Promoting Citizen Participation in Public Policy (SN0012)

What is the public issue that the commitment will address? There is a growing trend towards greater public involvement in the development and implementation of public policies. In general, citizen consultations are often carried out in the framework of public policies formulation. However, it should be stressed that the level of citizen participation in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policies is still weak. For example, the Senegalese Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) evaluation report reveals that nearly 50% of citizens believe that certain important segments of society, such as young people, women, and customary and religious authorities, are not sufficiently involved in development policies. Many public policies are defined and steered at central level, without any real participation of territorial actors.

What are the objectives of the commitment? The main objective of this commitment is to strengthen citizen participation in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policies. Specifically, the aim is to strengthen: • the technical capacities of territorial actors in terms of public policy formulation and monitoring; • the territorialization of public policies.

How would the commitment contribute to solving the public issue? The commitment will contribute to enhancing greater transparency and trust between the Government and citizens on the use of public resources and accountability. It will also contribute to the territorialization of public policies.

Why is this commitment relevant to the OGP values? This commitment refers to the values and principles of transparency, citizen participation and accountability. 42

Important activity with a verifiable deliverable Agenda Start Closure 1.Carry out a diagnostic study on the participation of territorial actors January 2022 June 2022 2. Strengthen the technical capacities of territorial actors on the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of public policies January 2022 December 2023 3. Raise awareness on the issues of citizen participation of territorial actors in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policies January 2022 December 2023 4.Systematize citizen consultations in the framework of public policy development January 2022 December 2023 5.Set up a national platform for the collection of grievances regarding citizen participation in the development and implementation of public policies (e-participation) and for the monitoring of public policies Janvier 2022 Décembre 2023 6.Popularize the national deconcentration charter January 2022 December 2023 7.Revitalize the Civil Society Commission on Public Policy Janvier 2022 Décembre 2022 8.Publish periodic citizen reports on public policies Janvier 2022 Décembre 2023

Action Plan Review

Commitment 12: Strengthening Citizen Participation in the Formulation, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Policies

Results Report

Commitment 12. Strengthening Citizen Participation in the Formulation, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Policies

The main objective of this commitment was to strengthen citizen participation in the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policies. Specifically, the aim was to strengthen: (i) the technical capacities of territorial actors in terms of public policy formulation and monitoring and (ii) the territorialization of public policies.

The IRM researcher did not have sufficient evidence to assess implementation of this commitment. No evidence was available in Senegal’s OGP repository. [34] The IRM researcher did not receive a response to their requests to speak with the commitment holder. [35]

The Regional Governance Cells established by DPBG in Saint-Louis, Fatick, Kédougou, Sédhiou, Dakar and Kaffrine in 2023 [36] were flagged as an initiative that contributed to the commitment’s aim. Civil society participants received training on evaluating and monitoring public policies. However, these predominantly took place after the implementation period. [37] Additionally, this initiative was not carried out by the implementer for commitment 12 and was therefore considered to be outside the scope of this commitment.

[34] Senegal Open Government Partnership Google Drive repository. https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1_PqF2HqZB6MUihJjL9fGGDzSNbffyGbd

[35] The IRM researcher requested information from the OGP Point of Contact for Senegal by email on October 6, 2023 and on WhatsApp on December 1 and 6, 2023 in order to to get in touch with the commitment holder. The IRM researcher did not receive contact information for the commitment holder.

[36] Promoting good governance: Dakar has its Regional Governance Unit. Le Quotidien. 2023. https://lequotidien.sn/promotion-de-la-bonne-gouvernance-dakar-a-sa-cellule-regionale-de-gouvernance/

[37] Information provided to IRM during the prepublication review period. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1mmEa-JOuR1GlBGY0mCI9HFYz9JwXRzvB