Participatory Budgeting Inter-Municipalities seminar – 2016
The “Associative Action” organized on the 15th – 16th of December 2016 a Participatory Budgeting inter-municipalities seminar in Tunis, that gathered the 12 municipalities which successfully implemented the Participatory Budgeting process between 2104 – 2016.
The following municipalities has been invited to participate in this seminar : La Marsa, Menzel Bourguiba, Tozeur, Gabes, Sfax, la Manouba, Gafsa, Raoued, El Kef, Sbeitla, Ben Arous and Ettadhamen.
Different stakeholders attended the seminar such as the representatives of the following institutions : The Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment, the German Cooperation in Tunisia (GIZ), Caisse des Prêts et de Soutien des Collectivités Locales (CPSCL), and the Center of Training and Decentralization Support (CTDS).
The objective of the seminar is to study the differences between the Participatory Budgeting process (PB) and the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) preconized by the Ministry, as well as to propose a plan of merging both methdologies.
The representatives of the 12 participants municipalities worked on a presentation of a comparative table on the differences between the BP and the AIP, based on their experience on both mechanisms. The results are shown in the following document :
Mécanismes Participaifs_ de la transition à la durabilité
The document was presented to the representatives of the CPSCL to convince them about the drawbacks and the problems of the AIP both on the technical and design level.
It is important to note that the CSPCL still refuses to admit about the drawbacks and the problems of the AIP. Worse, the CPSCL abused of its power by sending a ‘circulaire’ ordering the municipalities to not adopt the PB anymore, otherwise, they will be prevented of their state non-affected grants (See the ‘circulaire’ of june 2017).
The Associative Action was able to adapt the activities of the PB with the AIP requirements, without shifting the main principles of the PB process. Although, our advocacy towards official authoroties is still going on about fixing the problems of the AIP.
Participatory Budgeting local facilitators semniar – 2016
On the 5th of November 2016, the “Associative Action” organization organized a sharing experiences’ seminar for the local facilitators of the municipalities of El Kef, Ben Arous and Sbeitla, who contributed to the implementation of the the Participatory Diagnosis as well as the Participatory Budgeting process in their municipalities.
This seminar was a good opportunity for the local facilitators to exchange experiences with each other, assess the results achieved in each city, and work out a plan to ensure the sustainability of the process.
Citizen projects’ location visit in Ettadhamen
At the end of the Citizens’ Forum series, the municipality of Ettadhamenorganized on the 28th of August 2016 a visit to the location of the projects voted by the citizens and aprouved by the technical service of the municipality for their technical and administrative feasibility.
This visit was made in the presence of the 12 elected citizen delegates, the local participatory budgeting facilitators and representatives of Ettadhamen municipality’s technical service.
This visit covered the sites of the 34 voted projects of basic infrastructure.
Citizen projects’ location visit in Ben Arous
At the end of the Citizens’ Forum series, the municipality of Ben Arous organized on the 26th of August 2016 a visit to the location of the projects voted by the citizens and aprouved by the technical service of the municipality for their technical and administrative feasibility.
This visit was made in the presence of the 15 elected citizen delegates, the local participatory budgeting facilitators and representatives of Ben Arous municipality’s technical service.
This visit covered the sites of the 48 voted projects of basic infrastructure.
