Citizens' Charter National Priority Program

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Citizens’ Charter

A ‘Citizens’ Charter’ is a document setting out the service entitlements of citizens. It is usually a government document that lists out a set of public services and/or the standards with which they will be delivered, guaranteed to the citizens by the government, often with the right of redress on occasions where a public service is not provided or fails to meet the agreed standards. Citizens’ Charter is a document which represents a systematic effort to focus on the commitment of the government towards its citizens in respects of standard of services, information, choice and consultation, non-discrimination and accessibility, grievance redress, and efficiency. Some versions of Citizens’ Charters also include a section on the obligations of the citizens to the state in relation to the services/ standards in question.

CCNPP and CCAP for Afghanistan

The Citizens’ Charter National Priority Program (CCNPP) is an initiative of the Government of Afghanistan. The Project Development Objective (PDO) for the CCNPP is to improve the delivery of core infrastructure and social services to participating communities through strengthened Community Development Councils (CDCs). Most of these services have clear minimum services standards that the Government is committed to delivering to the citizens of Afghanistan. As such, the Citizens’ Charter is a promise of partnership between the state and communities. It is a foundation stone for realizing the Government’s development vision. The program is a whole-of-government effort to end fragmentation, bring people together to collectively address their development needs and contribute towards unity. The Charter is a commitment to provide every village and urban communities in Afghanistan with basic services, based on community prioritization. A key aspect of the Charter is the use of unified village and urban community-level budgeting and financial reporting so that communities can oversee their own development goals, the quality of service delivery, and report grievances. The Charter will promote inclusive development and accountability at all levels. It will give a voice to vulnerable groups such as women, returnees, and the poor.

The CCNPP is expected to cover a 10-year period starting in late 2016, divided into 3 phases. The first phase will be for four years from late 2016 to late 2020. The second and third phases will be for three years each. The CCNPP will cover some of the most basic services (with defined standards) for the Ministries of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), Education (MoE), Public Health (MoPH), Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), and the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG).