Transparency and Accountability Towards the Protection of Civic Space in East Africa through facilitating CSO Dialogue Forums and engaging Multi-sectoral partnerships.

DONOR: 

Innovation for Change (I4C)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION:

CCGD and EACSOF will work in partnership with the Multi-sectoral initiative against corruption (which has membership of all CSO partners that work on fighting corruption) Civil Society Reference Group (CSRG) to organize and facilitate multi-sectoral dialogue forums with the CSOs and the key Government Agencies such as; the NGO board, NGO Council and the Ministry of EAC, among others, to discuss and address issues on the restrictions against CSOs, transparency and accountability and to develop interventions and strategies for engaging effectively with government and CSOs. 

CCGD and EACSOF will also leverage on their protection of civic space in an East Africa Platform and support the development of the its mobile application which will be used to document the dialogues and facilitate regular online interaction by CSOs  which will contribute to mobilizing and motivating them to remain vigilant on defence of CSO space through research and information dissemination and knowledge sharing as well as direct defence through communiques, press releases and different forms of civic action in partnerships with other CSO consortia in Kenya and across the region.  

OBJECTIVES:

• To strengthen collaborative responses by CSO networks to effectively check misapplication or discriminatory application of legal restrictions against CSOs.
• To improve transparency and accountability mechanisms and ensure timely access to public information to strengthen effective oversight and engagement of authorities by civil society.
• To enhance research and information dissemination, knowledge and capacity for CSOs to take up spaces particularly in public participation provided by the constitution, laws and policies at county, national, regional and even international levels. 

OUTCOMES 

• Strengthened collaborative responses by CSO networks to effectively check misapplication or discriminatory application of legal restrictions against CSOs during the enforcement of COVID-19 regulations. 
• Improved transparency and accountability mechanisms and timely access to public information to strengthen effective oversight and engagement of authorities by civil society.
• Development of new feedback mechanisms on monitoring the transparency and accountability toward protection of civic space in East Africa region through the mobile application

Enhanced research and information dissemination and knowledge sharing as well as direct defence through communiques, action plans and different forms