Third promotion of leaders trained in governance and political management

The third version of the Governance and Political Management Program ended with a simultaneous ceremony for 122 new graduates in the Bolivian cities of Santa Cruz, La Paz, Cochabamba, Oruro and Potosí. The program was created to improve the efficiency of municipal government.

This initiative, which has been under way in Bolivia since 2002, is part of the CAF Governance Program, which uses the design and methodology of the Graduate School of Political Management of George Washington University with local support from Del Valle University.

The closing ceremony, which was held in the Hotel Yotaú in Santa Cruz, was attended by CAF Governance Director Elvira Lupo; Director of the Political Management Program of George Washington University Graduate School, Luis Raúl Matos; and Del Valle University Rector Gonzalo Ruiz.

In the three versions held so far in Bolivia, 300 people have been trained including mayors, councilors, chairman of vigilance committees, departmental directors, municipal technical teams and leaders of organizations that work with municipalities. These local leaders have improved their knowledge of economic, political and social issues with an integrated approach to development processes in their communities which combines the art and science of politics with the technical instruments of management.

The CAF believes that democratic systems in Latin America should be strengthened through support for consolidation of solid institutions, whose leaders are motivated by democratic, ethical and service values, and where citizens have appropriate spaces for participation. This conviction led to the creation of the Governance Program which has operated successfully in Andean countries.

The graduation of this third group of municipal officials is an important achievement for the CAF Governance Program in Bolivia and represents an important contribution to a participative administration based on development through consensus. The decentralization processes under way in Latin America require trained leaders and support teams qualified for the efficient performance of their functions and powers.

In the three editions of the "Governance and Political Management Program" held in Bolivia, the participants in the course received training, advice and accompaniment in areas such as improvement of tax administration, creation of more efficient mechanisms of accountability and fiscal control, and design of instruments for citizen participation in budget formulation. With the high quality of the program, the very latest knowledge reached the mayors of even the remotest places in the country.

The courses dealt with four central themes: practical training in critical areas of the everyday work of municipal governments; strengthening of leadership from a rational and ethical point of view; conflict management; and creation of networks to achieve common objectives.

Following the success of this program, which was launched in 2002 in Bolivia, the Corporation repeated the experience in all the countries of the Andean region with the aim of achieving the participation of all actors in civil society, municipal leaders and the support teams. The formation of a critical mass of actors with a strategic sense and the capacity to settle disputes and build consensus, strengthens institutional development and improves the levels of governance of the countries of the region.

The CAF Governance Program covers four complementary areas of action: the Ethics and Transparency for Development component promotes ethical conduct among social actors to prepare them for the accountability and social control that will legitimate their actions. The Institutional Strengthening chapter stimulates the development of government institutions and procedures capable of offering an efficient response to the demands society.

The Decentralization and Citizen Participation area is designed to strengthen and train municipal leaders and support teams to carry out their responsibilities more efficiently. Finally, the Leadership for Transformation chapter was conceived to identify potential leaders in the region, prepare the way for a new leadership style by enriching their value systems and equipping them with the tools needed to assume future leadership responsibilities imbued with a profound ethical, civic and democratic spirit.