Quarterly Report: Municipal Governance Program

The program's goal is to achieve short-term tangible improvements in the lives of target citizenry through citizen participation and civic advocacy efforts. During the quarter, MGP partner organizations' citizen participation and municipal budget cycle activities slowed down as many of their grant agreements expired. However, the local chapters of FECONORI demonstrated positive signs of sustainability as they continued to participate in the budget consultation process even without MGP funding. MGP has published a public request for proposals for the upcoming municipal budget cycle and activities are scheduled to commence again next quarter. Citizen participation activities included the 2015 Municipal Budget oversight, where partner organizations reported that 95% of the projects they advocated for were included in the 2016 municipal budgets. Members of the Municipal Development Committees (CDM) of Muelle de los Bueyes, Santo Domingo, and San Pedro de Lóvago actively participated in the first Municipal Accountability Evaluations, highlighting the inefficient budget execution by the municipalities. People with Disabilities (PwDs) in Bluefields and Corn Island monitored budget implementation of the projects they presented in the 2016 municipal budgets, with a total budget allocation of C$536,208, representing 76% of the total funds requested. Municipal Council Sessions and other advocacy activities were also conducted, with members of the Afro-Women's Network advocating for the needs of Afro-descendent people in the Annual Municipal Investment Plan (PIAM) during the Municipal Council Session in Bluefields. MGP and the local chapters representing PwDs in Bluefields successfully advocated for the preparation of PwD identification cards with the Department of Health (MINSA), resulting in 415 people with disabilities receiving identification cards. Awareness activities included an exchange forum for the committees for Potable Water and Sanitation (CAPS), where both government representatives and members of the Bluefields and Pearl Lagoon CAPS networks agreed that Law 722 must be reformed due to gaps limiting implementation in the Caribbean Coast region. MGP also launched the online observatory "Voice against Violence: Data that Speaks" in Bluefields, Managua, and Bilwi, drawing media attention to the levels of gender-based violence in the country. Organizational strengthening activities focused on improving the capacity of the 11 FECONORI RACCS chapters and the four Adolescent and Youth Municipal Committee (CoMAJ) groups, with both groups updating their action plans to include advocacy and institutional strengthening activities. Fiscal transparency activities included the update of the website Open Municipal Budgets to include the 2016 budgets for 153 municipalities and the website Our Budget Virtual Observatory with information from the 2016 General Budget of the Republic (PGR) 2016. Climate change activities included the completion of three of the four Climate Change Adaptation Demonstration Centers to provide indigenous and afro-descendant communities with the knowledge and tools to engage and participate in local adaptation planning processes. The final center, which will be installed in Pearl Lagoon, is currently under design. The communities in Pearl Lagoon have started evaluating the threats and adaptation strategies to safeguard long-term ecosystem health, especially the role of ecosystems in supporting sustainable livelihoods, providing safe and reliable drinking water, and buffering the impacts of severe weather events. The four community climate change adaptation plans in the Municipality of Bluefields are now complete, and blueEnergy has directed its resources toward finishing the final two in the Municipality of Pearl Lagoon. The communities have taken a proactive role in completing their action plans, even though they do not have the official approval of their adaptation plans by the City Council. The government of Bluefields is funding several community works proposed in their plans, and community members are looking for activities that they themselves can do to adapt to the climate changes, such as trash clean-ups.