Strengthening the Institutional Capacity

Project Document

Project Definition

The Project provides the People’s Assembly with a set of services which will enhance the Assembly’s relationship with the government and the executive bodies, including ministries and governorates, and strengthen the relations with the international parliaments. It also enhances communication between the Assembly and society by creating new mechanisms, including electronic interaction through the Assembly’s website.

The Project also supports and develops the skills and performance of the administrative and technical staff of the Assembly Secretariat by developing systems for managing the human, financial and technical resources to enhance the institutional capacity of the Assembly. On the other side, the Project contributes to the development of the mechanisms of the legislative, monitoring and representing functions of the elected members, and the mechanisms of the parliamentary committees and the systems of research and consulting through enhancing and developing the use of information technology (IT) in various functions and services of the Assembly.

The Project uses national expertise and cadres, and encourages regional and international parliamentary exchanges to reach its objectives in supporting the institutional capacity of the Assembly.

Phase II Objectives and Activities

• Enhancing the relationship between the Assembly and society

Activating communication with the citizens and enabling them to contribute effectively in the legislative decision-making process through:

-      Developing the Assembly’s website for easy communication of the citizens with the Assembly and members, by creating a page within the website that contains a brief profile for each member (electoral district, number of cycles, parliamentary committees of which he/she is a member, adopted legislations and issues, etc).

-      Creating an electronic link to the websites of friendly parliaments and useful sites related to parliamentary work, which contain comprehensive information about various countries.

-      The ability to access some documents within the archives of the Assembly (which contains over 10,000 documents).

-     Uploading video recording of some sessions on the website.

-     The ability to access the committees’ reports on draft laws.

-     Enabling the citizens to subscribe to periodic e-newsletters of the Assembly.

-     Creating an e-form for expressing opinions on the bills and to vote for some issues raised by the Assembly.

-     Enable the citizens to follow up their complaints, and know the answers by e-mail.

-     Issuing publications (reports, studies, releases, etc.)

-     Assembly acquainting visits by some actors (universities, institutes, etc.) within a timetable determined by the Assembly.

• Enhancing the relations with the government and executive authority

Holding workshops on:

Consolidating the relationship between the legislative and executive authorities, was held on 11/3/2011.

-     Preparing a booklet about the above mentioned workshop with a CD copy, and distributing it to the participating parties.

-     Holding a seminar (for the members of the Budget and Accounts Committee) entitled, “Mechanisms of Discussing, Adopting and Monitoring the Implementation of the General Budget”.

• Improving the performance of the Administrative and Technical Body of the Assembly

-     A documentary and acquainting brochure about the Assembly is being prepared to include the legislative, administrative and heritage aspects since its establishment, entitled (The Syrian People’s Assembly, Heritage and People’s Memory).

-     Developing the performance management system by linking it to incentives and compensations.

 Holding some training courses for the employees at the Assembly on:

-     Journal editing skills for those working in the Press Office and the Public Relations, 5–15 June 2011.

Strategic management of the Administrative and Technical Body, 13–20 April 2011.

-     Skills of the middle management of the Administrative and Technical Body, 20–24 February 2011.

• Improving the performance of the Administrative and Technical Body of the Assembly

-     A documentary and acquainting brochure about the Assembly is being prepared to include the legislative, administrative and heritage aspects since its establishment, entitled (The Syrian People’s Assembly, Heritage and People’s Memory).

-     Developing the performance management system by linking it to incentives and compensations.

 Holding some training courses for the employees at the Assembly on:

-     Journal editing skills for those working in the Press Office and the Public Relations, 5–15 June 2011.

Strategic management of the Administrative and Technical Body, 13–20 April 2011.

-     Skills of the middle management of the Administrative and Technical Body, 20–24 February 2011.

-     Mechanism of preparing legislations and the terms of reference for those working in the Directorate of Legislation, 18–24 January 2011.

-     Protocol, public relations and organizing conferences and protocols for those working in the Directorate of Public Relations, 30 Sep-11 October 2010.

Developing the work mechanisms of the parliamentary committees and the research and consulting systems

-     Developing new mechanisms to support the capabilities of the members in making and evaluating public policy.

-     Implementing training workshops for the members about preparing a guide for the members of Budget and Accounts Committee on the mechanisms of discussing the state budget.

 Project work plan: Planned activities June 1 – December 31 2011 are:

Strengthening the relationship and confidence between the Assembly and society

Raising the public awareness of the role of the Assembly and citizens through:

-     Filming a documentary movie entitled: The way to the People’s Assembly.

-     Filming a documentary movie entitled: A workday at the People’s Assembly.

Activating the Assembly supervising and legislating role

-     Preparing a workshop on “The importance of political participation and its representation in the Syrian People’s Assembly”.

-     Preparing a guidebook for new members, entitled “Mechanisms and standards of parliamentary oversight”.

-     Preparing a guidebook for the members, entitled “Studying the economic feasibility and the social and environmental impact of laws”.

-     Preparing a study on “Exploring the reality of water in Syria and the ways of integrated management of water resources.”

Improving the performance of the Administrative and Technical Body

-     A training course on “Evaluating the performance and motivation” in June 2011.

-     A training course on “Time and meetings management” in July 2011.

-     Prepare a training course on “E-archive and integrated documents management” in August 2011.

Developing the mechanisms of the parliamentary committees and the systems of research and consulting

-     Preparing a programme of indicators to measure and evaluate the performance of the Assembly’s members.

-     Preparing a programme to measure and evaluate the performance (the public policy) and developing a database to monitor the government’s performance and evaluate it periodically according to indicators and results rather than the financial report.

-     Setting a first draft to establish the “Committee for Evaluating Performance and Monitoring Public Policy” and its mechanisms.

-     Setting a first draft to establish a committee to survey the public opinion for laws and issues of priority.

-     Creating databases on national experts and advisors according to the different specializations to support the work of the Assembly's committees.

-     Preparing training courses for the new members on topics linked to their roles and responsibilities and developing their professional skills in the field of evaluating the performance, surveying opinions, topics of priority for them and making benefit of the Assembly’s website.

During Phase I (2002-2009), the Project achieved the following activities:

Enhancing the use of IT within the work of the Assembly

-     Creating a local computer network in the Assembly that facilitates the confidential exchange of information and data between the staff of the Secretariat.

-     Creating the website of the Assembly in 2005.

-     Training all the Secretariat employees on the use of IT.

Founding an e-library and e-archive that contains all laws, decrees and session minutes since 1919, in addition to a lot of documents related to the work the Assembly.

Support the legislative process

Providing the logistic support to the members and parliamentary committees by providing studies on:

-     A draft law presented to the Assembly.

-     A conference attended by the member.

-     Providing a complete file about any country the member visits under his/her parliamentary job.

-     Creating a database of the legislative process and linking it to the Assembly’s website.

-     Informative visits by the members and some employees of the Secretariat to the following parliaments: Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt and the British House of Commons.

-     Holding several workshops on developing and facilitating the legislative process.

Support of the oversight role of the Assembly

-     Holding a seminar on the oversight role of the Assembly.

-     Holding a workshop about the tools of monitoring the government, and how to support the standing committees in their oversight function.

-     Activating the role of advisors and making use of experts to support the special committees.

-     Preparing periodic reports about the government’s performance based on databases.

-     Linking to a center of studies and research to provide advice.

At the level of the organic link to the society

-     Automating and developing the work of the Complaints office.

-     Holding a workshop in the governorates to acquaint the younger generations with the role of the Assembly, be aware of their problems and help solve them by following them with the government.

-     Problems of the youths in the fields of education, work and community participation in Aleppo Governorate 14/10/2009.

-     Problems of drought and desertification in the governorates of Deir Az-zor, Hassaka and Raqqa 9- 11 – 13/8/2009.

-     Arranging visits of students to the Assembly (especially university students) and considering this as seminars.