Participatory planning process City consultation workshop Baidoa, Bay Region Between 30, 31 of May and 2, 3 of June 2007

The Center for Research and Dialogue (CRD) has conducted four days workshop on City consultation between May 30 th and June 3 rd in Baidao. This workshop has supported by UN-Habitat under the sponsorship of European Commission (EU). The main objective of the workshop was to improve the city action plan of the coming ten.

The participants consisted of the stakeholders of Bay district, such as the Councilor, Traditional leaders, Women groups, vulnerable groups, Youth groups, Religious leaders, local NGOs, and Private sectors.

The first day of the workshop has opened by the deputy governor of Bay region, he addressed and encouraged the participants to work hard during the training. Then one of the GLTP trainers made a welcome speech on behalf of the CRD, UN-Habitat & the EC. After the opening the participants and the trainers introduced themselves each other.

After the opening session has successfully ended, the workshop training started with the presentation of the draft city profiling report which already prepared by CRD. During the city consultation process, the city profile has been used as the single resource throughout the problem identification process.

On the processes of the presentation of the city profile, the participants added, removed and commented on the contents of the city profile with a concentration on the spot analysis about the following areas in Baidoa:

1. Human & social resource
2. Economic resource (Financial resource)
3. Natural resource
4. Technological resource.

Also the participants attempted to share vision of Baidoa in the coming 10 years from that moment. After serious discussions on the city profile they decided to make working groups within the workshop, as each group was instructed to write statement and draw a picture which indicates their desired vision of the future of Bay with short slogan.

At the conclusion of the session, the trainers formulated a complete vision statement along with the strategic objectives and the slogan which all the groups agreed was ( If you endeavor will reach prosperity ) ( Reegaasileymee Rakaashee weeree)

Key lessons Learnt during the workshop

•  The city consultation workshop offered an opportunity for the wide range of Baidoa stakeholders to reflect on their efforts, to identify and prioritize problems and to develop new responses to these problems.

•  The participants gained skills in working together and breaking down existing social business, which has apparently allowed on the first time the poor and marginalized or weak groups to directly access the decision – makers in the district.

•  It promoted openness and transparency and created a positive environment for collective problem solving of their city.

Result Achieved:

The main success was that the workshop reached a common understanding of the factions promoting the city development as well as the obstacles in the way of their development:

•  The city consultation workshop offered an opportunity for the wide range of Baidoa stakeholders to reflect on their efforts, to identify and prioritize problems and to develop new responses to these problems.

•  It has proved to help breakdown previous soul banners between stakeholders from various clans and additionally belonging to different affiliation and visibly served equity objectives by giving many groups, such as the poor, a genuine golden opportunity to participate in the city consultation process of their city.