Governance and Democracy
Governance lies at the heart of many NIRAS projects and plays a supporting role in most others. It is an important ingredient in reaching all sustainable goals. For over 50 years, we have proudly been enhancing the role of civil society and the media, promoting institutional development, and supporting decentralisation as well as effective public finance management. Our goal is to strengthen and improve government performance by providing technical advice, strategic guidance, and support to public institutions, elected bodies, and citizens.
Effective governance and accountable institutions are critical to alleviating poverty and achieving sustainable results in all sectors. Governments, development agencies and policy-makers all work together to promote sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
So we partner with governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), the independent media, and local communities to strengthen democratic governance systems. Through our work, we aim to increase inclusive, accountable and participatory planning and decision-making at all levels – contributing directly to SDG 16.
NIRAS - Your Partner in Holistic Governance Solutions
Watch our Governance and Democracy video
As head of a consortium under EU Framework Contracts Lot 3 – “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace” – NIRAS is the largest Nordic firm providing governance services to EU delegations worldwide.
Our approach to governance seeks to identify and foster engagement between citizens and their government, recognising that both the supply of and demand for good governance is necessary to initiate change. In doing so, we empower leaders, recognising that locally owned solutions have the greatest potential for sustainability.
Together with key stakeholders, we join efforts to address complex situations with dedication. This approach has earned NIRAS a reputation for delivering cost-efficient governance advisory services of the highest quality that meet our clients’ demands.
NIRAS’s work in promoting freedom-of-speech initiatives and building institutional capacities of public institutions enables citizens, academia, and decision-makers to be better informed, leading to more inclusive, transparent, and accountable governance.
A core strength is our support to civil society and promotion of dialogue with governments, which facilitates citizens’ participation in decision-making and leads to improved governance. Linked to this is our work in fighting corruption.
We take a special pride in making governance reforms sustainable, by including climate change, gender and human right perspectives every step of the way. As head of a consortium under EU Framework Contracts Lot 3 – “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace” – NIRAS is the largest Nordic firm providing governance services to EU delegations worldwide.
Some of the services we offer include:
- Capacity and organisational development for CSOs and parliaments
- Grant and fund management for CSOs
- Development of independent media
- Decentralisation and local government management
- Institutional and policy reform aimed at enhancing sustainable performance and public service-delivery
- Improved public financial management and advance thought leadership on approaches to overcoming policy and institutional constraints to economic competitiveness, socioeconomic development, and poverty reduction. Our team of recognized PFM experts is one of the few who have carried out PEFA assessments.
Watch this video to learn more about our work with Public Finance Management or download this short overview.
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