Communication Strategy and Communication Plans to Promote Citizen Access to Public Information, and More Effective Citizen Participation and Oversight

The program's communications strategy is designed to promote citizen access to public information and more effective citizen participation and oversight. The program's objectives are to influence the perception of decentralized prioritized services, enhance a better management of these services through increased participation of key actors, and promote local leadership in communications issues. The strategy involves a multi-tasking approach that combines online, offline, and mass media actions to disseminate compelling experiences and promote local empowerment and institutionalization. Key elements of the communications strategy include messages, messengers, and target citizens. Messages are generated in a participatory fashion by members of the Decentralized Management Groups (GGDs) under the premise that "decentralization works." Success stories and slogans are used to convey the benefits of improved management of prioritized services. Messengers include local actors with natural communications skills, mass media, communications and PR staff at governmental institutions, and local authorities. Target citizens are considered "prosumers" (content producers and consumers) and are involved in the communications dynamics through the virtual platform and social media. Institutional counterparts, public sector counterparts, and clients of prioritized public services organized under grass root organizations are the primary and secondary target citizens, respectively. The strategy involves the integration of online, offline, and mass media actions, escalation of messages, and knowledge management through the virtual platform. The virtual platform will be the main tool for knowledge management and will seek to consolidate a community of interest around decentralization issues. The guiding principle is that everyone communicates, and standardized messaging is vital to this aim. Roles and responsibilities for the implementation of the strategy include the Decentralized Management Groups (GGDs), which are the backbone of the implementation. Communications capacities will be strengthened in natural leaders identified since the early stages of the program, and local authorities committed to the improvement of target services will be the main spokespersons of the program. The strategy aims to unleash a media buzz that will resonate in the decision-making and policy design spheres related to three prioritized sectors: health, education, and environment. The program's communications elements include messages, messengers, and target citizens, which are designed to promote citizen access to public information and more effective citizen participation and oversight. The Pro Decentralization Program's communications strategy is a multi-tasking approach that combines online, offline, and mass media actions to promote citizen access to public information and more effective citizen participation and oversight. The strategy involves the integration of online, offline, and mass media actions, escalation of messages, and knowledge management through the virtual platform. The guiding principle is that everyone communicates, and standardized messaging is vital to this aim. The program's objectives are to influence the perception of decentralized prioritized services, enhance a better management of these services through increased participation of key actors, and promote local leadership in communications issues. The strategy involves the identification, promotion, and replication of knowledge management activities integrating the bottom-up and top-down approaches.