Partnership Program for Democracy and Governance (PPDG)
Project Description:
This project aims at improving local governance structures in four districts in Upper Egypt. CARE in partnership with PID, IREX and FDPD will use a botton up reform approach that will foster a culture of good governance and promote dialogue among citizens, CSOs, local government, and media, aiming at an inclusive, transparent approach to planning rural development priorities and accountability in resource allocation. Capacity building activities will combine theoretical and practical skills training with direct participation or 'learning by doing.'
PPDG works with the Local Popular Councils and Local Executive councils in Beni Suef and Qena to strengthen their relationship with their constituencies, help them to become more representative of the needs and priorities of the communities they serve; enhance their working knowledge of best practices and processes needed for more accountable and responsive institutions; and enable them to work with media to better inform citizens of local government services.
Through building and enhancing the capacities of local Civil Society Organizations, PPDG aims at enhancing the awareness of the CSOs about best practices and processes for a more accountable, responsive, and participatory government; prompting a clearer understating of their roles and responsibilities in terms of the laws and regulations governing their activities; and fostering their ability to better represent their constituencies.
An integral aspect of the PPDG approach towards promoting good governance is empowering youth and women to take a leading role in their communities. The project aims at enhancing their understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens; build their capacity to effectively participate in local development; increase their influence on the existing governing institutions by voicing up their views and priorities for local development plans and services.
PPDG views local media as an effective catalyst for supporting accountable and transparent local institutions. In doing that, the project supports the capacity of local media institutions to providing citizens with objective, balanced, and fact-based information on local affairs. In addition, the project equips local media professionals with relevant working knowledge of the laws and regulatory frameworks governing their activities and best practices and processes of local journalism from other regions and countries from the developing world.
