Citizen Participation and Accountability

The Hague | 26 September - 01 October, 2010

• Course introduction
• Extend your stay: Metropolis 2010 Conference
• Learning objectives
• The experts
• The experience
• Practical information
• Application Procedure

Trust between governments and citizens is essential for good governance. How can municipalities and other government bodies gain this trust and involve the community in a positive and constructive way? And how can they increase accountability to their citizens? This innovative six-day training course discusses  best practices, tools and experiences from The Netherlands and other parts of the world.   

In order to build trust, governments first of all need to be accountable to their citizens: clear communication about past and future decisions and actions is necessary. Before the start and at the end of each year (or project) governments need to inform their citizens about details and finances. Facts and figures need to be justified and responsibility needs to be taken to ensure credibility. Setting up these structures is not easy and it takes time, but it is necessary for good governance. The course will help you with practical examples and guidelines.

Secondly, municipalities should involve citizens and organisations in the policy making and implementation process. Not only because of good governance, but also to receive input for increasing the quality of local policies and services. Regarding citizens and organisations as neighbourhood experts and using their expertise will be a challenge at the beginning, but once it is common practice it will be rewarding and result in mutual trust.

Contributions to the course come from leading experts in the field of citizen participation and social and financial accountability: professionals, local leaders, councillors, municipal staff and resident experts. Theory, discussion and role plays will be complemented by training on the spot, with visits to projects in The Hague and other Dutch cities in which residents were able to improve their living conditions thanks to effective partnerships with the municipality. During the course there is also ample time for exchange of experiences from participants from all over the world.

The week following The Hague Academy training programme, from 4 until 8 October 2010, the international conference Metropolis 2010 takes place in The Hague. During this international conference experts on migration and diversity gather for one week for discussions, workshops, study tours and plenary sessions. The municipality of The Hague has wildcards available, which includes registration fee, accommodation and meals. If you are interested, please contact the conference secretary at: metropolis2010@denhaag.nl. For more information about Metropolis 2010 check the website www.metropolis2010.org. Please note that this conference is not organised by The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

The  training course ´Citizen Participation and Accountability´ contributes to the development of your professional knowledge and skills related to:

• your own role and responsibilities in participation processes as well as the role of your partners;
• managing expectations of the parties involved in the participation process;
• the conditions for successful participation projects; 
• tools for communication with citizens, NGOs and other stakeholders;
• do’s and don’ts in citizen participation and accountability processes;
• municipalities´social and financial accountability to citizens;
• dealing with obstacles and conflicting interests during the process.

After successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of The Hague Academy for Local Governance.

To increase your understanding of the underlying principles and mechanisms of accountability and citizen participation processes, experts will share with you their thoughts and experiences. Contributions come from professionals and practitioners in the field of accountability and participation, e.g. mayors and deputy-mayors, municipal staff, experts from well-known institutes and residents.

Besides presentations of experts, you will also be actively involved in the training by participating in role-plays and discussing issues and concerns in workshop sessions. You will experience practices of accountability and citizen participation during field visits to municipal projects in urban planning, social cohesion and safety.This programme is subject to change

Day 1: Arrival and welcome dinner

Day 2: Concepts and practices of citizen participation
More and more, municipalities understand that issues like the environment, unemployment, ethnic minorities, urban planning, safety etc. can only be dealt with in cooperation with citizens. The new challenge is to afford more room to and assist civic organisations and residents, keeping in mind the broader picture and overall municipal policy. Today you will be introduced to various concepts and practices of citizen participation in local governance. The Dutch case as well as international practices will be shown and participants will share and discuss their own experiences with citizen participation.

Day 3: Social and financial accountability 
The last decade governments and international organisations around the world increasingly are aware of the fact that social and financial accountability is necessary for good governance and citizens’ trust. Today we will spend the day on discussing theory about these themes, relevant tools and how to use them, and in showing international and Dutch best practices. This includes participatory planning and budgeting and citizen tracking and monitoring of public expenditure and policy implementation.

Day 4: Roles in citizen participation and social cohesion
In the morning you will learn about the different perspectives, roles and responsibilities of local governors, municipal staff and citizens and organisations in participation processes by a role-play. In the afternoon we will go to a Dutch municipality, to hear about their policy on citizen involvement and social cohesion and we will visit several projects where citizens can meet each other.

Day 5: Developing and implementing a city vision
Nothing is permanent but change, Heraclitus said. This is also true for municipalities. A clear vision for the future helps them in adapting their policies to the ever changing circumstances. Today you will visit the municipality of Alphen aan de Rijn and learn more about their experience with developing a city vision. In field visits to neighbourhoods that have been upgraded, people from the municipality as well as citizens will tell about the processes of developing a vision, formulating new policy areas and instruments, and managing neighbourhood projects. Special attention will be given to the communication process and the management of expectations.

Day 6: Tools for implementation back home
Experiencing how local governments are accountable to and cooperate with civil organisations and residents in other countries is in our philosophy a useful tool to reflect on your own situation. It will help you in getting clear what goes well in your particular situation and what elements can still be improved. New ideas gained in the Netherlands and from other participants will find their way to your own municipality. Today we will be doing a common reflection on the experiences you will take home, and what to do with them. This will result in an individual Take Home Action Plan. 

The course fee is € 2.795,-. This includes all training-related costs as well as drinks and meals, accommodation in The Hague (five nights), training materials and travel during the training. Travelling to/from The Hague is not included. The course language is English.If you have questions or if you are interested in a tailor made course on citizen participation (this course may be prolonged with one extra week) you can contact our programme manager Suzanne Jansen at: suzanne.jansen@thehagueacademy.com, or +31-70-3738695.

Deadline for the application is 15 August 2010. Click here for more information on the application procedure.