Engaging Citizens in Jordan’s Local Government Needs Assessment Process

Assessment and Recommendations

The Decentralization Reform in Jordan

Key Economic, Social and Political factors shaping Decentralization in Jordan

The decentralization reform in Jordan can be better understood when assessed against a series of factors shaping its implementation – namely, economic, demographic, social and political.

Despite numerous reforms, Jordan is still facing a stagnant economy, growing income inequality levels and high unemployment rates. Income disparities not only highlight the timeliness and relevance of local development planning cycles to embed participation at its core, but to also ensure the integration of all regions and all citizens in economic and democratic life. With a highly young and dispersed population, the success of the decentralization reform will rely on the Government’s ability to promote the participation of youth across the country in shaping local development policies. In response to deteriorating trust levels and growing perceptions of corruption, the Government would also benefit from continuing efforts to strengthen integrity systems within subnational institutions, as part of existing efforts in the framework of the National Integrity Charter and its Executive Plan. Broadly, the implementation of decentralization and open government reforms at the local level must respond to an evolving political and governance landscape in Jordan, as it transitions from a highly centralized to a progressively deconcentrated system with more powers vested at the Governorate and Municipal level.

The recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has moreover highlighted the need for the central and local levels of government to act decisively, and in a coordinated manner, to respond to the both the public health and economic dimensions of the crisis.

The rollout of the Decentralization Reform in Jordan (2015 – 2020)

Over the last decade, Jordan has embarked on an ambitious reform path to promote good governance and strengthen democracy. The Decentralization (No. 49) and Municipalities (No. 41) Laws adopted in 2015 are an important reflection of the Government’s commitment to place citizens at the heart of local policies and services. Notably, the laws introduced a new governance framework at the subnational level composed by elected and non-elected councils and a bottom-up approach for the design of local plans and budgets through a yearly collection and assessment of citizens’ needs.

Since its adoption, the Government of Jordan has achieved important milestones in gradually decentralizing power to the local level. The establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Decentralization and the Executive Committee as oversight bodies were a key element to ensure the rollout of this reform. Following local elections in 2017, two rounds of the need collection cycle have ensued, providing valuable insights and lessons learned. Recognising the iterative nature of this reform, and responding to the concerns raised in the National Dialogues, a draft local administration law was presented to Parliament in early 2020. This new momentum for reform presents an opportunity to revamp the decentralization process by strengthening governance mechanisms, establishing a two-way dialogue with citizens and promoting opportunities for stakeholders to have a say in the decisions that affect their daily lives.

Main OECD survey findings

The OECD, together with MoPIC, conducted a survey in 2019 to understand the main gaps in the needs assessment and development planning process from the perspective of subnational authorities and civil society.

Findings from the survey conducted in coordination with sub-national authorities note a set of governance and stakeholder participation challenges emerging from the rollout of the decentralization reform (see Figure 1). On the one side, local governments have struggled to adapt to the profound and rapid reorganization of structures resulting from the 2015 laws. In fact, local authorities cited the lack of or insufficient incentives (70%), financial (70%) and human resources (57%) as the top three bottlenecks to the operational effectiveness of the needs assessment process. On the other side, the bottom-up process to design local development plans has drastically transformed the way in which sub-national authorities interact with citizens. Ensuring the meaningful involvement of stakeholders in this process has notably faced key barriers with high levels of distrust (65%) and low levels of awareness and capacity of stakeholders to participate (63%).

Figure 1. Main challenges of sub-national authorities to engage stakeholders in the needs assessment process

Source: OECD (2019) Questionnaire for sub-national governments: Stakeholder participation in Jordan’s needs assessment process.

Most of these challenges were also highlighted by civil society (see Figure 2). Findings note that a majority of stakeholders consider the needs assessment to be a relevant process, but scepticism regarding its implementation yet remains. To illustrate, a majority of respondents noted the lack of trust (70%) and motivation (60%) as the main drivers of low participation. Beyond the willingness of citizens to engage, over half of respondents (57%) also attribute low degrees of engagement to the insufficient awareness raising of the benefits and available opportunities for participation.

Figure 2. Main challenges identified by civil society to engage stakeholders in the needs assessment process

Source: OECD (2019), Questionnaire for Civil Society: Stakeholder participation in Jordan’s needs assessment process.

Therefore, addressing existing gaps concerning both governance and stakeholder participation issues will serve as a basis to identify future avenues for support. There is a general acknowledgement of the benefits of decentralization, but there is yet road ahead to equip local governments for the successful deployment of the needs collection process. This report therefore takes stock of the progress achieved since the 2017 local elections, and identifies the challenges and opportunities ahead for sub-national governments.

Based on the extensive data collected, the OECD provides the Government of Jordan the following recommendations to mainstream the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation beyond the national level.

Good Governance Enablers in the Needs Assessment Process

The introduction of the 2015 Decentralization laws drastically transformed the structures, work and responsibilities of public institutions at the Governorate and Municipal level. The rapid speed and scale of this process, however, has exacerbated challenges in operationalizing new structures, consolidating formal procedures and meeting citizens growing expectations to participate in and contribute to local development policies. While the Government of Jordan has achieved great progress in implementing previous recommendations from the OECD (2017) report, findings reveal room for improvement to:

Clarifying the overall structure and organization of the Needs Assessment Process

Formal governance structures are key building blocks enabling actors, processes and outcomes to reach desired objectives. Acknowledging these benefits, the Government of Jordan has progressed in consolidating structures with the introduction of elected and non-elected councils at the Municipal and Governorate level. These structures in a majority of subnational entities (80%) have a dedicated person, unit or department in charge of stakeholder participation initiatives for the collection of needs.

Nevertheless, findings reveal a series of challenges to ensure the operational effectiveness of these structures. First, the exact roles and responsibilities between local, municipal and governorate actors are blurred, lack detailing and are not codified. Second, there is a need to clarify the relationship between members of Executive Councils and Governorate Councils for the development of local plans and budgets. Third, existing guidelines for the preparation of needs lists could be complemented with trainings and resources for stakeholders to carry out technical tasks in the context of the needs assessment process (i.e. consultations, cost benefit analysis and evaluation).

Ensuring greater multi-level coordination and transfer of information via the Needs Assessment process

As in most OECD countries, Jordan has developed formal and informal co-ordination mechanisms at the national level in the framework of the decentralization reform. Nonetheless, horizontal and vertical mechanisms have yet to be developed at the subnational level. The transversal nature of the needs assessment process offers new opportunities to solidify working relationships between local actors, establish formal procedures and align capabilities to share information. This will be particularly relevant to promote intra-governorate alignment on the work of elected and non-elected councils. To this end, the Government could consider the creation of informal thematic networks to align development projects, share lessons learned and promote the exchange of good practices.

Fostering an effective strategic planning cycle in the needs assessment process

Jordan has gradually established a robust multi-level strategic planning framework. At the national level, the Jordan 2025 Vision and the Renaissance Plan guide policy reform. A bottom-up approach to subnational planning was adopted with the Decentralization reform, where Governorate and Municipal needs manuals inform the design of each governorate strategy and executive plan. In 2020, the “Tanmiah Tool” was introduced to support the strategic management of the needs assessment process at the level of each governorate.

For the strategic planning process at the local level to reap its full benefits, the Government could transition from consulting on needs to co-creating plans with local stakeholders. This is all the more important, as OECD survey data revealed that close to a third of subnational governments consider that stakeholder contributions are not fully reflected in Governorate plans. Beyond the development of strategies, efforts could also focus on improving the link between local development projects, their financing, implementation and evaluation to inform subsequent planning cycles and better reflect local needs in national policies.

Strengthening the capacities and skills of public servants to conduct stakeholder participation activities in the needs assessment process

As the decentralization reform transforms the work of local authorities, it will be critical to ensure adequate levels of staffing and capabilities to engage stakeholders in local decision-making processes. In Jordan, a lack of human resources was selected as one of the top challenges in the needs-assessment process (57%), followed by bottle necks in terms of establishing necessary mechanisms (57%) and capacities (46%) within institutions. These findings align with those in regards to training, where despite their existence, public officials highlighted difficulties to carrying out technical tasks for the needs cycle. The Government of Jordan could thus focus on developing a more systemic approach to ensuring the coordination, relevance and sustainability of trainings reflecting on different skill levels across Governorates.

Ensuring the continuity of participation initiatives through dedicated financial resources

Adequate levels of financing within sub-national authorities are a sine qua non condition for the real decentralization of power to the local level, to support the increasing role of subnational entities in the delivery of many crucial services. As in many OECD countries, challenges in Jordan underline low levels of available funding for local development projects within governorates. OECD data revealed that in 2019 only 13% of respondents had a dedicated budget for the needs assessment process and only 2% for participation activities in general. Allocating dedicated funds would not only strengthen the capacity of GDUs and LDUs to engage with local communities, but would also incentivize the regularisation of stakeholder participation activities.

 

Recommendation	Key Activities	Responsibilities	Outputs
Clarifying the overall structure and organization of the Needs Assessment Process	Map the needs assessment process and codify the specific roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder involved.	MoLA and MoI	Codified roles and responsibilities for local, municipal, and governorate authorities. Guidelines developed for implementing and monitoring local development plans. Trainings conducted for stakeholders in project management and M&E.
	Differentiate tasks of stakeholders in Municipal, Executive and Governorate Councils, as well as for LDUs and GDUs.	MoLA and MoI
	Clarify functions and sub-tasks regarding the four main stages of the needs assessment process, namely planning, budgeting, implementing, and evaluating for each level of government.	MoLA and MoI
	Disseminate relevant information to stakeholders in each of the 12 governorates through the creation of a centralized information repository where all guidelines, training calendars, and other relevant information can be found.	MoLA and MoI
	Include concrete procedures and instructions in existing guidelines for local development units to standardize activities throughout municipalities and governorates, such as required quarterly hearings or annual evaluation reports.	MoLA and MoI
Ensuring greater multi-level coordination and transfer of information via the Needs Assessment process	Establish procedural requirements to foster multi-level coordination, including mandating local, municipal and governorate councils to make publicly available their needs list documents as well as publishing a follow-up report on the needs assessment, budget allocations, and the status of implementation of local projects.	MoLA and MoI	Publication of needs lists and monitoring reports. Informal thematic working groups created Periodic meetings of local, municipal and governorate officials.
	Include representatives from Local and Municipal Councils in regular meetings between the Governorate and Executive Councils.	Governorate Councils
	Establish formal sub-national co-ordination mechanisms, such as a yearly forum between local authorities or thematic communities of practice, in order to share experiences, lessons learnt and to identify common challenges and opportunities in pushing the decentralization agenda forward.	MoLA. MoI and MoPIC
Fostering an effective strategic planning cycle in the Needs Assessment process	Ensure the reflection of local needs into governorate and national development plans in order to strengthen the technical capacity of GDUs and LDUs to support the participatory nature of the process.	Governorate councils in coordination with MoPIC, MoI and MoLA	Trainings conducted for GDUs and LGUs. Adoption of the Adat Altanmyah tool. Adoption of the Tanmiah System across local, municipal and governorate entities
	Strengthen the link between the development of plans, their financing and their implementation. The government could also consider formalizing or regularizing the evaluation of plans to support this process further.	MoPIC
	Support the transformation of the strategic planning process at the sub-national level from the collection of wish lists to the creation of a more structured approach through innovative forms of stakeholder participation that promote co-creation.	MoPIC. MoLA and MoI
Strengthening the capacities and skills of public servants to conduct stakeholder participation activities in the needs assessment process	Map skills gaps across the 12 governorates in order to better adapt trainings to the needs of local governments.	MoLA and MoI	Trainings conducted for stakeholders in project M&E, needs assessment processes, and consultations. Catalogue and/or online repository of training materials developed.
	Design and implement a series of technical training modules to ensure the necessary capacities and skills at the governorate and municipal levels exist to carry out the needs assessment process.	MoLA and MoI
	Provide technical and specialized trainings to GDUs and LDUs, in particular on how to carry out stakeholder participation related initiatives in the context of the needs assessment process. Trainings could also focus on building and managing a number of transparency and accountability tools, such as open data portals, citizen budgets, community planning and participatory budgeting.	MoLA and MoI
	Explore potential partnerships with other stakeholders, such as NGOs and donors, who also provide trainings related to participation at the local level in order to create synergies, including with the Institute of Public Administration.	MoLA and MoI
	Develop a catalogue of existing trainings and disseminate it across the 12 governorates in close coordination with NGOs.	MoLA and MoI
Ensuring the continuity of participation initiatives through dedicated financial resources	Map the present and future financing needs to set realistic budget limits for each governorate based on available funding, national and regional priorities, local needs, and results from previous budgetary allocations.	MoLA and MoI	Development of medium-term resource cash flow assessments at sub-national level. Established dedicated budget lines for conducting Needs Assessment activities.
	Allocate and standardize a dedicated budget line in each governorate to carry out participation activities, both in the framework of the needs assessment process and beyond.	MoF
	Map the existing pool of external sources of funding that could be leveraged to fund opportunities to engage with stakeholders, build capacity to carry out these activities, ensure sectorial studies match with the proposed needs/projects, etc.	MoLA, MoI, MoPIC and MoF

The role of public communication in supporting the needs assessment process at the subnational level in Jordan

Public communication can bridge the divide between subnational governments and citizens by transforming the way in which these actors interact in the design of local development plans and budgets. Beyond simply serving to disseminate information, this function can help establish a two-way dialogue with the public, raise awareness around key reforms, change behaviours and impact the policy making process.

The Government of Jordan could consider the following analysis to leverage the contribution of public communication to promote the principles of transparency, integrity, accountability and stakeholder participation across the needs assessment process:

Establishing a more strategic communication approach for local governments

In Jordan, subnational administrations interact regularly with citizens as part of the process to collect needs, but evidence revealed that public communication is carried out on an ad hoc and informal basis. For instance, public communication plans in 69% of Municipal and Governorate entities are not in written form, formalized or widely distributed. A focus on strengthening communication structures, modernizing communication capacities and addressing uneven levels of skills will be critical to support a more strategic communication approach between government and citizens. Indeed, coordinating communication initiatives across and within Governorates could also help local authorities speak with one voice to avoid contradictory messaging and promote internal information sharing.

Strengthening implementation efforts around the Access to Information (ATI) right at the subnational level

While Jordan was the first country in the MENA region to adopt an ATI law in 2007, efforts could be expanded at the local level to equip institutions with the necessary knowledge, tools and skills to proactively share information on the needs cycle and more broadly. On the one side, findings suggest that information on final local development plans, lists of approved needs or calendars of participation initiatives could be made available in an easy, clear and understandable format for the public. On the other, the effective implementation of this right will also require formalising procedures for Municipal and Governorate entities to respond to information requests and prove technical assistance for their effective deployment. There is an opportunity at present to solidify the country’s strong commitment to guaranteeing this right by targeting local actors within commitments in future Open Government Partnership (OGP) national action plans (NAPs).

Promoting the proactive disclosure of relevant, clear and timely information on the process and results of collecting needs

For the needs assessment process to successfully integrate citizens in the local development planning process, the Government could leverage public communication as a tool to promote transparency and raise awareness around key activities, procedures and results. This is all the more important, as OECD data revealed that two thirds of local authorities attribute low levels of participation in the needs cycle to the lack of awareness of stakeholders around this process. This finding aligns with those from OECD survey results showing that a large share of civil society was not aware of the criteria used to define priorities for local investments (77%), results communicated (83%) or needs funded in the plan (90%). To this end, providing timely, relevant and accessible information in this regard can help combat feelings of scepticism around the decentralization reform and in turn support the ability of stakeholders to meaningfully contribute to local development plans.

Developing a more sophisticated use of communication channels according to the needs and preferences of different audiences

Establishing a two-way communication approach requires governments to understand the needs, perceptions, fears and habits of different audiences to deliver more effective messages. At present, subnational authorities and the public generally agree that social media platforms, formal letters, emails and phone calls are the best means to communicate on the needs assessment process. Nonetheless, for these channels to achieve their desired objectives, local authorities should progressively aim at tailoring messages to different age, demographic and interest groups. The selection of channels should also consider the needs and habits of different audiences, such as those from vulnerable segments of the population in Jordan who may not have internet access or may have low levels of digital literacy.

There is an opportunity at present to leverage the interactivity benefits of social media platforms to engage stakeholders across the needs assessment process, given its popular use by local authorities (72%) and citizens (73%). With a large share of the population aged below 30, subnational governments could open dedicated spaces for the online participation of youth to promote their inclusion in the design of local policies. Nonetheless, to reap their full benefits, a set of social media guidelines could be developed to promote a more strategic use of these platforms.

 

Recommendation	Key Activities	Responsibilities	Outputs
Establishing a more strategic communications approach for local governments	Develop a written communication plan based on audience insights to institutionalize communication activities, build awareness and buy-in efforts within government, and support the monitoring and evaluation of communication activities.	Governorate and Local Councils	Development of written communications plan for Needs Assessments activities Develop a national communications strategy for the decentralization process Trainings conducted to modernized communications capabilities Adopt tools for improved coordination.
	Develop a national communications strategy for the decentralization process, to clarify how to inform citizens of the available opportunities for participation, the overall process of the needs assessment, its progress and impact achieved.	MoLA, MoI and MoSMA
	Build the capacities of local civil servants to ensure they have the skills to communicate effectively with stakeholders throughout the phases of the needs assessment process (i.e. data analytics, social media use and online participation methods, etc.).	MoLA, MoI and MoSMA
	Develop a communication manual or a set of guidelines to help standardize procedures, clarify roles, and promote a more coordinated approach between the three levels of government.	MoLA, MoI and MoSMA
	Coordinate messages and communication activities between local and governorate levels using new digital platforms – such as Trello, Slack and WhatsApp – to facilitate internal communication between government stakeholders from local, municipal and governorate levels.	LDUs and GDUs
	Improve the coordination of actors and public communication activities at the local level.	Local Development Councils
Strengthening implementation efforts around the Access to Information (ATI) right at the subnational level	Clarify the rules and procedures around how public institutions categorize and share information, as well as the information flows with citizens.	Open Government Unit in MoPIC and National Library	Development of a one-stop-shop/portal for information sharing Adoption of implementation protocols to respond to ATI requests.
	Promote the proactive disclosure the needs assessment results and the approved list through coordination with the National Library to increase the quality and frequency of data shared with the public.
	Consider expanding the scope of existing ATI commitments in the country’s open government agenda to explicitly target local actors.
Promoting the proactive disclosure of relevant, clear and timely information on the process and results of collecting needs	Clarify and publish the criteria for selection of budget priorities from the early stages of the needs cycle.	Governorate Councils	Publication of section criteria for budgeting and results of final/approved LDPs and budgets.
	Facilitate the process of communicating results and impact to citizens, which in turn could help raise awareness and buy-in regarding the decentralization process.	Governorate Councils
Developing a more sophisticated use of communication channels according to the needs and preferences of different audiences	Map audiences and employ a diverse range of communication channels to reach a variety of stakeholders to reflect different needs and media consumption patterns.	Subnational authorities, GDUs and LDUs	Development on online spaces for participation. Development of social media guidelines. Development of tailored communications products and trainings.
	Use social media to communicate with citizens, including social media guidelines, capacity building of public communicators, and the development of new and relevant skills to match users’ needs.	Sub-national authorities as well as MoLA/MoSMA/MoI.
	Develop a specific engagement plan tailored to the needs of different segments of the population, based on demographic factors and regional needs, including sharing information with vulnerable segments of the population.	Sub-national authorities as well as MoLA/MoSMA/MoI
	Develop a specific engagement plan with youth, making use of social media platforms, to increase their participation in the design and delivery of local development plans.	Sub-national authorities as well as MoLA/MoSMA/MoI

Stakeholder Participation in the Needs Assessment Process

Following the adoption of the Decentralization laws and the establishment of elected and non-elected councils, the Government of Jordan has achieved key milestones in placing citizens at the heart of the local development planning process. Notably, the Government reinstated its commitment to prioritizing stakeholder participation at the subnational level, acknowledging it as an important pillar of its national vision – the Renaissance Plan (2019 – 2020). Moreover, it consolidated efforts to engage local communities as part of this reform with dedicated commitments in the country’s 3^rd and 4^th OGP NAPs. Engagement around political reform for decentralization has also advanced in the framework of the country’s National Dialogues.

Despite the progress achieved in terms of opening the decision making process for local development plans, there is room to leverage participation to better inform, consult and engage stakeholders. To this end, the Government of Jordan could consider:

Promoting stakeholder participation throughout the needs assessment process

The cyclic nature of needs assessment process in Jordan represents an opportunity for subnational authorities to integrate a wide diversity of stakeholders in the design of local policies and services. To ensure that outcomes respond to citizens’ expectations, participation could be further mainstreamed throughout all phases of identifying local needs, drafting governorate plans, implementing development initiatives and their evaluation. At present, OECD evidence revealed varying degrees of participation across this process, where most initiatives focus on the collection of needs but diminish in the validation and approval stages of local development plans. Ensuring the co-creation of plans with stakeholders could help secure buy-in, as OECD data suggests that only 20% of civil society felt contributions were reflected in final plans and 53% considered that this was unclear.

Enhancing opportunities for consultation and engagement at the local level

To mainstream participation in the needs assessment process, the Government of Jordan could transition from consulting needs toward establishing a co-creation process for local development plans and budgets. While the consolidation of participation activities by LDUs has advance following the 2017 local elections, these are conducted on an ad hoc basis and their representativeness vary across large and small governorates. In fact, OECD data found that less than half of responding civil society stakeholders have participated in the needs assessment process. To counter disengagement in public life, OECD evidence suggests that efforts could focus on addressing existing challenges hindering the involvement of stakeholders, including the lack of trust, lack of awareness and lack of communication around the decentralization reform.

Building mechanisms to support stakeholder participation at the local level

The creation of new participation opportunities in the needs assessment process alone, however, will not ensure the relevance and legitimacy of local development plans. For their successful implementation, the Government of Jordan could consider the development of mechanisms in the form of standards, guidelines and formal procedures for local, municipal and governorate actors. Moreover, efforts will also be needed to ensure the ability of citizens, civil society and businesses to participate in the development of local development plans. With the advent of the new draft local administration law, there is also an opportunity to consolidate an enabling environment for stakeholder participation activities through their acknowledgments and formalisation therein. This would also be an important step toward establishing a culture of openness and continuous learning, as has been done through existing platforms such as the National Dialogue.

 

Recommendation	Key Activities	Responsibilities	Outputs
Promoting stakeholder participation throughout the Needs Assessment process	Increase the scope of activities for citizens to participate throughout all the stages of the needs assessment process, in particular at the drafting and validating phases of local development plans.	LDUs and GDUs	Development of participation opportunities for the drafting and validation of LDPs.
Enhancing opportunities for consultation and engagement at the local level.	Consider the development of participatory commitments in selected governorates, which can be included in the next OGP action plan.	MoPIC Open Government Unit	Consolidation of consultations with municipal and governorate public officials. Adoption of mechanism to monitor participation. Inclusion of participatory processes in selected/pilot governorates. Development and dissemination of consultation guidelines.
	Building on the experience of Salt, consider expanding its current OGP collaboration to engage several municipalities in the OGP Local Programme.	MoPIC Open Government Unit
	Coordinate joint consultations with citizens and municipalities on the transferred document of needs, for example, to increase ownership and buy-in.	LDUs and GDUs
	Assign clear institutional responsibilities for stakeholder participation for local, municipal and governorate actors, including LDUs and GDUs.	MoI, MoLA, and MoPIC
	Develop and adopt a mechanism for governorate and municipal entities to document the levels of participation in local activities.	MoI, MoLA, and MoPIC
	Consider adopting engagement practices such as citizen panels, planning cells and other deliberative processes.	Local, Municipal and Governorate authorities collecting needs
	Consider the inclusion of provisions to institutionalise consultations and other participation related initiatives as part of the ongoing reform of the Local Administration Law.	MoLA and MoI
	Develop a set of consultation guidelines aimed at all government stakeholders focused on: (i) How to engage stakeholders at each stage of the needs assessment process and map processes and opportunities for participation; (ii) How to ensure representativeness and diversity of stakeholders and establish criteria to identify stakeholders; (iii) How to validate inputs by citizens; and (iv) How to communicate throughout the process and about results to maximize impact.	MoPIC open government unit together with MoLA and MoI
Building mechanisms to support stakeholder participation at the local level	Develop a set of criteria or standards on how citizens can develop their list of needs, which can be included in the manual shared with municipal stakeholders by national authorities.	MoPIC open government unit together with MoLA and MoI	Development of standards guidelines, and procedures. Outreach activities conducting to improve the awareness of CSOs on the means available to contribute to the process.
	Design and carry out more capacity building modules aimed at providing civil society organizations with the appropriate tools, guidelines and skills to leverage their important role throughout the process.	MoLA and MoI
	Expand on the National Dialogue to develop a formal multi-stakeholder platform to promote an open dialogue between government representatives, civil society, private sector and citizens from different local communities. The platform could take the form of an innovation lab or an informal network of mayors to share best practices, reflect on lessons learned, identify common challenges and solutions to promote stakeholder participation	MoLA and MoI