CSO WEEK 2019 KICKS OFF

The highly anticipated Civil Society Week 2019 (CSO Week 2019) is scheduled to take place in Dodoma from November 4 to 8, 2019. The event is themed: “Progress through partnership: Collaboration as a driver for development in Tanzania.”
The theme places great emphasis on partnerships. It proposes that for Tanzania to achieve its development vision and attain the level of growth envisioned in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), those involved in delivering this growth must get better at working with each other.

 

The official steering committee for the CSO WEEK event consists of Foundation for Civil Society (FCS), Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), SHIVYAWATA, TWAWEZA, Policy Forum, Wajibu Institute, Save the Children, HakiRasilimali, Legal Services Fund (LSF), CBM, Tanzania Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (TANGO), HakiElimu, Msichana Initiative, TAYARH and AcT 2.
Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, will be the guest of honour and will officially launch the event on Monday, November 4. This occasion will mark the beginning of the second CSO WEEK in Tanzania that many desire that it becomes an annual event, for it brings together a diversity of stakeholders for engagement.

The sessions are expected to attract up to 700 participants, predominantly from non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, trade unions and professional associations.
Participants will be drawn also from public and the private sectors. Based on lessons acquired from the CSO Week 2018, this year’s event is designed to allow greater access to the general public.
Activities during the CSO Week 2019
• Conference sessions;
• Exhibitions and
• Excellence Awards.

 

 

The conference sessions for the CSO Week 2019 will be held at Morena Hotel in Dodoma. The venue will be the meeting point for all participants that registered for this event. Morena Hotel was chosen for its easy accessibility and user-friendly facilities to all individuals who will be taking part in the sessions, inclusivity being the key factor.
The venue for the event will be Jamhuri Stadium in the capital. Here, CSOs will showcase their activities to members of the public. Due diligence was carried out in the process of choosing a venue in order to ensure optimal and meaningful engagement of the public in Dodoma as well as the wider audience who may wish to participate through mainstream and social media.

 

In order to celebrate, recognise and honour achievements and contributions made by different institutions or individuals that have influenced development policy and practice in Tanzania, FCS will issue CSO Excellence Awards.
The awards primarily target civil society organisations operating in Tanzania. They are also aimed at profiling local CSOs work in order to develop broader appreciation of the important work of civil society organisations in the country.

 

Expectations from some of the partner organisations that are part of making the CSO Week 2019 happen:
Wajibu Institute is preparing another accountability conference with the theme, “Progress through Partnership: What is the Country’s State of Financial Accountability?” It is Wajibu’s expectation that CSOs, Government officials, development partners and the private sector will participate in this conference.Wajibu’s desire is to see that there is a coordinated reporting structure on the country’s state of financial accountability, which informs all stakeholders interested to take part in promoting accountability, transparency and good governance.

 

This conference is looking forward to bringing together expertise from higher learning institutions, public and private sectors, who will share their experience in matters of accountability. Wajibu will invite international figures, including Kenyan Prof PLO Lumbumba to share their international experience in the area of accountability.
Twaweza will have some insightful sessions planned for the CSO Week 2019.

One session, for instance, will provide insights from recent zonal engagements with artistes across the country that has been dubbed, “Artists for social change.”
The session is expected to offer insights into how civil society can support artistes with their governance challenges and protect space for free expression while presenting ideas for CSOs to meaningfully engage artists in their activities.

 

Another session dubbed, “People and power”, will offer a series of success stories and lessons drawn from village level animation work. Community animators mobilise people around a joint action plan and help to unlock accountability. Through regular follow-ups, active participation and regular reporting to the community, they help to solve problems. A representative from Mbogwe District (tbc) and two animators will share how they made partnership between the government and citizens a reality.

 

And as a bonus to liven up and creatively display a message to the spectators, a thoughtful interlude with M3 Theatre Group will demonstrate the role and value of CSOs on stage.

Policy Forum is participating, once, in the CSO Week event and they plan to:
• Discuss learning outcomes emanating from collaboration with policymakers and the government;
• Share best practices from the district/local level social accountability initiatives and how they have influenced service delivery improvement and
• Share insights on the tax systems in Tanzania and how CSOs influence them.

Foundation for Civil Society’s foremost expected result from the CSO Week 2019 is strengthened relationships between key development actors. The five-targeted types of relationships are:
• CSO – Government Relations: This is aimed at showcasing the contribution of civil society organisations in the delivery of development in line with national priorities and plans;
• CSO-Parliament Relations: This is geared at increasing the participation and influence of civil society organisations in policy-making processes;
• CSO – Private Sector Relations: This is aimed at leveraging the financial and technical support of private sector actors towards poverty reduction.
• CSO – CSO Relations: This is aimed at ensuring greater cohesion and complementarities among them and
CSO – Citizen Relations: This aims at enabling citizens’ voices—especially those of marginalised and 
vulnerable populations—to influence governance processes at all levels.

Related News