Sarmast: Neighborhood-oriented governance should lead to solving people's problems

Tabriz - The governor of East Azerbaijan said: neighborhood-oriented governance should lead to the solution of neighborhood issues by strengthening people's participation.

According to Mehr reporter, Bahram Sarmast, on Tuesday evening, in the coordination meeting for the use of people's capacities in the neighborhood-based governance model, in the presence of Mohammad Jaafar Qaimpanah, the executive vice president, pointed out the necessity of redefining the role of the people in the administration of neighborhood affairs and stated: The neighborhood is one of the most important platforms for identifying social issues and providing solutions that suit people's needs, and strengthening citizens' participation can lead to increasing the effectiveness of executive programs.

Emphasizing that neighborhood-based governance should not be limited to the formation of councils and holding meetings, he added: The main goal of this model is to accurately identify the problems of each neighborhood, use existing capacities, and create coordination between people, executive bodies, charities, and non-governmental organizations to solve problems.

Referring to the formation of 481 neighborhood development councils in the province, the governor of East Azerbaijan said: these councils can identify the priority needs of the people by closely knowing the local conditions and provide the basis for residents' participation in decision-making and implementation of social programs.

Sarmast continued: The success of this approach depends on the level of communication of local councils with the people, their ability to identify real issues and continuous cooperation with the responsible institutions. Therefore, it is necessary that the activities of councils lead to concrete results in people's lives and their performance should be evaluated based on the level of effectiveness in solving neighborhood problems.

The necessity of coordinating executive bodies and public institutions

Referring to the role of support institutions and charities in dealing with social issues, he said: There is a significant capacity in the people's groups and charities of East Azerbaijan, which, if coordinated and synergistic, can cover an important part of social needs.

Emphasizing the necessity of preventing parallel work in providing services, the governor of East Azerbaijan added: sometimes different groups work to respond to a social need, while some other issues remain unanswered due to the lack of communication and coordination; Therefore, neighborhood-oriented governance should provide the context for clear division of labor and targeted use of the capacity of all groups.

Sarmast pointed out: Regular communication between executive bodies, support institutions, charities and volunteer groups can help to more accurately identify people in need, appropriate distribution of services and increase the efficiency of social programs.

He also pointed to the role of non-governmental organizations in supporting needy families and said: The participation of these groups in the provision and distribution of livelihood packages and other support services is an example of people's capacities that should be strengthened in the framework of a coherent program that fits the needs of each neighborhood.

Referring to the capacity of urban and rural areas in crisis management, the governor of East Azarbaijan said: People's participation in preparing, informing and dealing with crises is of great importance, and organizing this capacity can help increase social resilience.

Referring to the participation of 440 rural neighborhoods and 221 urban neighborhoods in programs related to crisis management, he added: The experience of people's presence in this field shows that neighborhoods can play an effective role in managing emergency situations and reducing the consequences of crisis, along with the responsible institutions.

Sarmast emphasized: In order to make better use of this capacity, it is necessary to define the duties and cooperation methods of people's groups and to continuously follow their training, coordination and communication with the responsible groups.

The activity of 1,145 processions and service stations in the neighborhoods

Referring to the activities of processions and service stations in East Azerbaijan, he said: In total, 1,145 processions and service stations were active in urban and rural areas, of which 823 were located in urban areas and 322 were located in rural areas.

The governor of East Azarbaijan considered this capacity as a sign of the ability of social participation and people's readiness to participate in collective activities and added: the experience and power of these groups can be used in cultural, social, support and service areas and their role in responding to local needs can be developed.

Emphasizing the necessity of continuing popular activities, Sarmast stated: The goal is for social participation to go beyond occasional and temporary actions and become a sustainable network that operates throughout the year and in accordance with the needs of the localities.

Proposing the establishment of "Serai Mohabbate" for the elderly and orphaned children

In another part of his speech, he proposed the creation of a complex called "Serai Mohabbat" to provide services to the elderly and orphaned children and said: attention to the emotional needs, health and social support of these groups requires that the services they need be provided with a more comprehensive view and more coordination.

The governor of East Azarbaijan, referring to the capacity of the Institute for the Support of the Poor in Tabriz in implementing social and support projects, added: the creation of such a complex can provide the context of providing related services to the elderly and orphaned children in a suitable environment and take advantage of the existing specialized and public capacity to improve the quality of services.

Sarmast stated that for the implementation of this plan, the required land has been taken into account by the charity group, and stated that the progress of the plan requires going through legal procedures and making the necessary arrangements for the official transfer of the land, and its implementation obstacles must be followed up within the framework of legal regulations.

Referring to the history of Tabriz Poor Support Institute since 1351, he said: The experience of charitable collections in the province shows that the organized participation of the people can play an important role in responding to social needs. Therefore, the field of cooperation of executive bodies with these collections should be provided.

Attention to health and social vitality in neighborhoods

The Governor of East Azarbaijan also emphasized the necessity of linking neighborhood-based governance programs with the promotion of social health and said: neighborhood issues are not limited to livelihood needs and issues such as health, social vitality, cultural activities, public sports, and support for vulnerable groups should also be considered in planning.

Referring to the approach of joint cooperation in the field of health, he added: focusing on three important causes of premature death and three social factors affecting health can provide a more targeted intervention at the neighborhood level. In this framework, Meralan neighborhood of Tabriz has been considered as one of the pilot areas.

Sarmast also pointed to the selection of Shahidan Dadi charity center in the new city of Sahand to implement the integrated model of neighborhood-oriented services and said: using the capacity of charity centers and local collections can facilitate people's access to social services and increase the field of cooperation between different groups.

He emphasized the need to pay attention to sports and social programs to increase the vibrancy of neighborhoods and added: strengthening social connections, providing a context for collective activities and using the power of local groups can be effective in improving the quality of life and reducing some social harms.

Performance evaluation based on neighborhood-oriented results

In the end, the governor of East Azerbaijan emphasized the necessity of continuous evaluation of programs and stated: the performance of managers and responsible institutions in the field of neighborhood-based governance should be reviewed based on specific indicators and the extent of the impact of actions in solving people's problems.

Sarmast noted: Forming councils, holding meetings and identifying capacities is valuable when it leads to practical action, effective division of work and improvement of people's living conditions.

He added: East Azerbaijan has a wide capacity in the field of public participation, charity activities and social organizations, and by establishing a coherent relationship between these capacities and executive bodies, a more effective step can be taken in the direction of solving local problems and strengthening social capital.