Having identified inclusive governance as a cross-cutting strategy for empowering women and girls from the most marginalized communities to live in dignity and build secure and resilient lives, UPCT focuses on creating a space for public authorities, duty bearers and citizens to have open conversations, leading to participatory planning and implementation of policies.

UPCT seeks to promote inclusive governance by focusing on three domains, beginning with empowering marginalized citizens, particularly women and girls. Concerned with enabling the poor and marginalized to be aware of their rights and to have a stronger voice to demand change, this domain promotes community-based collective actions and encourages them to hold the authorities to account. The second domain entails working with a range of power holders, including the state, to improve their ability to fulfill their obligations and be more responsive, transparent, and accountable, especially to the impact groups. The third domain is the space where expanded, inclusive, and effective negotiations are held between the previous two domains. Inclusive governance in UPCT’s projects is assessed based on the participation of citizens, accountability, and transparency of power-holders, strengthening of inclusive spaces, and the improvement of services and outcomes.

Inclusive governance is a core element in many of UPCT’s projects, particularly those on livelihood, education and disaster management. UPCT’s community-level Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and School Management Committees (SMCs) are platforms that promote decision-making processes that are inclusive of every stakeholder.