Keeping It Local
Tags: Caribbean, International Development, Local Government, Community, Haiti

Domestic resource mobilization is key to better public services

In December 2020, the GERÉ project agreed to work with five communes in Haiti’s North and Northeast departments — Pignon, Saint-Raphael, Caracol, Cap-Haitien, and Ouanaminthe — as part of a USAID and local authorities’ collaboration to help improve local governance. The purpose: To help these municipalities build their capacity to collect and manage resources, improve internal controls and auditing, and increase public service delivery for citizens.

A key component of this program will build upon USAID’s previous work with local municipalities in Haiti to strengthen their ability to collect local taxes in order to boost resources for local services. This will include helping these municipalities update their CIVITAX system, a web application previously developed with USAID support. Now used in over 40 communes throughout Haiti, it helps manage property taxes and communal budget data. CIVITAX promotes more efficient use of resources collected at the local level by optimizing the management of taxpayers’ property taxes invoices, patent revenues, building permits, mapping, and submission and validation of the communal budget.

USAID is collaborating with targeted communes to increase tax collection and develop participatory budgets. Such a budget will help the communes prioritize public services by taking into account the population’s needs and priorities.

Increasing Citizen Engagement to Ensure Community Buy-in

While getting local municipality buy-in is critical, active participation of municipal taxpayers is also essential.

Stenley Bastien, leader of a local youth organization named Pignon Youth Movement (PYM), decries the lack of transparency by local authorities regarding what the municipality does with the collected taxes. “Without transparency,” he says, “people don’t trust our leaders, and without trust, they won’t pay taxes.”

A staff training session for Pignon City Hall workers to learn how to use video equipment donated by USAID. / GERE/RTI International

To ensure community buy-in, GERÉ helps connect the municipalities to organizations like PYM. It supports local outreach and public hearings to promote accountability and exchanges between local authorities, civil society, private sectors, and citizens on which services the municipalities should provide to the population.

PYM was thrilled to discuss the challenges of their hometown and the part that they could play to improve citizens’ lives.

“We want to support the municipality to make positive changes in the commune, provide the needed services, especially collecting and managing waste, so that we can sell a more positive image of Pignon,” says Genel Joseph, who is in charge of communications for PYM.

As part of the GERÉ project, USAID has also partnered with VIAMO, a global social enterprise specializing in mobile engagement for development, to foster greater outreach to the general public. VIAMO will use a mobile phone campaign to send messages to citizens promoting local civic engagement and educating citizens on issues, such as the role of elected officials at the community level, municipal services, citizen engagement, the importance of collecting local taxes, and the communal budgeting process.

“Municipal governments can be a driving force for local development and building strong, vibrant communities,” USAID/Haiti Mission Director Chris Cushing said. “USAID is proud to support local municipalities in Haiti to build their capacity to mobilize local domestic resources and engage with their citizens, so they can deliver the key services the Haitian people deserve.”