Access to information about the performance of governmental bodies is one of the main rights of citizens, and providing easy access to such information is a direct function of respective governmental bodies and a large aspect of public service.

During the joint meeting of the Legislative Chamber and the Senate of Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan on 12 November 2010, the President of Uzbekistan, reiterated the importance of continuing efforts towards deepening democracy by enabling mechanisms for the involvement of citizens in the political and social life of the country. Despite many positive changes public sector reforms have already brought for the social, economic and political life of the country, communication between civil society, media and governmental organizations still needs improvement. The government prioritizes strengthening the relationship between the citizens, media and governmental authorities.

One approach to establish effective communication between citizens, media and governmental organizations is to institutionalize such mechanisms by establishing well-functioning information centers at all levels of governmental organizations.

Government information centers ensure the existence of two-way information flows between governmental organizations, the media and local society. They play a vital role in encouraging local communities to participate in discussions and involving citizens in decision-making, particularly on issues of national and regional importance, such as regional development strategy. This also increases the reputation of local khokimiyats, strengthening the trust and support of local society.

The UNDP “Local Governance Support Project: Participation and Partnership” (LGSP) is assisting six khokimiyats in the project’s pilot regions, Jizzakh and Namangan, to establish Local Government Information Centers (LGICs). They will bridge the existing gap between supply and demand of information on the activities and performance of local authorities. The total budget of this initiative is US$200,000, raised by LGSP as additional funds from the UNDP Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund.

This initiative includes capacity building for employees of the LGICs. This education encompasses both strengthening the institutional mechanisms and advancing the individual capacities of LGIC employees to raise the level of transparency of the local government. The first capacity-building training programme for employees of the six newly established pilot LGICs took place on 10-13 November, 2011 in Tashkent.

The training sessions covered various topics, such as: key goals and activities of LGICs; challenges in running LGICs; best foreign and UNDP practices on the performance of governmental authorities and their means of information sharing (press-releases, success stories, news, information on official website, etc); working with mass-media,; legislative foundations for LGICs; the public face of the government agency; access to public information; preparation of accurate and reliable information using participatory research methods like brainstorming, SWOT, and Delphi analysis; insight into business communications; interviews with media representatives; and public speaking, among others.

The LGIC press-secretaries participated in individual and group exercises, presentations and role games, focusing on the different methods of provision of information to the public. On the last day they participated in a workshop on using modern media equipment (professional video and photo cameras, voice recorders, special equipment for audio and video editing), which were procured and transferred by LGSP.

The LGSP team believes that knowledge and skills acquired during the first capacity-building training programme will serve as a foundation for the LGIC employees in their role to deliver quality and up-to-date information about the activities and performance of respective khokimiyats of Jizzakh and Namangan regions to the public and interested parties. The anticipated dates of the opening ceremonies of LGICs are between 6-9 December 2011.