Staff Reporter
Peshawar
Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is taking concrete measures to ensure participation of general public in decision making to address their grievances. As part of such efforts Sub-National Governance (SNG-II) is assisting the Local Government Department, Elections and Rural Development Department (LGERDD) in developing ‘Inclusive Citizen Engagement Guidelines’ to enhance engagement of citizens in decision making process.
The Sub National Governance-II is a four-year technical assistance programme supporting the Governments of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. This will also support local governments to improve service delivery, said a press release issued here on Wednesday. The local government department has already issued a notification to adopt and circulate the guidelines to all the field formations of the LG in the best interest of the public.
The guidelines were prepared after an intensive consultative process with LG Department and all relevant stakeholders of LG including Local Council Board and DG Local Government.
This will also help in the inclusion of marginalized groups in the society like minorities, women from rural areas, transgender communities and people with disabilities.
This empowers these marginalized groups to take decision in best of their communal interests. Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the first to introduce these guidelines in Pakistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the first province to adopt and circulate these guidelines to their respective field formations. This was achieved through the technical support from the Accountability and Inclusion work stream, Sub National Governance (SNG) Program of KP.
The subject guidelines would serve as a framework for provincial departments as well as other stakeholders engaged in public participation for a meaningful engagement of citizens in decision-making processes. This information will also help in managing expectations and mobilizing citizens to positively contribute in the success of initiatives taken by the department.
Therefore, it would be helpful to establish a clearly defined legal framework for citizens’ engagement and participation in decision-making by making relevant amendments in Local Government Acts 2013 and 2019.
Formal provisions within the rules and procedures of local governments are one way of strengthening the use of the many tools and mechanisms outlined in the Inclusive Citizen Engagement Guidelines.