially the unpredictable transfers from the central level), insufficient links to sectoral programmes and reforms, the State Mid-Term Expenditure Framework, the ongoing public administration reform, and the overall discussion over decentralization of responsibilities and fiscal powers.

The project tested an innovative model in capacity development, which consisted of a well-balanced combination of training and mentoring. Learning by doing with the support of experienced peers proved an excellent tool for improving performance.

The sustainability of training programmes on strategic planning, participatory budgeting, poverty mapping, and monitoring was ensured by their use by the Institute for Civil Service Training as its regular curricula for civil servants’ professional advancement.

It is supported from the national budget and is an ongoing activity of the centre.

In terms of innovation, the project enabled the Communities Programme to expand the scope of its intervention into a new area, reform of public administration.

Catalytic effect

Gender

The project expanded the scope of the Communities Programme to public administration reform, and built on the quality and impact of past interventions. It strengthened UNDP’s presence at the national level and enhanced partnerships with the key national institutions.

Gender indicators were not included at the project design stage, so gender mainstreaming was difficult to assess. Therefore, an analysis of the gender dimension within this project was done indirectly, reviewing activities and processes, and analysing outputs.

The project supported the development of the methodology for planning, budgeting and monitoring and evaluation at district and jamoat levels. This methodology was endorsed by the government and adopted as the official, national policy for planning and budgeting at district and jamoat levels.

Gender mainstreaming was addressed indirectly. The training delivery reports show that all training sessions had an equal number of women and men.

It is difficult to know whether gender mainstreaming was considered during the design of the methodology for preparation of district development plans. Nevertheless, during the review it was confirmed that the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade was working with local authorities to update the methodology to consider cross-cutting issues, including gender.

Although the policy framework was adopted, the issue of scarce capacities for its implementation remained evident. Therefore, after positive experience with DGTTF-funded activities and initial success in implementation of planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation in pilot districts, the project (including the project team) was institutionalized in the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade. The initial DGTTF project was followed up with a larger (US$3 million) UNDP project, financed from UNDP’s core resources. Within the framework of this larger project, UNDP in partnership with the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade expanded activities throughout the

22

indicators related to the national MDG targets, and National Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy targets).

Lessons learned and recommen­ dations

The project’s results established a basis for improving governance practices, especially in evidence-based policy and decisionmaking, and in monitoring and evaluation of public policies.

Unfortunately, this was utilized only to a limited degree, as Tajikistan remains heavily centralized and the collected data and information are not publicly available.

Therefore, development of a data collection system and a sound mechanism for monitoring and evaluating public policies have to be implemented in parallel with other activities aimed at improving the transparency and accountability of public institutions.

Citizen Report Cards have limited impact in the centralized decision making system

The involvement of the National Office for Statistics is needed to ensure that the data collection methods and monitoring and evaluation are properly integrated into the overall system of statistics and reporting at all levels.

The development of tailor-made citizen report cards as an alternative and innovative tool to monitor access to, and quality of, basic public services in Tajikistan was a key achievement of the DGTTF. Initial activities showed for the first time how people perceived services and service providers.

Engagement of all key stakeholders in preparation of Methodology for district development planning was crucial The training provided through the DGTTF project support during the preparation of district development plans strengthened the abilities of the district development councils to embark on the planning process. The inclusion of district council members in training activities proved beneficial for their understanding of the potential role of mid-term planning in local development processes.

The citizen report cards method is currently the responsibility of the Centre for Strategic Research. Progress in its implementation is noticeable – it has spread to all districts – and it is becoming an attractive tool for monitoring changes based on citizens’ perception.

However, the Tajikistan experience suggests that the real impact of citizen report cards is limited by centralized planning and decision-making. There is little evidence to suggest that local authorities directly concerned with the results of the citizen report cards are able to bring about change and invest in service improvement.

Successful data-collection systems require national leadership and ownership

Engaging regional and national authorities proved crucial for the success of the project, as it ensured that the critical views and comments from the national and regional decision makers were reflected. The proposed methodology was adopted as a standard participatory planning approach compatible with the overall system of planning and budgeting in Tajikistan. In this way, the DGTTF project introduced an innovative and unique practice in Tajikistan that differed from other similar district planning initiatives. Currently, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Ministry of Finance, in partnership with UNDP, provide technical support to district development committees in formulating their plans.

The DGTTF projects supported improvement of the government’s information systems for planning, monitoring, and evaluation of public policy. This included strengthening the capacities of regional and district authorities in data collection. This new approach enabled the alignment of collected data from district and regional levels with national level indicators (primarily,

30

Therefore, in order to ensure that citizen report cards improve performance, they should be part of a broader decentralization process. That should strengthen downward and upward accountability within governance structures30.

UNDP (2010): Fostering Social Accountability: from Principle to Practice. A Guidance Note. Page 9.

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Local Governance and Decentralization

Implementation of the District Development Plans requires financial resources from national budgets

and evaluation at district level, a methodology for regional development planning, and a number of practical documents and learning materials to support transparent and accountable governance. However, this knowledge is not collected and captured systematically. Some of these documents are either stored in the project archives or are unavailable because of changes in the project management, or because of closure of project tools and products.

The methodology introduced for district development planning promoted a new development paradigm in Tajikistan. But the implementation of district development plans remains a much more challenging task, mainly due to limited financial resources.

Financing district development plans is restricted mainly to mobilizing extra-budgetary funds (local and international) with no link to the national or regional budgets. Implementation is also hindered by cumbersome financial and reporting procedures imposed by international development partners.

Opportunities to establish a comprehensive and user-friendly knowledge management system to codify and store generated knowledge should be explored. This will facilitate the horizontal learning process and ensure better exchange of information and access to knowledge derived from different DGTTF projects.

The Tajikistan experience shows that participatory planning could be successful during the planning phase. But to ensure that priorities are acted upon, planning processes must be linked to the national budgeting and expenditure frameworks.

For better utilization of funds from international funding opportunities, there is a need to develop commonly adopted procedures in parallel with planning.

DGTTF should improve monitoring practice The review of the DGTTF projects in Tajikistan showed that monitoring (and, to a large degree, reporting practice) was critical in the management of projects. Projects were approved and implemented without a clear and measurable set of indicators at different levels of intervention logic (outcome, objective, results). Monitoring visits were not organized during implementation. This review was the first on-site visit to DGTTF projects in Tajikistan and it occurred long after completion of projects.

The sustainability of a participatory planning concept at the district level has to be ensured District development councils supported through the DGTTF projects served as a coordination mechanism for different activities within the district development framework. By bringing together local stakeholders, including government, civil society, and the private sector around common development priorities, the councils have served as a platform for building confidence and trust among them and for participatory decision and policy making.

Changes to the DGTTF implementation framework (extended duration of projects and increased budgets) would require a robust monitoring system. Considering that the project duration is two years, it is recommended that mid-term reviews are conducted after the first year of project implementation. This could identify deficiencies in the project implementation and provide recommendations for the remainder of the project period. Therefore, it will be essential to concretely define the results (outputs) at the formulation phase so that they are expressed in a manner that enables effective monitoring and subsequent evaluation31.

The establishment and functioning of the district development councils is inherently linked to sustainability. The district development councils were an effective interim solution in the aftermath of the civil war and during the transition period for the establishment of the national (governance) institutions.

However, there is a need to transform district development councils into a more meaningful and sustainable form of (district) development planning. The DGTTF support provided a solid basis for sustainability, especially by addressing gaps in technical expertise. Therefore, it will be essential to start with the transformation of district development councils, taking into consideration activities and results of the DGTTF supported projects in Tajikistan.

DGTTF – need for comprehensive knowledge management DGTTF projects in Tajikistan produced valuable tools and knowledge products, such as citizens’ report cards, citizen charters, a methodology for planning, budgeting, and monitoring

31

In other words, the results should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound)

24

Tajikistan Project Assessment

Annex I: ­Codification of tools and ­instruments used a Citizen Report Cards a Citizens’ charters a Methodology for preparation of District Development Plans (and district development plans from three districts)

a Training curricula and learning materials: i) training on topics related to public administration and local governance (for civil servants) ii) training on decentralization, civic participation, strategic planning and municipal budgeting (for elected councillors at the jamoat and district levels) iii) training on planning for district authorities and jamoats representatives iv) training on poverty reduction planning and monitoring for the Economic Reforms, Statistics, and Finance departments, the Land Committees, the District Employment Centres v) training for participatory budgeting and planning for councillors (local council deputies) and district finance officers

a Information systems for planning, monitoring and evaluation of public policy.

a The Methodology for Planning, Budgeting and Monitoring and Evaluation at District and jamoat level.

a Methodological guidelines and training/mentoring program for planning, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation was developed.

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Local Governance and Decentralization

Annex II: List of ­persons interviewed Abdugani Mamadazimov, Chairman, National Association of Political Scientists Abdushukur Nazarov, Director, NGO Municipal training centre, Khujand Ali Aliev, Deputy Rector, Institute for Civil Service Training (ICST) Alijon Isoev, Research Director Centre for Sociological Research “Zerkalo” Dzamsir Nozirov, Dr, Director of the Hospital in Vahdat Halimov Rustam, Coordinator Centre for Strategic Research (SRC) under the President Ibodullo Fattoev, DDC Chairman Meeting with DDC Isfara and district Majlis deputies Jamil Oglukov, Head of Jamoat Kistakuz, Gafurov districts Jan Bernard De Milito, Councillor European Commission- Mission in Tajikistan Malika Boymuradova, Khujand, NGO ASTI Maqsud Aripov, Area Manager, UNDP CP Khujand Area Office, UNDP Tajikistan Mirzo Olimov, Planning and budgeting project coordinator and the team, UNDP Planning and budgeting project based at the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT), UNDP Tajikistan Munirjon Aminov, Head of Jamoat Resource Centre, Jamoat Kistakuz, Gafurov districts Rastislav Vrbensky, Country Director, UNDP Tajikistan Rustam Babajanov, Mainstreaming Human Development Project, Project Manager, on economic policy issues, UNDP Tajikistan Umed Davlatzod, Deputy Minister Ministry of Economic Development and Trade Yusuf Kurbonkhojaev, Senior Local Governance Officer, Communities Programme, UNDP Tajikistan Project beneficiaries , Visiting water supply project in Isfara

26

Tajikistan Project Assessment

Annex III: ­Bibliography United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Tajikistan 2010-2015 Country Programme Document for Tajikistan 2010 – 2015 Country Programme Action Plan for Tajikistan for 2010 – 2015 Assessment of Development Results- Republic of Tajikistan, 2009 Tajikistan Living Standards Measurement Survey, 2008. Washington, DC Joint Country Support Strategy 2009-2012 Millennium Development Goals Report Shadow economy report Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, 3 (2010-2012) National Development Strategy (2007-2015) Public Administration Reform Strategy for Tajikistan Communities Programme Document 2004-2007, 2007-2009 Annual Work Plans and Annual Progress Reports for the period External Evaluation of the Local Governance by Luigi de Martino, 2007 The Constitution of Tajikistan and other laws of Tajikistan UNDP (2009): Outcomes Evaluation Report UNDP: Communities Program in Tajikistan”; prepared by Ton de Klerk, Elena Krylova-Mueller UNDP (2010): Fostering Social Accountability: from principle to practice. A guidance note. Oslo and New York Other documents and materials related to the projects that were reviewed

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United Nations Development Programme

Tajikistan

United Nations Development Programme Regional Centre in Bratislava Grosslingova 35 811 09 Bratislava Slovak Republic europeandcis.undp.org

Local Governance and Decentralization

Bureau for Development Policy Democratic Governance Group 304 East 45th Street, 10th Fl. New York, NY 10017

May 2011

Oslo Governance Centre Inkognitogata 37, 0256 Oslo, Norway www.undp.org/governance www.undp.org/oslocentre

Project Assessment

The DGTTF Lessons Learned Series