Programs: Civil Society Building and Institutional Development

Countries: Mozambique

Mozambique is considered to have had a successful war-to-peace transition. The challenges facing Mozambique in its efforts to consolidate political reforms in its new democratic system and institutions are great. Guaranteeing effective democratic institutions and processes to consolidate reform for an enabling environment of sustainable growth requires a greater balance in the partnership of government and civil society over the political, social, and economic life of citizens than is present in Mozambique.

 

ADF’s two-year Civil Society Proposing Policy Alternatives Project – known by its Portuguese acronym of PROPOR – came to a successful conclusion in June 2000. PROPOR provided civil society groups the means to develop and offer opinions, points of view and concrete proposals for political reforms that promote a consolidation of democratic transition in Mozambique. Through PROPOR, ADF broadened and improved public discussion of governance issues, and strengthened the capacity of civil society organizations to initiate and participate in this discussion. Project activities were intended to cover a large range of macro-political issues, including twelve that were to receive special attention under the project were: 

•        Freedom of association

•        Transparent public budgeting and allocation of resources

•        Elections/electoral framework

•        Local government/autonomy

•        Judicial reform/rule of law

•        Independent media

•        Land tenure

•        Cashew industry

•        Health sector

•        HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment

•        Registration of associations

•        Corruption

 

The four main components of ADF’s PROPOR project were:

1) capacity building through the provision of training and technical assistance for increased CSO advocacy skills;

2) technical assistance for institutional development of Mozambican CSOs;

3) subgrant support for CSO advocacy campaigns; and

4) support for other CSO activities that facilitate dialogue and citizen participation.

Over the course of the two-year project, ADF made significant achievements in attaining the intended results and impact of the PROPOR project.

 

These achievements include the following:

 

·         98 Mozambican CSOs (MCSOs) gained an understanding of the basic notions of advocacy and developed skills in planning advocacy campaigns. 54% of these organizations applied new knowledge and skills to developing a campaign on an issue of importance to their constituents.

·         Mozambican trainers and relevant training materials were developed and are currently being used to build the skills of Mozambican civil society organizations (MCSOs).

·         20 advocacy campaigns were conducted by MCSOs to influence policies and practices related to the macro-political areas of interest to the project. Seventeen of these were supported by subgrants from the PROPOR project. MCSOs introduced new legislation or proposed changes to legislation fourteen times. While several of these have not yet been acted upon, MCSOs were successful in influencing public policy seven times.

·         10 coalitions of NGOs were formed to pursue advocacy on issues of common interest

·         Consultation and dialogue on policy between MCSOs and government officials was expanded.

·         Four new linkages were created between MCSOs and their counterparts elsewhere in the region and in the world.