Engaging civil society in Parish affairs: community leaders in St. James gather to discuss local issues.

The Canadian Urban Institute has been active in Jamaica since 1998. Recent work has focussed primarily on supporting the local sustainable development planning (LSDP) process in the Parish of Manchester.

Urban Partnership Project Jamaica

The Urban Partnerships Project Jamaica supports Jamaica’s local government reform movement. UPP Jamaica supports the local sustainable development planning process in Manchester, engaging community stakeholders to envision a better future for the parish, building the institutional capacity of the local government authority in long-range planning and citizen engagement, and strengthening the capacity of the Manchester Parish Development Committee, a citizen’s advisory and advocacy body. Experiences will be shared island-wide, and lessons learned will be scaled up so they can enter national-level policy dialogues. The project is contributing to the broadening and deepening of the democratic process in Jamaica by demonstrating the value of including civil society input in decision-making at the local level.

Funding Agency
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Canadian Partnership Branch. The Urban Partnerships Project Jamaica is a component of the CUI’s International Urban Partnership Program (I-UPP).

Timeframe
2004-2009

Geographic Focus
The Parish of Manchester, located in central-south Jamaica, is the geographic focus of the project. Its capital city is Mandeville.

back to top

Project Partners
Co-lead operational partners at the local level
the Manchester Parish Development Committee (MPDC) – a citizen-based body that facilitates citizen involvement in local government planning in the Parish of Manchester
the Manchester Parish Council (MPC) – the Parish of Manchester’s local government unit. National level coordinating agency
Ministry of Local Government and Environment (MLG&E), which includes the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA)

Background
Over the past seven years, Canada has achieved significant results in the Parish of Manchester, supporting civil society to organize and partner with the local government to undertake a local sustainable development planning process. The parish of Manchester continues to be looked upon as the most advanced and innovative local authority in the country, showing leadership in implementing local government reform. The parish council has shown a sustained commitment to the norms of good governance, with an unwavering support for civic engagement in local decisions and its long-range planning exercise. Similarly, communities and stakeholder groups continue to remain steadfast in their determination to make the parish development committee system operational and functional in the parish as a voice for citizens in local affairs.

Through I-UPP, CUI is proposing to continue to provide Canadian support and know-how to local government reform in Jamaica, targeted at the Parish of Manchester as a pilot initiative. We will support the MPC and MPDC to solidify their partnership as a model, integrated, sustainable, governance structure at the parish level, demonstrating a local governance model that engages civil society to participate in local planning and to work in partnership with local government to take action in addressing local priorities.

back to top

Project Description
In Jamaica, CUI has been supporting the Government of Jamaica’s ongoing local government reform program, which includes reforms to the country’s planning framework. We have supported this through cooperation with the Manchester Parish Development Committee and the Manchester Parish Council (the municipal government representing the south-central region of the island).

CUI support has been directed towards: a) supporting the Manchester LSDP planning process, which engages community stakeholders to envision a better future for the parish, b) building institutional capacity of the local government authority to carry out long-range planning and to engage citizens in decision making for the future, and c) strengthening the capacity of the Manchester Parish Development Committee, a citizen’s advisory and advocacy body, to be a voice for citizens in local affairs and planning. By sharing the Manchester experiences with stakeholders island-wide and by up-scaling lessons learned to national-level policy dialogues, the project is contributing to the broadening and deepening of the democratic process in Jamaica by demonstrating the value of including civil society input in decision-making at the local level.

The UPP Jamaica proposes to sustain Canada’s achievements in the Parish of Manchester as a continued contribution to Jamaica’s local government reform movement. The project will have two centres of activity – the parish level, and the national level.

At the national level, the project is coordinated through the Ministry of Local Government and Environment (MLG&E) and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA). It also works closely with the National Housing Trust (NHT), which is investing in LSDP processes in local authorities across the country.

back to top

Objectives

1. Continue to assist the Manchester Parish Development Committee and the Manchester Parish Council, in partnership with other national agencies, to formulate a local sustainable development plan through a participatory process with community stakeholders.
2. Continue to build the capacity of the MPDC and MPC to carry out long-range participatory planning at the local level.
3. Continue to strengthen the capacity of the Manchester PDC to be a voice for citizens in local affairs and planning.
4. Continue to share the experiences of the Manchester LSDP process with local stakeholders island wide and upscale lessons learned to national-level policy dialogues on local government and planning reform.

Supporting Local Government Reform in Jamaica

Planning for sustainable development in Manchester, Jamaica.

The CUI, in association with BearingPoint (formerly KPMG Consulting Canada), implemented a CIDA-funded technical cooperation program to assist the Jamaican Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport (MLGCDS) to develop and pilot a model, integrated governance structure at the parish (local government) level that utilizes the capabilities of a mobilized civil society to both inform and implement local projects. Running from 1998 to 2004, the project focused on building the institutional capacity of two pilot parishes (St. James and Manchester), strengthening the mechanisms to facilitate civil society involvement in parish level planning, sharing lessons learned with other local authorities across the country and contributing to policy and program development within the MLGCDS. The program was coordinated with the Parish Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP), financed by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Funding Agency
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Americas Branch

Timeframe
1998-2004

Geographic Focus
Jamaica : including national level agencies in Kingston, major initiatives in the pilot parishes of St. James and Manchester and minor initiatives in the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Portland. Elected officials and staff of other parishes across the country have also participated in selected capacity development activities.

back to top

Project Partners

• Planning Institute of Jamaica
• Ministry of Local Government, Community Development and Sport
• Social Development Commission
• National Environment and Planning Agency
• Parishes of St. James and Manchester
• Manchester Parish Development Committee

Background
The economic downturn in Jamaica during the early 1980s and the subsequent economic restructuring led to a re-centralization of a number of powers and service responsibilities. This effectively eroded both the authority and fiscal base of parish councils, leading to significant declines in the effectiveness of local governments to manage themselves, to provide services and to plan for growth and development. It also led to greater institutional fragmentation of responsibilities for the land development process and local services, resulting in uncoordinated planning and delivery. In response to a growing public dissatisfaction over the performance of local government, the Government of Jamaica introduced the Local Government Reform Program in 1990. The program was detailed in a Ministry policy paper that received cabinet approval in 1993. The paper recognized the importance of civil society involvement in local affairs to the achievement of good governance. It acknowledged that local government strengthening and community development are complementary processes that need to be closely integrated in order to foster greater empowerment of citizens. The paper also concluded that financial reforms should be a first priority, given that without this all other efforts would prove futile.

back to top

The policy paper set forth seven objectives for the local government reform program:

• to restore the functions and responsibilities which were removed from local government;
• to establish new arrangements for the financing of local government by allocating adequate and independent sources of revenue;
• to upgrade the institutional capacities to perform their functions in a more effective and cost-efficient manner and to take on greater community development and empowerment;
• to revise out-dated legislation;
• to improve the quality and cost-efficiency of parish services and regulatory functions;
• to build leadership and provide a framework for citizen involvement in local development;
• to improve the distribution of service functions between central and local governments as well as community organizations, NGOs and the private sector.

Project Description
In support of the Government of Jamaica's ongoing local government reform program, the project’s goal was to contribute to the broadening and deepening of the democratic process in Jamaica by increasing civil society's input into decision-making. Its purpose was to assist the Ministry to develop and pilot a model, integrated governance structure at the parish level that utilizes the capabilities of a mobilized civil city to both inform and implement parish-level projects.

Approach
The project had four components:

• Parish Council Strengthening. The objective of this component was to enhance the management, operational and planning capabilities of the pilot parishes and their ability to involve civil society and central government ministries/agencies in parish affairs.
• Civil Society Strengthening. The objective of this component was to assist with the establishment of the Parish Development Committee (PDC) system and other mechanisms to facilitate civil society involvement in parish government affairs.
• Networking and Coordination. The objective of this component was to disseminate lessons learned and best practices resulting from the project to the Ministry, SDC, other parishes and interested stakeholders, as well as to strengthen program and policy development within the Ministry.
• Project Management and Performance Measurement. The objective of this component was to effectively manage and evaluate the performance of the various project components.

back to top

Key Results

At the pilot parish level

• Both pilot parish councils are holding regular public meetings and community forums.
• Both pilot parish councils have opened committee meetings to the public and to broadcast them live on television, demonstrating ways of achieving more open, transparent, and accountable parish councils across the island.
• Developed an ambitious community relations program that led to St. James Parish Council having the first council website in Jamaica.
• Councillors and senior staff understand the benefits of frequent interaction with civil society organizations and see how this improves, rather than detracting from, council operations. This understanding paves the way for further developments in civil society involvement in local government.
• Manchester Parish Development Committee is established as a well-functioning body, working cooperatively and on a partnership basis with the local authority and key national agencies, and as a voice of citizens in local government affairs.
• The Local Sustainable Development Planning process is making a significant contribution towards improved governance in the parish, with increased public participation and strong partnerships built for the parish.

At the national level

• SLGRP methodologies related to business planning, organization review and improvement and business process improvement, among others, have all figured prominently in the PIDP institutional strengthening task force action plan
• Two important parish council bylaws were updated to improve the conducting of council and committee business and to enhance the quality of decisions made, through provisions requiring more openness and transparency. The new bylaws are to be approved by the MLGCDS (Ministry of Local Government, Community Development, and Sport) for use by local authorities island-wide
• Pilot parish organizational improvement strategies and business process improvement reports contain over 100 specific, well-explained, locally tested recommendations of how to implement Ministry Papers 8/93 and 07/03 in the country’s local authorities, providing the MLGCDS with a rich base of ideas and knowledge on how to translate policy into action.
• Experiences emerging from the establishment of the Parish Development Council in Manchester are providing important lessons learned that can be used by the MLGCDS in its support for other PDCs in the country in all stages of their development and work.
• The local sustainable development planning process in Manchester is providing important lessons learned to various other government organizations, including NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency) and SDC (Social Development Commission).
• Key principles espoused by the councils and civil society in the pilot parishes during sustainable local government reform planning activities have been taken into consideration in Ministry plans for future local reform initiatives.