UCLG Position Paper v_2 (eng)
22/12/09
18:13
Página 37
A Compilation of Case Studies
3 The Establishment of the Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities
rural local authority) Chairman’s Association and the Urban Council Chairman’s Association to exchange information and identify issues of common concern around which they could build a national association to represent local governments’ interests and engage in policy dialogue with the central and provincial governments. This resulted in the creation of the Federation of Sri Lanka Local Government Authorities (FSLGA), which for the first time in the country’s history brought all three tiers of local government together under one umbrella. “The local government association is an important structure to discuss common issues and concerns,” said Chairman of the Niyugama PS and member of the Galle District Local Leaders Association Sampath Athukorola. “It helps us to access experience and knowledge from fellow members… The MCP model has been a good one because it’s not about what MCP wants to do, but about the needs of the community.”
Prepared by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in collaboration with the Federation of Sri Lankan Local Government Authorities (2009)
A case study of Aid Effective Programming in the Local Government Sector This case study illustrates how programming that supported the establishment of a national local government association in Sri Lanka has resulted in improved coordination of local governance interventions and has enabled local governments and their communities to exert a greater voice and ownership over their own development.
The creation of the national association was complemented by the strengthening of local groups as well, which helped to build broad based ownership over development plans and programs. In the eastern district of Trincomalee, the Local Government Chairman’s Association supported by MCP was able to work across the region’s delicate ethnic and linguistic lines. An area often caught in the middle of Sri Lanka’s 26-year civil war, the population is made up of Tamil and Sinhalese communities. Here, with the support of MCP, the local leaders set an ambitious target: to go beyond traditional party lines and build more inclusive strategies that respond to the needs and priorities articulated by the community. Destroyed by the tsunami and still rebuilding from the destruction left behind by the conflict, local leaders agreed that if they could take positions as one body instead of through disparate voices, it would enhance the transparency and accountability of the decision-making process which would give them greater legitimacy and influence in dealing with policy makers at the national level. This was a particularly attractive feature for the smaller, more rural local authorities with less power and resources.
Issue and Approach In 2005, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities launched the Canada/Sri Lanka Municipal Cooperation Program (MCP) to support the reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities affected by the 2004 tsunami. While MCP focussed initially on strengthening municipal service delivery that was disrupted as a result of the tsunami, it also identified the need to bolster inter-governmental relations to enhance coordination, collaboration and communication among local, provincial and central governments involved in reconstruction, and to help ensure that donor aid would be well-targeted and more effective. With three local government associations operating in the project area, this proved extremely challenging, especially as there was no formal mechanism for them to communicate with each other. Recognizing the need for greater harmonization of activities at the local level, MCP launched a consultative process to explore how these three associations could evolve from being individual forums for discussion into one organization with a collective strategy for strengthening the voice and influence of local government at the national level.
“We were challenging the notion that when one Chairman says something that it’s a party position, when normally it’s not,” said Adam Bawa Thawfeek, Vice Secretary of the Association and Chairman of PS Kuchcheveli. “With the Association, it’s our common view. Now when we deal with other levels of government they can’t dismiss it as being a party issue.” Association Vice President and Chairman of PS Padavi-Sripura, MG Thilakaratne agrees: “We want to tell
Analysis MCP provided a platform to bring together the National Chapter of Mayors, the Sri Lanka Pradeshiya Sabha (PS, or 37