Our Work

Afghanistan—Assistance to Legislative Bodies of Afghanistan (ALBA)

Client: U.S. Agency for International Development, U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Duration: 2013-2018

Region: Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Country: Afghanistan

Solutions: Governance

The Assistance to Legislative Bodies of Afghanistan (ALBA) works to prepare both houses of Parliament for greater self-reliance. The program provides issue-based assistance that focuses training and capacity building on actual bills or policies that Members of Parliament (MPs) and staff are addressing. By the end of the program, our goal is for parliamentary committees to be actively reviewing legislation and conducting policy oversight as MPs increase dialogue with citizens, civil society, and media. The Parliament will create a cadre of staff able to provide regular, topical research, and legislative and budget analysis to MPs. Parliament will also provide a stronger and more consistent check on the executive branch and operate as a more independent and effective legislative, representative, and oversight body.

Sample Activities

Provide issue-based, on-the-job training so parliamentary staff will immediately begin conducting budget analysis and legislative research themselves.
Increase outreach work done by Parliament.
Improve the capacity of Parliament to provide effective oversight of the executive branch.

Select Results

Sponsored 64 provincial oversight trips with commissions from both Houses.
Advised on 160 executive oversight actions (questionings, hearings, reports).
Placed 160 top graduates throughout parliament in the ALBA Fellowship Program.
Conducted 195 trainings to Secretariat and Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs staff, advisors and ALBA Fellows.
Sponsored 34 public forums that allow parliamentarians and the public to interact.
Published 33 publications for Parliament.
Supported parliamentarians as they crafted and passed more than 50 laws, including the Anti-Harassment Law to protect women.

Malawi—Local Government Accountability and Performance (LGAP)

Over 20 years since its first multi-party elections, the government of Malwai is renewing efforts to decentralize government power, based on the principle that sustainable socioeconomic development is best achieved when decisions are made at the local level. Despite an initially strong legal framework for local governance, institutional tensions as well as confusion over roles and responsibilities between levels of government continues to hinder successful decentralization.