Launching the Participatory Budgeting Process in Daouar Hicher, Ennour and Tataouine

Since the beginning of 2019, the experts of the Associative Action launched the process of the Participatory Budgeting (PB) in the 3 municipalities : Daouar Hicher, Ennour and Tataouine North.

This action is in the context of the extension of the implementation of the PB process, and to enlarge the network of the municipalities applying the PB in Tunisia.

To July 2019, the experts of Associative Action made successful meetings with the municipal officers and the local associations in the 3 partner municipalities, ans well as signed the PB conventions between municipalities and local NGOs.

Participatory Budgeting local facilitators seminar – 2018

Between the 14th & 17th of February 2018, the “Associative Action” organized a sharing experiences’ seminar for the local facilitators of the municipalities of Kairouan, Mahdia and Tabarka, who contributed to the implementation of the Gender Based Participatory Budgeting process in their municipalities.

This seminar was a good opportunity for the local facilitators to exchange experiences with each other, assess the results achieved in each city, and work out a plan to ensure the sustainability of the process.

Kairouan’s Participatory Budgeting Citizen Forums

In the context of the Participatory Budgeting process, the municipality of Kairouan organized 5 citizen forums through which the citizens participated in proposing project ideas of basic infrastructure, voting for the priority projects of their neighborhoods, and electing citizens delegates whose mission is to monitor the implementation of the final list of projects.

The 5 citizen forums covered the whole municipal zone of Kairouan, and had been organized between the 1st  and  the çth of  December 2018, respectively in the following places :  Aouled Farhan primary school,  Al Mansoura primary school,  Abi Zamaa AlBalaoui primary school, Municipality Hall, Nassr City primary school. A communication campaign preceded the organization of the citizen forums to inform and invite the citizens to take part in the public meetings. Different kind of communication tools had been used during this campaign such as : Flyers, Posters, Banners, car loud-speaker service, radio broadcasts …

In this first year / edition of the Participatory Budgeting, 690 citizens participated to present their project ideas related to roads, and to select the priority projects. At the end of the 5 citizens forums , the citizens elected 15 citizen delegates in order to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the final list of projects.

Citizen Participation Rate

The citizen forums were organized by the municipality of Kairouan in collaboration with the Women Leaders who played the role of “local facilitators” of the Participatory Budgeting. These facilitators ensured, in partnership with the municipality : the implementation of the communication plan to inform and invite the citizen to participate in the citizen forums; the preparation and the organization of the citizen forums; and the support of the citizen delegates in their monitoring and evaluation mission.

Mahdia’s Participatory Budgeting Citizen Forums

In the context of the Participatory Budgeting process, the municipality of Mahdia organized 3 citizen forums through which the citizens participated in proposing project ideas of basic infrastructure, voting for the priority projects of their neighborhoods, and electing citizens delegates whose mission is to monitor the implementation of the final list of projects. The 4 citizen forums covered the whole municipal zone of Mahdia, and had been organized between the 8th  and  the 15th of  December 2018, respectively in the following places : Al Zahraa, Al Madina, Hiboun. A communication campaign preceded the organization of the citizen forums to inform and invite the citizens to take part in the public meetings. Different kind of communication tools had been used during this campaign such as : Flyers, Posters, Banners, car loud-speaker service, radio broadcasts … In this first year / edition of the Participatory Budgeting, 433 citizens participated to present their project ideas related to roads, and to select the priority projects. At the end of the 3 citizens forums , the citizens elected 9 citizen delegates in order to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the final list of projects.

Citizen Participation Rate

The citizen forums were organized by the municipality of Mahdia in collaboration with the Women Leaders who played the role of “local facilitators” of the Participatory Budgeting. These facilitators ensured, in partnership with the municipality : the implementation of the communication plan to inform and invite the citizen to participate in the citizen forums; the preparation and the organization of the citizen forums; and the support of the citizen delegates in their monitoring and evaluation mission.