The Democratic Decentralization and Citizen Participation (DCCP) activity promotes democracy by creating sustainable municipal governments. (Photo USAID)

USAID/Bolivia's democracy programs provide technical assistance and training to strengthen democratic institutions and processes. These activities have increased women's participation in municipal and budget meetings, as well as citizen's demands on local governments.

Democratic Decentralization and Citizen Participation (DDCP)

The DDCP program strives to promote gender and indigenous equity in the implementation of an integrated Model of Participatory Municipal Management. The team is supporting the improvement in the quality of women's participation by working with community leaders, NGOs, and women's groups to encourage women not only to attend planning meetings, but also to vocalize their demands during these meetings, as citizens with the same rights as men. In 2004, several municipalities approved budgets in their annual plans that included a 25 percent increase in activities that reflect women's demands, largely due to DDCP actions during the municipal planning processes. The program will also provide direct support to help strengthen the municipal services that specifically target women, such as legal services for women who are victims of domestic violence.

In addition to integrating gender as a cross-cutting technical area, DDCP has developed a gender strategy that includes three primary areas of activities to increase the quality and equity of women's participation in municipal governance: direct training of women candidates and elected municipal officials to increase their capacity to serve as elected officials; technical assistance to Bolivian NGOs to strengthen the laws against gender-based violence in the political arena; and compliance with the Law of Equitable Inclusion of men and women on municipal electoral lists.

Bolivia Program Objectives

Selected Activities

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