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THIRD WORKSHOP
June 07, 2006
OBJECTIVE
The third workshop aims at:
Obj. 1. Reviewing the LED matrixes of each city and providing feedback and suggestions to the LED Planning Commissions about the process and the product
Obj. 2. Analysing the features of the strategy compilation process through DELTA
Obj. 3. Enabling teams to finalise their LED strategies and get Municipal Council approval
Obj. 4. Providing information on possible sources of funding for strategy implementation
Obj. 5. Enabling municipal teams to institutionalise the monitoring and review processes of the LED strategy
METHODOLOGY
The third workshop was implemented differently from the two previous ones. It entailed three days of site visits to each of the DELTA municipalities and two days working sessions with the municipal LED core teams.
Site visits offered each city, represented in the room by the full stakeholder commissions, to presenta their nearly completed LED strategies to the DELTA team. The DELTA team then gave detailed feedback, suggestions and advice toi the commissions.
The working sessions with the municipal LED core teams involved presentations, followed by team exercises for preparing further steps of the LED process.
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PROCESS
a) Workshop organizers
Design of the third and last DELTA workshop was based on suggestions of WB and OSI experts and its final shape was elaborated together with FLAG and the municipal core teams.
Preparatory work focused on getting each strategy matrix finalised (vision to projects) and also getting the Planning Commissions in each municipality to review their work to-date and prepare a presentation of the strategy to the plenary.
b) Target group
Target group of the third workshop was more extensive than just municipal core teams compared to the two previous workshops. The expert team, during the site visits, discussed with members from the Planning Commission, which was headed by the Mayor in each municipality. The two last workshop days that concentrated in further steps in strategy approval and implementation were attended by municipal core teams and Peace Core Volunteers in the respective DELTA municipalities. See invitation sample sent by FLAG to the Mayor.
c) Workshop proceedings and agenda items in relation with objectives
The workshop was conducted over five days, as described above.
i. Reviewing the LED matrixes of each city and providing feedback (first three days)
DELTA workshops in general have two major components: reviewing the progress to date of each municipality and preparing the core teams for the upcoming actions.
The third workshop was the final possibility for the international LED experts to give input to the strategies and thus FLAG decided this final input should be delivered directly to the designers of the strategies: the LED Planning Commission headed by the Mayor.
Therefore site visits were organised in the five municipalities developing LED strategies within the DELTA project. These visits provided for discussions with and feedback from a broad forum of representatives from the LED Planning Commission.
The discussions revolved around the LED matrix, the backbone of the LED strategy, a draft of which was already prepared and handed to the World Bank and Local Government Initiative experts for review prior to this meeting.
Such visits are organised when the draft matrixes for the municipal LED strategies are prepared by the LED Planning Commission. At this stage of the process the municipalities need feedback about the already developed LED matrixes.
All of the five meetings in the municipalities were organised through an invitation from the Mayor. The invited participants were members of the Planning Commission that designed the LED matrix. The following is an example of the itinerary and the agenda of the site visits with the associated explanations:
1340-1355 Opening and introductions
The Mayor opens the meeting and gives the floor to every one to be introduced. In all of the municipalities at this point the Mayor elaborated the need that was identified for an LED strategy and appreciation to be part of the DELTA project.
1400-1430 Presentation on the process / methodology implemented for the LED Plan compilation, Mr. Artan Haxhi, Mayor of Shkodra
Mayors presentation was structured through the following lines:
Municipal Budget for 2005 (municipal commitment to finance LED project included in the strategy)
Regional and cross border initiatives of the municipality Municipal initiatives to support and promote the local businesses
Development of the LED municipal office and need to develop it further
Promotion of the LED strategy compilation attracting the business community and citizenry
1430-1500 Presentation on the draft LED Plan, Mr. Ridvan Sokoli, Head of the LED Team in Shkodra
Presentation delivered by the Head of the LED team in the municipality elaborated on::
Planning process - overall description of participation, photos and figures, involvement of business community, media, NGOs and state institutions.
- Challenges of the process .(understanding of the process in time, participation, data gathering, collection of information about projects, active engagement in compilation of project fiches)
- Results and overall perception of Business Attitude Survey
- Elaboration on the Vision and its component
- Overview on municipal economy (city's potential, Development priorities, Main natural resources, Demographic trends, Business development trends)
- Explanation of the LED matrix
- Highlights in major international projects in the city
- Municipal initiatives on facilitating business community
- One stop shop, as one of the main priority projects identified
1500-1550 Feedback from the DELTA experts on the draft LED Plan, Gwen, Scott.
FLAG assisted municipalities in having the matrixes finalised and sent for comments to the World Bank and LGI. Preliminary suggestions for the finalised matrixes were elaborated by the expert team before the site missions took place. Suggestions were delivered to the respective Planning Commission.
1550-1600 Presentation and approval of the yList of Improvements' for the presented draft of the LED Plan, to be accomplished before the 18th of Nov, Gwen.
The list of improvements suggested by the expert team was discussed in the planning commissions and changes were made accordingly to the LED matrixes.
In the municipalities where time permitted, one site with potential for economic development and/ or a successful local business was also visited by the expert team together with municipal representatives.
Local teams carried out revisions of the matrixes based on the specialists' suggestions, after such suggestions were embraced and agreed upon by the Planning Commission.
ii. Analysing strategy compilation process and preparing actions to adopt strategy at the city council (day 4)
The third workshop aimed at discussing with all the LED core teams issues related with project Implementation, action plan and strategy evaluation. It lasted two days and was a combination of plenary sessions for review and feedback and group work.
1) Presentation of municipal draft-plans for LED
The five DELTA municipalities prepared and delivered a presentation on the progress with the LED strategy compilation and the participatory process implemented for strategy compilation.
After the municipal presentations, a discussion on local economical planning process was facilitated by FLAG. Some of the questions raised were:
- What went fine in completing the action plan
- What activity raised the biggest problems during this period
- What activity took the longest time
- If you were to do it again, what would you do differently
- What activity would you add to the action plan
- What trainings would you most need in future to implement the LED strategies
2) yProjects' fair'
The yfair' was organised after the presentations. It was used to exchange project ideas between the municipalities. The teams were asked to identify three common projects between the five strategies and borrow three projects that they deem necessary from the other municipalities. Several projects ideas were exchanged and ultimately adopted by the municipal core groups.
3) The following steps to finalize and approve the LED plan: prepare to address the City Council
DELTA Director, Mr, Rroji presents here the following steps remaining up to strategy adoption by the municipal council and further presentation of the product to the donor community.
Finalize draft matrixes: based on the suggestions that each municipality received by the expert team during the first three days of the workshop, further discussions and adoptions need carrying out with the Planning Commission.
Finalize 1st draft of project fiches: Once the LED matrix is finalised the identified projects need developing further based on the Project Fiches Template delivered to municipalities. Project fiches should serve as blueprints for activity. They should include a list of contributors (specifically naming what each group can and will assist with), a timetable, a realistic budget, risks to be mitigated, and clear ways to monitor and evaluate the progression and impact of the project. The blueprint will allow anyone in the municipality, since staffs change, to pick up and manage the project at any time. The monitoring and evaluation mechanism (that is, a clear set of measurable indicators) is intended to ensure that the project is adapted if needed to increase its impact, or cancelled if it turns out to be a net loss initiative.
Comment on draft of matrixes: Matrixes, after finalisation by the Planning Commission, are delivered for review to a LED expert to make sure that they follow the log frame format.
Draft strategy (no fiches): The main ybody' of the strategy needs finalising from the municipalities. Quite a lot of information is already collected at this stage and the core teams need to structure it accordingly. FLAG elaborated a template for the strategy and deliverd it to the DELTA municipalities, facilitating information clustering into a collated document.
Prioritise projects: During the third workshop a project prioritisation methodology is presented. Whatever methodology municipalities decide to implement that will need to somehow prioritise within groups of hard and soft infrastructure projects.
Comment on draft of project fiches: Matrixes, after finalisation by the Planning Commission, are delivered for review to a LED expert and the same for yFinalize 1 draft of business profile' yFinalize 1 draft of strategy document'.
Adoption of strategies from City Councils: the municipalities need to prepare a report on the LED process methodology, purpose and impact on the budgeting process for the city council before the strategy is discussed. FLAG facilitates the report and also participated in the city council meeting.
Publication of strategies and business profiles: Strategies are published and promoted through a yDonor meeting' and Delta Fair as well as other activities where the municipalities can promote themselves.
A Group Exercise followed the explanation given about the steps outlined in the planning template. Each of the municipal core teams elaborated further the Sub-Activities that need carrying out and specified also deadlines according to their particular situation.
The respective head of the core team presented the plan for all the participants.
4) Implementation of LED plan, general view
The presentation explains stage 4 of the yFive LED stages'. This stage gives general guidelines on strategy implementation. It elaborates further on the following steps:
Step 1. Preparing an overall LED strategy implementation plan for all programs and projects plan
Step 2. Preparing individual project action plans
Step 3. Building institutional frameworks for LED implementation and monitoring
Step 4. Ensuring relevant inputs (finance/human resources/buildings etc.) are available
Step 5. Carrying out tasks in project action plans
5) Implementation Matrix
DELTA Director, Mr. Rroji, presents here a matrix that details the steps of strategy implementation. The Implementation Matrix will be later filled in by the municipalities with the information provided in the project fiches. It facilitates follow up and documentation and evaluation of the status for each of the Steps explained in the previous presentation (Stage 4 of LED'.
6) Presentation of a suggested prioritisation method for LED projects
The last presentation in the workshop included some basic ideas of methodology to prioritise identified project elaborated by Shkodra core team. The ideas were developed further and the material was delivered after the workshop to the municipalities (see session on Strategy Formulation, Vision to Projects).
However, most of the municipalities decided to divide the projects in two groups of soft and hard and evaluate the impact of the given project across the identified strategy goals. The project receives one point for impact in every goal and the points are summed up for each project. The municipalities used the Prioritisation Matrix prepared by FLAG.
iii. Enable municipal teams to institutionalise monitoring and review of the LED strategy (day five)
7) Presentation on LED reporting, monitoring and reviewing
The presentation elaborates the fifth stage of LED efforts that the municipal teams will have to carry out once the strategies are in place and approved by the Municipal Council. The Strategy Review process is elaborated further providing explanation on the Five Steps of strategy review: Step 1: What? Why? When?; Step 2: Monitoring; Step 3: Evaluation; Step 4: Institutional Arrangements; Step 5: Strategy Review and the Planning Process.
The presentation was followed by an exercise. The assignment to the municipal core teams was the preparation of an action plan for strategy review. The plans also included the institutionalisation of the LED Planning Commission for monitoring and reviewing the strategy. Reporters from the municipal core teams presented their action plan for reviewing the strategy.
The fifth workshop day dedicated one hour to presentations of potential partners and funding institutions for strategy implementation and monitoring. The municipal core teams discussed possibilities of cooperation with the Albanian Association of Municipalities, The Training Agency for Local Government in Albania and the Albanian Soros Foundation. The latter promised support for the set up of information offices / one stop shops in the 5 DELTA municipalities. The project was identified by all the five municipalities.
CHALLENGES
Preparation of workshop materials was cumbersome.
- Some of the LED matrixes were not finalised in time for thorough review.
- Getting together the representatives of the Planning Commission required intensive attention and work from the municipalities and involvement of the Mayor was crucial.
The preparation of municipalities involves additional work that is not routinely performed by the municipal staff. In any case the workshop itself is an important milestone in the LED process and serves as a catalyst to the process itself.
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