E-discussion

Improving Local Governance in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas: Documenting Good Governance Practices and Lessons Learnt

14 - 30 June 2010

Background

People residing in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan (HKH) mountains (with areas in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan) are facing numerous environmental challenges such as land degradation, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, scarcity of firewood, and drought. Poor governance practices marked by insufficient decentralisation, lack of support for popular participation and inclusiveness, and lack of mechanisms to ensure accountability to citizens are a significant factor exacerbating the living conditions and livelihood options of mountain communities.

Despite these challenges, mountain communities express resilience in tackling their problems. Their rich traditional knowledge and skills have contributed to their ability to adapt and survive in harsh physical and political environments. Their traditional community institutions – although not always democratic and often excluding women and other social groups – have provided a reliable management system that mountain communities trust. However, these institutions are not always acknowledged by formal government institutions.

The policies governing natural resources and agricultural sectors are generally sectoral and lack synergy and complementarity. The mountains are deprived of capital, technology, information, and extension services. Policies are usually designed by planners who are urban based and who typically take a ‘plains’ approach, even when dealing with mountainous areas. Mountain communities, therefore, need to be organised and empowered to influence those local government institutions (LGIs) that are responsible for enforcing policies, regulations, and good governance, for the better and overall development of mountain people.

The Importance of Good Local Governance Practice

Governance has become a guiding principle with regard to social, political, and environmental change in most countries of the world during the last fifteen years. Many different definitions of ‘governance’ can be found in the literature. However, within the realm of development, governance is understood as the means (traditions and institutions) by which authority in a specific country or region is exercised for the common good.

Governance refers to the power relationship among various stakeholders (e.g. communities, traditional institutions, and local formal institutions) over ownership of and access to natural resources. The ways and means used to exercise the power sets the ’rules of the game‘, which should ideally be transparent, accountable, equitable, and inclusive.

Effective local governance can

• change institutional patterns of societies from conventional autocratic to contemporary participatory approaches;,
• enable people at all levels to raise their voice for equity, participation, access to decision making forums, and justice in all aspects of life;
• change the power structure and relationships within and among institutions located at different levels; and
• enable the poor to gain a greater share of economic resources to maintain an equitable society.

Because of the relative isolation and remoteness of mountain populations, local governance is becoming particularly important in the HKH, where communities used to be more self-reliant. In this context, decentralised, well-functioning institutions are essential for addressing adequately the needs and concerns of mountain people.

Gender equity and good governance are guiding principles for successful mountain development. The objectives of a gender-specific approach to mountain community development are to promote equitable and meaningful participation of both men and women at all levels of mountain development; promote equal rights and equitable access to and control over resources and benefits for women and men; and strengthen and empower women in the mountain communities.

Objectives

This e-discussion has been launched to collect expert views on ways and approaches that have in the past resolved issues pertaining to local governance problems in natural resource management within the context of mountain development. The e-discussion invites participants to share their knowledge in relation to the following two overarching objectives:

• Explore the root causes of poor local governance practices in mountain areas: When good governance principles are not acknowledged or not followed as guiding criterion for actions, the desired outcome is doomed to failure. In this discussion we strive to explore why governance mechanisms, practices, and structures such as institutions fail to bring about desired positive outcomes in natural resource management and sustainable development of the mountain communities.
• Identify good practices, effective approaches, and lessons learnt for implementing good local governance practices in the context of mountain development: There is both a strong link and a considerable gap between civil society organisations and local government authorities. The division is often caused by a lack of mechanisms and approaches to bridge the communication and understanding gap between the two. In order to break the vicious cycle of blame-game between civil society organisations and local government organisations, we need to highlight cases where such gaps have been overcome by adaptation and implementation of good governance principles, and incorporation of indigenous and traditional practices through employment of innovative approaches.

The e-discussion encourages partners and participants to share documented experiences, case studies, and research findings of cases where good governance at local level has helped in the effective management of natural resources and in sustainable development. It is hoped that stories and lessons learnt will be shared from ICIMOD’s eight member countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. Stories and lessons from mountain communities other than the HKH region are also very welcome as this will provide a knowledge sharing opportunity between the HKH region and mountains in the rest of the world.

Weekly Discussion Plan

Week One (14–20 June 2010):
Root of Local Governance Issues
This week’s discussion will focus on identifying root causes of local governance issues, and hindrances responsible for overlooking good governance principles. Governance refers to the power relationship between various stakeholders (e.g. communities, traditional institutions, and local formal institutions) over ownership of and access to natural resources. The ways and means used to exercise the power set the ’rules of the game,’ which ideally should be transparent and accountable, equitable, and inclusive.

Specifically, we will discuss

• What accounts for the existing communication and understanding gap between local formal institutions (government bodies) and informal institutions (traditional or customary practices) as well as civil society organisations?
• What are some key factors in customary institutions being overlooked by central and local governments at times of decision making and implementation?
• Why do competing stakeholders (formal and informal organisations as well as communities) often fail to identify a win-win approach; and why, even if consensus is reached, does their strategy fail at application level?
• Knowledge is power, and women have this power derived from their knowledge in natural resource management. Ironically their power is disregarded or underestimated by decision makers - both formal and informal power holders. What are some of the reasons?

Week Two (21 – 27 June 2010):
Good Practices in Local Governance

The discussion will focus on good practices, effective approaches, and lessons learnt in implementing good governance practices. We will focus on identifying specific successful cases on existing governance issues in the thematic areas of natural resource management; examples might include shifting cultivation, local water governance, rangeland management, and biodiversity conservation, among others. The participants will be invited to share experiences in which the problems highlighted below have been resolved through innovative approaches to local governance.

Specifically, we will discuss

•  What approaches and tools are there to improve customary institutions so that they become more equitable, inclusive, and gender sensitive in their structure and approaches? What are some past lessons and successful attempts?
• The civil society community highlights poor governance practices at local level, but their language, approach and working culture differs from that of the bureaucratic government institutions and agencies. Should this gap be filled? If yes, how can this be achieved? What are some lessons learnt and successful attempts in bridging the gap?
• Many issues related to governance practices result from state-level laws, regulations, and institutions. Fixing problems at this level is often not within the capacity of small-scale local initiatives for improving local governance. Given this, what can be done at local level with front-line government officials and local communities to improve local governance practices? What are some entry points and required course of actions? How can civil society organisations and traditional institutions play a role? What are some lessons learnt and successful attempts?

The moderators

Content moderators
Ms Noorin Nazari
Governance Specialist
 
Mr Nani Ram Subedi
Livelihood and Governance Specialist

Technical moderator
Mr Tek Jung Mahat
Node Manager, APMN