Citizen Participation for Responsive Governance in Honduras

Challenge

Politics in Honduras remain deeply divided following a presidential overthrow in 2009. Honduran civil society has not been immune to these fractures and political debates. Nevertheless, though challenging, this context presents opportunities for the civil society sector as well as the public sector. Although the political environment has contributed to significant social polarization, the public focus on corruption, transparency and accountability of government is favorable for strengthening civil society efforts to control and combat corruption.

Promise

Citizen Participation for Responsive Governance increases government transparency and accountability by improving the ability of the civil society sector to monitor public institutions. The program supports citizens, especially youth, in their efforts to prevent the drug crimes and gang violence that plague many communities. Through this approach, we:

• improve the effectiveness of civil society to advocate for government transparency and accountability;
• improve the capacity of government to tackle its challenges relating to transparency and accountability;
• improve the capacity of the social sector to provide coordinated, comprehensive responses to changing security needs;
• improve the capacity of municipal governments to provide effective crime-prevention services;
• expand opportunities for community-led initiatives.

Our work focuses on seven target municipalities: Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Choloma, Choluteca, La Ceiba, Santa Rosa de Copán and Tela.

Impact

• Trained 1,883 government officials on how to combat corruption.
• Trained 405 government officials on citizen security and reducing gender-based violence.
• Equipped more than 1,000 leaders from 36 colonias to form 72 youth and community groups working to reduce violence and improve health, education and economic well-being.
• Helped launch the Legal Assistance and Anticorruption Complaint Center, which enabled 210 citizens to formally register complaints of corruption.
• Led 104 civil society organizations in anti-corruption advocacy interventions, including trainings on accountability, audits on government performance and the distribution of information about transparency laws.
• Provided vocational training to 7,675 citizens through local youth and community groups.
• Trained 503 community leaders in community crime prevention.

Sustainable Development Goals Addressed

Partners

Funder: United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Collaborators: International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL); Management Systems International (MSI); Federation of Development Organizations of Honduras; Center for the Investigation and Promotion of Human Rights; Social Forum for the External Debt of Honduras.