Final report : the Haiti municipal initiatives project -- April 1993-January 1996

The project brought important improvements to the governance of 8 communes in Haiti, implemented 36 infrastructure rehabilitation projects, and paved the way for future local government strengthening projects. All of this was accomplished while Haiti went through a serious crisis that included installation of an illegal government, deepening of the US/OAS/UN embargo, the U.S.-led intervention, and restoration of the constitutional government. Some of the project"s successes of this project included: (1) development of detailed training and reference manuals for municipal secretaries, bookkeepers, and technicians; (2) development of detailed resource analysis and basic development plans for all participating municipalities through a series of workshops and an extensive locally conducted survey; (3) installation of administrative and accounting systems in all 8 participating communes; (4) 34 training seminars involving 7,600 person-days of training on subjects including project design, planning, administration, and community development; and (5) creation of 15,000 person-months of short-term employment and rehabilitation of over $800,000 worth of infrastructure, including road rehabilitation, bridge construction, soil conservation, potable water systems, market construction, and school repairs. The success of this project during turbulent times demonstrates that it is possible to bring people of different social, economic, and political backgrounds together to discuss solutions to concrete local problems and thereby encourage the growth of democracy at the local level. The following lessons were learned. (1) Because the local governments urgently need long-term sustained efforts to improve their knowledge and capacities, the project, though not originally designed as a pilot, developed into one, with the work begun by Planning Assistance being continued by the UNDP"s Habitat project, USAID"s Local Governance Project (implemented by the International Organization for Migration), and the Local Government component of USAID"s Democracy Enhancement Project (implemented by Associates in Rural Development). (2) Local government strengthening must be done at both the local and national levels because changes in local government have an impact on how the whole government functions. (3) Training must combine tangible and intangible benefits as well as short- and long-term effects. (4) The improvement of local government is part of a political process that could develop in a wide variety of directions. The empowering process unleashes a political debate. The trainers should be able to properly handle both technical and political issues during the collective learning process. (5) Local government training must remain flexible in its approach and seek a balance between focusing on the product and the training process. (Author abstract, modified)