Civic Monitoring: A Role for Citizens to Promote Transparency and Improved Decision-Making
A key element of a democratic society is an informed citizenry that is actively engaged in monitoring the decisions and actions of government and other powerful actors that impact their communities. Partners for Democratic Change and InterAction presented on-the-ground experiences in Albania and Georgia to design civic monitoring programs, collect data, inform populations, select and train monitors and interact with governments as a tool for transparency and accountability in governance.
Panelists:
Juliana Hoxha, Director, Partners for Democratic Change Albania
Mrs. Hoxha has over ten years of experience in NGO sector development and good governance. Her experience includes a long and successful working relationship with USAID, other international donors and local organizations in Albania. She has a rich background in organizational development and management, project design, proposal writing, cross-sector relations, program evaluation and good governance. Mrs. Hoxha also has extensive experience in grant program design and management, especially umbrella grants for local organizations. She has excellent interpersonal skills and proven supervisory, organizational and leadership skills. She has developed strong professional relationships with the Albanian NGO community, local government, donor community and relevant government institutions and has seven years of experience managing three USAID cooperative agreements and grant programs. Mrs. Hoxha is an expert trainer and consultant in and outside the country, mostly in NGO sector development and its relation to other sectors. Mrs. Hoxha facilitated the discussions of the first NGO-government working group on drafting a new NGO law in Albania, a five year long initiative. She assisted with the design of a transparent process to ensure public input into the draft law. In addition, she has designed and implemented several policy advocacy campaigns including the Albanian Constitution, several draft laws and public campaigns. She was also the recipient of the ORT International Award of Achievement for the Contribution to the Advancement of Civil Society in Albania in December of 2000.
Sofiko Shubladze, Director, Partners for Democratic Change-Georgia
Ms. Sofiko Shubladze is the Director of Partners for Democratic Change Georgia (Partners-Georgia), a Georgian non-governmental organization committed to advancing civil society and promoting a culture of conflict management and mediation in Georgia’s developing democracy. Ms. Shubladze is Partners-Georgia’s senior trainer and has extensive experience training civil society leaders, youth, women leaders, and government officials from the South Caucasus, Europe, and Russia in conflict resolution, advocacy, and leadership skills. As Director of the organization, Ms. Shubladze manages a staff of seven responsible for implementing programs targeting local government officials, civil society organizations, women, refugees, and youth. Prior to joining Partners, she served as a trainer at the European School of Management in Tbilisi and as the chief facilitator for the International Center on Conflict and Negotiation, an organization funded by the Norwegian Refugee Council. Ms. Shubladze has published numerous articles on conflict management, mediation, alternative dispute resolution, social psychology, and conflict prevention in Georgia.
Arjun Bhalla, Analyst, CommDev, IFC Oil, Gas, Mining & Chemicals Department
Arjun Bhalla is a Senior Analyst for the International Finance Corporation/ World Bank Oil, Gas and Mining Sustainable Community Development Fund (CommDev) devoted to enhancing the benefits of extractive industry projects to local communities through innovative project design and knowledge support in partnership with the private sector. He has co-authored an IFC publication on Project-Induced In-Migration: Risk Assessment and Management Approaches and a World Bank publication on Social Accountability Tools and Methods. Prior to this assignment, Mr. Bhalla worked as a legal analyst in the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court in The Hague where he focused on human rights investigations in the Sudan, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mr. Bhalla has also served as a project officer for judicial reform programs funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and worked with Human Rights Watch and their international justice program in London, UK. Mr. Bhalla received his BA with honors from Queen’s University in Canada and a duel MA with distinction in International Law and International relations from the University of Kent in Canterbury, United Kingdom.
Moderator:
Lindsay Coates, Vice President for Policy and Communications, InterAction
Lindsay Coates leads the Policy and Communications Team that drives all aspects of InterAction’s communications, public relations, public policy, advocacy, and policy development. From 2004-2008, Lindsay was the COO at Population Action International, where she was responsible for the day-to-day management of the research advocacy institute. She led a reassessment of communications, resulting in a new website, e-communications vehicles and stronger targeted advocacy messages. She also led the development a new strategic plan that repositioned PAI. Prior to her work in the NGO world, Lindsay practiced civil rights law in various capacities among them Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, where she oversaw day-to-day management of the 700 employee agency and Equal Employment Opportunity Attorney and Officer at the National Gallery of Art. Lindsay completed a non resident Fellowship for Seminar XXI, MIT Center for International Studies, studying Foreign Politics, International Relations and the National Interest, and the Graduate Executive Leadership Development Program of Columbia University. She holds a J.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Law, with Honors, and a B.A. (magna cum laude) in Political Science from the University of the South at Sewanee.
Preparatory Documents:
Partners-Albania Case Study: Transparency in Local Service Delivery
