Accountability and Integrity of Local Authorities/Local Capacity Building

The project aims to mobilize civic activists and strengthen the capacity of local communities to counteract corruption, conflict of interests, and other malpractices. The overall aim is to engage local communities and authorities in a process of increasing transparency and accountability on the local level.

Citizens will be encouraged to monitor local authorities’ activities and participate in their decision-making. In this process, they will be supported by the ACF team with the Local Accountability and Integrity Standard, a compendium of good governance practices with a handbook for its application. The Standard will support:

– local authorities in implementing good governance practices.

– active citizens in monitoring the local authorities’ policy-making and decision-making.

The objectives of the project are to improve the transparency, accountability, and integrity of the local authorities according to the principles of good governance; to encourage civic participation in the policy-making process at the local level; to build the capacity of the local communities to monitor local government; to present a tool for monitoring and exercising control over local policies.

The project’s expected results include: 1) building the capacity of local communities, including independent journalists and CSOs, to use The Local Accountability and Integrity Standard for monitoring the work of the local authorities; identifying and exposing cases of corruption and conflict of interests and malpractices, as well as reporting them to competent authorities; 2) initiating proposals for the implementation of standards and recommendations to local authorities.

The project Accountability and Integrity of Local Authorities/Local Capacity Building is a continuation of another ACF’s project, Accountable Local Authorities, Local Communities, and will take place in the cities of Burgas, Shumen, and Haskovo.