Responsive Union Parishad Project

(Strengthening local Governance for pro poor Service Delivery)

Implemented by

Funded by

Details Information ofCOAST- Responsive Union Parishad Project.

Duration: 1st August 2013 to 31st Dec 2016

Working area: 12 Unions under 5Upazilas ofBhola District.

Project costs: Total cost of the project BDT 29,127,629/-

Name of District / Name of Upazila / Name of Union
BHOLA / Bholasadar / Alinagar union
Char Shibpur Union
PaschimIlisha Union
Burhanuddin / Char Khallifa Union
DakshinJoynagar Union
Burhanuddin / Hasan Nagar Union
Pakshia Union
Tazumuddin / Chandpur Union
Chanchra Union
Lalmohan / FarazGanj Union
Lord Hardinje Union
Paschim char Umed

Programmatic areas of MJF :

  • Rights of the marginalized population
  • Combating violence against women
  • Protection of working children and vulnerable workers
  • Ensuring responsiveness of public institutions
  • Socio economic development of CHT

Background and rationale:

Union Parishad (UP) is one of the oldest public institutions in Bangladesh and centre point for local level development. This is also acting as cutting age field for maximum government services agencies. Yearly on an average BDT 50 million expended in a union including BDT 5 million as Union Parishad direct development budget. But for in placement of weak governance and lacking of accountability among the institutions, the poor and marginalized people are always in denial to get adequate services they are entitled for. COAST experienced over the intended 12 unions that these Union Parishad still are not emphasizing on citizen’s participation in decision making, implementing and monitoring of development projects. And there have existed few organized citizen groups working on behalf poor and marginalized people to get their rights and entitlement. So there have scopes and needs outside support for existing active citizen’s group and capacitating UPs towards citizen’s participation, accountability and responsiveness for improving of services and equitable development.

COAST has been implementing different development initiatives by its micro credit income and donors fund for improving services and responsive Union Parishad. Since 1998 COAST has been working on developing people’s organization among poor as alternative pro poor power structure in Bhola. COAST capacitated leaders of people’s organization on burgeoning skill to claim rights and entitlement from UPs and other government service providers. There have some significant achievement on improving services by Union, access to elected local government and other public body from the people’s organization leaders.

COAST had implemented ‘Building Capacities for Human Rights Activism: Integrating of Sustainable Local Governance Compact’ during 2004 to 2007 covering 22 unions of Bhola and Cox’sbazar District with funding and technical support from MJF. It was the 1st phase project. From the 1st phase of the project there were two major achievements i) Union Parishad (UP) pave the process to be participatory and responsive institution which has resulted more pro poor resources for the poor, and ii) alliance building with local level civil society for local level issue base mobilization.

During 2007 to 2010 COAST implemented 2nd phase of local government project covering 22 unions in same districts with MJF support. 2nd phase project had made a paradigm changed and specific focus given on strengthening Union Parishadandpeople’s organizations. This phase has some achievement on establishing responsive Union Parishad, enhancement of improved services, participatory budgeting, and active standing committee.

But after evaluation of 2nd phase by MJF, there found that organized poor leadership was segregated to different unions and were not coming from all quarters of poor and marginalized citizen of respective unions. So during implementing 3rd phase with MJF support during 2010 to June 2013 COAST adopted clear vision to work for responsive Union Parishad and capacitated formulated citizen’s group to participate UP activities and monitoring services through using different social accountability tools. This phase has remarkable achievements 1. Improved public service, 2.presence of vibrant people’s organization, 3.People’s organization leaders accessed to different public committees and to elected local government 4. Union Parishad performance indicator increased 5. local service providers active and so on. Based on these experiences, comparative performance assessment of the unions with other union of the district and minimize overlapping with unions that COAST-MJF project worked for over five years, the intended 15 unions have been selected. The project has emphasized uphold effective representation of projects interventions at upazilas and district level for gaining positive approach of the government departments there on. So that project has targeted 3 unions in each of the 5 upazilas of Bhola.

Project Goal:Citizens enjoy rights, entitlements and local institutional facilities.

Project Objective:

  1. Enhance accountability and responsiveness of LGI and local public service institutions
  2. Citizenry building for promoting voice in favor of the poor and marginalized

The project expects the following outputs to be achieved during project period these are;

  1. Governance Capacity & Performance of 12 LEBs improved (LGU): a) 60% LEBs to 4 point b) 40% LEBs to 3 point out of a 5 point scale of measure.
  2. 79075 nos. of poor and marginalized people claim rights & entitlements (Person)
  3. 36 nos. of Poor & marginalized elected in LG (Person)
  4. 40% of decisions taken in consultation with the council (Parishad)
  5. 30% LEB’s plan taken from ward shava
  6. 70% LDA regularly taken part in the coordination meeting
  7. 60% SC did at least 3 assignments yearly
  8. 40% of development projects activated (formation, meeting, regulation) PIC.
  9. 50 % of Health center Management Committee (HMC) meeting held at least two times in a year.

SL / Name of Activities / Objective
01 / Monthly meeting of Word citizens committee WCC / To review ward wise service status especially of 4 targeted service sectors and take action plan for WCC and UJS.
02 / Monthly meeting of Union JonoShangathan / To review union wise service status especially of 4 targeted service sectors and take action plan for UJS and UpzJS
03 / Quarterly Upazila JonoShangathan meeting. 5 Upazila level(Upz Chairman , vice chairman, UNO & Officers) / Relation among JonoShangathan leaders and Upzila level stakeholders on obtaining targeted services for the poor and update them on any challenges or miss management.
04 / Quarterly District JonoShangathanmeeting. / Relation among JonoShangathan leaders and District level stakeholders on obtaining targeted services for the poor and update them on any challenges or miss management.
05 / Bi-Monthly Standing committee meeting / To activate the standing committees and obtain their involvement on services to poor.
06 / Bi-Monthly Development Coordination meeting at UP / To activate UP and to promote governance in UP
07 / WARD Sava, (yearly and 5 years planning meeting / To ensure citizen’s opinions especially by the poor on annual and long term development plan of respective union
08 / Priority setting-pre budget of annual & 5 years planning and finalization of yearly budget. / To prepare the final draft of Annual and Five year’s development plan and budget of a Union with representation of citizen groups, service providers and elected representatives.
09 / Open Budget meeting at 12 UP / To review last year progress and next year priority of a development plan of a union in public. To ensure scopes for union citizen for giving their opinion and consent in the development plan.
10 / Matching fund for local resource mobilization and voluntarism / To mobilize local recourses and promote volunteerism.
11 / Social Auditing of public services (Inspection by a local committee) at up level / To improve services of 4 selected service sector; agriculture and live stock, safety net, infrastructure and health & WATSAN.
12 / Dialogue with service providing institutions at Union level / To ensure corrective measures by the service providers with the help of UP body.
13 / Dialogue with service providing institutions at Upazila level including 4 social audit program / To ensure corrective measures by Upazilalevel service providers with the help of Upazilaelected body.
14 / Dialogue with service providers at district level for 4 social audit / To ensure corrective measures by District level service providers with the help of District administration.
15 / Yearly meeting with chairmen & project personnel / To review last year progress and overcome the challenges and barrier.
16 / Monitoring sheet Assessment / To improve the performance of UP comprehensively.
17 / Mobilization for tax collection at Ward & Union level / To increase collection of tax.
18 / Annual Day observe at 5Upz (RTI Day) Rally & Saminer / To popular Universal Declaration Human Rights
19 / Union IGA fund for the poor. / To support direct beneficiaries for adopting productive means.
20 / Citizen charter at all unions / To ensure easy access to UP service related information for the poor
21 / Theory of change / Identify causes of failure and success of an event.
Identify the nature and magnitude of the actions and inactions that influenced upon the activity.
22 / Base line survey & Midterm Evaluation / TO identify beginning status of UP governance indicators and service delivery
23 / International Woman day / To ensure the right of woman.
To increase consciousness of local people about International Woman day