Community Consultation: are you doing it?

A recent article on the internet piqued my interest as I was searching for governance related news articles and blogs. It was titled “Hope in Rwanda” and I wondered how it had come to appear in my search results – surely google could not lead me astray!

The paragraph that caught my attention – and obviously the search engine’s attention - was the following:

“In fifteen years, the government and people of Rwanda have written a constitution, established free education for all children, and are rebuilding their economy. They can boast that they have more women in Parliament than any other country in the world. Perhaps the most remarkable changes in political structures and authority have occurred at the local level. In only fifteen years, central control has evolved into devolution of power to the lowest levels. Exclusion has become inclusion; voices are heard from the weakest, poorest and most vulnerable. It is far from perfect but it is building a culture of democracy and accountability."

The article went on to outline the nature of this new form of governance, which can be briefly summarised as:

• A set of goals is established through consultation with the wider community, for what is valued and needed by these communities;
• These goals become a contract that is signed by the local Mayor and the President;
• The contract has measurable performance indicators; and
• At every level, leaders are being held accountable for their actions and achievements.

Now, for the most part this is similar to the running of many organisations. But what caught my attention was the emphasis put on the goals of the leadership being determined by the communities themselves.

“…Rwanda is implementing a system that asks poor people to express their needs, which are then developed into a compact with their leaders -- who are held accountable, by being removed from office by citizens if these needs are not met.”

It’s an interesting concept – asking the stakeholders what they actually want and/or need – and then making sure you deliver it to them.

And this may be the perfect time for us all to assess our goals and objectives, and make sure we’re attuned to the needs of our constituents. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

Click here to read the article “Hope in Rwanda”.

Alicia Semple
Communications Manager