Foreword

At the core of democratic development in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE)is the need for peo ple to believe that the politicians they elect to represent them are addressing their concerns and best interests in improving the welfare and "quality of life"for the local community.This is increasingly important at the municipal government level where the effectiveness and efficien cy of service delivery is more acute and where the lack of accessibility of citizens and transpar ent decision making fuels corruption,inhibits good governance and decreases the likelihood for social and economic improvements.

In the pursuit of more effective and efficient government service delivery,a number of local government bodies and representatives of civil society throughout CEE are taking active approaches through the implementation of a number of citizen participation mechanisms.The international conference that took place in Yaremche,Ukraine from November 22 –25,2001 under the auspices of the People's Voice Project provided an excellent opportunity for these individuals to share their methodologies,the problems that they encountered and,most impor tantly,the results of their work.The conference welcomed approximately 90 participants from 17 different countries throughout CEE and showcased a broad spectrum of different approach es,guidelines and possible strategies.

What was significant about the conference itself was that it represented a wide range of citizen participation methodologies and it was clear that there is an increasingly important trend to include the input and feedback of citizens in development of policies and programs.This trend manifests itself in a number of ways:public hearings,community advisory councils,social mon itoring,report cards,participatory budgeting,etc.Some of the participants are making more progress than others,but there is no doubting the existence of a collective effort pushing the reform process even further and ensuring that politicians remain accountable to the citizens they represent.

The proceedings from this citizen participation conference in Yaremche,Ukraine were not only about sharing experiences and strategies.Rather,the participants used it as an opportunity to see what their counterparts in other parts of CEE are capable of accomplishing and to build and expand networks,both formally and informally,with them.The work being done in citizen par ticipation is only one example of the increasing influence civil society is having on the process of reforming local governments.Coupled with other development initiatives,there is a growing force that pushes the reform agenda and proposes specific problems through monitoring service delivery and cooperating with local authorities in proposing policy alternatives.

The opportunity to share ideas and lessons learned in citizen participation has been an impor tant part of the People's Voice Project.It is the hope of the Project management team that the 5ഊresults of this conference can be used not only in the Project pilot cities (Ternopil,Ivano Frankivsk,Kupyansk and Chuguiv),but in other parts of Ukraine and CEE.The Citizen Participation Handbook,which is the product of this conference,will be made available not only to participants of the conference but to partners and municipalities throughout Ukraine.It will initially be published in Ukrainian and English,but will eventually be translated into Russian.

Portions of the handbook will be used as part of the training program associated with the People's Voice Project and will likely be used in the expansion of its methodology to other cities. It will also be made available on the website of the People's Voice project (www.icps.kiev.ua/pvp)and we hope that a number of practioners,academics and researches take advantage of this resource.

At this time,I would personally like to thank the organizers of the conference,specifically Olga Zakharchenko,Agnes Natkaniec and Gina Holdar,for all the hard work they did in organizing and facilitating the conference.I would also like to thank the Open Society Institute,the Canadian Bureau for International Education,the World Bank and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)for their financial support for this conference and other related ini tiatives under the auspices of the People's Voice Project.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
Citizen Participation in Central and Eastern Europe:
A Catalyst for Reform and Monitor of Progress

Introduction
Citizen Participation Conference and Handbook

Section I
Practical Issues for Citizen Participation

Section II
Citizen Participation Methodologies
Citizen Advisory Groups
City Strategic Planning
1)Participatory Urban Assessment In Capital Planning
2)Strategic Planning for Healthy Communities
Coalition Building
Community Organizing
Participatory Budgeting and Capital Investment Planning
Participatory (Action)Research
Public Education
Public Hearings
Report Cards
Social Monitoring

Annexes
The Role of Citizen Participation in Policy Development and Implementation
Internet Resources on Citizen Participation
Conference Participants

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