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Prior to the workshop, selected participants will be asked to write a one-and-a-half-page essay on the topic: “Citizen-centered governance in Rwanda: Youth’s participation, voice, and accountability.” This theme encourages participants to reflect on their responsibility to engage in decision-making processes, consult their constituencies, advocate for their needs and priorities, and provide timely feedback. It also highlights the importance of youth being positive agents of change by using critical thinking to identify community issues, propose solutions, and communicate effectively with leaders to influence decisions and policies.HAKUZIMANA Samuel National Endowment for Democracy Global Democracy Coalition DT Institute International IDEA

We released our latest #EESPN Newsletter! This month's highlights are: ➡️ The infographic of the evaluation findings of the bridge-building Peer Reviews and Trainings project ➡️ The policy brief on key findings of these mutual learning activities implemented by the European Centre together with its partners in the bridge-building countries ➡ The policy brief by CEU students on child poverty trends and the expansion of social protection programmes in #Montenegro, #NorthMacedonia and #Serbia ➡ A journal article on intermediated temporary labour mobility, and how it has put further pressure on industrial relations institutions in Central and Eastern Europe since #EU enlargement 👉 Read more in the April issue: https://lnkd.in/dp7FvNjT 👀 Learn more about our bridge building activities: https://lnkd.in/evYGgpx7 #EasternEurope #Bridgebuilding #EasternPartnership #EuropeanCentre #Newsletter

CALL FOR GRANT PROPOSALS CPDC with support from the European Union (EU) is implementing a project entitled “Enhancing CARIFORUM’s CSOs Capacity to Participate in National and Regional Development Programming and Policymaking” to improve the effectiveness of the strategies and modalities for national and regional CARIFORUM Civil Society Organisations to deliver developmental services and representation that may influence CARIFORUM’s social and economic development programmes and policies for sustainable Caribbean development. The objective of this call for proposals is to improve the institutional capacity of NGOs within CARIFORUM to undertake policy advocacy actions on behalf of vulnerable groups through the provision of small-scale financial resources for national and regional policy initiatives. Submissions are to be sent by May 17, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. (UTC/GMT -4). For more on how to apply visit: bit.ly/3GEASd5 . . . . . #cpdc #cpdcngo #cpdcatwork #callforgrantproposals #applynow #eu #fundedbytheeu #europeanunion #11thedf #callforproposals

🏫 From remunicipalisation of basic services to co-management of services and public facilities, or inclusive public procurement to support the social and solidarity economy, there is a vast space for public-community innovation through #commoning. 💫 Join us for a peer learning process jointly developed by United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and the Global Platform for the Right to the City (GPR2C) with the aim of fostering exchanges and experience-based discussions around how Local and Regional Governments #LRGs can engage in and benefit from commoning practices and public-community innovation mechanisms to respond to local challenges, with a particular focus on basic service provision. 👉 Find out more and register: https://lnkd.in/d2_tUkKc

WI-HER's iDARE methodology drives innovation and locally-led change as it enables stakeholders — whether governments, service providers, civil society organizations, or community members — to assess their existing local system; identify gaps, barriers, and inequities; and then design, test, and scale local solutions. #iDARE #Innovation #LocallyLedChange #CommunityEngagement #SystemStrengthening

🌍 Reflecting on the AFRUCA CEO and BASNET Chair's Insights from the Inaugural Research Residential Program 🌍 Last week marked a significant milestone as we concluded the first-ever Research Residential Program for Black and ethnic-led organisations and individuals with lived experience in the modern slavery and human trafficking sector. What are the key training areas and expected outcomes? - The Chair identified the following critical areas for capacity building: Research Methodologies: Enabling organisations to gather data, conduct impactful research, and advocate for policy change. Leadership and Strategy Development: Equipping participants with the tools to lead their organisations effectively and influence sector-wide policies. Lived Experience Leadership: Emphasizing the importance of integrating firsthand experience into research and advocacy efforts. The ultimate outcome? A future where research and policy in modern slavery and human trafficking are led by those most impacted, creating systemic change that is inclusive, representative, and long-lasting. This is just the beginning of a larger movement toward equity in the sector, and we are proud to be a part of this journey. Debbie Ariyo OBE Naeema Ahmed #ModernSlavery #HumanTrafficking #BASNET #AFRUCA #BlackAndEthnicCommunities #LivedExperienceLeadership #ResearchForChange #InclusionMatters

𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗗𝗚’𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲-𝑵𝒐 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒆! CDG has conducted a dialogue to promote and mainstream the issues of human rights, rule of law good governance and their interaction with peace and peacebuilding activities. The dialogue was conducted on January 12/ 2024, where opinion makers from academia, government offices, social media influencers, justice machineries and others have participated. The main theme of the dialogue was ‘Addressing the Challenges of Conflict and its Impacts on Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Good Governance to Ensure Peace in Ethiopia.’ In the course of dialogue, the participants have gained brief understanding of human rights, rule of law, and good governance and their importance in bringing about sustainable peace and development. During the discussions, it became evident that different factors including ignorance, narrow political space, greedy of politicians, lack of understanding each other and failure to see better tomorrow coupled with weak institutional frameworks to manage the contradicting political views are causing conflicts in different parts of the county. Pertaining to this, the participants said that even if every place in Ethiopia is unstable and unsafe, the case of Southern Oromia is turning from bad to worst on daily basis. Many are displaced and lost their life and livelihood. According to one of the participants, ‘…𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.’ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘷𝘶𝘭𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦….’ Participants emphasized the imperative of using the current digital opportunity to advocate about devastating impacts of conflicts and advocate peace, human rights, rule of law and good governance either individually or ingroup.

🌍 Policy Recommendations from Italy: Promoting Community Participation in Decision-Making As part of the #HECSOs project, #multi-#stakeholder #workshops were held across six countries. The #policy #recommendations developed from these workshops have been compiled into a comprehensive document, which will be presented and finalized next month in Brussels. In the coming weeks, we’ll be highlighting the key topics from each set of local policy recommendations here on the HECSOs LinkedIn account. In #Italy, the workshops focused on advocating for active community involvement in decision-making processes and strengthening participatory democracy. Key recommendations include: 🗣️ Enhanced Public Consultation: Regular community meetings and participatory budgeting initiatives to actively engage citizens in decision-making. 🎓 Capacity Building: Civic education and leadership training to empower citizens in local governance. 🌐 Improved Communication: Multilingual communication and digital platforms to ensure broad and inclusive participation. 🔍 Transparency & Accountability: Open data initiatives and feedback mechanisms for continuous community input and improvement. 🤝 Support for Grassroots Organizations: Providing funding, resources, and capacity-building opportunities for grassroots organizations to foster stronger partnerships with local governments. These strategies aim to overcome existing barriers and ensure more effective and inclusive participation from local communities. Stay tuned for more updates and, after the event in Brussels, the final European Policy Recommendations! #CommunityEngagement #ParticipatoryDemocracy #HECSOs #PolicyRecommendations #Brussels

Curious about the role of local government in supporting the community? Let's take a closer look at Chapter 7 of the South African Constitution. Chapter 7 defines the role and responsibilities of local governments, allowing them to make decisions and laws (by-laws) for their municipal areas, provided they align with the Constitution, acts of parliament, and provincial ordinances. Today, we’re highlighting Chapter 7, Section 152 of the Constitution, which outlines the Objects of Local Government 🏛️: 1. Provide democratic and accountable governance for local communities. 2. Ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner. 3. Promote social and economic development. 4. Promote a safe and healthy environment. 5. Encourage community involvement and engagement in local government matters. Understanding these principles helps us appreciate the vital role local governments play in our daily lives and the development of our communities. Found this interesting? Follow VZLR for more! #HelpingOthers #VZLR #SpreadKindness #MakeADifference #VZLRAttorneys #LocalGovernment #CommunitySupport #Constitution #VZLR #MakingADifference #Values #HelpingOthers #Law #PositiveChange #GlobalImpact

Joy Aceron's new blog for OECD Public Governance is a powerful call for the fusion of the strengths within government and civil society to advance and protect governance reforms. "In Filipino, the closest word to synergy is pagsasanib o pagtatagpo. It connotes empowerment and strengthening. We need to build and harness synergy to strengthen public accountability." This blog is one of a new #OpenGovernment series, New Frontiers of Citizen Participation. It's a great collection, bringing together "diverse perspectives on the new frontiers of citizen participation. These insights aim to spark meaningful dialogue on strengthening democracy through inclusive and innovative participation." Well worth a look! Joy's blog: https://lnkd.in/e8mGuZrX