About program

The Civic Engagement in Local Governance (CELoG) Program is a USAID funded five-year activity, aimed at increasing civic engagement in decentralization and local self-government reform. It provides citizens with reliable information and strengthens civil society’s capacity to promote effective, accountable and participatory local governance.

The Program is implemented by a Consortium of local organizations led by the Communities Finance Officers Association (CFOA) in cooperation with the partner organizations: the Information Systems Development and Training Center (ISTDC), the Yerevan Press Club (YPC), the Asparez Journalists' Club (AJC), Eurasia Partnership Foundation (EPF), and the Caucasus Research Resource Center-Armenia (CRRC). 

The consoritum brings together the expertise of partner NGOs, as well as the experience of cooperation gained over the years in different formats. 

CFOA apart from overall management of the project provides expertise to central government and local authorities in decentralization and local self-government reform implementation and monitoring, and supports the practical implementation of legislation. 

ISDTC is responsible for promoting innovation and renewal in the existing IT systems currently used by local communities. 

YPC is responsible for sensitizing and training the mainstream media on LSG reform and citizen participation. 

AJC is training communities and LSGBs in practical skills of public participation, transparency and accountability, and the expertise necessary for successful participation.

EPF is responsible for engaging large segments of society, new CSOs leaders, new experts, and new stakeholders, via its media products, the engagement of the networks of Infotuns and of Youth Banks, studies of the international experience of development and sustainability of CSOs, and organization of strategic seminars. 

CRRC provides the program, the reform implementers and community stakeholders with necessary sociological survey data as well as with data utilization and analysis skills for successful implementation of the program. 

Program

The objectives of the program:

a) To sustain and improve civil society's ability to engage citizens and articulate their interests in local self-government and in the process of the implementation of the decentralization reform; 

b) To strengthen civil society's capacity to monitor the central and local government institutions and officials, and the implementation of the decentralization reform; 

c) To increase citizens' access to independent and reliable information on the decentralization reform; 

d) To improve the civil society enabling environment with a special focus on decentralization. 

Key activities: 

  • Identification of perceptions and expectations of the society from LG and decentralization reform
  • Building the capacity of local authorities and civil society actors
  • Monitoring implementation of the LG reform on central and local levels
  • Sensitizing traditional and new media on LG issues
  • Provision of high quality policy and legal recommendations on LG and decentralization
  • Support to local civil society initiatiaves targeted on participation in local governance

Expectations: 

  • Civil society actors get involved in the process of learning about the decentralization reform, providing feedback to the decision makers and monitoring the process of implementation
  • CSOs engage citizens in monitoring of selected government policies, programs, institutions or budgets at local and national level
  • CSOs collaborate with the Government on monitoring of selected policy reforms
  • High quality, research-based, independent information and analysis on priority reforms produced
  • CSOs and media disseminate information to public in user-friendly format
  • Transparency and accountability of community-based CSOs to the public promoted via legal, institutional and communicative improvements