Posted On: September 28th, 2018

Title of the Project: Advocacy and legal Assistance Program (ALAP)

Location of the project: Thimphu Dzongkhag, Sarpang Dzongkhag

Name of the applicant:  Bhutan Transparency Initiative

Duration of the project:  24 months

Total Cost of the project (in Nu/ EUR):  Nu. 3,404,000.00

Objectives of the project:  ALAP Goal;

The project will seek to translate the concerns of the citizens of Bhutan especially poor who don’t have access to justice, victims and witnesses of corruption into structural changes for better local and national governance.

Specific objectives;

• citizens are informed about legal rights and encouraged to take action against cases of corruption.
• victims and witnesses of corruption receive. Legal assistance and advice
• General public know their rights and responsibilities to counter corruption and also where cases of corruption can be reported.
• effective channels of dialogue is created to provide feedback on the database of current cases,
• Strong networking platforms and partnerships with relevant institutions involved in the fight against corruption are established

Target groups/ final beneficiaries: The vulnerable will be the main beneficiaries as the main objective of the project is to safeguard their interest.

Estimated results:

Article 9 (6) of the Constitution of Bhutan stipulates providing mandatory legal aid to its citizens. However, in the absence of a legal aid facility, many communities, particularly, those living in far-flung areas seriously lack service-related information and may become victims of corruption in the absence of official complaints mechanism, and initiative. The Constitution of Bhutan Article 7 (15) mandates equal and effective protection of the law. However, access to justice is not equal for all. Some people do not understand the nature of the problem and others suffer from victimization as they are not versed with the laws of the country. Therefore, BTI would like to focus on Advocacy and legal assistive services to the vulnerable categories of people. Through our program called Advocacy and Legal Assistance Program (ALAP).

ALAP is one of the most dynamic new anti-corruption intervention experiments by the global TI movement. ALAP creates a platform/avenue for people and organizations who either become victims or witnesses of corrupt practices to pursue cases. ALAP will provide free legal advice and follow up complaints of corrupt activities. It plays a critical role in identifying corruption hotspots that demand reform or official action. ALAP seeks to inform and empower citizens, especially victims and witnesses of corruption and then translate their concerns into structural changes for better local and national governance.

Main activities:

• Field 2. ALAP Facilitator with legal and relevant experience (TA)
• Review and modify ALAP process chart and guidelines. (preliminary focus group discussion with public and relevant organizations)
• Inaugurate and launch ALAP
• Advocacy through media, posters and banners
• Sensitize key stakeholders and partners (2 days workshop) in each project area and finalize roles and responsibilities, TOR and sign MOU within the project area
• Institute Committees of Concerned Citizens (CCC) and Youth Engagement Support (YES) groups
• Train CCC and YES members on ALAP matrix and SA tools and provide refreshers course in the second year
• Conduct training workshop to map out an updated understanding of legal systems and mechanisms in place to address corruption related complaints in partnership with relevant agencies and a review workshop in the 2^nd
• Mapping workshop in Gelephu and review workshop in Thimphu (year2)
• Design communication strategy and Plan
• Carry out advocacy on ALAP framework
• Attend to individual complaints as per the ALAP framework and guidelines
• Conduct quarterly monitoring by BTI secretariat
• Collect client feedback through predesigned questionnaires
• Conduct midterm evaluation meeting with all stake holders
• prepare and submit project report