This document outlines the design and implementation of the Social Accountability Program under the Protection of Basic Services (PBS) II. The Sub-program C, part 2 (C2) on Social Accountability, hereafter referred to as Phase II - Social Accountability Program (Phase II-SAP), is based on a review of the implementation of and lessons from PBS I Component 4 (C4) that was piloted across Ethiopia between January 2008 and June 2009.

The rationale for scaling up the social accountability program comes from the very successful implementation of the pilot social accountability project that demonstrated how appropriate social accountability mechanisms overlaid on Government of Ethiopia's (GOE's) accountability framework and synergized with its civil service reforms and capacity building efforts, can work in Ethiopia with beneficial outcomes for the actors involved and for improving the quality of basic service delivery. Simple social accountability tools such as Community Score Cards (CSC), Citizen Report Cards (CRC) and Participatory Budgeting in the PBS I social accountability program, have served as powerful instruments of accountability as they are easily understood and capable of being applied by local communities. It has also established that it is possible for citizens groups and service providers to constructively engage in joint reviews of service delivery effectiveness, quality and equity, and to develop plans for addressing service deficiencies. In addition, social accountability can build community ownership and mobilize community contributions and resources such as time and labor for operation, maintenance and upgrading of services; an unprecedented and invaluable change in citizens' attitudes and behavior towards partnering with government institutions.

A second impetus for rolling out the social accountability program comes from the GOE's continued focus on social accountability. Recent changes in the legal framework defining Civil Society Organization (CSO) initiatives notwithstanding, the GOE has positioned social accountability as an important and intended objective within basic services' provisioning framework.

The Design of Phase II - Social Accountability Program

Guiding Principles: As in Phase I, the guiding principles for Phase II-SAP will be:

• Recognition of civil society and government roles, mandates and responsibilities in Social Accountability;
• Government and Social Accountability Implementing Partners (SAIPs) working together with deeper understanding of the Social Accountability framework;
• Commitment from all actors (Government and SAIPs) to make joint efforts in building woreda level capacity;
• Inclusion and engagement of diverse civil society actors and citizen groups, and building partnerships among them;
• Localization of Phase II social accountability activities to the context, where tools and mechanisms are adapted and agreed at the local level;
• Transparency at all levels and from all stakeholders involved and non-partisanship on the part of SAIPs; and
• Focus on the local/woreda level; the core of social services delivery.

Phase II-SAP is designed to deepen and broaden the accountability initiatives under basic services' programs. It targets both men and women, including those living with HIV/AIDS and/or disabilities. It is designed with the objective of "strengthening the use of social accountability tools, approaches and mechanisms by (a) citizens and citizens groups, (b) civil society organizations (CSOs), (c) local government officials, and (d) service providers (SPs) in order to make basic service delivery more effective, efficient, responsive and accountable". Phase II-SAP will ensure the effective implementation of social accountability tools and mechanisms to achieve the following five outcomes for effective, gender-sensitive, inclusive, efficient, responsive and accountable public basic services delivery.

• Outcome 1: Increased awareness of citizens and citizen groups of their rights, responsibilities and entitlements to contribute to and demand better quality public basic services.
• Outcome 2: Increased empowerment and involvement of citizens and citizen groups and communities in the planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring of the quality of, access to, and quantity of basic public services.
• Outcome 3: Increased capacity of Social Accountability Implementing Partners (SAIPs) to empower citizens and citizen groups on multiple social accountability tools, approaches and mechanisms.
• Outcome 4: Increased capacity of woreda officials and public basic service providers to respond to community and citizens’ needs and preferences and be accountable.
• Outcome 5: Improved quality of basic services in the PBS sectors (i.e., education, health, agriculture, water and sanitation, and rural roads) attributed to the social accountability program.