corrupt cities - a network to cure and prevent

Giorgi MeskhidzeAmiran Gigineishvili

COOPERATION FOR DEVELOPMENT - Working

together for organizational integrity and preventing

corruption

Supported by FPDL/Local Government Initiative of the Open Society Institute “Program for Anticorruption Practitioners - PAP

2010”

International Association Civitas Georgica

Question 1

What is this Anti-Corruption Initiative and how did you

become involved in it?


Program for Anticorruption Practitioners – PAP*FPDL initiated with the support of LGI/OSI and WBI, PAP*, aimed at establishing a network of skilled anti-corruption practitioners to work with LGs, to cure and prevent corruption.Civitas Georgica got involved in the process in 2009 by participating in PAP*. After FPDL theoretical and practical training, we have implemented a pilot project in Lanchkhuti municipality.


Question 2

Can you tell to our international audience a

little bit about Lanchkhuti municipality?


Lanchkhuti MunicipalityLocation: West Georgia, mainly mountainous with Black Sea coastPopulation: 40 000 people, one town and 15 surrounding communities. Socio-Economic situation: Few employment opportunities, but developed civil society & mediaLocal government structure: • local council (elected) and executive

branch/mayor (appointed)• 26 elected council members and 107

employees in mayor’s office


Question 3

Why did you pick Lanchkhuti municipality to

work with? Is it particularly known as

a corrupt city?


Reasons for selection of Lanchkhuti municipality

PAP* approach focuses on prevention and on building organizational integrity so that there is neither opportunity, nor motivation, to engage in corrupt behavior.Why Lanchkhuti? Experienced in working with civil society organizationsAverage size, income – typical municipalityCooperative and open to innovations


Question 4

Why did Lanchkhuti local government agreed to take

part in this project?


Reasons for interest of LanchkhutiNothing like that was ever done in Georgia

before, would like to be the first (pioneer) to try itZero-tolerance policy towards corruption (in particular bribery) declared by central governmentExperience in previous cooperation with CivitasImportant to talk in pre-elections about transparency, accountability and integrity


Question 5

So how did you go on with the corruption prevention

process?


The process – start-upObtaining strong support from mayor, signing a memorandum of collaborationEstablishing strong working team – guiding coalition formed by nine members: deputy mayor (leader of the group), heads of departments: Procurement, Finance & Budgeting, Property Management, Public Relations, Infrastructure & Development, Social Services, Organizational (including human resources) , one local councilor


Question 6Who decided on the guiding

coalition composition? Did it change during the project? Why do you have a

representative of local council engaged?

And, why the local team are not you, the consultants?


Guiding CoalitionMayor recommended key managers – department heads.The composition changed due to LG elections in May, 2010. However, some people remained engaged.Presence of elected council member, gave legitimacy to the work of the coalition as strategic plan must be approved by the council.Ownership for the process and results stay with guiding coalition.


Question 7

Which were key stages in your work with the guiding

coalition?


The process – summary

Stage 1 – Information collection - Documents & Survey

Stage 2 –analysis and identification of vulnerable to corruption areas

Stage 3 – Getting to root causes of problems

Stage 4 – Working out solutions & elaborating the strategic plan


Question 8

What did the survey demonstrate and which areas did the guiding

coalition select to focus on?


Vulnerability Analysis Survey ResultsCitizens Municipal Employees Guiding Coalition

Human resource management

Human resource recruitment/dismissal

Organization of public amenities such as street

lighting, parks, visual face of the city/settlement etc.

Infrastructure project selection/implementation

Human resource promotion/punishment

Control over construction projects safety


lighting, parks, visual face of the city/settlement

etc.


lighting, parks, visual face of the city/settlement etc.

Public transportation

Permits and licenses Public transportation Human resource promotion/punishment

Regulation of small-scale street trade

Regulation of small-scale street trade

Pre-school education, kindergartens

Land management Control over procurement terms

Human resource recruitment/dismissal

Water and forest management

Infrastructure project selection/implementation

Land management

Social issues Building Permits Regulation of small-scale

street trade

Public amenities

Control of construction projects

Public transportation

Human resource assessment

Pre-school education

Human resource recruitment

Land management, leasing

Building permits

Regulation of small trade


Question 9

What did the strategic plan contain?


Focus areas of strategic plan1. Human resources management:

• Recruiting/dismissal• Promotion, bonuses, assessment

Most of activities focused on this 2. Improvement of municipal territory

• Selection of infrastructure projects• Control of implementation/monitoring

of implementation of infrastructure projects

Less actions here due to introduction of electronic tender system


Lanchkhuti LG strategic objectives

Improve management and increase transparency of infrastructure projects selection and implementation in the interests of citizensEstablish adequate working conditions for effective functioning of staff Increase staff qualification and motivation Develop service regulations and standards to prevent and limit the possibilities of misuse of the official position for personal gains


Question 10

Why did Lanchkhuti local government decide to

focus on these two fields selected and not others?


Reasons for Lanchkhuti choice

Decentralization process in Georgia not complete

Many functions that are under control of LG in Europe are still at national level in Georgia.

Thus, the emphasis was put on issues that the municipality can tackle independently.


Question 11

So what were results of your work?

What did each of you learn from your engagement in

this one year project?


Lessons Learned - LGDifferent forms of corruption – not only bribery, cultural issues – nepotism, protectionismDespite the fact that we all (guiding coalition members) work in the same building, our communication needed improvementStrategic thinkingElaboration of the plan is not enough, it needs implementationOur plan will be part of the national plan


Lessons Learned - ConsultantsFocus on municipal function/area rather than departmentPublicity of the project is importantCommunication and meeting with the coalition should occur at least once a month, homework in betweenEngagement of elected council representative in the work of guiding coalition is crucial


Contact Information“Civitas Georgica”

97 Tsinamdzgvrishvili St.

Tbilisi, 0164, GeorgiaTel: +995 32 951991Fax: +995 32 911948

E-mail: [email protected]

Blog: www.civitas.ge/wordpres

s/www.civitas.ge

mailto:[email protected]

corrupt cities - a network to cure and prevent

Documents

international audience

lanchkhuti local government

corruption prevention

anticorruption initiative

lanckhuti municipality

local council

fpdl consultants

elected council members