Supporting Ministry of Finance to Design Civic Participation Mechanisms

Project Description:

PMCG, as part of the consortium led by Tetra Tech ARD, under the framework of the USAID-funded Good Governance Initiative (GGI), provides support to the Ministry of Finance in designing sustainable mechanisms enabling citizens, civil society, and other interested parties to engage in the budgeting process.

The objective of this assignment is to support the Government of Georgia in implementation of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Action Plan through lending support to the Ministry of Finance in designing civic participation mechanisms and providing recommendations for effective implementation with the objective of ensuring participatory budgeting processes in the country.

During this consultancy, PMCG performs the following tasks:

• Reviewing the Citizen’s Budget Guide developed by the Ministry of Finance in previous years and, based on best international practices, developing a new template for the Guide with an emphasis on chapters of civic engagement and reporting back to participants on the results and impacts of consultations
• Reviewing the “Plan your Budget” web module developed by the Ministry of Finance and providing recommendations to make it more comprehensive and user-friendly, in line with international best practices
• Identifying institutional and cultural barriers for engaging citizens in the budget process, and provide recommendations for enhancing civic participation in budgeting processes in Georgia based on international best practices
• Delivering presentation on recommendations on civic engagement mechanisms to the senior management of the Ministry of Finance and Budget Department

Background information:

USAID has awarded Tetra Tech ARD with a 5-year contract under the Office of Democracy and Governance, whose purpose is to support the Government of Georgia in strengthening overall transparency, accountability and effectiveness of selected governance and service delivery systems. GGI’s work targets the legislative and executive branches at both the central and local government levels. To ensure greater government accountability, GGI works with government and civil society representatives to enhance public participation and disseminate public information about key reforms. This activity addresses the Governing Justly and Democratically Objective of U.S. Government Foreign Assistance, and especially the promotion of well-governed states and civil society areas.

The objectives of GGI are to improve administrative and financial management of public institutions at all levels, to increase civic engagement and improved access to independent, reliable and balanced information relevant to Georgia’s good governance, to strengthen policy development and lawmaking processes and to strengthen institutional oversight of government.

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