Duration:
February 2012 - January 2015
Implementing Partner:
Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia (EFCA)
Key Partners:
Legal Assistance for Rural Citizens (LARC) Newtork, Public Association “Tree of Life”
Activity Locations:
Communities in Osh, Jalalabad, Batken, Talas, Naryn and Issyk-Kul regions
Activity Goal
The Local Transparency and Cooperation Initiative (LTCI) is a community-based conflict mitigation program improving cooperation and accountability between citizens and local government in the provision of quality public services; and increasing the transparency of and public confidence in the extractive industry. The project has two objectives: (1) Citizens are educated about their rights and access to public services, and empowered to monitor the quality of these services and hold service providers accountable; and (2) Community leaders in mining-affected areas have greater awareness and understanding of the social and environmental impacts of extractive industries..
Activity Major Focus Areas
LTCI supports better prioritization of government expenditures on local services according to local needs, improved citizen access to higher quality services through community mobilization, and greater trust between citizens and government – thus lowering the risk of political instability. Affected communities will have greater trust in the intentions and activities of extractive industries and be less likely to express grievances through violence, while investors will have greater confidence in their local relationships and the security of their investments.
EFCA creates public reception centers where citizens can access objective information on local extractive industries, and organizes public hearings to allow mining companies to promote transparency and enable citizens to monitor, review and question these activities.
Activity Expected Impact and Achievements
Objective 1: Target communities have begun to demonstrate visible progress towards assessing needs for government services and prioritizing areas in which improvements are needed. Local citizens have also increased knowledge and awareness of their rights and entitlements, allowing them access state-run services and support. Despite the overall low level of knowledge and experience within local government bodies, local officials expressed readiness and consent in cooperating to improve services they provide to the population.
Objective 2: Local communities have increased their capacities to understand and monitor sensitive issues related to mining more effectively and compensate for previous lack of awareness. Local citizens in target communities have been using 6 public reception centers to communicate their grievances peacefully and obtain detailed responses from relevant government structures. The Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative civil society consortium and its online forum have also provided additional platform for discussion and coordination of efforts, giving citizens and groups opportunities to voice their priorities and recommendations.
Activity Impact