Forum aims to address community participation

 A FORUM on ways to achieve effective community participation will be held at the University of Natural Resources and Environment in Northern tomorrow. 

It is hosted by the Consultative Implementation and Monitoring Council (CIMC). The theme is “Revitalising the districts of Papua New Guinea: Achieving effective community participation for quality and sustainable public services”.

CIMC executive officer Wallis Yakam said it was to “stimulate discussions and promote how the community or citizens could be actively and meaningfully involved in the development process at the district level”.

It will promote the idea that:

• Access to information is key to make rural development participatory;
• Openness to planning and management as well as implementation enhances the spirit of community ownership and sustainability of development projects;
• Rural development is to alleviate poverty therefore active involvement of the poor in decision making is crucial to ensure their needs are well accommodated in development projects;
• Community is empowered by relevant information to be community watchdogs for public expenditure; and
• A set of action-oriented recommendations is produced from the 100-plus invited participants and interested members of the public.