Over the last 25 years, SDC projects in Bolivia have provided numerous stimuli for the democratization of the country. Decentralization, the strengthening of communal autonomy, citizen participation and good governance are key prerequisites of sustainable development and the efficient combating of poverty.

When the Bolivian government asked the SDC in 1984 if it would be prepared to provide technical and financial support for domestic development planning, neither the Bolivians nor the Swiss were aware of the adventure they were embarking upon. In addition to regional planning in the different departments, the focus was also on the decentralization of political and administrative competencies in this extremely centrallyorganized state. Twentyfive years on, Bolivia looks very different. Groups that were strengthened and empowered by the decentralization initiative of the 1980s and 1990s came to power via the democratic route. Under governments of changing political hues, projects initiated by the SDC – in conjunction with a broad spectrum of local partner organizations – paved the way for greater citizen participation, involvement in the planning process, and the strengthening of municipal and departmental autonomy.

The initial experiences for the regional planning process were gathered thanks to SDC projects in the Department of Chuquisaca, home to the Bolivian capital of Sucre. As part of Project PLAREG (Planificación Regional), the Planning Division of the Regional Development Corporation Agency (Corporación de Desarrollo Regional de Chuquisaca) was provided with support. To start with, this project supplied key planning instruments such as an inventory of national resources and a socioeconomic study of this underdeveloped Bolivian Department. A second stage involved drawing up feasibility studies for development projects as well as investment and financial plans. The Department’s first ever longterm development plan was in place by 1988.
When decentralization and citizen participation in local communities became enshrined in Bolivian law in the 1990s, the experiences acquired in Chuquisaca were drawn on, and to good effect. Anything that had proven itself in the pilot projects now fed into the new development strategy throughout the country. Local communities, which had little experience of local planning or the administration of public funds, were provided with a set of instruments for implementing projects, while the SDC also supported the training of officials and local heads of grassroots initiatives.

At national level, the SDC collaborated with the World Bank in an initiative designed to help Bolivia decentralize important public services and align development projects more closely with local requirements. In the 1990s, Project EMSO (Economic Management Strengthening Operations) became the embodiment of the decentralized planning process for important sectors such as health, education, and transport. However, the ambitious goal of having a decentralization law passed by Parliament failed in the face of political resistance. To promote the development of rural areas, an informal network (Grupo de Desarrollo Rural) grew up under the auspices of the SDC which still unites representatives of the government and civil society as well as all sectors and disciplines, with a view to tackling development problems at the technical level.

Living democracy
In 1994, Bolivia introduced the law of citizen participation (Ley de Participación Popular) that is setting standards throughout the whole of Latin America. Together with an array of other donor nations, the SDC decided to lend its energetic support to this fundamental national reform. To strengthen democracy at community level, Project PADEM (Programa de Apoyo a la Democracia Municipal) was launched. This was underpinned by an agreement between the influential Bolivian Farmers’ Union (CSUTCB) – which is represented throughout the country – and the organization Schweizerisches Arbeiterhilfswerk (Swiss Labor Assistance, SAH). Thanks to the new law, the municipalities were awarded comprehensive competencies and state funds for the first time in Bolivian history.

The work to support Project PADEM focused primarily on rural communities, where the elected popular representatives and municipal officials were not fully capable of taking on all the new tasks. The aim was to be on hand to provide the authorities with specialist advice on the implementation of the relevant laws and decrees, as well as on issues of communal planning and administration. The ultimate goal is transparent administration at the heart of local communities. At the same time, the populace needs to be informed about its rights and obligations, as well as empowered in the broadest sense of the word. This will in turn strengthen the social participation of those Bolivians – often the indigenous ethnic Aymara, Quechua or Guaraní peoples – who are otherwise largely excluded from the political decisionmaking process. Particular attention here should be given to the strengthening and organization of civil society so that it can actively participate in community life. The key aspects of the laws are conveyed in readily comprehensible form via courses, publications, and radio broadcasts. Training is also given to local promoters who cultivate contacts with municipal authorities and grassroots organizations, as well as with journalists working for countrybased radio stations.

It soon became apparent that improving government services at municipal level and strengthening citizen participation was not enough on its own. In many communities in Bolivia, material hardship and poverty are omnipresent. In 1997, the SDC initiated the PADER Project (Proyecto de promoción al desarrollo económico rural). The aim of this project is to create favourable parameters for commercial development in rural communities, with the main focus on measures to promote the local economy. Local authority members and business representatives advise on joint projects in development committees at municipal level. With the support of external specialists, development opportunities are analyzed and value creation chains launched. Targeted initiatives helped to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit of farmers, craftsmen, and traders alike.

Between 1997 and 2003, the STC contributed to a culture of dialogue in this very politically and socially divided country with a number of different initiatives. A “National Dialogue” brought together politicians and representatives of civil society. The most important result of these discussions was a clear strategy to reduce poverty within the context of the debt relief program for the poorest developed countries. Together with Haiti, Bolivia sits at the bottom of the index of human development for Latin America. The dialogue has led to a strengthening of the role of the alltoooften neglected municipalities, the smallscale farmers, the microentrepreneurs, as well as the indigenous population.