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USAID Mission to Poland
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Last updated: Thursday, 25-Jun-2009 16:23:59 EDT
DGPA
Activity Reports for local government programs funded by USAID in Poland - the reports principally cover 1998 and 1999.
- Democracy Network
- Democratic Governance and Public Administration Program
- Local Government 2000
- Local Government Partnership Program
- Local Government Health Management
- Municipal Development and Capacity Building
Activity Name: Democracy Network
Implementing Organization: Academy for Educational Development
Start Date: January, 1995
Completion Date: July 31, 1998
Activity goals and achievements:
The goal of the activity was to develop a new generation of sustainable public advocacy non-governmental organizations (NGOs) capable of formulating and influencing public policy, especially as a partner of local government. The following areas of public policy activities were identified: democracy, environment, social services, and enterprise development.
To achieve this goal, DemNet provided grants, training and technical assistance to a core group of NGOs to help them become organizationally and financially sustainable. The training program included such topics as: accounting for NGOs, project planning, fundraising, working with volunteers, organizational management, cooperation with other institutions, and promotion. Consultations were also carried out to help NGOs develop two-year strategic development plans to secure funds and increase cooperation with local government.
NGO grantees were provided with hands-on experience in carrying out results-oriented public advocacy initiatives at the local level. The best examples of such initiatives that could serve as models of NGO participation in local government decision-making were identified and documented. In addition, DemNet was also designed to strengthen a national network of NGO-support centers to improve their professional skills and their ability to provide good quality services. To address the need to improve the public image of NGOs, DemNet planed to conduct a media campaign to promote the role of the NGO sector in a democratic society.
DemNet helped a core group of public policy oriented NGOs become organizationally and financially sustainable, and promoted their evolution from service-oriented organizations to effective partners in local government decision-making. 54 NGOs met sustainability criteria that included : development of two-year strategic development plans, demonstrated diversity of funding sources, demonstrated capacity to manage finances, and proven ability to conduct effective public policy activities.
The activities of the DemNet grantees resulted in a wide range of public policy actions and changes on all levels of government. At the national level, one article was included in the new Constitution to guarantee children's rights, changes were introduced in the national system of foster care, and right of the participants in apartment cooperatives were clarified. Four ministerial executive decisions were passed improving water management of the Vistula River, creating a protected habitat for endangered species, and improving assistance to autistic children. At the local level, 59 ordinances were passed which introduced new programs into the public school system such as civic education , established transparent systems for NGO funding by local government, introduced polices to support small business through tax exemptions on land zoned for commercial development, established strategies for tourism development.
To promote NGO sector sustainability, DemNet helped a national consortium of six independent NGO support centers (SPLOT - formerly known as the Open Society Network) in Gdansk, Katowice, Lublin, Poznan, and Warsaw. Under DemNet, SPLOT strengthened its sustainability by developing a two-year strategic development plan, standardizing its financial and program reporting requirement, instituting performance standards in service delivery, developed a set of training programs in NGO management and operations, and established an up-dated, computerized data-base of funding sources for NGOs. SPLOT also expanded its funding sources (by 46%) and its customer base (by 17%).
DemNet promoted the sustainability of the NGO sector by facilitating closer cooperation between NGOs and local government. In six cities transparent grants programs for funding NGOs were established, with budget allocations of $288,000. In an additional eleven cities such programs were instituted.
DemNet left behind a successor organization that will continue to support development of the NGO sector in Poland. The Academy for the Development of Philanthropy in Poland was established in February 1998, and since than it has formulated a three-year development plan, and raised funds for a three year program to support development of community foundations, and facilitated establishment of two pilot foundations in Nidzica and Bystrzyca Klodzka.
Activity Name: DAI – Democratic Governance and Public Administration Program
Start Date: March 9, 1995
Completion Date: September 30, 1999
Activity goals and objectives:
The purpose of this program was to increase the influence of local governments on national and regional policies. The main components under this activity were: (1) Development of the capacities of local government associations and professional associations of local government employees; (2) Support to the process of decentralization of public finance system in Poland; (3) Development of institutional capacity of the Department of Local Government Finance in the Ministry of Finance; (4) Improvement of Academic Degree Programs in Public Administration. Activities are being implemented through TA and grants under contract.
The activity is described in a final report.
Activity Name: FSLD - Local Government 2000
Implementing Organization: Foundation in Support of Local Democracy
Start Date: May 14, 1998
Completion Date: May 14, 2000
Activity goals and achievements:
The project provided institutional support to FSLD as the leading Polish NGO provider of training and consulting services to local governments. It built on work carried out by the Rutgers University in support of FSLD in 1991 and 1993. The objective of the program was to assist FSLD to achieve programmatic and financial self-sustainability by the year 2000. Specific activities supporting the objective include; (1) Developing FSLD’s self-sustainability plan and improving management of the FSLD network, (2) Improving promotion and dissemination systems (institutionalizing "Gmina Best Practice Competition"); (3) Developing new training and consulting services in Strategic Planning, Financial Management, and Natural Disaster Preparedness for Poviats, (4) FSLD support to the Public Administration Reform in Poland.
Activity Name: Local Government Partnership Program (LGPP)
Implementing Organization: Chemonics Inc.
Start Date: January 15, 1998
Completion Date: March 31, 2001
Activity goals and achievements:
The Local Government Partnership Program (LGPP) works with Polish local governments, consulting firms, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other local government support organizations (LGSOs) to help them develop and implement tools and approaches, which make local governments work better. The LGPP also works with national level institutions to encourage them to help institutionalize strategic management approaches. To date, USAID and almost fifty Polish cities have developed strategic plans for the delivery of technical assistance to these cities. Polish LGSOs, supervised by USAID technical advisors, have delivered assistance in strategic management, task based budgeting, capital investment planning, housing strategy, and public participation strategy development to these and other cities across Poland. When LGPP is completed in March 2001, a large number of Polish LGSOs will have the capacity to supply the improved management tools and approaches demanded by Polish cities.
Please refer to the LGPP website for more information on this activity, or contact one of the AID staff managing the program through its conclusion in March 2001 from the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw.
Activity Name: Local Government Health Management
Implementing Organization: Harvard University, School of Public Health
Start Date: July 15, 1995
Completion Date: June 30, 1999
Activity goals and achievements:
The project aims at strengthening the management capacity of the 46 largest Polish Cities in managing health care (primary, ambulatory and hospitals). According to a strategy assumed in 1996, four innovative local governments around Poland were selected for studying and improving local innovative practices and then disseminating experience. Krakow became the principal testing site for a total strategic reorganization of health system delivery and contracting. Suwalki voivodship served as a testing site for contracting, Leczyca for quality assurance and Nowy Sacz Public Service Zone for strategic planning.
As a result, modern contracting and cost reimbursement mechanisms were tested and disseminated to all Polish large cities which carried responsibilities for health management. With the new Government of Poland (GoP) health insurance reform from January 1, 1999, 16 regional insurance funds were formed and fully took over the financing function from the cities. However, all health facilities were be transferred to gminas, poviats and self-governing voivodships, which will perform ownership and management functions. Thus, the experience from Krakow and other project sites is relevant and is currently being disseminated to all new poviats.
Given the wealth of experience accumulated by the project and the GoP health system reform in 1999, the project, within its last 7 months of duration, also assisted 2-3 selected, most innovative regional insurance funds in developing long term strategic plans. After the reform, the funds became the depositories for some of the tools developed under the project (model contracts, cost assessment methodology, quality monitoring, customer satisfaction assessment). Strategic partnership between the Harvard School of Public Health and the Jagiellonian University Institute of Public Health proved to be a key to effective implementation of the program.
Activity Name: Municipal Development and Capacity Building
Implementing Organization: Municipal Development Agency (MDA)
Start Date: March 1, 1998
Completion Date: February 28, 1999
Activity goals and achievements:
The goal of the project was to help gminas effectively use their resources, to encourage growth of the municipal credit market, and to improve efficiency of municipal investment expenditures. The project also aimed to strengthen MDA as an organization that provides training, advisory and information services to gminas in the areas mentioned above.
In order to achieve these goals, MDA worked with selected gminas to develop, test, and perfect the following tools/methodologies: task-based budgeting, long-term investment planning, economic development planing, and financial analysis to prepare gminas for bond issuing. Several publications were prepared to present the tools and their applications.
To strengthen its capacity as a local government support organization, MDA developed a three-year strategic plan and a more detailed action plan for achieving financial and organizational sustainability
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Last Updated on: June 25, 2009 |
