Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA): Baladiya Meter: Digital Citizen Oversight of Municipal Strategic Plans

Baladiya Meter helps transform how municipalities in Palestine monitor development plans and engage citizens in local governance through a digital civic technology platform. Developed by the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the platform aims to strengthen transparency, accountability, and community participation in municipal decision-making. 

Palestinian municipalities prepare four-year Strategic Development and Investment Plans through participatory consultations with the local community. However, the monitoring of these plans has traditionally relied on internal reports and paper-based systems that were not accessible to the public. Baladiya Meter addresses this challenge by converting municipal monitoring matrices into a digital platform where projects, indicators, and implementation progress can be updated regularly and viewed openly.

The platform enables municipalities to publish information about projects, track implementation progress, and generate performance reports through a dedicated dashboard. At the same time, citizens can access municipal pages, review project information, comment on initiatives, and participate in digital polls, which creates an ongoing interaction. 

Another key feature of the platform is the mapping of municipal projects to the SDGs, helping municipalities demonstrate how local initiatives contribute to global development priorities. 

The platform was piloted between 2024 and 2026 in fifteen municipalities representing different local contexts. Municipal coordinators received training from APLA to manage the platform, update project indicators, and publish progress reports. Citizens were invited to explore the platform and provide feedback on its usability and design during the pilot phase. 

Baladiya Meter contributes to strengthening participatory democracy. By making municipal performance visible and interactive, the platform helps build trust between municipalities and citizens while promoting more responsive and accountable local governance. The initiative also demonstrates how civic technology can support institutional innovation in local government, providing a scalable model that can be expanded to additional municipalities in Palestine.

Learn more about: 

https://b-meter.ps/ 

https://www.oidp.net/docs/repo/doc1931.pdf