|
 |
|
|
 |
| |
|
 |
Summary
With funding from CIDA’s Canada-Southern Cone Technology Transfer Fund, CUI worked with the Gobernación Departamento Central (the regional government with responsibility for the periphery of the urban region of Asuncion) to strengthen the capacity of its constituent municipalities to manage local affairs in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. Running from 1997 to 2000, the project focused on land-use planning, transportation planning, municipal management, local economic development and environmental impact assessment. Participating local governments included the Goberierno Departamento Central and the municipalities of Areguá, Guarambaré and Luque.
Funding Agency:
Canadian International Development Agency (Americas Branch, Canada-Southern Cone Technology Transfer Fund)
Timeframe:
1997-2000
Geographic Focus:
The geographic focus of the project was the outlying areas of Paraguay’s national capital region of Asunción. This region is considered the industrial motor of Paraguay and has been under intense development pressures.
|
|
|
Want more information?
For more information, contact the CUI’s International Programs Office at cui@canurb.com |
| Tackling the challenges of environmental restoration: Paraguayan partner local authorities worked with CUI to explore options for the cleanup of Lake Ypacaraí (Areguá, Paraguay, 1998) |
|
|
|
|
| |
Project Partners
The Program was undertaken in partnership with the Gobernación Departamento Central (GDC), a regional local government unit that was then newly established within Paraguay’s national capital region. Other partner organizations included three pilot municipalities: Areguá, Guarambaré and Luque. Civil society groups within the pilot municipalities were also closely involved in the project’s strategic planning, capacity development and demonstration project activities.
On study tour in Canada: Paraguayan regional and local government officials see first hand how municipal recycling works in Ontario (Toronto, 1999) |
Background
Following the overthrow of the authoritarian government of General Stroessner in 1989, Paraguay began a peaceful though cautious transition to democracy. In 1991 for the first time in the country’s history, local governments were democratically elected. With the adoption of a new constitution in 1992 and the passing of laws to govern departmental and municipal administration in 1994, Paraguay began a process towards decentralization of authority. Under this new system, departmental governments were granted the authority to undertake regional planning. In this same framework, municipalities were given the responsibility for a fairly wide range of activities including territorial planning, development control, urban design, local economic development, heritage conservation, environmental and natural resource management and accessing international and national private and public credit. Although the local authorities were given these wide-ranging new responsibilities, they did not have the technical capacities to effectively deal with the range of complex challenges facing them. In addition, most Paraguayan local authorities had no experience in involving the public in the decision-making process.
Project Description
The goal of the project was to support Paraguay’s decentralization process by facilitating effective and efficient local governance through a transfer of Canadian urban management expertise. Its purpose was to support the Central Department in its initiatives to strengthen the capacity of its constituent municipalities to manage local affairs in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. The project achieved all planned activities and several unanticipated ones, despite the challenges of a highly politicized local government environment and the low capacities within the pilot local governments at the time of project start up.
Key accomplishments include:
 |
Through the participatory formulation of strategic development plans for three municipalities and one regional government, the project helped local governments to establish a democratic process for setting priorities that recognize community imperatives for sustainable development while taking into account limited financial and technical resources. The pilot municipalities now have the framework, capacity and know-how to undertake future official development planning to grow the economy, stimulate job creation and alleviate poverty. |
|
Through the implementation of community-based demonstration projects, the project pioneered new methods of establishing municipal-civil society partnerships for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of local initiatives. The project contributed to strengthening civil society’s capacity to work with local government and facilitated a dramatic increase in the level of civil society involvement in local government affairs. |
|
The project upgraded the technical skills of local government professionals and the organizational support framework of municipalities in the areas of municipal management, strategic planning, tourism planning, economic development, territorial planning, project development and management, group facilitation, transportation planning, tourism planning, small and medium enterprise support and environmental/social impact assessment. |
|
The project, as a "pilot" initiative, developed model approaches to local government strengthening that can benefit Paraguay as it continues its reforms toward democratic governance and decentralization. |
|
The project established linkages and opened up a wide set of possibilities for cooperation between Paraguayan and Canadian local and regional governments and the private sector. |
Approach
The project had three sets of inter-related activities:
|
Establishing a process for formulating and implementing a strategic development plan in each of three municipalities within the Central Department. |
|
Promoting stakeholder involvement in three municipalities within the Central Department. |
|
Upgrading of technical and organizational skills in three municipalities within the Central Department. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
