CODE-NGO with partner member networks (MNs) is on its second year of implementing the “Strengthening Decentralized Governance and Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for Addressing Poverty and Inequalities at Regional and Provincial Levels in Bicol, Central Visayas and Southern Mindanao” project, or simply Strengthening Decentralized Governance project (S-DG). The S-DG aims to promote the sustainability of participatory and decentralized governance that is responsive in addressing poverty and inequality and in strengthening the participatory governance structures at the regional and provincial levels. To accomplish this, partner civil society organizations (CSOs) and CSO networks will work together reviewing their Poverty Reduction and Development Agenda and engaging the various mechanisms of governance in 3 regions and 9 provinces. This is done while CSOs and CSO networks build their own capacities through identified training workshops which are based on the needs of the CSOs such as Constructive Engagement and Local Planning, Project Development, CSO Networking and Governance and Resource Mobilization.
Since the beginning of FY 2016-17 of CODE-NGO, training workshops addressing the capacity building needs of implementing partners were conducted almost every month. These training workshops were tailored-fit to the CSO partners based on the Organizational Diagnostic Workshop conducted last fiscal year. The OD Workshop examined the organizational capacities of the CSOs using the Capacity Assessment Tool (CAT) of CODE-NGO which gives ratings in five areas of organizational development including organizational Governance, Strategic Planning and Resource Mobilization.
The implementing partners, namely the Coalition for Bicol Development (CBD) with their partner Provincial Networks (PNs) in Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon in the Bicol Region, the Central Visayas Network of NGOs and POs (CENVISNET) with their partner PNs in Negros Oriental, Cebu, and Bohol, and the Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE) with provincial CSO networks formed and based in Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in Southern Mindanao, totaling 3 regional networks and 9 PNs, each has their self-rated CAT rating and has been working on improving their respective organizations since then. To date, out of the 15 identified training workshops, 14 have been completed, plus one workshop on youth leadership which was an unintended output resulting from the initiatives of project partners.
The project conducted its first national conference and evaluation, participated in by 31 participants with 7 youth representatives. This 3 day event served as avenue for the implementing partners to exchange their ideas and insights on how they have successfully engaged in the participatory governance mechanisms. The gathered recommendations on participatory local governance were presented to the invited representatives from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
Through workshop sessions, the implementing partners enhanced their plans on capacity building, advocacy and refining their respective Regional Poverty Reduction and Development Agenda (RPRDAs) and Provincial PRDAs (PPRDAs). CBD had their agenda focused on CSO Good Governance and Agriculture; CENVISNET on youth local governance, and MINCODE on reducing poverty and inequality.
The agenda is used by the implementing partners in their engagements with the provincial development councils, regional development councils, provincial government and national government agencies. These actions strive to reinforce democracy through participation in governance at the local level.
With a year and a half remaining in the project, the team with its implementing partners are thriving towards the institutionalizing of transparency and people participation in governance processes and structures at the regional and provincial level. In addition, good practices observed and sustained will be collated and documented to be shared and replicated by other CSOs.