ANNUALPROGRESSREPORT2015

“CapacityStrengtheningofLocalSelf-GoverningBodies”project

1January–31December2015

March2016

ULAANBAATAR

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TableofContentsPROJECTSNAPSHOT.......................................................................................................................................3

ABBREVIATIONS............................................................................................................................................4

EXECUTIVESUMMARY...................................................................................................................................5

CONTEXT.......................................................................................................................................................7

OUTPUT1.ANATIONALTRAININGPROGRAMMEFORLOCALLYELECTEDREPRESENTATIVESISDEVELOPEDANDINSTITUTIONALIZED...............................................................................................................................9

1.1.THEMATICTRAININGFORHURALPRESIDIUMMEMBERS...........................................................................................91.2.WOMEN’SLEADERSHIPTRAININGFORFEMALEREPRESENTATIVES............................................................................101.3.IMPACTASSESSMENTOFTHENATIONALINDUCTIONTRAINING(2013-2014)...........................................................111.4.STUDYTOURTOSWITZERLANDONLOCALSELF-GOVERNANCE..................................................................................121.5.INSTITUTIONALIZATIONANDSUSTAINABILITYOFTRAININGPROGRAMMESFORLOCALHURALS........................................12

OUTPUT2.IMPROVEDDOWNWARDACCOUNTABILITYOFELECTEDREPRESENTATIVESTHROUGHPROMOTINGCITIZENPARTICIPATIONINDECISIONMAKING........................................................................14

2.1.BASELINESURVEYONPUBLICPERCEPTIONOFLOCALSELF-GOVERNINGBODIES..........................................................142.2.GRANTSFORHURALSFORSTRENGTHENINGTHEIRREPRESENTATIONALANDOVERSIGHTFUNCTIONS................................142.3.IMPACTOFTHEFIRSTROUNDOFHURALGRANTS...................................................................................................172.4.GRANTSTOLOCALGOVERNANCENGOS.............................................................................................................19

OUTPUT3.IMPROVEDOVERSIGHTCAPACITYOFLOCALHURALS.................................................................19

OUTPUT4:LESSONSLEARNEDINTEGRATEDINTOLEGALANDPOLICYFRAMEWORKFORLOCALSELF-GOVERNANCE..............................................................................................................................................21

4.1.WWW.KHURAL.MNWEBSITE.............................................................................................................................214.2.REGIONALFORUMSOFHURALS.........................................................................................................................214.3.LATUGREVISION..........................................................................................................................................224.4.THENATIONALFORUMONLOCALGOVERNANCE..................................................................................................224.5.PROJECTMID-TERMREVIEW(MTR).................................................................................................................234.6.SYNERGYACTIVITIESWITHSDCPROJECTS...........................................................................................................234.7.DOCUMENTARYABOUTLOCALSELF-GOVERNANCE................................................................................................23

PROJECTMANAGEMENT..............................................................................................................................24

FINANCIALSTATUS......................................................................................................................................25

CONCLUSIONSANDWAYFORWARD............................................................................................................26

REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................................27

ANNEX1.OUTCOMEANDOUTPUTPROGRESS.............................................................................................28

ANNEX2.ATTENDANCERATEOFTHETHEMATICTRAININGFORLOCALHURALPRESIDIUMMEMBERS.......30

ANNEX3.ATTENDANCERATEOFTHEWOMEN’SLEADERSHIPTRAINING(2014-2015).................................31

ANNEX4.EXCERPTFROMTHEHURALBESTPRACTICEBOOK:KHERLENSOUMCRH,DORNODAIMAG“LOCALCOMMUNITYINVOLVEMENTINDISPATCHINGLIVESTOCKFROMCHOIBALSANTOWN”..............................32

ANNEX5.NUMBEROFVISITSANDPUBLICATIONSTATISTICSOFKHURAL.MNWEBSITE,BYHURALS,2015..34

ANNEX6."LOCALGOVERNANCE:CHALLENGESANDSOLUTIONS"NATIONALFORUM-CONCLUSIONSANDRECOMMENDATIONS..................................................................................................................................36

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Projectsnapshot

ReportingPeriod 1January–31December2015Donor SwissAgencyforDevelopmentandCooperation(SDC)Country MongoliaProjectTitle CapacityStrengtheningofLocalSelf-GoverningBodiesProjectIDAtlasAwardIDOutputs

00085982000730291. A national training programme for locally elected

representativesisdevelopedandinstitutionalized;2. Improved downward accountability of elected representatives

throughpromotingcitizenparticipationindecisionmaking;3. Increasedoversightcapacityoflocalhurals;4. Lessons integrated into legal and policy framework for local

self-governance.ImplementingPartner(s) ParliamentSecretariat,MongoliaProjectStartDate 13March2013ProjectEndDate 31December20162015AnnualWorkPlanBudget USD1,200,0002015Annualdelivery UNDP$86,114;SDC$958,647;total:$1,044,761UNDPContactPerson BeateTrankmann

ResidentRepresentativeUNDPMongoliaEmail:beate.trankmann@undp.orgTel:976-317585(1102)DavaadulamTsegmedGovernanceTeamLeaderUNDPMongoliaEmail:davaadulam.tsegmed@undp.orgTel:976-317585(117)Website:www.mn.undp.orgFacebook.com/undp.mongolia

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AbbreviationsAMLA AssociationofMongolianLocalAuthoritiesAoM AcademyofManagementCabSec CabinetofSecretariatCRH Citizens’Representatives’HuralCSC CivilServiceCouncilEEP EnergyEfficiencyProjectESEC EngagingStakeholdersforEnvironmentalConservationprojectFOCE FosteringCivicEngagementProjectGDPII GovernanceandDecentralizationProgrammeII IAAC IndependentAuthorityagainstCorruptionILD InstituteforLocalDevelopmentLDFLocalDevelopmentFundLATUG LawonAdministrativeandTerritorialUnits,theirGovernanceMALA MongolianAssociationofLocalAuthoritiesMNABS MongolianNationalAssociationofBaghsandSoumsNHRCM NationalHumanRightsCommissionofMongoliaNIM NationalImplementationModalityNUM NationalUniversityofMongoliaPS ParliamentSecretariatSAM SustainableArtisanalMiningprojectSCSS StandingCommitteeonStateStructureoftheParliamentofMongoliaSDC SwissAgencyforDevelopmentandCooperationSDF SoumDevelopmentFundToT TrainingofTrainersUB UlaanbaatarcityUNDP UnitedNationsDevelopmentProgrammeWLT Women’sLeadershipTraining

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ExecutivesummaryTheyear2015wasapeakyearfortheCSLSBprojectsinceitslaunchin2013.Bytheendofitsthirdyear,mostmajoractivitieshadbeencompletedasplanned,includingallthreetypesoftrainingforhuralRepresentatives,theintegratedportalwebsite,smallgrantsanddevelopmentofrelevanttoolsforrepresentativeandoversightroles,perceptionsurveyaboutlocalself-governingbodies,regionalforums,studytours,andpreparationandconsultationonproposedchangestolegalactsrelatedtolocalgovernance,notably,LATUG.Asaresultofdirectand indirecteffectsof theseactivitiesand interventions,notableprogresshasbeen made by local hurals in strengthening their capacity to fulfil their representational andoversight roles. Local hurals have become more active, improving their internal functioning andopennesstothepublicasdemonstratedbyincreasednumberofPresidiummeetings,establishmentofhuralcommitteesandregularmeetingsofcommittees,and thenumberofeventsorganizedbyhurals,suchasOpenDays.Forexample,in2013,theyeartheprojectstarted,noneofhuralswereholdingtheirmeetingsopentopublic.By2014,in11aimagsalone306publicmeetingswereheld.While2015dataarestillbeingcollected,itisexpectedthatthenumberofpublicmeetingscontinuestoincrease.TheMidTermReview(MTR)oftheCSLSBproject(2015)concludedthattheInductiontrainingwasthemostimportantsourceofinformationforhuralRepresentatives,andtheyusetheknowledgeindecision-making processes, in improving citizens’ participation, exercising leadership and inimprovingaccesstoinformation.SomeaimaghuralmeetingsarebroadcastliveonlocalTVchannels,whichwasnotthecaseinthepast.Two typesof small grants,provided for twoyears to localhurals, througha competitive selectionprocess, were successful in motivating hurals to explore and implement their own innovativesolutions. Instead of being given top down instructions, the small grants empowered hurals tochoose an area that is relevant and important to them, and to take actions. The results of smallgrants demonstrated that if given the freedom and financial resources, local hurals can be aneffective institution and mechanism that truly represent the interests of local population andoverseethequalityanddeliveryofpublicservicesatthelocallevel.In2013, few local councilshada sub-siteunder theaimagGovernor’sOfficewebsiteandmostofthem did not havemuch information andwere rarely updated. Therewas no integratedwebsiteprovidingaccesstoalllocalcouncils.By2015,150localcouncilshadtheirownsub-sitescreatedonthe integrated portalwebsite and thewebsite visits reached 434,037 visits. The integrated portalwebsite and its sub-sites are run and frequently updated by themajority of the aimag and soumhurals. Given the geographic distance of local administrative units and the lack of designatedministry or organization in charge of local self-governing bodies which would provide capacitybuildingsupport,thewebsiteemergesasaninnovativesolutionservingseveralpurposes,includingincreased transparency, information and experience exchange among different hurals at differentlevels,andpeerlearningandknowledgehubforlocalhurals.Over the past three years and in 2015, the CSLSB continued to provide support to capacitystrengthening of local NGOs specialized in local governance issues. These NGOswere engaged invariousactivitiesoftheproject,startingfrombeingtrainedastrainerforthreetypesoftrainingforhuralRepresentatives,toupdatingthehuralwebsitecontentandlogisticalorganizationofnationalforums.

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Therevitalizationoflocalhuralshasalsochanged,tosomeextent,thedynamicsofpowerrelationsbetweenelectedRepresentativesandGovernorsandthatofthecentralgovernment.Asmentionedin the MTR (2015), “… the character of these meetings has changed as well from one-wayinformationprovisionbytheGovernortoamoreinteractivedialoguebetweentheexecutiveandthelegislative…, councillors askmore specificquestions to theHeadsofDepartment from thevarioussectorministries,makingthemtakethecouncilmoreseriouslyandprovidemoredetailedreportstocouncils”.WhiletherevisedLATUGisyettobesubmittedtotheParliament,theCSLSBprojectcontributedtobringing the key local governance issues requiring legislative changes to the attention of policymakers,lawmakers,researchersandlocalgovernmentofficials.Throughpolicyforumsandregionalforums,astudyonlegislativeenvironment,andthepreparationoftherevisedversionoftheLATUG,theproject addednewperspectives to theongoingdebateson the revisionof administrative andterritorial units, increasing the independence of local governments and the legal status of localpropertyownership.Theyear2016willbethefinalyearoftheCSLSBproject.Therefore,particularattentionwillbepaidto institutionalization and sustainability of activities initiated under the project. Contributing toinformeddebatestodecentralizationstrategyandlegislativereformsisanotherkeypriority.

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ContextConstitutionalreformAParliamentaryWorkingGroupsubmitteditsproposalstoamendtheConstitutionofMongoliaforparliamentdebateson6November2015.Amongothermatterssuchaschangingthepowerbalancebetweenthelegislature,theexecutiveandthepresidency,theproposalshadanumberofprovisionsrelated to the functioning of the local government system inMongolia, including that of Citizens’Representative Hurals. These are the prohibition of political parties in nominating candidates forlocalelections;introducinganindirectelectionsystemforlocalhurals,wherebymembersofhigherlevelhuralsareelectednotdirectlybycitizens,butbytheirrespective lower levelrepresentatives,removingthepowerofhuralsinnominatingaGovernorofrespectivelevels,inthat,directlyelectedsoumanddistrictGovernorandaimagand the capital cityGovernors areappointedby thePrimeMinister. Because of lack of wider consultations and political consensus over the proposals, veryshort time left before the deadline of constitutional amendments – 6 months before a generalelection, the Parliament did not discuss the proposals which remain controversial among localgovernments.

ElectionlawTheLawonElectionswasapprovedinDecember20151,bywhichlocalelectionsystemwaschangedfrommixedtomajoritariansystem.Thischangeisexpectedtoreducepoliticizationatthelocallevelconsequences ofwhich are feltmore strongly by smaller administrative units. In terms of timing,aimagandthecapitalcityhuralelectionswilltakeplaceinthelastweekofJune2016concurrentlywithparliamentaryelections,andsoum/districthuralelectionswillbeheldinOctober2016.

Therevisedelectionlawalsointroducedaprovisionwhichliftstheprohibition(theCivilServiceLawof 2008) to service category civil servants running in elections and the requirement to resign 6months before the elections. This provides an opportunity for women to run in elections whoconstitute75.8percentoftotalworkforceineducationand81.4percentofhealthworkers.Alsothislegalchangeisexpectedtobringqualityimprovementsinlocalhurals,whichwassubjecttocriticismforalongperiodsince2008.

NewlawsThe Parliament ofMongolia approved a number of important laws in 2015, including the LawonLegislation,theLawonPublicHearing,andtheLawonGeneralAdministrativeProcedures.Theaimoftheselawsistosetacommonstandardinlegislativedraftingprocess,improvethequalityofandcoherence between different legislative and administrative acts, and public scrutiny andconsultations. This is a breakthrough in improving the transparency of decision making in thegovernment, public participation and the state-citizen relationships. Chapter 6 of the Law onLegislation is dedicated to obtaining public inputs and comments on draft laws and provides fordifferent forms of organizing public discussion, including written comments, meetings, surveys,onlinediscussionandotherforms.DetailedregulationsoftheLawonLegislationwillbeadoptedin2016.

The Law on Development Policy and Planning, also approved in 2015, has a number of detailedprovisionsregulating localplanningprocesses. Itstipulatesaimagandthecapitalcitydevelopmentvision, Governor’s action plans to be approved by respective hurals, monitoring of theirimplementation shall be done every two years; Governor’s Action plans not to include activitieswithout funding orwhich are beyondGovernors’ powers; local economic and social developmentdirections to includeoutcomes tobe achieved, indicators, responsiblebodies, andbudget source.Article19requiresparticipationofaffectedcitizens,experts,andgovernmentandnon-governmentorganizationsindraftingofdevelopmentpolicies.1http://www.legalinfo.mn/law/details/11558?lawid=11558

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LATUGrevisions(LocalGovernmentAct)WiththeadoptionoftheLawonGeneralAdministrativeProcedures,theLawonPublicHearing,andthe Law on Development Policy and Planning, revisions have been made in the Law onAdministrativeandTerritorialUnitsandTheirGovernance(LATUG),assigningnewresponsibilitiestoHuralssuchastherequirementtoregisternormativeadministrativeactsthattheyapprovewiththecentral authority, make a request for public hearing, align local economic, social developmentprioritieswithregionaldevelopmentpoliciesandaimag,thecapitalcity’sdevelopmentvision.HuralSecretariats’ staffing have been greatly affected by the amendment of the article 20.3 “…StaffingandwagesofHuralSecretariatshallbedefinedwithinthebudgetarylimitsofthatyearasspecifiedbyArticle10.1.2oftheBudgetLaw”.Asaresult,mostaimagHuralSecretariathadtocutitsstaffingstartingfrom2016.

Moreover,duringthediscussionofthe2016Budget,theCabinetsubmittedadraftamendmentofLATUGtoeliminateallthearticlesrelatedtoHurals’poweroverlocalpropertyownership.However,thisproposalwasnotsupportedattheParliament.SuchattemptstocurtailthepowersofGovernorsand Hurals have been repeatedly observed in recent years and there is a tendency for suchamendmentsgettingpassedoutsideofthenormalLATUGrevisionprocess,thereforeunnoticedbylocalgovernments.

Some progress has been made in amending laws of significant importance for local governmentsystemsuchastheLawonPoliticalPartyandCivilService,buttheapprovaloftheselawsispendingwiththeParliamentofMongolia.

The Local Development Fund (LDF), block grants to local governments, continued to boostdecentralizeddecisionmaking.Theshareofpublicfundsspentatthesub-nationallevelaspartofgovernment’stotalexpenditurerosefrom10.5%in2011to29.6%in2014.Inmonetaryterms,dueto the recent economic recession and the related reduction in government income, governmentbudgetsatalllevelsandacrossallsectorshavebeentrimmed,andasaresultthebudgetallocationforLDFfor2016hasgonedownfromMNT204billiontoMNT131billion,adecreasebymorethan30%.

In2015,theinternationalcommunity,includingMongolia,adoptedSustainableDevelopmentGoals(SDGs), setting targets to be achieved in the next 15 years to end poverty, to fight inequality, toprotectplanetandtoenhancehumandevelopment.

ThesecondphaseoftheGovernanceandDecentralizationProgramme(GDPII)startedin2015,with4 components; local governance, urban governance, decentralization policy support, and civicengagement. Under GDPII, it is expected to develop a comprehensive decentralization strategy,establish a new assignment of functions and finances, develop fiscal equalization models, andimprovethelegalandregulatoryframeworkforcitizens’participation.

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OUTPUT1.ANationalTrainingProgrammeforlocallyelectedRepresentativesisdevelopedandinstitutionalizedUnderthisOutput,twokeyactivitieswerecarriedoutandcompletedin2015;thematictrainingforpresidiummembersofHurals,andWomen’sLeadershipTraining(WLT)forwomenrepresentativesofHuralsatalllevels.

1.1.ThematictrainingforHuralpresidiummembers

Inaccordancewith theProjectDocumentand taking intoaccount the feedback receivedafter theNational Induction Training (2013-2014) 2 , the thematic training curriculum and manual weredevelopedfocusingonthefollowingfourtopics:

• Leadershipofelectedrepresentatives(8h);• Monitoringandevaluation,andoversightofimplementationofHuraldecisions(2h);• Researchmethodologyforhuralmembers(2h);• Maintypesofrelationshipoflocalself-governingbodieswithotherinstitutions(4h);

The training content was developed by a group of experts including those from the Civil ServiceCouncil (CSC), hural secretariat staff, advisors of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on StateStructure (SCSS), and UNDP Governance team. To ensure relevance and quality of the trainingcontent,thetrainingneedsassessmentsurveywasconductedamong21aimaghurals,UBcityand9district hurals. The content validationworkshopwas held inMarch 2015with participation of 30huralrepresentativesfrom6districts,andrepresentativesofMALA,MNABS,AMLAandMonfemnet.The Training of Trainers (ToT) of the thematic training was conducted in May 2015, with localtrainersbeingmostlythoseoftheNationalInductionTraining.

ThethematictrainingwasheldnationwidefromMaytoNov2015coveringallpresidiummembersofsoum,aimag,UlaanbaataranddistrictHurals.ThedetailedattendancerateisshowninAnnex2.

Groupworksundereachtopicwereusedforbringingupthekeyissuesthathuralsfaceandprovidedaspaceforpeerlearning.Forexample,agroupworkonResearchMethodscameupwithresearchquestions to be used in 4 areas - social welfare, education, health and oversight of budgetaryorganizations.Aspartofthesessiononrelationshipofhuralswithotherorganizations,eachgroupselected one type of organizations, such as the private sector, civil society organizations,internationalorreligiousorganizations,anddevelopedwaysofdevelopingcooperation.Groupworkpresentations were followed by open discussions, where participants raised questions such aswhethertheseorganizationsshouldbetreatedequallyandpotentialconflictsofinterestofworkingwiththeprivatesector.

The initial lessons learned and feedback fromboth trainers and participantsof thematic trainingsrevealedanumberofareasforimprovement3.Someoftheseinclude:

• Needtouseofcasesofpastorcurrentlocalleaderstoillustratecontributionsleadersmaketolocaldevelopmentandwellbeing;

• Need to use of aimag/soum/district actual statistics and data and results of similar surveyscarriedoutinotheraimags/soums/districtsforbenchmarking;

• Needtouseactualhuralresolutionswhererelevant.

2CSLSBProject.M&EReportonNationalInductionTrainingforLocalElectedRepresentatives,20133CSLSBProject,CompilationofTrainers’Reports,2015

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• Trainersthemselveslearnalotfromexperiencedrepresentativesandhuralsecretaries;thereisaneedfortrainerstoconstantlyupdatetheirknowledgeandimprovetheirskills;

• Need for trainers tobebetter screenedbefore theyareassigned topics toensure substantivequalityofteaching;

• Need to encourage fair competition among trainers, including by giving responsibility ofassigningtrainerstohuralsecretaries;

• NeedtoconductsimilartrainingforChairsofBaghGeneralMeetings;

Thesepointswillbetakenintoaccountintheupdateofthetrainingprogrammesandmanuals.

1.2.Women’sLeadershipTrainingforfemalerepresentatives

Women’sLeadershipTraining(WLT)wascompletedintheremaining16aimagsandthecapitalcityin2015.The2-dayWLTwasdeliveredbyateamofMonfemnettrainersandlocalpeertrainerswhileaimaganddistricthuralsecretariatsmanagedthelogistics(Annex3.AttendancerateofWLT).

AsthemainresultsoftheWLTfemalerepresentativeslearnedi)howtoidentifylocaldevelopmentchallenges, carry out analyses of key problems and come up with potential solutions; ii) how torepresent interestsofvariousgroupsof citizens, inparticular, vulnerablegroupswhosevoicesarenotsufficientlyheard inhuraldecisionmaking; ii)howtoexpandcirclesof influencebasedontheanalysis of social and cultural barriers encountered bywomen in politics; and iv) how to exerciseleadership having assessed different styles of leadership, and their strengths andweaknesses forfemalerepresentatives.

A number of initiatives took place following the WLT. These include the creation of femalerepresentatives’ clubs, additional training in Nalaikh district and Zamiin uud soum of Dornogobiaimagathuralcost,seriesoflocalTVprogrammesinKhovdaimagdesignedforpublicadvocacyofwomen in politics, and bagh level training by Jargalant soum, Khovd aimag using the samemethodology4. Two female representatives (Bayanzurkh district and Ugii nuur soum, Arkhangaiaimag)tookpartintwonationalTVtalkshowsonwomen’srepresentationatdecisionmakingleveltogether with female MPs and other panelists5. As a network of women’s NGOs, Monfemnet isexpectedtoretainitscommunicationswithfemalerepresentativestosupportrelevantinitiatives.

4Monfemnet,Women’sLeadershipTrainingFinalReport,20155UNDP/NCGE,WomeninDecisionMaking,DVD,RecordingofTVtalkshows,2015

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1.3.ImpactassessmentoftheNationalInductionTraining(2013-2014)

This assessment was carried out one year after the National Induction Training was completed,providingsufficienttimetoseepotentialimpact.Belowisasummaryoftheassessmentfindings:6

• Thetrainingwasimportantinprovidingsystematicknowledgeonmandatesanddutiesoflocalself-governingbodies,settingafoundationforthemtoworkeffectivelyinthefuture.

• Aimag and district CRH representatives showed lower interest and had lower attendancecompared to representatives from soum hurals. Therefore, future training programs need toaddressurbanCRHrepresentativesseparatelyfromtheirruralpeers.

• Itwouldbeoptimaltohaveatleastthreetofourtrainersforoneaimaginordertoreducetheworkloadandallowthemtoattendsessionsledbyothertrainerstolearnfromthem.

• Participantsacquiredbasicknowledgenecessarytocarryouttheirdutiesrelatedtolocalbudgetandoversight,asdemonstratedbypre-trainingandpost-trainingsurveys.

CRHs No.oflocalcouncilors

PercentageinthetotalNo.oflocalcouncilors(%)

No.oflocalhurals

Percentageinthetotalnumberofhurals(%)

Capitalcity 45 0.6 1 0.3

Aimags 745 9.3 21 5.8 Districts 295 3.7 9 2.5 Soums 6953 86.5 330 91.4 Total 8038 100.0 361 100.0

An important lesson learned from the first roundof theNational Induction Training is to developtrainingmaterialsspecificallytailoredtocapitalcity/district/aimaghuralsandrepresentatives,who

6CSLSBproject,SocialPolicyResearchInstitute,ImpactAssessmentoftheNationalInductionTrainingforLocalElectedRepresentatives,Nov2015

“…Afterworkingasanelectioncampaignmanager, supportingwomen running foroffice, andbeing twicenominated herself,Ms. D.Bertsetseg was eventually elected into Zuunmod soum’s Citizens’ RepresentativeHuralin2012.

Having been involved in UNDP Mongolia’s project and its trainings, Ms. Bertsetseg established ‘LocalLeadershipClub’inZuunmodsoumhural.“Icouldseebigpowerthatthewomenrepresentativesinvolvedinthe trainings had. I felt we, women leaders, can understand each other and find a common language andsolutions. Through the Club, the women leaders will learn and get involved in community projects andactivities.Thentheycanleadotherlocalwomen.“

The Club initiated a number of activities in the Zuunmod community. A dancing club for the elderly wasstarted.Toengageyoungpeopleaswell,theClubcreated‘Let’svolunteerZuunmod’program.Thevolunteerprogramwillmobilizeyoungvolunteersandhelpthelocalorganizationsinforming a volunteernetwork,thusincreasingcitizens’participationandimprovingyouth’slifeskills”.

TheZuunmodsoumCRHhas31councilorsofwhom30%areyoungmembersaged22-35.Ms.BertsetsegisanactivememberofthesoumhuralyouthLobbygroup.

Source:basedonthestoryplacedatUNDPMongoliawebsite,http://www.mn.undp.org/content/mongolia/en/home/ourwork/democraticgovernance/successstories/TransformingCommunitiesEmpoweringLocalWomenRepresentatives.html

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makeupasmallpercentage in thetotalnumberofallCRHrepresentatives (13.5%),but representmorethanhalfofthetotalpopulationofthecountry.

1.4.StudytourtoSwitzerlandonlocalself-governance

Thestudytourwasconductedfrom16to20March2015,withCRHrepresentativesandsecretariesof 10 aimag hurals and 1 district hural, with the objective of exploring local governance anddecentralizationpracticesofdevelopedcountries.Keyareasexploredduringthestudytourincludedthefollowing:

• Swisssystemoflocalgovernance,taxationsystem,directdemocracyandpublicparticipation;• Swisspoliticalsystemandcantons;• Servicedeliveryatthemunicipalitylevel(watersupply,healthinsurance);• Public-privatepartnershipofservicedeliverybymunicipality(artmuseum);• Associationsofcitiesandtheroletheyplayinpolicymaking.

Key lessons learned from the study tour that are relevant for the Mongolian local governancecontext included the constitutional principle of subsidiarity and its application in practice;opportunitiesandrisksofsmallcantons(provinces/states)andjointdeliveryofcertainservicesforefficiency; decentralized taxation powers; principle of consensus in forming governments whichenhances policy continuity andprevents frompoliticization;mechanismsof direct democracy andcitizens having the final say in decision making on contested issues; and independence of localgovernmentassociations fromcentral government7. Informationabout theSwiss local governancewas shared with other CRH representatives at different occasions, including Central Region CRHForum,EasternRegionCRHForum,Dundgobi,Khuvsgul,andUmnugobi thematic trainings,andanarticleabouttheSwisslocalgovernancewasplacedonkhural.mnwebsite8.Motivatedbywhattheylearned,someparticipantsofthestudytourcameupwithanideatoestablishtheirownNGO,whichwasregisteredlaterin2015-InstituteforLocalDevelopment(ILD).Lessonslearnedfromthestudytourwerealsoreflectedinthecomments/inputssubmittedbyhuralstotherevisionoftheLATUG.

Given numerous models of central and local relations around the world, a background papersynthesizingmostrelevantmodelswasproducedunderOutput4.Thiswillhelplocalrepresentativestoputtheexperienceofforeigncountriesintoacontextandoffersolutionstoaddressthecurrentproblemspertinenttothecentral-localrelationsinMongolia.

The study tour allowed hural representatives and staff of hural secretariats to experience howdecentralized and empowered local self-governing bodies work in real life, learn by comparingoverseascouncilpracticeswiththosetheyexerciseinMongolia,andanalyseexistingproblemsfromnewangles.

1.5.Institutionalizationandsustainabilityoftrainingprogrammesforlocalhurals

Institutionalizationandsustainabilityofprojectactivitieshavebeenoneofthekeyconsiderationsinmanagingtheprojectanddesigningactivities.Measurestakeninthisrespectincludedthefollowing:

• Coregroupof local trainers.Theinitialgroupof62trainerscreatedfortheNationalInductionTraining has also been used for the thematic training, the second nationwide training. At thethird ToT held in May 2015, the trainers not just acquired the substantive content but alsoenricheditbyproposingpracticalcases.Sessionsonparticipatorytrainingmethodologies,huralwebsite application, publication and maintenance were added to the 3rd ToT programme,

7CSLSBproject,ReportoftheStudyTourtoSwitzerlandonLocalSelf-governance,20158http://www.hural.mn/n/ojryn

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reflectingthefeedbackreceivedfromprevioustrainings.Eachtrainerisspecializedinatleast2topics.

• Engagementof aimaghural secretariats in actual implementationof project activities.Huralsecretariats worked as organizers of all three training programmes. This increased theirconfidenceindesigningandorganizingtraining,managementskills,andcapacitytocomplywithrelevantgovernmentrulesandregulations,andproducequalityreporting.

• EngagementofNGOs.Currently5NGOsareworkinginthearealocalgovernance.WhileMALAhasarelativelylongerhistoryandwasengagedintheprojectfromtheverybeginning,MNABS,AMLAandILDhavebeenestablishedrecently.AMLAgivenitsfocusonurbanhurals,workedastheorganizerofthethematictrainingforUBcityanddistrictspresidiums.ILDaimstocoordinatelocal peer trainers and focus on updating the content and methodology for training of localelected representatives,given itsexpertise in thisarea.Tungaalam’s (NGO)strength is in legalaspectsoflocalgovernance.

• Devising funding modalities for future. Despite the above mentioned efforts, the nationaltraining system for localelected representatives remainunderdevelopedandunregulated. Inorder to put this issue on the agenda, an institutionalization workshop was organized inNovember 20159. While training content update, delivery, and supply of trainers can bearrangedusingtheCSLSBprojectmodality,fundingisthemostcritical issue,giventhelackofdedicatedbudget for trainingofhural representatives.Given“…theresponsibilityof trainingnewHuralmembersisfirstandforemosttheresponsibilityofeachoftheLocalSelf-governingBodiesitself,”10oneinstitutionaloptiontoprovidefundingfortrainingishurals.AnotherpotentialinstitutiontoprovidefundingfortrainingistheParliamentSecretariat.“TheMongolianParliamentcouldraisetheoperationalbudgetoftheParliamentSecretariattocoverallorpartoftheHuraltrainingcosts”11.Theotherpotential institutionstofundhuraltrainingincludeCabinetSecretariatand sectorministries,however,allof these remainasoptions,aseachoptionhasitsownlegalandbudgetaryconstraints.

• Identification of ongoing training needs by hurals. Having organized the above mentionedthree types of training, hurals have learned to identify their training needs, which creates abasisfordemand-basedtrainingandlearningsystem.Forinstance,huralswhichimplementedgrantsonpublicparticipationidentifiedmoderators’trainingasimportant.Specializedin-depthlocalfinancialmanagementandlivelihoodtrainingweretheothertopicsidentifiedasneededby different hurals, as they fulfill their representational and oversight functions. ContentdevelopmentofsomeofthesetrainingneedsarebeingaddressedthroughgrantsprovidedtolocalgovernanceNGOswiththeobjectivestobuildtheircapacityandtoexpandtherangeofexpertisetoprovidetailormadetraininginresponsetohuralrequests(2.4).

9CSLSBproject,ReportoftheWorkshoponInstitutionalizationoftheTrainingforLocalElectedRepresentatives,201510CSLSBproject,MTRReport,Nov201511CSLSBproject,MTRReport,Nov2015

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OUTPUT2.ImproveddownwardaccountabilityofelectedRepresentativesthroughpromotingcitizenparticipationindecisionmaking2.1.BaselineSurveyonPublicPerceptionofLocalSelf-governingBodies

TheSurveywasconductedfromFebruarytoApril2015,covering5aimags,15soums,7districtsand20 khoroos of Ulaanbaatar. Among other findings, the Survey provides an insight into howMongolian citizens perceive local representatives, their participation rates in elections, theiropinions of representatives elected by political party lists, and channels and ways they obtaininformationabouthuralactivities.Italsoprovidesinsightonhowcitizensunderstandthefunctionsoflocalself-governingbodies;andrevealsthepublicperceptionandassessmentofCRHatdifferentlevels12.

The Survey includes a comprehensive section on public perception and an assessment of CRHRepresentatives,bypopulationgroupsandruralversusurbanareas,whilealsodescribingcitizens’participation in Bagh and Khoroo General Meetings. Finally it elaborates on policy and practicalissues for improved understanding and relations between CRHs and the public. Some of the keyfindingsincludethefollowing:

• Higher rural voter turnout in 2012 local elections, as reported by respondents (rural-83.1%,urbanorUB-66.4%);

• Less than 50% of respondents believe that Representatives can represent their people (rural-46%,UB-33.6%);

• Less than 20% of respondents believe that Representatives elected under party lists can
representthepeople(rural-18.3%,UB-13.6%);

• LowgeneralunderstandingofHurals(rural-29%,UB-68%);• Less than35%of respondents couldnamedecisionsof theaimag/districtCRH (rural-23%,UB-

34%)• Low percentage of people who could correctly name aimag/capital city CRH representative

elected(rural-23.7%,UB-4.8%);• Lessthan15%havemetwithsoum/distictCRHrepresentativesraisingaconcern(rural-5%,UB-

14%);• Representatives identify concerning trends such as the fact that public participation is

decreasingeveryyear,especiallyparticipationofyouth.

TheSurvey’sresultspointedouttotheneedstoimproveengagementwithcitizens,especiallyyoungpeopleinlocaldecision-makingprocess.

2.2.Grantsforhuralsforstrengtheningtheirrepresentationalandoversightfunctions

In 2015, competition based hural grants were provided for the second time. Based on lessonslearnedfromthe2014round,thenumberofgrantswasincreased,whilethesizeofeachgrantwasreducedandfocusareaswereexpandedtoincludeparticipationofunderrepresentedgroups,suchas women and youth. Thus, a total of 28 hurals received grants in 2015 under four differentcategories; i) citizen participation, ii) monitoring of public service delivery and quality, iii) LDFmonitoring,andiv)workingandrepresentingvulnerablegroups.GrantsforstrengtheningoversightfunctionsaredescribedunderOutput3.

12ParliamentSecretariat,SDC,UNDP,MMCG,BaselineSurveyonPublicPerceptionofLocalSelf-governingBodies,2015,http://www.mn.undp.org/content/mongolia/en/home/library/

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AnexperiencesharingworkshopamonggrantrecipientswasorganizedinNov2015.TheanalysisoftheeffectsofgrantswillbeprovidedintheAnnualReportfor2016,asmostgrantswereprovidedbytheendof2015.

Inthelasttwoyears,5aimaghurals(24%ofallaimags),32soumhurals(9.7%ofallsoums)of16aimags((76%)and2districts(22%)receivedgrants.Khuvsgul,Khentii,Bayankhongoraimagsweremostactivereceiving5grantseach.Mostofthesehuralssharedtheirexperienceofimplementinggrantprojectsthroughtheirhural.mnmainwebsiteandsub-sites.

Listofsmallgrantprojectsoncitizens’participation(2015)

1.Supportingcitizens’participationinhuraldecisionmaking1.1.Tumurbulagsoumhural,Khuvsgulaimag

Citizensparticipationinhuraldecisionmaking

Bagh Citizens’ participation hall was created and relevant working procedures were adopted. Templates forevaluatingperformanceofhuralmemberswasdevelopedthroughparticipatoryprocess.Inordertoresolvesoum,bagh immediate challengeswith citizens’ participation, proposalswere received from public,were discussed athuralpresidiummeeting.1.2.Khuldsoumhural,Dundgobiaimag

Mobilecitizenshallandimprovingcitizensparticipationonhuraldecisionmaking

An informationbookletaboutthesoumCitizens’Hallwaspreparedanddisseminatedtocitizens.HeadsofBaghGeneralMeetingconductedsurveysamongherders,andOpenDaywasorganizedtopromoteCitizens’Hall.Youngherders’ consultationmeetingwas also organized. Public notification systemwas tested. An experience sharingmeetingwasheldwithanother2soums.1.3.Erdenetsogtsoumhural,Bayankhongoraimag

IntensifyingsoumCitizensHallactivitiesandmobilecitizenshall

Asurveyanddiscussionswere conductedamong citizens to identify key challenges tobeaddressed, covering5areas;accessandqualityofpublicservices,LDFprojectresults, landmanagementandenvironmentalprotection,accessandqualityofveterinaryservies,anddevelopmentofcooperativesandsmallandmediumenterprises.Thisimproved relations between representatives and citizens; representatives have become more knowledgeableaboutchallengesintheirconstituencies.Theoperatingprocedureofmobilecitizens’hallwasadoptedbythesoumhural.1.4.Bayan-Uulsoumhural,Gobi-Altaiaimag

MonitoringqualityofpublicservicesandLDFimplementation

Thesoumhuralconductedasurveyamongcitizensonaccessandqualityofpublic services,qualityof2015LDFprojects, public awareness about procurement processes, and need for further information related to LDF.Procurementtrainingwasorganizedforcitizensandbusinessentities.1.5.Shargasoumhural,Gobi-Altaiaimag

Strengtheningsoumhuralactivities

TheShargasoumgrantprojectwasacombinationofseveralactivities.Thesoumhuralworkinggroupconductedasurvey,covering225householdsor35%ofthetotalpopulationofthesoum,onkeyissuestoberesolvedandLDF.Issues identified were different for baghs, for example, waste removal points, cleanliness of slaughterhouses,rehabilitationofpasture,repairofadametc.,andfollowedupbyhuraldecisions.Informationsharingproceduresamongpublicorganizationswasdeveloped.Huralopendayandexperiencesharingmeetingwithprevioushuralmemberswereorganized.1.6.Jargalantsoumhural,Khovdaimag

Workingformoreopenandsustainablecitizenshall

Using mobile Citizens’ Hall format, discussions were organized to encourage public participation, disseminateinformation on LDF, and to jointly identify key immediate challenges and rank their importance. The huralmemberslearnedtogrouptogetherissueswhichareofroutinenatureandthoseforpolicymaking.1.7.Tarialansoumhural,Uvsaimag

MobileCitizens’Hallandreflectingcitizensopinionsintohuraldecisions

Thesoumhuralprovided informationtopublicaboutCitizens’Hallandtheneedforhuraldecisionstobemadewith citizens’ inputs. Surveyandpublicdiscussionswereorganized, anactionplanof theCitizens’Hallwasalsodeveloped.“Methodologyforobtainingpubliccommentsonhuraldraftresolutions”wasdevelopedandadopted.

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1.8. Kharkhorin soum hural,Uvurkhangaiaimag

Developing soum policies for establishing herders’ residence and contributingadvancedlivestockthroughsoumcitizensparticipation

ThesoumhuralincooperationwithheadsofBaghGeneralMeetingandbaghGovernorsorganizeddiscussionandtrainingonpasturecarryingcapacityandsimplemethodstodeterminedegreeofdegradation;pastureovergrazingis considered asmost pressing issue for herders. Itwas decided to establish herders’ district, and locationwaschosen.1.9.Khutag-Undursoumhural,Bulganaimag

Developingsoumeducationandhealthsub-programmethroughcitizensparticipation

Thesoumhuralorganizedpublicdiscussiononaccessandqualityofhealthservices,andaround500citizenstookpart in the survey on the same topic. Based on results of the discussion and survey, the soum programme forimprovementofhealth serviceswasdevelopedandadoptedby thehural. Similardiscussionsarebeingheldoneducationservices.“Participationofyoungherdersfor localdevelopment’discussionwasheldtopromoteyouthparticipation.Ethicstrainingforcivilservantswasorganizedinresponsetocomplaintsfromcitizens.1.10.ChuluutsoumCRH,Arkhangaiaimag

Citizensparticipationinsoumhuraldecisionmaking

Chuluut soum hural undertook 4 main activities: training of heads of Bagh General Meeting, preparation ofinformationbookletsforcitizensonLDF,transparencyofhural,traininganddiscussiononpublicparticipation,andsurveyonqualityofpublicservices.Asaresult,citizenshavebecomemoreknowledgeableabouttheroleoflocalself-governingbodies,learnedonwaystoexpressthemselvesandparticipateindecisionmaking,andmonitoringofLDFbycitizenshasimproved.1.11.Chingelteidistrict,Ulaanbaatar

Citizensparticipation-streetmeeting

“Goout andmeet people; don’twait for them to come andmeet you”, thiswas themotto usedby Chingelteidistricthuralforstreetmeetings.Suchmeetingshavemanyadvantages;peoplewholivefarfromkhoroocentreorthosewith young children can attend streetmeetings; some people aremore relaxed and freely express theiropinions thantheywouldbe inameetinghall,and ingeneralcontribute tocloser interactionsbetweencitizensand representatives. This has been a practice in the district since 2013. Street leaders are elected from publicmeetingsandareresponsiblefordeliveringannouncementsandbuildingneighbourhoodspirit.

1.12.Shiveegobisoumhural,Gobisumberaimag

Solvingsoumwastemanagementwithinvolvementofcitizens

First,environmental impactassessmentwasdone forwastedisposal site.Then,a surveywas conductedamong300households, discussions held onways tomanage thewaste site; landfill or burn. Basedon results of theseactivities,itwasdecidedtouselandfillmethodandagreedtocommissionpreparationofrelevantdrawings.Thisactivityisademonstrationofsolvingalocalissuewithparticipationofcitizens.2.Workingwithvulnerablegroups

2.1.Adaatsagsoumhural,Dundgobiaimag

Supportingsoumvulnerablegroupsthroughorganizingtrainingcoursestosupportincomegeneration

Income generation skills training courses were provided to people with disabilities, young herders and youngunemployedpeople.Ononehand,thesoumhuralinitiativeprovidedhopetoresidentsfromvulnerablegroupstobe activemembers of society, on the other hand, the soumhural councilors becamemore aware of particularneedsofdifferentgroupsofcitizensandtheirroletobeinclusiveintheirdecisionmaking.2.2.Erdenebulgansoumhural,Khuvsgulaimag

Gettingvulnerablegroups’voicesheardinsoumhuraldecisionmaking

The soum hural conducted survey among people with disabilities and held discussionwith them. During thesevisits, hural members also provided information about hural decisions. Training was provided to 87 peoplecoveringareaswhichtheyidentifiedasmostneeded.Acampaignwasorganizedatschoolsonnon-discriminationofpeoplewithdisabilities.Basedon informationandevidencescollected, thehuraldevelopedanactionplanoffollowupmeasurestobetaken.2.3.Bayanchandmanisoumhural,Tuvaimag

Supportingsinglemothersthroughorganizingincomegeneratingcourses

Thesoumhuralorganizedtraininginvegetablegrowingandfeltproductmakingforvulnerablegroupsofthesoumin cooperation with the Centre for lifelong education. The training activities encouraged soum people to learndifferentskillsforimprovingtheirlivelihood.2.4.Khovdaimaghural AimaghuralsupporttoBuyantsoumvulnerablegroupcitizens

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With the aimag hural initiative, training was provided to target groups on benefits of employment supportprogrammes,waystosubmitbusinessproposalsetc.ThehuralaimedtocorrectmisconceptionthatworkingwithpublicisthejobofGovernor’soffices.Recently,thehuralapprovedanumberofprogrammesfordifferentgroupsofsociety,suchasprogrammeforsingleparents,programmeforchildandfamilydevelopment.3.Improvingyouthparticipation

3.1.Gurvanbulagsoumhural,Bayankhongoraimag

Improvingyouthparticipationandunderstandingonlocalself-governingbody-hural,initiatingvolunteerprogrammeinhural

Thesoumhuralknewthatyoungpeopledonotparticipateactivelyinpubliclife,andcreatedaworkinggrouptodevelop youth development policy with involvement of young elected representatives and the soum youthorganization. The soum youth forum was organized where youth leadership was discussed. To attract youngpeople,varioussportingeventswerealsoorganizedanddraftyouthdevelopmentpolicywasdiscussedbyyoungpeople.Youthclubwasestablishedunderthesoumhural.

2.3.ImpactofthefirstroundofhuralgrantsThegrantsimplementedin2014by15hurals(4aimags,10soums,and1district)withtheobjectiveto increase citizen participation and improve hural oversight capacity, proved that with smallamount of funding, hurals can mobilize themselves and come up with practical and innovativesolutionstolocalissuesthatfitlocalconditions,especiallywhentheyaregivenflexibilityandarenotdictatedwhattodo.

Thus,twohurals(UgiinuursoumhuralofArkhangaiaimagandBayanzurkhdistricthurals)foundthatcitizens’participationcannotbeeffectivewithoutfirstreachingthemoutandprovidinginformation.

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Therefore,bothhuralstestedpublicnotice/notificationsystem,oneinruralsettingandtheotherinoutskirtdenselypopulatedareas.

Twohurals (UgiinuursoumhuralofArkhangaiaimag;Khentiiaimaghural)pilotedmobileCitizens’Hall, since it is alwayshard to askherders to come to the soumcentre to attend ameeting, andpublicdiscussionscannotbeheldonlyamongsoumcentreresidents.MobileCitizens’Hallmeansateamof local representatives and staff travel along theplanned itineraryon a vanequippedwithbrochures,screenandothermaterials,organizingpublicmeetingsamonggroupsof families,usinggeneral procedures of Citizens’ Hall. To be cost effective, mobile Citizens’ Hall teams combineseveral issues in one travel, and provide update on recent events and decisions made by localauthorities.

Another two hurals (Khishig-undur soum hural of Bulgan aimag; Kherlen soum hural of Dornodaimag)demonstratedperfectlywhatparticipatorydecisionmakingmeansinreallife.Khishig-undursoum hural extensively consulted with herders to come up with better pasture managementpractices, Kherlen soum hural had numerous meetings among soum centre households withlivestock in order to take livestock out of the town, first to provide information on public healthhazardsoflivestockbeingintown,andthen,toreachaconsensusontermsandincentivesforthemtomoveoutofthetown.

Ninehuralsworkedto improvetheiroversight capacitybyfocusingonLDF implementation.Manyproblems identified by these hurals were common problems related to LDF implementation,includinglackofinformationavailabletothepubliconthepurposeandimportanceofLDFforlocaldevelopment, attendance rate of LDF ranking meeting, and composition of attendees, andcompositionandtermsofreferenceofLDFoversightcommittees.Eachhural focusedonaspecificaspectoftheseissues.Forexample,BatshireetsoumhuralofKhentiiaimagcreatedaworkinggroupconsisting of all baghs and representatives of citizens, which oversaw the LDF process fromidentificationofproposalstoawardingofcontractsandcompletionofLDFfundedprojects.Teshigsoumhural of Bulgan aimag revealed several gaps in LDF regulations through itsmonitoring, andadopteditsownregulationtoaddressthesegaps,whichincluded,amongothers,arequirementtohaveconstructiondrawingsbeforegivenproposalisapproved,requirementtoincludebeneficiariesin oversight working groups, and to make decisions on asset registration, ownership, and futuremaintenance.

Grantprojectsimplementedbytwoaimaghurals(BayankhongorandZavkhan)focusedonprovidingguidanceandmethodologyadvice tosoumhuralsandheadsofBaghGeneralMeetings.This isanimportant area of capacity building that is specific to aimag hurals, but also has implications forsoumhuralcapacitybuildingstrategies.

Reflectionsbyhuralmembersandstaffonimplementationofgrants:

“…Youngpeopledonotparticipateactivelyincommunityrelatedworks.Asrevealedduringthesurvey,theirattitudeis“whatcanwedo,asweknownothingaboutLDF”.Therefore,weshouldnot try to reachoutyoungpeople byusualmeans; itappears itwouldbebetter to findotherinnovativemeans toengageyoungpeople,maybethroughculturalorsportsevents,andothermeanstomotivatetheirsocialengagement”Bulganaimaghuralstaff

“…Aimagofficialsusedtogotosoumcentreandmeetsoumofficialsthere,butpeoplelikeditmuchmorewhenofficialscometomeetthemincountrysideaspartofthemobileCitizensHall.Citizens Hall does not mean that there has to be a room with desks and chairs at the soumcentre.

Khentiiaimaghuralstaff

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Several toolsandtemplatesemergedoutof2014grants.Asthere isnocentralauthoritytoadopttools and guidelines for local self-governing bodies, these tools and templates are being widelydisseminatedtootherhuralsforreview,adaptinganduse.Theseinclude:

• OperatingprocedureofmobileCitizenHall(Ugiinuursoumhural,Arkhangaiaimag);• Procedureforsoumpublicnotice/notification(Ugiinuursoumhural,Arkhangaiaimag);• ProcedureforoverseeingtheimplementationofLDF(Teshigsoumhural,Bulganaimag);• Model guidelines for public oversight council over LDF projects (Zuunmod soum hural, Tuv

aimag);

ThesetoolsandtemplatesarealsobeingreviewedbyNGOsworkingintheareaoflocalgovernanceforfurtherimprovement(Section2.4).

2.4.GrantstolocalgovernanceNGOs

Asbrieflymentioned in Section1.5,NGOgrants is anewlydesignedactivitywith theobjective tosupportcapacityofcivilsocietyorganizationsspecializinginlocalgovernancewhiletappingontheirexisting expertise and to expand the pool of training providers to respond to individual huralrequests.Assuch,oneofthecriteriaofthegrantwaslocalgovernanceexperience.In2015,atotaloffiveNGOswhichworkintheareaoflocalgovernancereceivedgrants.

ThisactivityisongoingandwillbecompletedbyMarch2016.

ListofNGOsgrantprojects(2015)

NGO Topicoftrainingmanualandcurriculum1 Mongolian Association of Local

Authorities(MALA)Tools and methods to improve the oversightfunctionsoflocalhurals

2 Tungaamal ToolsforCRHs3 Centre for Citizenship Education

(CCE)CitizensmanualonCRH

4 Mongolian National AssociationofBaghsandSoums(MNABS)

Methodology for obtaining feedback of citizens forCRHs

5 Institute for Local Development(ILD)

Preparinghuralbestpracticebook

OUTPUT3.Improvedoversightcapacityoflocalhurals

AsthemaindescriptionofthesmallgrantswasprovidedaboveunderOutput2,thesectionprovidesthelistandbriefoverviewofsmallgrantprojectsimplementedbyselectedhuralsforstrengtheningtheiroversightfunctions.

Listofsmallgrantprojectsforstrengtheningoversightfunctions(2015)

1.CRH’smonitoringpublicserviceaccessibilityandquality

1.1Luussoumhural,Dundgobiaimag

Soumhuraloversight/monitoringonsoumGovernor’sofficeservicedeliveryandquality

Luussoumhuralconductedsurveyonaccessandqualityofpublicservicesamongserviceprovidersandrecipientstoestablishabaseline.AnInformationFolderwaspassedaroundpublicorganizations.Thesoumhuralpresidium

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meetingdiscussedthefindingsofthesurveys,andissuedaresolutiontodevelopandactionplantofollowuponresultsofthesurveysandreportbackonaquarterlybasisonstatusofitsimplementation.1.2.Chandmani-Undursoumhural,Khuvsgul

Soumhuraloversight/monitoringonimplementationof"SoumDevelopmentFund"

Chandmani-Undursoumhuralteamfirstresearchedthelegaldocumentsguidingthe“SoumDevelopmentFund”,includingtheBudgetLaw,LawonGlassAccount,LawonInformationTransparencyandRighttoInformation,andMinistry of Finance resolution #134 (2011) on SDF, in order to create oversight mechanism with publicparticipation. The team found despite small population of the soum, information about SDF was not welldisseminated,staffdidnothaveenoughinformationofrelevantregulations,someloanswereutilizedfordifferentpurposes,andtherewereconflictof interestcases.Basedonthefindings,thesoumhuraladopteda“Procedurefor enhancingpublic participation in SDF activities”, carriedout relevant training, anddisseminated informationbookletsonSDF.1.3.Uliastaisoumhural,Zavkhanaimag

Soumhuralmonitoringonaccessandqualityofservicesoffamilyhealthclinics

Uliastaisoumhuralteamconductedsurveyamong591citizensof6bagshon15itemsregardingservicesprovidedbyfamilyhealthclinicsandfoundthatmorethan60%ofrespondentswerenothappywiththeservices.Thehuralteamalsodidaresearchonrelevantnationalstandards.Whileimplementinggrantprojects,huralmembersobtainedin-depthknowledgeaboutoperationoffamilyhealthclinics,adoptedaprocedureforcompetitionamongclinicsforimprovingtheirservices,anddemonstratedtolocalresidentsthathuralscanoverseeaccessandqualityofservicesandtakemeasuresforimprovementincooperationwithcitizens.1.4.Jargalantsoumhural,Bayankhongoraimag

Monitoringofinter-soumhospitalservicesandLDF

The soum hural councilors conducted a survey among 341 households of 4 baghs about access and quality ofservicesoftheinter-soumhospitals,helddiscussionswiththehospitalstaffonfollowupmeasures.ThecouncilorsalsoreviewedtheSoumDevelopmentFund(SDF)expendituresforthelast3years,andpresentedthefindingsattheopendiscussion.Baghpropertieswerealsocheckedtoensureproperregistrationandmaintenance.ThesoumhuralmadearecommendationtomakeamendmenttotheregulationonSDFtoimproveaccountability.2.Supportinglocalhuraloversightfunction2.1.Kherlensoumhural,Khentiiaimag

Improvingunderstandingandstandingoflocalself-governingbodies

SoumhuralOpendayswereorganized in5baghs,wherebaghGovernorsandHeadsofBaghGeneralMeetingspresentedtheirreports,andcitizensweregiveninformationondevelopmentsworkstakingplaceinbaghs.Soumhuralmeeting#10wasorganizedinopenformatanddiscussedlandplanningandbaghterritoryborders.AsurveywasconductedamongbaghresidentsaskingthemiftheyhaveattendedBaghGeneralMeetings,iftheyareawareofhuraldecisions,ifcomplaintstheyhavesubmittedwereresolved,andobtainedfeedbackonqualityofservicesprovidedbypublicorganizationsandperformanceofsoumhuralmembers.2.2.Uvurkhangaiaimaghural CRHandcitizensparticipationandmonitoringontheLDFimplementation

TheaimaghuraladoptedaWorkingProcedureforPublicMonitoring,createdhuralworkinggroupstoreviewtheLDFprojectson theground. Itwas foundthatevaluationcommitteesdonot includecitizens,as there isnoonewith procurement certificate. To improve transparency of procurement actions, around 80 citizens and 40 civilservantsweretrainedinprocurementprocedures.ArequirementtoputupapublicdisplayaboutLDFprojectswasaddedtothelocalprocedure.2.3.Sukhbaataraimaghural MonitoringofaimagCRHinBaruun-Urt,AsgatandKhalzansoums

Theaimaghuralmembershadfieldtripsto3soums,asurveywasconductedamong180citizensonqualityofLDFprojects,atrainingonLDFwasprovidedtorelevantparties,includinghuralmemberstoallowthemtoeffectivelycarry out their oversight function. The team revealed beneficiaries and public benefit indicator was not fullydocumented, and maintenance of assets created by LDF funds was not sufficient. As a result of field trips, anumberofrecommendationswereprovided,includingtherecommendationtoimprovepublicoversightoverLDFprojects,ashuralmemberscannotoverseeallprojects.2.4.Khuvsgulaimaghural Monitoringofaimaghural’sstandingcommitteesandCSOsofthe

implementationoftheaimagGovernor’sActionPlanIn cooperation with the aimag CSO council, a survey was conducted among 23 soums on fulfilment of aimagGovernor’sActionPlan,andsocio-economicdevelopmentdirections.Thisexercisewasalearningprocessforhural

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membersaswellasforcitizens,andcontributedtoregularizingsuchmonitoring.Recommendationswereprovidedtodifferentparts,includingGovernors,huralmembers,andParliamentSecretariat.2.5.Bayankhongoraimaghural

Strengtheninghuraloversightfunction

Fourteamsconsistingoftheaimaghuralmembersandstaffworkedinsoumstoreviewimplementationofhuraldecisions, conduct surveys and obtain feedback for aimag development policy till 2030. Hurals make variousdecisions, and its implementation is reported on paper, but monitoring the situation on the ground helpedimprovequalityofhuraldecisionmaking.

OUTPUT4:Lessonslearnedintegratedintolegalandpolicyframeworkforlocalself-governance

4.1.www.khural.mnwebsite

The www.khural.mn website was launched in 2014 to provide information, knowledge andexperience sharing platform among hurals at all levels, and to enhance transparency of huralactivities. In2015,visitingthewebsite for learning frompeersandupdatingtheir respectivesub-sites became a daily routine for most hurals, as evidenced by visitor and publication statistics(Annex 5). A total of 16,659 publicationswere posted in 365 khural.mn sub-siteswith a total of3,969,609visitsrecordedbyOctober2015.Darkhan-Uulaimaghuralisleadingwithover800news,interviewsandarticlesonitssub-site.Ithasalsobecomearoutineformanyhuralstouploadhuraldecisions and resolutions, thereby achieving one of its intended objectives - to enhancetransparency.

Thirdwebsite administrators’ trainingworkshopwasheld inMarch2015. Inaddition to technicalaspects of maintaining the website, such as taking photos illustrating events, the trainingemphasizedthequalityofinformationtobeuploaded,theneedtouseeasytounderstandlanguage,and focus on results. Around 50 aimag/district hural staff/web admins attended the training, andworkedasfocalpointsofsupportfortheirrespectivesoumhuralsub-sites13.

Thesecondcompetitionforbestupdateanduseofkhural.mnwebsitewasannouncedinOctober2015.Atotalof53huralstookpartinthecompetition,improvingthequalityoftheirpublicationstothestandardrequirements.Aspartofthecompetition,thenumberofitemsuploadedadayreachedtoanunprecedentedlevelof2,000.Atotalof35hurals,including3district,12aimagand20soumhurals,wonthebestwebsiteaward.

4.2.RegionalforumsofHurals

Regionalmeetingisamechanismforneighbouringaimaghuralstodiscusscommonchallengesandopportunities,sharetheirexperience,learnfromeachother,andbuildconsensusonissuesoftheircommon interest. In theabsenceof independent formalumbrellabody to representandprotectinterests of local self-governing bodies, the regional meetings provide a means of horizontalcooperationandlearningandalsointeractionswithMembersofParliament.

Three regionalmeetings, namely Central, Eastern, andWestern aimags regionalmeetings, wereheldinMay,JuneandSeptember2015respectively.TheregionalmeetingswereattendedbyMPs.Given the upcoming revision of LATUG, the agenda of all three meetings was dominated bydiscussionsonproposedchangestoLATUGandLawonLocalElections.

13CSLSBproject,HuralWebsiteAdministrators’TrainingReport,2015

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Animportantlessonlearnedfromregionalmeetingsthattookplacein2015wastheneedtobetterstructurethesemeetings,ensurecontinuityfromissuesdiscussedatpreviousmeetings,havemorespecificthematicfocusandimprovedocumentationandreportingbyhostHurals.

4.3. LATUGRevisionA teamof legal expertswas recruitedby theproject toworkondraft amendments in the LATUGundertheguidanceof theSub-StandingCommitteeonLocalGovernanceandStandingCommitteeonStateStructure.ThelegalteamhadaTORtodraftamendmentsthataddressthecurrentissueofpoliticization in local governments, clarify dubious provisions which cause disputes at courts,especially inthenomination,appointmentanddismissalofGovernor.Forthispurpose,allcasesatadministrativecourtshavebeencompiledandanalysed.Thelegalteamparticipatedintheregionalworkshops organized by the project and collected feedbacks from hural representatives. DraftLATUG amendments have been finalized which include additional provisions on the principle ofsubsidiarity and allocation of functions between different levels of the government, and will besubmittedbyagroupofMPs.

4.4. TheNationalForumonlocalgovernanceOne of the key policy advocacy activities for decentralization and empowerment of local self-governing bodies held in 2015 was the National Forum on Local Governance: Challenges andSolutions.Organized jointlywiththePresident’sOffice,ParliamentSecretariat,CabinetSecretariat,CapitalCityCRH,andAMLA, theForumwasattendedbyover200delegates, includingaimaganddistrict hural chairs, governors, chiefs of Governor’s Offices, Hural secretaries, local governanceNGOs and the academia. ThePresident ofMongolia, Vice Speaker of theParliament, Chief of theCabinet Secretariat, Governor of Khovd aimag, andUNDP Resident Representativemade openingspeeches,highlighting thekeychallenges facing localgovernments fromvariousperspectives.Fivebackgroundpaperswerepreparedandpresentationsweremadebynationalexperts:

• Localgovernmentsystems:checksandbalances;• Assignmentoffunctionsatthelocallevel;• Administrativeandterritorialunits;• Localpropertyrelations;• Legalenvironmentoflocalgovernance.

Policy issues raised and discussed at the National Forum were numerous and wide-ranging.Participantspointedouttothe lackofprogress indecentralization;needforterritorial reformsforgaining greater efficiency of administration, and to revisit legislative acts to clarify functions,property ownership, taxation powers across levels of government; lack of cases despite legalprovisionswhichallowdelegationto lower levelsofadministration;confusions in legaltextswhichrequire streamliningof terminologies related to functions,powers,mandates,and responsibilities.Especiallyparticipants fromaimagsprovidedmanypractical caseswhichenrichedpointsmadebytheresearchersintheirpresentations.TheForumalsodiscussedtheproposalsfortheConstitutionalamendments. Overall, the Forum made an important step forward in the promotion of thedecentralization agenda, contributed to consensus building among different players andstakeholders over key challenges. A summary of the conclusions and recommendations from theForumcanserveasaroadtotheoveralldecentralizationreforminthecountry.(Annex6).

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The Forum was live broadcast on UBS channel, presentations were placed on Youtube, and itsproceedingswillbepublishedinearly201614.

4.5.ProjectMid-termReview(MTR)

TheCSLSBprojectMid-termreviewwascarriedoutby independentconsultants inOctober2015.Overall,theMTRcommendedtheprogressandachievementsoftheprojectandrecommendedtopayattentiontoanumberofissues15,mostnotablytoinstitutionalizationofprojectactivities.AlistofmanagementresponsetoMTRwaspreparedtoaddresstherecommendationsandtheAnnualWorkplanfor2016incorporatestheMTRfollowupactions.

4.6.SynergyactivitieswithSDCprojects

CSLSBproject tookpart ina totalof15 initiatives in2015whichengagedotherSDCprojects. Thepurpose of building synergy among SDC funded projects is to achieve greater effectiveness andefficiency of planned activities by ensuring better coordination and tapping on comparativeadvantagesof individualprojects.Thus, the jointactivitieswith theGreenGoldprojectandUrbanGovernanceproject,drewonthetechnicalexpertiseoftheseprojectsonpasturemanagementandmobilizationofpublicparticipationwhileproviding theopportunity for them toengagewith localdecisionmakersandsensitisehuralsonissuesrequiringpolicydecisions.TheCSLSBprojectbudgetof$5,000forsynergyactivitieswasusedmainlyforthesetwoactivities.

Inviting consultants or experts trained under the SDC projects is another aspect of coordinationamong projects, given the shortage of well qualified national experts. Thus, FOCE projectmoderators, ESEC staff specialized in environmental management/conservation were invited toCSLSBprojecttrainingwhereasUNDPgenderspecialistworkedaspanellistforEEPprojectregionalworkshopinZavkhan.

Providing opportunity for target groups of other projects to attend CSLSB project training eventsorganized locally is thirdareaofcoordination.Thus,around11participantsnominatedbyEEPandSAMprojectsattendedtheWLTorganizedforfemalelocalrepresentativesinaimags.Thiswasacostefficientmeasureaslocalparticipantswouldnotrequireadditionaltransportcost.

EnhancingcollaborationandsynergywithSDCfundedprojectswillbeanimportantareaforCSLSBproject implementation in 2016. More systematic planning and screening of proposals will beintroducedin2016totakethemostoutofexistingprojectsbutalsotomakerealisticcontributiontotheachievementoftheoverallgoalsoftheGovernanceandDecentralizationProgrammeII(GDPII),andtoadvancedecentralizationandlocalgovernmentempowermentagenda.

4.7.Documentaryaboutlocalself-governance

Apartfromcitizens,thecentralpublicadministrationorganizationsdonothavegoodunderstandingabout the concept of local self-governance and the role of local self-governing bodies for localdevelopmentandlocalservicedelivery.Adocumentaryonlocalself-governancewasproducedandairedonthetelevisionchannelswithgoodviewership,andplacedonthekhural.mnwebsite16.Thedocumentary featured hural representatives, civil society organizations and MPs talking about

14ParliamentSecretariat,UNDP,SDC,ProceedingsoftheNationalForumonLocalGovernance:ChallengesandSolutions,2016(tobepublishedinApril2016)15CSLSBproject,MTRReport,Nov201516http://www.hural.mn/n/dxzy

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variousaspectsoflocalself-governanceineasytounderstandlanguage.Theissueoflowpercentageof femaleRepresentativeswas raised in thedocumentary,and femalehuralRepresentativeswerefeaturedinthedocumentary.

PROJECTMANAGEMENT

In2015,theCSLSBprojectwasimplementedbytheParliamentSecretariatforthesecondyearunderNational Implementation Modality (NIM). A dedicated project team consisting of a ProjectCoordinator, Finance Officer, M&E Officer, Knowledge Management Officer and Driver providedmanagement,coordinationandlogisticalsupport.Inaddition,theParliamentSecretariatstaff,huralsecretariats, and local governance NGOs were actively involved in project implementation,contributingtonationalcapacitybuildingandsustainabilityoftheprojectactivities.

The project 2015 budget was included in the Parliament Secretariat budget for the first time,becoming a part of the national budget and financial management system. The CSLSB regularlysubmits itsactivityandfinancialreportstotheMinistryofFinance. InaccordancewiththeLawonGlassAccount,theprojectbudget,financialreportsandexpenditureinformationwereuploadedtotheglassaccountwebsite;http://www.shilendans.gov.mn/org/6317?group=0&year=2015

Theproject BoardMeetingwasheld twice in 2015, reviewing theprogress towards achieving theproject objectives. An independent audit was conducted for 2014 activities, and made “non-qualified’conclusion.

25

FINANCIALSTATUS

Table1.Totalexpenditureaccrued(asof31Dec2015)

TotalbudgetAnnualbudget

Actualannualexpenditure

Totalexpenditureaccrued

UNDP SDC UNDP SDC Total2013 3,500,000 545,895 132,269 309,741.46 132,269 309,741.46 2014 3,500,000 1,297,412 138,028.62 1,031,296.16 270,297.41 1,341,037.62 2015 3,500,000 1,200,000 86,114 958,647 356,411.41 2,299,684.62 2,656,096.032016 3,500,000

Table2.Annualexpenditurebyactivity[1January–31December2015](US$)

Activity BUDGET[2015]

EXPENDITURES BALANCE DELIVERY(%)

Output1 - 588,535 561,656 26,879 Output2

70,000 52,706 17,294 Output3

67,000 57,787 9,213

Output4 253,000 196,992 56,008

Projectmanagement

UNDP(04000) 86,200 86,114 86

SDC(30000) 135,265.5 89,505 45,761

Subtotal 221,466 175,619 45,846

Total

TotalforUNDP 86,200 86,114

TotalforSDC 1,113,800 958,647

1,200,000 1,044,761 87%

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CONCLUSIONSANDWAYFORWARD

The year 2015was a peak year for CSLSB project since its launch in 2013.Most project activitieswerecarriedoutasplanned,themajoronesbeingtwotypesoftraining,smallgrants,theintegratedportalwebsite forallhurals, and integrating lessons learnedandoutcomeof regional forums intolegislativechanges.Mediapromotionalactivitiesonlocalgovernancewerecontractedbytheendof2015andtheactualactivitieswilltakeplacein2016.

Astheprojectcompletesitsthirdyear, itwasalreadypossibletoseesomeimpactsandspinoffofprevious activities.Many such individual cases are being shared by hurals through the khural.mnwebsite. The project implementation progress to date was assessed as commendable by theindependentevaluators,especiallyonefficiencyandeffectivenessrelatedcriteria.

Theyear2016willthefinalyearoftheCSLSBproject,itisalsothenationalandlocalelections’year.Thus, most activities for 2016 will be related to revising and updating of training manuals andprogrammes,ToTs,documentationofbestpracticesofhurals,strengtheningtheurbanfocusoftheproject as advisedby theMTR, andpolicy andmedia advocacyon local governance. Thenationalforumonwomenindecisionmakinglevelwillbeamajoreventforthenextyear.

Recentdebatesontheconstitutionalreformandad-hocrevisionsofLATUGindicatetheneedforin-depthstudiesofsomeissuessuchaslocalpropertyownership,electionandappointmentsystemsoflocal governments. This will enhance informed debates and contribute to the development of acoherentandcomprehensivereformstrategy.

27

REFERENCES1. CSLSBProject.M&EReportonNationalInductionTrainingforLocalElectedRepresentatives,

20132. CSLSBProject,CompilationofTrainers’Reports,20153. Monfemnet,Women’sLeadershipTrainingFinalReport,20154. UNDP/NCGE,WomeninDecisionMaking,DVD,RecordingofTVtalkshows,20155. CSLSBproject,SocialPolicyResearchInstitute,ImpactAssessmentoftheNationalInduction

TrainingforLocalElectedRepresentatives,Nov20156. CSLSBproject,ReportoftheStudyTourtoSwitzerlandonLocalSelf-governance,20157. CSLSBproject,ReportoftheWorkshoponInstitutionalizationoftheTrainingforLocalElected

Representatives,20158. CSLSBproject,MTRReport,Nov20159. ParliamentSecretariat,SDC,UNDP,MMCG,BaselineSurveyonPublicPerceptionofLocalSelf-

governingBodies,201510. CSLSBproject,HuralWebsiteAdministrators’TrainingReport,201511. ProceedingsoftheNationalForumonLocalGovernance:ChallengesandSolutions,2016(tobe

publishedin2016)Manuals/handbooks

28

Annex1.Outcomeandoutputprogress

ProjectGoal:Developcapacitiesoflocalkhuralstofulfilltheirrepresentationalandoversightrolesforimprovedaccountabilityoflocalgovernmentsandlocalservicedelivery

No OutcomeIndicators

Baseline Targets ProgressasofMarch2016 Sourcesofevidence

Followupactions/Comments

1. Output1.Anationaltrainingprogrammeforlocalelectedrepresentativesisdevelopedandinstitutionalized1.1 Shareofhural

membersthathavereceivedformaltraining(bygender,location)(source:projectM&Esystem)

-Noformaldata;-Noformaltrainingprogramme;-Noinstitutionalizedtrainingsystem;-Adhoctrainingonlocalself-governancelegalenvironmentbyMALA;

1)100%ofhuralmemberswillattendtheNationalInductionTrainingbyendof2014;

86%(90%ofalllocalcouncilors,(Dec2014)

ProjectM&E(trainingreports)

Completed

2)100%ofhuralpresidiummemberswillattendthethematictrainingbyendof2015;

90.6%ofalllocalcouncilpresidiummembers(Dec2015)

ProjectM&E(trainingreports)

Completed

3)100%ofwomenhuralmembersattendWomen’sLeadershipTrainingbyendof2015;

89.3%ofallfemalelocalcouncilmembers(Dec2015)

ProjectM&E(trainingreports)

Completed

1.2 NationaltrainingprogrammeincorporatedintoaformaltrainingcurriculaoftheAcademyofManagement

-Noregularprogrammefornewlyelectedlocalcouncilors

AGovernment/AcademyofManagementdecisiononincorporationoftheNationaltrainingprogrammeforlocalcouncilorsintoitsformaltrainingcurricula

Aworkinggroupwasestablished,initialdiscussionsheldinJan2016

Copyofthedecisionandtherevisedtrainingcurricula

Inprogress

1.3 Increasedstateandlocalbudgetsfortrainingpurpose(source:budgetallocations)

-Nobudgetallocatedfortrainingpurpose;

1)Numberandamountofbudgetsallocatedfortrainingbykhurals;

Tobeinsertedbytheendof2016

Budgetbreakdown(bykhurals)

TobediscussedattheInstitutionalizationworkshops

Output2.Improveddownwardaccountabilityofelectedrepresentativesthroughpromotingcitizenparticipationindecisionmaking

2.1 Increasedcitizenparticipation

-55%ofsurveyrespondentsarenotawareabouttheroleandfunctionsoflocalhurals(Baselinesurvey,2015);

Quantitative:1)70%ofcitizensareawareofhuralrolesandfunctionsbyendof2016.

TobeinsertedinOct2016 Repeatpublicperceptionsurvey;

2.2 Improvedproceduresofkhuralsforcitizenparticipation

Quantitative:-Noneofhuralsareholdingtheirmeetingsopentopublic;-NodataonnumberofpublicdiscussionsheldinCitizens’Halls;-Nodataonadoptionofhuralresolutionsthatreflectconcernsraisedbythepublic;Qualitative:-Nolegislativeprovisionspecifyingpublicparticipationinlocalkhurals;-Lackofinternalproceduresforengagingpublicintheiractivities;

1)10%ofhuralsareholdingtheirmeetingsopentointerestedcitizens(includingthosewhichbroadcasttheirmeetingsonlocalTV)byendof2015;2)30%ofhuralsheldpublicdiscussionatleastononeissueoflocalconcernbyendof2015;

Thenumberofpublicdiscussionsheldrosefrom297in2013to306in2014(sampleof11aimags).

Projectmonitoring/fieldtripreports;Trainingevaluationreports;CRHmeetingstatistics;CRHreports;Casestudies;Interviewswithhuralsecretaries;

Inprogress

2.3 Nationalbenchmarkofbestpracticeincitizenparticipation

1)20%ofkhuralsadoptedresolutionsandsub-programmes,withcitizens’participation,reflectingconcernsraisedbythe

Thenumberofresolutions,decisions,andprogrammesadoptedwithpublicparticipationrosefrom704in

Inprogress

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publicbyendof2015;2)10%ofkhuralspilotedanddevelopedtools/methodsforpublicparticipation;

2013to765in2014(sampleof11aimags)

Output3.Improvedoversightcapacityoflocalkhurals

3.1 Tailoredtoolsavailabletosupportkhurals’oversightfunctionsinbudgetingandservicedelivery

1)AttendancerateofCRHsbyhuralmembersascomparedtopre-trainingperiodsof2008-2012and2013;2)IncreasednumberofresolutionsissuedbyCRHs;3)IncreasedrangeofissuescoveredbyresolutionsofCRHs;4)ImproveddocumentationofmeetingminutesandresolutionsbyCRHS;5)Increasednumberofkhuralcommitteesmeetings;6)20%ofkhuralstookconcreteactionsexercisingtheiroversightfunctions;

ThenumberofoversightrelatedresolutionsofPresidiumrosefrom464in2014to479in2014(sampleof11aimags).Thenumberofoversightactionsheldbythecouncilsrosefrom58in2013to80in2014(sampleof11aimags)

Inprogress

3.2 Numberofkhuralsadoptedandimplementednewprocedures

TobeinsertedinOct2016 Inprogress

Output4.Lessonslearnedintegratedintolegalandpolicyframeworkforlocalself-governance

4.1 Revisedlawsrelatedtolocalgovernance;LATUG,theconstitution,localelections

Qualitative:-AmendmenttoLATUGdiscussedmainlybyandwithinhuralandlocalgovernmentofficials;-LackofpublicdiscussiononLATUG;-LackofconsensusonpotentialsolutionstoissuesraisedinrelationtoLATUG;

Qualitative:-ProposedamendmentstoLATUGtobedevelopedbylawyers;-Proposedamendmentswidelydiscussedfirstbylocalkhuralsandlocalgovernmentsandthen,byawiderrangeofpolicymakersandthegeneralpublicin2015and2016;-ProposedamendmentstoLATUGsubmittedtotheParliament;

-LATUGamendmentsdrafted.-LawonElectionsadoptedinDec2015,incorporatingregulationsonlocalelections;-NationalforumonlocalgovernanceorganizedinDec2015forpolicyadvocacy;

ReportbytheLegalResearchCentre;DraftrevisedLATUG;DraftElectionsLaw;

Inprogress

4.2 Improvedlinkagesbetweenhuralandadministration(surveyamongstamonghuralmembersandgovernor’soffices)

Qualitative:-Numberofissuesarisinginhuralandadministrationrelationshipshavenotbeenformallyidentified;(source:IRIMstudy,inputsfromhurals)

Qualitative:1)Anumberofissuesarisinginhuralandadministrationrelationshipsareidentifiedandrecommendationsdevelopedforlegislativechanges;2)Local,practical,innovativesolutionsinproductiverelationshipbetweenhuralandadministrationidentifiedthroughcasestudies;

AnumberofissueswerereflectedinthedraftamendmentstoLATUG.

IRIMsurvey(2014)Reportoftheconsultancyfirm(2015)Regionalworkshopreports(khangai,central,easternandwesternregions);Casestudies;

inprogress

4.3 Knowledgesharedoninteractivewebsite

-Nowebsiteonlocalgovernanceby2013;

1)Numberoflocalcouncilswhichhavetheirownsubsite;2)Numberofvisits;3)Numberofupdates(news,publications,resolutionsetc);

150localcouncilshadtheirownsub-sitein2015;Thenumberofthewebsitevisitsreached434,037in2015;

ProjectM&Ereport

Inprogress

30

Annex2.AttendancerateofthethematictrainingforlocalhuralPresidiummembers

№

Aimags

(datesoftraining)

Soums/districts

NumberofPresidiumCouncilors

Secretariatstaff

Totalnumberofparticipants

Attendancerate

Total Female Planned Actual1. Arkhangai,23-24Sep 19 138 38 41 179 183 100%

2. Bayan-Ulgii,24-25Aug 13 102 14 18 120 95 79%3. Bayankhongor, 20-21

Jun20 151 44 23 174 151 87%

4. Bulgan,15-16Sep 17 121 51 23 144 114 80%5. Gobi-Altai, 22-23/25-26

Jun18 135 30 30 165 145 88%

6. Gobi-sumber,08-09Oct 3 28 5 2 30 30 100%7. Darkhan-Uul,06-07Jun 4 39 8 9 48 43 90%8. Dornogobi,06-07Oct 14 103 34 21 124 107 86.3%9. Dornod,23-26Jun 14 103 22 24 127 114 90%10. Dundgobi,11-12Jun 16 108 40 30 138 126 91%11. Zavkhan,06.23-26 24 159 42 49 208 184 89%12. Orkhon,28-29Oct 3 25 3 8 33 31 94%13. Uvurkhangai,11-12Jun 19 144 52 19 163 147 90%14. Umnugobi, 29 Jun-02

Jul15 114 30 32 146 136 93%

15. Sukhbaatar,03-04Jun 13 109 35 15 124 122 98%16. Selenge,08-15Jun 17 130 31 20 150 141 94%17. Tuv,14-20Sep 27 192 78 35 227 192 85%18. Uvs,08-10Jun 19 142 28 20 162 147 91%19. Khovd,02-04Oct 17 130 24 26 156 144 92%20. Khuvsgul,22-25Jun 23 168 30 38 206 206 100%21. Khentii,27-28Oct 18 129 49 27 156 150 96.1%22. Ulaanbaatar, 11-12/18-

19Sep9 73 18 77 150 115 79.3%

Total 2543 706 587 3130 2823 90.6%

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Annex3.AttendancerateoftheWomen’sLeadershipTraining(2014-2015)

№ Aimags Dateoftrainings

Numberoffemalehuralrepresentatives

Numberofsecretariatstaff Attendancerate

Planned Actual Planned Actual1. Arkhangai 22-23Jun2015 115 105 - - 91.32. Bayan-Ulgii 28-29Aug2015 28 28 7 7 1003. Bayankhongor 24-25Sep2015 116 116 3 3 1004. Bulgan 03-04Jun2015 121 93 - - 76.85. Gobi-Altai 06-07Dec2014 68 68 - - 1006. Gobisumber 29-30Jun2015 23 20 3 3 86.97. Darkhan-Uul 06-07Jul2015 41 33 - - 80.58. Dornogobi 08-09Oct2015 107 95 - - 88.89. Dornod 03-06Jul2014 66 56 - - 93.3

10. Dundgobi 27-28Jun2014 107 98 - - 91.611. Zavkhan 01-02Nov2015 122 122 4 4 10012. Orkhon 12-13Sep2015 16 16 3 3 10013. Uvurkhangai 26-27May2015 152 147 - - 96.714. Umnugobi 29-30Nov2014 107 97 - - 92.415. Sukhbaatar 05-06Jun2015 86 82 3 3 95.316. Selenge 22-23Oct2015 144 119 3 3 82.617. Tuv 09-10Jun2015 216 152 - - 71.718. Uvs 07-08Dec2014 72 70 7 7 96.219. Khovd 28-29Jun2015 76 72 - - 94.720. Khuvsgul 29-30Jun2015 151 151 - - 10021. Khentii 29-30Oct2015 100 100 - - 8222. Ulaanbaatar 12-13Nov2015 97 42 11 11 43.3

Averageattendancerate 89.3

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Annex4.ExcerptfromtheHuralbestpracticebook:KherlensoumCRH,Dornodaimag“LocalCommunityInvolvementinDispatchingLivestockfromChoibalsanTown”

Overview:A key factor to strengthening capacity of local self-governing bodies is a community involvement in decisionmakingprocess.OneexampleofitcouldbeacasestudyofKherlen soum. The LRK received regular phone call fromlocal communities complaining about livestock hangingaround townsanddestroyinggreenplantsandmoreoverthey expressed concerns over disease issues caused bylivestock. Actually in early 2000, due to livestock disease,thetownwasstuckinquarantinefortwoweeks.Allshopsand public service agencies were shut down including alltypeoftransportation.Besides,localmunicipalinvested10millionMNT to green the Choibalsan town and there are2058 livestock of 122 households which lives all over 8baghs (the smallest administrative unit). Protecting thegreensbecomesanotherconcernfortowncommunity.TheLRK decided to conduct local survey over all soums’households of 928 hhds and it revealed that thecommunitypositionoverthetownlivestockisdividedintothree groups. First one is strong opposition group to thetown livestock,secondgroup isstrongpro-livestockgroupand the third isnopreferencegroupover the livestock intown. Therefore, the LRK had organizedmeetings amongthe first two groups of residents to come across over theissues. They had meetings twice and it revealed thathouseholdswithlivestockarereadytomoveoutoftownifthereisadequateinfrastructuresofelectricity,wellsandbeprovided land ownership rights. The LRK agreed toapprove budget for building electricity lines outside townand digging wells and issuing land ownership rights neartown. Even though there is budget hardship of the soumandelectricity lines anddiggingwells are still postponing,thecommunityoftheKherlensoumcanbeoneofthebestexamples of how community could be involved in adecision making process and how they can solve theirproblemsthroughdiscussionsandunderstandings.Throughcommunity involvement, the both groups were able tolisten to each other and understand why some of thehouseholdsneedtokeeplivestockandwhoaretheywhilethe other group understand the concern over thequarantinewhich block all small businesses activities dueto livestockdiseases.Thecasestudyalsoshows that localpeople can sit together over their problems issues. Oncethey have understandings they also act toward meetingtheirneedswhohavedifferentopinionsandpositions.

Basicneedsoftheproject:TheChoibalsantownwascaughtinquarantinein2002duetofoot-mouth-diseaseofthetownlivestock.Allbusinesseswere shut down, inter-aimags transportations were cut

Town,whichisanothersideofkeepinglivestockintown.

On the other side, livestock provides basic foods for thehouseholds who owns them.Most of themwere retiredold people who sell little milk and meat for additionalincome. Mostly they were less-income households whoneed livestockverymuch.Therefore, itwasnecessaryfortheKherlensoums’community todiscussover the issueswithoutblindlyenforcingpeoplemoveoutofthetown.

Thewaytheysolvedtheirproblem:The soums’ LRK conducted survey over the issues andcalledmeetingamongthelocalcommunitytwice.TheLRKrealized importance of local community involvement indecisionmakingprocess.TheyreferredtotheProjectunitofStrengtheninglocalself-governingbodiesforsupporttoconduct local public opinion survey over issue of thekeeping livestock in town. The support allowed toimplement the survey and organize publicmeeting threetime in the town. Themeeting and discussion helped toreveal the parties reasons of why they do not want tokeepthelivestockandwhytheotherpartneedslivestockand etc. After all thesediscussion thebothparties agreethatlivestockshouldbedispatchedoutoftown.Alsotheybothagreedthatinordertodispatchthemitneedsmorefinancialresourcestohelpmovinghouseholds.Asaresultthecommunityvotedtoallocatesomebudgetforbuildinginfrastructures near town. “Even though, the communityvoted for the budget allocation due to budget allocationfrom central government of Mongolia the buildinginfrastructureispostponinguntilnow,however,tolerance,acceptanceandunderstandingseachother’sneedshelpedthewholeprojectmoveaheadsignificantly”saidMr.Bold,achairmanoftheLRKofKherlensoum.

Mainactivities:Completed survey of households who keeps livestock intown,howmanyhouseholdsownlivestockandhowmanylivestockisincityandwhichbaghtheystayinandetc.Completed survey questionnaire for pro and cons votingforkeepinglivestockintownThequestionnaireswereprovidedto928householdsandtheLRKofficevisitedeveryhouseholdThequestionnaireresultwasgeneratedandintroducedtotheLRKmeetings,Themeetings approved areas for accepted slots to keeplivestockandunacceptedslotsforkeepinglivestock.

33

which is veryunwelcoming situation forall residents. Thisevent really raised concerns of the people over townlivestockandsomeofthemwantedthelivestockshouldbedispatched from the town. Moreover, livestock eats upgreengardensofthe

TotalBudget: 6.0millionMNT

Results:TheLRKdecidedtoissueownershiplicensefor34.09hectarneartownforkeepinglivestock.

13householdwith livestockmovedoutof the townand itmakes10.7%ofthetotallivestockinthetown.

Themeetings helped to understand the concern over thelivestockdiseaseissues.

Benefittolocalcommunity:After dispatching 10.7% of the livestock, keeping greengardenhadimproved.The 34.09 hectare land provision to households withlivestockneartownhelpedtoherdinggrouptopasturethelivestockinmorepeacefulandlessconflictenvironment.The LRK meetings had approved local community policytowardlivestockanditispubliclyintroduced.The provision of land allowed households with herders tokeep their land in town which would offer enjoyopportunityofextraownershipofproperty.

Difficulties:ü Dispatching the households is very costly activity. Eve

peoplewouldaccept thedispatching they cannotmovebecauseitisexpensivetosettleupinnewplaceagain

ü Even they move out pasture land allocation incountrysideinanotherissuethattheLRKfaces.

ü Mostofthehouseholdsownedonlycattleforsellingandconsuming milk. However, when the dispatchingcampaign begins how they are going to survive incountrysidewithonlycattlewasanotherissue.

ü The budget of building infrastructure such as diggingwells, setting up electricity lines is still not yet decidedduetomacroeconomichardshipofthecountry.

Mainachievement:WhenweaskMr.Bold,whatwasyourmainachievement?Hesaid“eventhougheverybodyagreesdispatching isbestoption as a community we understand why thesehousehold keeps the livestock. Therefore we refused anyenforcement for dispatching process instead we tried tosolvetheirproblemofinfrastructureandallissuestheyfaceandwhentheseissuesarenotsolvedwedidnotpushedthehouseholdsfervently”hecontinuedthat“reachinggeneralcommunity consensus over dispatchingwas a key step forustomoveforward.”

Stakeholders:TheLRKofDornodaimagKherlensoum,The PIU of strengthening capacity of local self-governingbodies,122householdswithlivestockoftheChoibalsanhot,ThehouseholdswithoutlivestockoftheChoibalsanhot

Successfactors:ü Community involvement over the decision making

process helped tomanage the dispatching processinmoreacceptingandcooperativeways.

ü They learnedvery carefullywith c case study fromBaruun-Urt town of Sukhbaatar aimag. The LRKcautiously calculated the cost of enforcement vs.cooperativestrategy.

ü Deepdiscussionamongthedifferentgroupshelpedto identify, understand and accept each group’spreference, needs. When the groups understandeachothertheychoosetocooperatewhichspelledoutinsoumbudget.

ü Itmight longer period, the cooperation strategy isstillandprogressive.

Similiarcasestudies:Sukhbaataraimag,Baruun-Urttown’scasefordispatchinglivestockfromatown.

Contact:Name:Т.BoldPosition:SecretaryUnit:KherlensoumLRTTelephone:88061322Emailaddress:tbold2004@yahoo.comWebsite:www.hural.mn

34

Annex5.Numberofvisitsandpublicationstatisticsofkhural.mnwebsite,byhurals,2015 Visitsby31October2015 Publicationstatisticsby31Oct20151 www.hural.mn 434,037 darkhan-uul.hural.mn 8042 darkhan-uul.hural.mn 162,732 bayankhongor.hural.mn 6303 uvs.hural.mn 117,653 bayan-olgii.hural.mn 4834 sukhbaatar.ub.hural.mn 108,485 uvs.hural.mn 4815 dornod.hural.mn 107,956 ulziit.bayankhongor.hural.mn 4686 bayankhongor.hural.mn 106,881 arkhangai.hural.mn 4297 khovd.hural.mn 91,404 sukhbaatar.ub.hural.mn 4208 bayan-olgii.hural.mn 89,021 tov.hural.mn 3969 dundgovi.hural.mn 75,233 chingeltei.ub.hural.mn 34710 tov.hural.mn 74,154 jargalant.bayankhongor.hural.mn 33611 dornogovi.hural.mn 72,893 darkhan.darkhan-uul.hural.mn 30312 bulgan.hural.mn 63,488 khan-uul.ub.hural.mn 29513 khentii.hural.mn 57,640 khovd.hural.mn 28714 govi-altai.hural.mn 53,125 khovsgol.hural.mn 26915 songinokhairkhan.ub.hural.mn 46,450 dornod.hural.mn 26516 khovsgol.hural.mn 46,238 bayankhongor.bayankhongor.hural.mn 25417 arkhangai.hural.mn 44,831 jinst.bayankhongor.hural.mn 24218 chingeltei.ub.hural.mn 43,652 chandmani-undur.khovsgol.hural.mn 23419 khan-uul.ub.hural.mn 40,769 khentii.hural.mn 23420 baganuur.ub.hural.mn 40,042 www.hural.mn 22121 sukhbaatar.hural.mn 39,182 batshireet.khentii.hural.mn 21622 bayan-undur.orkhon.hural.mn 39,111 govi-altai.hural.mn 21323 deren.dundgovi.hural.mn 36,292 dornogovi.hural.mn 20424 orkhon.hural.mn 35,780 nomgon.omnogovi.hural.mn 18525 selenge.hural.mn 35,677 zamiin-uud.dornogovi.hural.mn 18326 ulziit.bayankhongor.hural.mn 34,603 bulgan.hural.mn 17927 teshig.bulgan.hural.mn 34,509 khureemaral.bayankhongor.hural.mn 17628 jargalant.bayankhon