Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh

Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh:

Бүгднайрамдахчуудын олон улсын хүрээлэн

Дэлхий даяар ардчилалыг бэхжүүлэх

A Manual on Town Halls

For Bagh-Level Officials Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Contents Disclaimer...... 3 Introduction...... 3 The International Republican Institute...... 4 IRI in Mongolia...... 4 I. Constituent Engagement...... 6 Benefits of engagement...... 9 Your role as an elected official...... 9 II. Engaging through town hall meetings...... 10 Choosing a town hall meeting format...... 11 Open forum...... 12 Issue-specific forum...... 13 Open House format...... 14 Panel format...... 14 Representative town hall...... 15 Media-focused roundtable...... 15 Determining how questions will be asked...... 16 III. Organizing your town hall meeting...... 17 Five steps to get started...... 17 During the meeting...... 20 Do’s and don’ts while participating in town hall meetings...... 23 Effectively using media...... 24 IV. After the town hall...... 26 V. Appendices...... 30 Appendix 1: Town hall event checklist...... 30 Appendix 2: Sample town hall agendas...... 33 Appendix 3: Sample constituent outreach log...... 37 Appendix 4: Constituent sign-in sheet...... 39 Appendix 5: Feedback Survey Template...... 40 Appendix 6: Case study: Jordon...... 43

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Disclaimer Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of this pub- lication. The information in this manual is for educational and discussion purposes only. When disagreements arise between the content in this document and the Mongolian Con- stitution, laws, resolutions and regulations take precedence. Introduction The International Republican Institute recognizes that democracy is about more than elections – lasting democratic systems require leaders that govern in an accountable, re- sponsive manner. Since its democratic transition, Mongolia has continued to undertake a series of political reforms. Most notable has been the movement from centralized power to a more diffuse, decentralized governance system. IRI has a long history in Mongolia and has been working with Mongolians since its democratic transition in the 1990s. Currently, IRI is assisting local officials to better manage the new responsibilities bestowed on them by the New Budget Law (NBL) of 2011, which came into effect in 2013, aimed at improving the legal budget framework with increased decentralization and citizen participation in the budgeting process. This manual serves to provide an introduction to the im- portance of constituent outreach in your bagh along with practical guidance on the best ways to organize and conduct town hall meetings. We hope that you will find this manual useful as a starting point to improving citizen participation and engagement in your bagh and help you in your critical role as a representative of your constituents. As representatives who are the closest to those you represent, your role re- mains key to ensuring Mongolian’s continued success as an example to other countries in the region and beyond of democratic governance.

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The International Republican Institute IRI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advances freedom and democracy worldwide by developing political parties, civil society, civic institutions, open elections, democratic governance and the rule of law. Since 1983, IRI has conducted programs in more than 100 countries and, along with the Women’s Democracy Network, is currently active in more than 75 countries. The Institute receives funding through grants from the U.S. State Department, U.S. Agen- cy for International Development, the National Endowment for Democracy, a number of European foundations and aid agencies such as the United Kingdom’s Department for In- ternational Development (DFID) and other Western countries, and the United Nations. IRI’s network of field offices and long standing relationships with local partners enables the Institute to rapidly design and implement programs that respond to a multitude of political environments, including post-conflict contexts, around the world. IRI in Mongolia Mongolia is one of the few countries in Asia that boasts dynamic institutions of democracy. Mongolia embarked on its democratic path in 1989 with widespread public support for democratic reforms and began its transition to a democracy in 1990. Throughout this 21-year period, Mongolia has created and strengthened democratic institutions, including the national legislature, the judiciary, political parties and civil society. IRI has supported the development of democratic practices and democratic governance in Mongolia since 1992. IRI’s long-standing presence in Mongolia has enabled the Institute to establish a reputation as an expert organization willing to work with all political parties and civil society or-

4 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls ganizations, both in Ulaanbaatar and at the grassroots level in provinces across Mongolia. In recent years IRI has shift- ed its focus to assist the parliament and local governments in public opinion analysis and civic engagement in order to improve the responsiveness of government and participation of citizens at the local level. IRI’s democratic governance program focuses on improving local government responsiveness to citizen priorities; developing mechanisms for meaningful, inclusive and participatory decision-making at the local level; and en- hancing the ability of local public officials to advocate to authorities at higher levels of government. IRI’s experience and knowledge is used to achieve the following goals with local officials at the provincial level (aimag), county level (soum) and town level (bagh): improve local government responsiveness to citizen priorities; develop mechanisms for meaningful, inclusive and participatory decision-making at the local level; and enhance the ability of local public officials to advocate to authorities at higher levels- ofgov ernment. Through these programs IRI also increases citizen engagement by connecting citizens, political parties, local governments and the State Great Hural (Parliament). As a part of its program, IRI has provided a series of training workshops and consultations on constituent outreach and the New Budget Law (NBL) along with convening a taskforce formed by local government officials and citizens to address community concerns and play a more effective role in the policy making process at the local level.

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I.Constituent Engagement Constituent engagement is part of the process with which government officials develop relationships with citizens to promote civic involvement, increase public awareness and respond to constituent needs. It is a critical part of a representative’s responsibility to constituents. Through outreach, representatives can be accessible, engaged and address deeply felt needs. A useful tool for conducting outreach and understanding constituent needs and priorities are town hall meetings. Town hall meetings are forums that connect citizens with their elected officials to enable the two factions to dialogue face-to-face about issues affecting the community. These events are open to the public, fostering a positive environ- ment for all citizens to share their questions and concerns, thus holding government representatives directly accountable to take action and respond to their constituents’ needs. In turn, elected officials gain a better understanding of citizens’ priorities and are allowed the opportunity to explain their own efforts, the impact of their past work and their plans for future improvements within their jurisdiction. Figure 1: Mongolian government structure Mongolian government

21 aimag Capital (province) Ulaanbaatar

329 soum 9 district (sub-province)

1568 bagh 152 khoroo (sub-district)

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Mongolia is a unitary state with a central government and three levels of subnational governments. Currently, there are 21 aimags with 329 soums, and 1568 baghs. The capital city comprises nine districts with 152 khoroos. According to the Constitution, the administrative and territorial units of Mongolia are organized on the basis of combination of both self-governance and state administration. As a result, Mon- golia has a dual system in which the administrative and territorial unit has both a governor and a local council. Citizen Hall The Citizen Hall Initiative was started in 2009 by President El- begdorj and his advisors based on examples from more developed democracies. It provides citizens and civil society organizations an opportunity to participate in the law-making process. Citizen Hall meetings have largely taken place in Citizen Hall chambers – rooms located in subnational government buildings that have been solely dedicated for this purpose. The initiative has involved discussions on draft legislation, legislative amendments, the state budget, policy debates, public hearings and an annual ‘town hall’ meeting with the president. Although the Citizens Hall meetings are administered at the soum and aimag levels of government, the initiative is overseen and managed by the Office of the Presi- dential. The Presidential Office sets agendas, receives public- rec ommendations, administers the debates and hearings, and reports outcomes to the public. The citizens’ hall uses all types of social media (website, Facebook, twitter) and broadcasts major debates. Events are usually attended by parliament members, government officials and experts. By October 2013, Citizens’ Halls have been established in each of the provinces, all of the districts in Ulaanbaatar, and the capital city itself, 283 in total with 48 more planned, mostly in the eastern aimags. Citizens’ Halls are mostly run by the secretariat of the local citizen representative offices. The majority of these halls follow the handbook, Local Self-Governance based on Citizens’ Par- ticipation (2010). Copies of this handbook can be obtained from http://www.president.mn/mongolian/sites/default/files/it_nom.pdf

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Decentralization has continued to play an important role in Mongolia’s reform agenda. The New Budget law (NBL) of 2011 provides a path of decentralization, which requires that bagh level officials conduct constituent outreach via public forums and town hall meetings and pass on public feedback to soum and aimag level officials. Bagh elected officials have a responsibility to elicit public input and articulate citizen demands to higher levels of government in order to advocate on behalf of their constituents. Specifically, this information should inform the- annu al budget planning process by the Citizen Representative Khural (CRK), subnational legislatures, at the aimag and soum levels. In addition, bagh representatives can utilize this information to inform the use of Local Development Funds, also known as Soum Development Funds, which are separate from annual budgets. Furthermore, the Citizen Hall Initiative, started in 2009 by President Elbegdorj, provides one mechanism for citizen participation and engagement with politicians and policy-makers that can be utilized by bagh government officials. Bagh representatives are currently expected to conduct town halls on a quarterly basis, but may want to hold public forums more frequently. Depending on the local context and needs, informal town hall meetings can be held every few weeks to continue to listen along with providing feedback on how citizens’ views are being advocated for at higher levels of government. Why should government officials consider holding more frequent public forums? As part of a comprehensive constituent engagement strategy, public forums can: • Create a link between government and citizens

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• Build trust between government and citizens • Provide opportunities for government to convey information to citizens • Empower citizens to take an active role in government activities • Increase “buy in” by citizens into government decisions Benefits of engagement Citizen government engagement has the potential to benefit both government and citizens. Beyond the potential benefits listed above, regular discussion and engagement can provide specific information and strengthen the social con- tract between those who govern and their constituents. Supply-side (government): • Identification of priority issues • Improved accessibility of government to citizens • Strengthening of legitimacy of government Demand-side (citizens): • Better understanding of government structure and services • Ability to speak directly to government • Ability to provide input into decision-making • Ability to hold government accountable Your role as an elected official It is important for government officials, especially those who are elected, to understand they hold public office in order to carry out the following two functions: Serving the individual – In a representative democratic system, the elected official has a primary responsibility to serve citizens whom they represent. As part of this responsibility, the official must make efforts to be accessible to the individual, not only citizens as a group. This is important, as individual constituents will likely have requests or needs

9 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls that differ from others in the community. Serving the community – In addition to serving the individual, and irrespective of whether they were elected in a single mandate district or from a party list, an elected official must also be available to represent the needs ofthe community as a whole. This includes civic organizations that represent a variety of issues affecting the citizenry, or private enterprises that have interests within the community. II. Engaging through town hall meetings A town hall meeting is an important tool to inform citizens about emerging issues, gauge where a community stands and identify and implement solutions to a problem. They are an effective way to get your message across to the public, generate news media coverage, jump-start community planning efforts and identify issues that matter to your constituents. Town hall meetings are forums for citizens to express their views as opposed to an opportunity to just conduct regular bagh level government business. These meetings offer an opportunity for citizens to provide feedback to government officials on the most pressing and concerning issues that face them. Town hall meetings, like all constituent engagement activities, can serve a range of purposes. Typically, they most often facilitate the middle three stages of the citizen-government engagement continuum.

Collabo- Announce Listen Discuss Empower rate

Adapted from IAP2 Listen – Government officials explain an issue, policy or program to constituents in an accessible, relevant manner to better enable constituents to understand government actions and, through their questions and comments, understand the

10 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls perspectives and ideas of each constituent. Discuss – Allows a two-way information exchange, so that government gains a deeper understanding of ideas and concerns of individual citizens, while citizens learn about the government’s perspective on an issue. Collaborate – Facilitates greater interaction between government and citizens leading to partnerships that involve the community in the entire process, including identifying potential solutions or courses of action, defining alternatives and determining the citizen-preferred solution. Further, town hall meetings can benefit citizens and government by facilitating accessibility to government officials and information. Often town hall meetings provide citizens with their first-ever opportunity to interact with elected officials, obtaining important, unmediated information about the officials and their work. These events serve to jumpstart the process of give-and-take between citizens and officials, encouraging mutual engagement on key issues. They can also improve governmental accountability and responsiveness by encouraging direct and honest conversation between citizens and elected officials. Town hall meetings create an environ- ment in which citizens are empowered to express individual or group concerns with the knowledge that their government representatives have heard their needs and ideas. From the perspective of the government officials, learning the most pressing issues of the community allows government to act more efficiently, produce more meaningful results and ward off criticisms of neglect, corruption or political prejudice. Choosing a town hall meeting format Town hall meetings can use a variety of formats, which will depend on what you are trying to achieve and the pref- erences of the community. Irrespective of which format you

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Town Hall meeting in Umnugobi, September 2013 choose, there are a few critical factors that need to be taken care of to ensure a successful town hall meeting. These points will all be covered in the next section, “Organizing your town hall meeting.” Open forum A common format for town hall meetings consists of an introduction by a moderator who serves as the “master of ceremonies” (akin to ad hoc or informal chairperson), followed by a short welcome by the ranking government official and a period of open comment by constituents in attendance. For open forums where no specific topic was pre-identified in the advertisements or by the moderator, having a range of department heads from the bagh will be important as constituents may have questions or comments about the full range of policies and services of the bagh. Where possible, the department heads or the mayor should answer direct questions but information given should be kept short to allow many constituents to participate. At the conclusion of the forum, the moderator should briefly review

12 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls the topics covered during the forum and the ranking government official should outline how the information gathered will be reported back to other departments and utilized. This format may be the easiest to organize, as it does not require government officials to have prepared presentations – keep in mind that they will still need to come with basic information they believe constituents might ask about – but it also has the least structure, which could lead to frustration amongst constituents interested only in very specific issues or who may perceive the event as “disorganized”. In addition, it may be difficult to encourage citizen participation at an event without a pre-determined agenda. Issue-specific forum Town hall meetings that address a specific, targeted issue typically begin with a short presentation by a ranking government official about that topic – this official may bethe mayor or the presentation may be made by technical advisors who deal solely with the issue at hand. If a department head is presenting, it may be advisable to also have the may- or present at the meeting. So long as the presenter is comfortable, that person may also serve as the moderator given their expertise on the subject. If the presenter is an issue expert, it is important that the presentation be easy to understand by members of the general public not familiar with the topic. Avoid jargon related to the topic and provide background information necessary to understand the presentation. Following the presentation, questions, feedback and comments should be taken from constituents in attendance. Employing this format will likely attract constituents interested in the particular issue identified – however, advance notice of the focus of the event and targeted advertising will be necessary for success. Should constituents attend that

13 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls are interested in providing feedback about other issues, they should be directed to the proper public forum or government office but heard with respect.

Open House format A variation on the issue-specific forum is the open house format, where the government sponsor of the meeting has prepared a series of posters or presentation boards on a specific issue and placed them throughout the meeting space. In an open house format, meeting participants are able to walk around the room and read or learn about governmental proposals or designs. Participants are also able to provide their ideas or responses on the boards, creating a dialogue between participants and government officials. An open-house format is usually used to supplement a more traditional issue-specific meeting and a portion of the meeting time is al- located for the open house and the rest is presentations from issue experts. The open house format allows for a more informal interaction between issue experts and the public, while still creating space for productive community feedback. Panel format Another common format is a briefing by a panel of three or four people, typically a mix of civil society representatives and government officials and a moderator. The panel discussion typically lasts approximately 30-45 minutes and is followed by a 30 minute question and answer period. Al- ternatively, following the presentations, attendees could be broken up into small groups that discuss the perspectives presented for approximately 20 minutes and the event could conclude with short presentations from these small groups and a discussion amongst attendees and presenters.

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This format is quite flexible depending upon the goals of the officials. If consensus about a specific policy or program is sought or if the issue at hand is particularly com- plex, utilizing small group discussion groups may be advisable. However, small group discussions will require a skilled facilitator to ensure that groups stay on target and that time is well managed. If officials want constituents to consider a range of perspectives and give feedback on all of those perspectives without necessarily coming to consensus then the question and answer option may be more relevant. Representative town hall In cases where citizens’ groups already exist, whether issue specific or covering a range of issues, it may be useful to hold a representative town hall. Whereas the other town hall formats are open to any constituents’ comments, a representative town hall takes place with only specific civil society and citizens’ groups as participants. All constituents are able to attend, but only the groups chosen to be representatives are able to hold the floor. The format can follow any of those listed above. Using this format may be of particular use when dealing with issues where technical expertise is required – however, it is absolutely critical to ensure that all perspectives are included on the issue at hand, otherwise those whose views were not heard may deem the town hall meeting as self-serving or illegitimate. Additionally, the expectations of the town hall meeting using a representative format must be clearly explained in the advertisement of the event as well as at the beginning of the forum. Media-focused roundtable Should the bagh be interested in ensuring that local jour- nalists adequately understand a government policy or pro-

15 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls gram, a possible public forum format is a media roundtable. This would typically include two to four panelists who bring different viewpoints to the issue. They have a moder- ated discussion designed to highlight the issue and then take questions from reporters. Reporters are the primary audience for a media roundtable. These media roundtables can be held in a small setting such as an office conference room or a classroom. Given the targeted audience, these public forums need not be widely advertised to the public but the event should be open to any who are interested. Determining how questions will be asked In addition to determining the format and flow of the event, it is critical to determine how constituents will want to provide their input. For some, asking a question or making a comment in public, in front of their neighbors and elected officials, may be too intimidating. Consider having a few options that allow the widest range of constituents to participate. Depending on the topic, participation in the meeting can be held in numerous ways, including: • Participants are divided into groups where they summarize the key issues they are facing • Individuals each write their issues on pieces of paper. Here you will need to prepare a small piece of paper for everyone to write their concerns but very briefly as there will be many comments to consolidate This will require having a few volunteers at hand to sort and categorize comments received. The mediator can read them out or summarize a few at a time. • Open floor discussions where the moderator introduces and facilitate the meeting so that everyone who raises their hands to speak gets equal time

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• Using issue relevant exercises and/or worksheets. For example, meeting participants can help identify funding priorities by choosing among a pre-determined selection of programs. III.Organizing your town hall meeting Preparation is key to an effective town hall meeting. Cit- izens and civil society groups that are attending the meeting will not always be on your side and support what you have to say. There will always be people who criticize you and are against you, so preparing for the town hall meeting is crucial. The topics and issues to be discussed should be studied carefully as people will ask difficult questions. If you are not able to answer those questions, it is an opportunity for your opponents and detractors. In addition to preparation on the meeting topic, a certain degree of organiza- tional preparedness is needed, such as ensuring that meeting announcements are sent, the moderator is informed of his/ her duties, and that the meeting minutes will be recorded. Five steps to get started To help you get started on planning your town hall meeting, we’ve outlined some basic key steps for you to think about: 1. Analyze the needs of the community where the meeting will take place to ensure the elected officials in attendance possess the credentials necessary to address citizens’ likely concerns 2. Coordinate the event details: arrange for a time/date and venue, invite all relevant officials, visit the venue to guarantee it is suitable and prepared, confirm all details regarding the venue and event with key stakeholders and the elected officials 3. Meet with department heads and staff relevant to the

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discussions of the town hall meetings and panelists beforehand to establish expectations about the event 4. Utilize various forms of promotion (e.g. word of mouth, media, flyers) to announce the event to the community; Invite where appropriate multiple media representatives (e.g. T.V., radio, newspapers) to cover the event 5. Prepare the necessary documents for distribution at the meeting (e.g. agenda, evaluation forms, contact information for the host organization and the elected officials) The success of your town hall will be dependent on a variety of factors, but organization and planning will make the process more smooth and position your town hall for success. Identify the objectives of the meeting A well-planned town hall meeting begins with a clear purpose. The tone, format and activities will depend upon the goal of the meeting. No two town hall meetings are alike. Town hall meetings that seek to listen to citizens require that government officials first present their position or proposed policy/program and seek feedback whereas government officials intending to discuss a specific issue will be more participatory. Meetings that intend government and citizens to collaborate on a decision-making process require deeper discussion, prioritization and evaluation of potential solutions/outcomes. Timing and location are critical Finding the appropriate location is an important step in the planning process and should be determined as early as possible. In addition to the ease of access, location can set the tone for the town hall meeting. Politically neutral build-

18 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls ings, such as the local bagh government building, community center, local school or university or public libraries may be ideal. Similarly, the event date and time are equally important, particularly as it pertains to the inclusion of women. Chosen dates should avoid significant competing community events or major family-oriented holidays such as Naadam. When selecting a time, consider typical work and school schedules as well as the schedule of those who are responsible for household upkeep. Arrange for an event moderator It is crucial that each event has a moderator who will keep the discussion orderly and on schedule. Moderators may also help to ensure citizens do not grow disorderly and no one’s question or comment is unfairly silenced or overlooked. Moderators should be well aware of the discussion topic and the presenters or the officials. The panelists should be introduced at the beginning of the meeting as well as the rules of the meeting such as how many minutes the speakers have for presentations, how many minutes citizens have for comments and questions and that when speaking, people should use proper language, not attack another person’s reputation and that all should focus on the topic. It is very important for the moderators to get the contact information of the citizens that are giving comments/asking questions. For the subsequent follow-up meetings, these contacts should be invited so that citizens can be in a position to gauge whether the town hall meetings are efficient and effective mechanisms for communicating with their elected officials that citizens’ concerns are being respond- ed to. Moderators should be careful when asking questions or drawing conclusions of participant comments or speech- es and they should remain neutral. If constituents ask ques-

19 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls tions and raise comments unrelated to the meeting topic, the moderator should ask questions to redirect the conversation to the topic. This is one of the reasons why the moderator should be knowledgeable of the discussion topic. Staff your event A key step in your town hall meeting planning is to identify people who will help out on the day of the event. Some- one should be assigned to handle requests from the media; to greet and seat members of the audience and panelists; to distribute materials; to record comments and questions from the audience; to manage equipment set-up or to handle any other important logistical matters. This person doesn’t need to be a paid staff member; it’s a great job for a volunteer! Record the event’s details At each meeting it is important to record a list of all attendees, if possible take high quality photographs of the event and arrange for someone to take the event’s minutes in order to capture the participants’ ideas and concerns, as well as the elected officials’ responses and promised outcomes. It is also helpful to distribute and then collect evaluation forms among the citizens to gauge their thoughts about the event. These materials will be needed to compile an accu- rate, compelling “after action report” on the proceedings of the event and to help improve future events. (see feedback survey below) During the meeting As a public official, always be cognizant of and thankful for the participants who have chosen to participate in civic affairs. The moderator or the ranking government official should introduce the agenda of the meeting at the beginning of the meeting and the relevance of this particular town hall meeting. Participants should be made to understand that all

20 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls comments, feedback and points of view are welcome. Be prepared for questions and comments, even though you may not like them, be respectful towards them. You must always be a good listener and not judge people from the outside, whether their ethnicity, gender or position. It is crucial to have a structure for the meeting and to follow it strictly. If follow up meetings are to be scheduled, try and attempt to schedule them during the current meeting. If there are questions that require more lengthy answers, invite interested constituents to remain after the meeting has conclud- ed so the information requested can be provided. Should there be information requested that is not readily available, a promise to follow-up directly with the constituent should be made and that constituents’ contact information be recorded. Room setup To ensure a successful event, assign volunteers and staff to different tasks. Depending upon the style of the town hall meeting, different ways to set up the room are appropriate. Events that encourage discussion may benefit from round tables, whereas more presentation-focused events should use row seating. Tables, chairs, podiums, equipment and visual displays should be ordered well in advance and confirmed prior to the event. Data collection Knowing how many constituents attend is critical – this information can help government gauge constituent interest in issue-specific town hall meetings as well as the success- fulness of the initiative in the medium term. Having a sign- in sheet (and reminding participants to sign in periodically throughout the meeting) will provide this invaluable information that can facilitate follow-up activities and plan future meetings. The sign-in sheet should include contact informa-

21 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls tion such as mobile telephone numbers and email addresses. (see appendix 4) Hand-outs At the sign-in table, you may want to have agendas and other information pertinent to the issues being discussed, future town hall meetings or other ways for constituents to interact with government. Consider including hand-outs that provide background information on the discussion topic. Providing unbiased, factual material will help ensure that constituents have a basic understanding of the issue and are better prepared to productively engage in the meeting. Feedback survey Consider using a short, written, anonymous feedback survey to gauge citizens’ satisfaction with the town hall. These surveys can be short and easy to fill out – and should be collected before constituents’ leave the meeting. If they are given out, be sure to tabulate the results and let constituents know at the next meeting if you have made any changes based on the survey. The feedback questionnaire needs to be short with only 3 to 4 questions at most such as: 1. Did the town hall meeting meet your expectations? 2. Did you receive the information you needed? 3. Were you able to provide your comments and concerns? 4. How would you make the town hall meetings more effective? Write a follow-up report For the benefit of those who could not attend as well as to serve as reassurance to constituents that they have been heard, using the meeting minutes and any decisions agreed upon during the meeting, write a report containing pictures of the meeting. This report should be posted on the information board and kept as a record for the Citizens Repre-

22 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls sentatives Khural. Through the report, constituents that were unable to attend will get information about the meeting and decisions made. Reports can also be uploaded on the local websites. This will increase the trust of constituents and transparency of your actions. Do’s and don’ts while participating in town hall meetings • Do ensure that as many stakeholder groups as possible have been notified about the town hall. • Do not show up with a large group of handlers and assis- tants that try to insulate you from the public. • Do arrange for an event moderator who will keep the discussion orderly, on schedule and that no question or comment is unfairly silenced or overlooked. • Do not advertise a town hall meeting and instead treat the meeting like a political rally or change the structure to mean that attendees will actually have to wait in line for a short private meeting. There is nothing wrong with either of those activities, but they should be advertised appropri- ately and truthfully. • Do use and introduce the meeting topics in a simple way/ language so that every one of the constituents understands. • Do not be dismissive or arrogant with your constituents. Government officials work to serve their constituents. If someone disagrees with you don’t cut them off and tell them they have had their chance fully articulate their position in a reasonable time and manner. • Do make presentations and PowerPoints/pictures big enough for the people furthest from the front to see and use charts, graphs and tables as much as possible rather than a screen full of words and paragraphs, in order to maintain the interest and attention of participants.

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• Do not allow participants (citizens or government) to be rude to speakers by interrupting them or shouting over them – whether or not you agree with what the disruptive participants are saying. • Do record meeting minutes, especially the comments and concerns of the constituents. Will be better if pictures are taken and videos recorded. Effectively using media

Town Hall meeting in Orkhon province, February 2014

The media is an important tool to use for informing the constituents who were unable to attend the town hall meeting as well as to advertise that the town hall meetings are held in a timely, honest and equal manner. Some soums and baghs do not have media outlets available. In these cases, it is equally informative and helpful for the public to get information from town hall meeting reports posted on information boards that are accessible to everyone. In addition, meeting participants can inform others who were unable to

24 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls come to the meeting in small towns (soums and baghs). In this case, the participants should get sufficient information of the discussed topic as well as hand-outs and materials prepared beforehand.

Other ways to promote your town hall Engaging with a wide range of civil society organizations can encourage wider attendance and participation. As appropriate, consider outreach to local schools/universities, businesses and religious organizations. Local newspapers and radio stations can be effective tools to spread the word about the town hall meeting and its proposed agenda. This can be arranged through the local government office and the speaker of the Citizen’s Representative Khural. Anoth- er cost-effective way to promote the meeting is by posting flyers, posters or banners in visible places such as schools, community centers, public deep well kiosks, restaurants, grocery stores or hospitals and on information boards of the Government/Citizens Representative Khural offices. Prepare media spokespeople It is also important to identify individuals who will serve as media spokespeople to provide comment for the press. These individuals could include government staff who can discuss the meeting topic and its relevance to the community, as well as citizens who can talk about the next steps that you will be taking as a result of your event. Citizens with great experience and expert/researchers relevant to the meeting topic should be invited as their comments and experience are crucial for the media and the meeting. It will be useful if the meeting minutes as well as results and decisions were written briefly and provided to the media if they are not present for the whole of the meeting.

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IV.After the town hall When the town hall meeting is over, the work isn’t – in fact it’s just begun. The information and knowledge gained during the meeting now needs to be disseminated to relevant government actors and acted upon. There are many ways to incorporate constituent priorities and needs into municipal plans, proposals and services, both formally and infor- mally. The results and findings from the meetings reflecting constituent comments can be put into a petition addressed to the State Great Khural, local governments, constituents and relevant organizations. In order to address citizen needs in the most Taskforces efficient and effective One way to continue to manner, government of- solve local issues with low- ficials must determine cost solutions that arise from the best course of action town hall meetings is to form for response. The course informal groups of citizens of action may take the through government-citizen form of government taskforces. These taskforc- action and/or commu- es can be composed of local nity action. Govern- government officials, citizens ment action may be the and civil society represent- development of policy, atives. Taskforces can meet introduction of legisla- frequently to discuss the cur- tion or enforcement of rent issues, find solutions current legislation, allo- and make plans to implement cation of resources, or these solutions. the issue being sent to another branch or level of government to be addressed. In community action the response may need to involve not only government, but also

26 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls key organizations within the community. In this case, other activities may be organized to further discuss the issue and identify solutions. Following the meeting, it is useful for a follow-up person or committee to remain in contact with the elected officials in order to monitor their work on the issues raised. A committee (working group) can be established consisting of constituents, CSO, and government officials where they will be willing to work on a voluntary basis on the topics discussed at the town hall meeting. Once the problems discussed have been resolved, it is the responsibility of the follow-up person or committee to document successes and inform relevant stakeholders as well as posting the success onto the local websites and information boards for the mass public. Conduct a debrief Shortly after the town hall meeting, gather key staff members, including those involved in your planning of the event as well as those in the departments that handle topics and issues that arose during the meeting. Discuss whether goals were achieved and expected and unexpected reactions and citizen feedback. Provide consultation to public officials on how to move forward on commitments that arose from discussion through strategic planning, resource management, etc. For staff that are engaged in planning the next town hall meeting or for staff that intend to hold a public forum in the near future, share with them the results of the immediate feedback survey. Develop and implement an action plan Ensure specific staffers are tasked with the responsibility to follow up on issues and commitments from the town hall. Consider what the next steps could be and develop an ac-

27 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls tion plan. Some possible ideas are policy recommendations, an advocacy campaign, information dissemination, or media outreach. It is not important to implement many activities at once but to prioritize the activities planned in a well-man- nered timeframe. Monitoring of action plans is crucial. A working group consisting of members of the legislature, constituents and relevant government or professionals can be appointed. In- cluding constituents in monitoring activities is most effective as they can report the implementation in the next town hall meetings. Constituents trust constituents more than elected speakers and officials. Implement capacity building programs If customer service or service delivery issues arose during the meeting, consider developing an internal capacity building program. These capacity building programs can be discussed with the President’s Citizen Hall authorities as they have all the relevant information on programs and pro- jects working in the field where the local officials can have access to capacity building trainings and technical assis- tance. Also, experience sharing with other Citizen Halls is a good idea. Communicating action Devise communication strategy to publicize government accomplishments, inform citizens that commitments were kept, and/or continue messaging on key themes highlight- ed during the town hall meeting. These can be announced publically through reports of the town hall meetings. The reports and information can be posted on local government websites and information boards. The recommendations disseminated to the government can be announced publically through the above mentioned

28 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls sources where it would be a great motivation for the constituents to attend and participate in future town hall meetings.

29 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

V.Appendices Appendix 1: Town hall event checklist A “how to” checklist for successful public meetings from concept to follow-up Setup • Define purpose and structure • Will the town hall begin with a presentation from the government official and then take questions or will the entire conversation be driven by constituents’ questions?

Options for structure: –– Reporting on specific programs/initiatives the government has implemented –– General thematic discussions such as: community safety/security, economic opportunities/job creation, trash collection/other municipal services, food insecuri- ty –– Issues targeted should be relevant to the community as identified by public opinion polling, focus groups or other participatory methods –– Open discussion, completely driven by citizen interest • Brief invited public officials on objective and expectations • Based on the structure chosen, identify appropriate elected officials • Officials should understand the range of topics they are expected to discuss, be willing to openly engage constituents and understand that CSOs will record their responses to use in future monitoring • Recommend that public officials bring support staff who can speak on select issues/subjects expected to arise in discussion • Identify location and time

30 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

–– Select centrally-located venue that is welcoming to all parties and conveniently located –– Choose a time for the event that will be convenient for participants Advertisement and Recruitment • Get the word out using safe and reliable methods of communication • In order to ensure a plurality of voices are heard, use a variety of avenues to publicize the event including, but not limited to: ––Posters in community centers and local government offices ––Radio and newspaper advertisements ––Civil society organization newsletters ––Word of mouth • Participants should be representative of diverse groups and opinions/parties so the avenues used to reach potential participants will need to be diverse as well • Media should be invited to the town hall and allowed to record the event so it can be made available for broadcast at a later time • Consider scheduling media interviews with elected officials and their staff Event logistics management • Assign one or two people to be in charge of all day-of logistics and ensure they have a team to support them. Issues to consider include: ––Proper seating, refreshments, microphone access, moderator etc. ––Contingency plan if more (or fewer) people show up than expected ––Record proceedings and assigning rapporteurs to

31 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

ensure proper records for follow up ––Picture taking ––Identify a moderator for the event, ensuring that they will: ––Keep to the agenda ––Act in a non-partisan and non-judgmental manner ––Know how to handle an unruly or unproductive participant During town hall meeting • Manage event flow • Ensure moderator is aware of the agenda and any potential time constraints • Facilitate orderly questions and interactions between public officials and constituents • Monitoring preparation and action plan development • Identify responsible actor for each issue (government, community, police, etc.) • Record all proceedings • Use exit surveys to ascertain correct participant count and anonymous feedback about the event • Consider small break-out groups • Assign groups an issue to discuss and submit recommendations/requests to public officials • Relevant public officials lead small group discussions • Collect feedback • Be prepared to give status report on issues discussed at next town hall

32 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Appendix 2: Sample town hall agendas

Below are three sample town hall agendas for your refer- ence.

Sample Town Hall Agenda 1

Suggested Activity Time Moderator: • Welcomes attendees and reviews event flow 10 minutes • Introduces focal topic/format and public officials • Describes procedure to ask questions/interact with officials Senior public official: • Gives introductory remarks to frame dis- 15 minutes cussion and set reasonable expectations for outcomes Moderator: • Open floor up to comments and questions Senior public official and supporting staff: • Respond to questions directed to their re- 45 minutes spective roles and responsibilities

33 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Senior public official makes concluding remarks: • Reiterate role of serving constituent concerns 10 minutes • Highlight major issue categories and detail first step of action (likely further research) • Indicate, if possible, future town hall meetings or other engagement activities If possible, government officials should remain after the conclusion of the meeting for more informal exchanges with attendees

Sample Town Hall Agenda 2 Suggested Activity Time Moderator: • Welcomes attendees and reviews event flow 10 minutes • Introduces focal topic/format and public officials • Describes procedure to ask questions/interact with officials 30-45 Presentations by panelists (10-15 minutes minutes each) Moderator: • Open floor up to comments and questions 30 minutes • Senior public official and supporting staff: • Respond to questions directed to their re- spective roles and responsibilities

34 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

35 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Sample Town Hall Agenda 3

Moderator: • Break up constituents into small groups 20-40 (no more than 10 people each) minutes • Circulate amongst groups to ensure they are discussing the topic at hand Small groups: • A representative from each presents their 10-30 groups’ perspective and questions for dis- minutes cussion

Senior public official makes concluding remarks: • Reiterate role of serving constituent concerns 10 minutes • Highlight major issue categories and detail first step of action (likely further research) • Indicate, if possible, future town hall meetings or other engagement activities

36 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Appendix 3: Sample constituent outreach log Below is a log that can collect and collate information from town halls and used to track follow up activities. This is distinct from the sign-in sheet found in Appendix 5 be- cause this sheet is used to track specific issues raised whereas the sign-in sheet just looks to track attendance.

If desired, this sheet need not record names or contact information unless constituents specifically request to be con- tacted again with additional information.

37 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

- Fol low-up Date of of Date Needed? Needed? Follow-up Follow-up Issue Age - der Gen Phone Phone Number City Last Name First First Name

38 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Appendix 4: Constituent sign-in sheet To be placed at the entrance of the town hall meeting space – ensure that a volunteer or staff member is on hand to encourage people to sign in, even if they do not wish to leave their name.

Complete Gender Town/ vil- Phone number name Male Fe- lage name Email (first and male last)

39 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Appendix 5: Feedback Survey Template Town Hall Participant Exit-Survey Please fill this form at the end of this session and leave it on the desk in your place. I would just like to ask you a few brief questions to get your views on the event you have just attended. This event is designed to bring citizens and government officials closer together, all the information you share with me will be used by to improve CSO’s activities.

1. What is your gender? ( ) male ( ) female

2. What is your age?

( ) 18 to 25 ( ) 26 to 35 ( ) 36 to 45 ( ) 46 to 55 ( ) 56 and up

3. What is your level of education?

( ) No education ( ) Some Primary Education ( ) Completed Primary Education ( ) Some Secondary Education ( ) Completed Secondary Education ( ) Some University ( ) Bachelor’s Degree ( ) Master’s Degree or higher

4. Have you attended a town hall meeting before attending this one?

( ) Yes ( ) No

40 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

If yes, how many have you attended before attending this town hall meeting?

( ) 1-2 ( ) 3-5 ( ) 6-9 ( ) 10+

5. How did you hear about this town hall meeting (select all that apply)?

( ) Newspaper ( ) Radio ( ) TV ( ) Word of Mouth ( ) Social Media ( ) Other: ______

6. How relevant were the issues addressed in this town hall meeting to you?

( ) Very Relevant ( ) Somewhat Relevant ( ) Not Relevant

7. What three issues would you like to see address in the next town hall? 1) ______2) ______3) ______

8. Are you confident commitments made by officials in this town hall meeting will be fulfilled? ( ) Very Confident ( ) Somewhat Confident ( ) Not Confident Please explain why? ______

41 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

______9. Do you feel this town hall meeting provided you with greater access to your elected officials? ( ) Yes ( ) No Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. Please provide any additional comments on the town hall meeting on the back of this form.

42 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls

Appendix 6: Case Study: Jordan Town hall meetings at the municipal level in Jordan are held in municipal buildings and are organized by mayors and their city councilors. To easily keep order and ensure that all participants could see each other and their municipal officials, they utilize row style seating for town hall- meet ings that typically occur between prayer times on either Sat- urday mornings or weekday evenings to ensure maximum participation of citizens. Citizens are welcomed into the municipal building, asked to sign in and are provided water if they desire. At the conclusion of the meeting, there will be refreshments offered as well to encourage informal mingling with public officials. When the town hall begins, they are welcomed by the mayor and the flow of the event is introduced by a moderator that is comfortable speaking in front of large groups who is known and trusted by citizens. Typically, the moderator is a member of one of the municipalities’ Citizen’s Committees and has been recommended by their peers for the position. A rapporteur from the mayor’s office records all of the statements made and all of the questions received throughout the event. Following the introduction, the Citizen’s Committee makes a 10-15 minute presentation (though the presentation is always given by someone other than the moderator) about the specific topic at hand. If they have already been engaged with the mayor or city council about the issue, they highlight the collaborative work done to date, otherwise they simply highlight the issue and what the Citizen’s Committee has been doing about that issue. Following their presentation, the mayor or a relevant technical advisor makes a 10-15 minute presentation about the same issue. In

43 Improving Citizen Participation and Feedback in Your Bagh: A Manual on Town Halls addition to describing their perspective on the issue and the steps the municipality is taking to address the issue, they highlight which government office, branch or agency is responsible for the components of the issue as well as how to contact the officials in charge. After the presentations are finished, the moderator opens the floor up to constituents in attendance for the next 45-60 minutes. While the moderator seeks to ensure that everyone is heard, they are responsible for keeping the flow of the event moving, even if that means they need to (politely) interrupt long-winded constituents. In some cases, people have already written their questions on paper provided by the municipality – in others, they ask their questions directly, using a microphone if the room is large. Mayors and municipal officials in attendance will then answer all questions received or, if the answer they seek isn’t readily available, direct the constituent to a staff member who will take down their information so that the mayor can get back to them with the information requested. At the prescribed ending time, the moderator concludes the event with the Jordanian anthem and a thank you from the mayor.