Good Governance

Strengthening the capacity of right holders and duty bearers to promote accountability and good governance.

1. Citizen-Led Accountability

We promote accountability to establish good governance in partners and other public institutions. UMN works to empower the right holders to be vigilant and mindful in the whole development process and capacitate duty bearers to be more accountable towards the people they serve. Accountability components have been inbuilt in all projects that UMN implements through local partners. Social Audit, Public Audit, Community Score Card, Joint Program Monitoring are some of the tools used to demonstrate accountability.

2. Civic Engagement in Development

We envision the decisive participation of members of the local community in local development, where they can develop plans to address their needs/issues through participatory planning and budgeting process. We also build the capacity of local level government to follow the participatory planning process, so that local people can be fully engaged to take decisions in their favour. To further promote civic engagement, UMN works to strengthen local level structures and ensure the participation of poor people in such structures.

3. Right to Information

Community people are less aware of their right to information, hence they have less access to public information and government services. UMN empowers local citizens to increase their access to information so that they can claim their rights and entitlements from public institutions and government authorities. Similarly, through promotion and installation of Citizen Charters, Notice Board, Suggestion Boxes and Digital Information Devices in public institution, UMN has been ensuring that right to information is practised.

4. Community Capacity Building

We empower people by involving them in local community groups where they are becoming organised, informed and capacitated regarding their rights and entitlements. Social mobilisation is one of the approaches that is used to support and strengthen the local community groups. Civic education sessions are conducted in such groups to empower the community people so that they can speak up and enjoy their citizenry rights. UMN supports strengthening the institutional capacity of such community groups by conducting different capacity-building interventions.

5. Organisational Development

UMN gives high priority to the organisational development aspect of all partner organisations. It emphasises and facilitates to shape their strategic direction for efficient and effective service delivery. UMN provides technical support to develop plans, policies, systems, values and to strengthen overall organisational mechanisms. Similarly, accountability promotion, policy implementation, financial management, improved documentation, sustainability, knowledge management and fund diversification are some of the strategic aspects on which UMN has been offering technical support to its partner organisations.