Township Democratic Local Governance (TDLG)
Township Democratic Local Governance (TDLG)
Photo: UNDP
Status: | Active |
Duration: | November 2017 - December 2020 |
Budget: | USD 19,130,751 |
Coverage: | Bago Region – five townships representing all four Districts Mon State – all ten townships |
Beneficiaries: | Union government, Region/State governments of Bago and Mon, township administrations, ward and village tract administrators, people of Myanmar (indirect beneficiaries) |
Donors: | (USD 10,028,106) Switzerland (USD 5,173, 656) United Kingdom (USD 248,628) Sweden |
Focus: | Strengthening local governance institutions, supporting fiscal decentralization at the township level, strengthening accountable and transparent public financial management systems and promoting participatory and responsive annual township development planning |
Partners: | Bago Region Government, Mon State Government, General Administration Department, Ministry of Planning and Finance, Oxfam |
About the Project
The project is actively supporting democratic local governance by giving local people a voice to influence annual township planning and budgeting through elected representatives, being Hluttaw members, ward and village tract administrators and representatives from civil society organizations. The project contributes to the development of a democratic local governance policy framework for the Government of Myanmar to advance its decentralization agenda.
The overall objective of providing discretionary grants to townships is to assist putting in place a responsive township administration that effectively and efficiently provides basic services to its people in an inclusive, accountable and transparent manner. The cross sectoral, discretionary grant serves as an incentive to test fiscal decentralization at the township level, to strengthen accountable and transparent public financial management systems and to promote participatory and responsive annual development planning.
Objectives
Enhancing inclusive local governance and decentralization at the township level.
Expected Results
- Township administrations have improved capacity to respond to people’s needs.
- Improved engagement between people and township administrations on public service delivery.
- Improved ethnic armed organization engagement in annual township planning and public service delivery
- Dialogue on policy and institutional local governance reforms informed by technical support and research.
Our Impact
U Chit Aung stands beside the 4-mile-long community road. Photo: UNDP Myanmar
Investing in Community Engagement can help Transform Lives
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the community road has become even more vital, with Mon State being the transit point for repatriated migrant workers from Thailand. Government assistance, including rice, cooking oil and beans, have reached villages, in time; and Aung Kan Thar and other communities can now easily access reproductive health care services for pregnant women and children under five years of age. “It’s all because of this road,” said U Chit Aung.
The Township Democratic Local Governance project aims to support 15 township administrators, 10 in Mon State and five in Bago Region, to provide efficient and effective basic services in an inclusive, accountable and transparent manner, by giving townships much more control over financial expenditures to implement infrastructure projects. Additionally, through providing technical assistance, the capacities to utilize grants effectively and inclusively within townships have been strengthened. The project has been positioned to support the effective decentralisation of decision making.
Blogs
How Sweden inspired and paved the way in managing Myanmar’s solid waste
by Anki Dellnas, Chief Technical Advisor, TDLG Project