Governance Area: Policy and legislative reform

Supporting participatory dialogue on fiscal policy

Issue

Following the economic turmoil that many Caribbean nations experienced during the global economic downturn that began in 2008, it became clear that countries in the Caribbean region needed to develop the skills and strength to build their financial policies and make their voices heard in wider policy debates.

Project

With the support of the Institute of Law and Economics in Jamaica, this project will create an official network of businesses, NGOs, CSOs, youth organisations, community organisations and will increase their knowledge and skills to engage effectively in the process of fiscal policy formation. Workshops and public forums around the region will be held, and partnerships with tertiary institutions will be forged to capture younger opinions. Network participation at OECD, UN and Commonwealth forums on tax will also be secured.

Grass-roots groups, small and medium-sized enterprises, youth organisations, civil society organisations will all benefit from the increased visibility of fiscal policy, by having their voices heeded and from inclusive and constructive dialogue with government.

A comprehensive communications strategy, will be developed so that the project can leave a sustainable legacy that will provide guidance and support for any and all Caribbean leaders, stakeholders and experts long into the future.

Professor Rosalea Hamilton, founding Director of the ILE, is excited by the response to the project so far, especially from young people. She said, “I am confident that this investment in deepening our democracy will enhance the growth of our human, social, and political capital and, in turn, will contribute to social and economic development in the Caribbean.”

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Improving labour rights for farm workers

Issue

South Africa’s agricultural industry is increasing in prominence as a major economic driver for the country. The industry is under the spotlight, however, due to the prevalence of critical workers’ rights issues such as discrimination and wage inequalities. This project will support constructive dialogue to help address these issues.

Project

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) is a leading alliance of companies, trade unions and NGOs; its members include major UK supermarkets that have sourcing relationships with the South African agriculture industry. To improve working conditions and secure the future stability of this sector, ETI is working with local partners the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership and the Institute for Development and Labour Law of the University of Cape Town.

Pooling their collective experience, this group will bring together farm workers, civil society organisations, employer organisations and government institutions for the first time, to develop an innovative multi-stakeholder forum to address these issues through constructive dialogue between these different groups.

This project will examine employer-employee negotiating methods, identify appropriate opportunities for fostering dialogue and build capacity within workers’ groups to advocate more effectively for their members. The goal is to develop the trust and frameworks that are needed for effective dialogue between South African farm owners and their workers.

ETI Executive Director, Peter McAllister, said: “A successful agriculture industry is vital for South Africa, and for the supermarkets that buy its produce. I’ve seen first-hand there is a need and interest in constructive dialogue where workers’ issues can be raised and resolved through negotiation. The time is ripe to establish a suitable forum and we are grateful to the Commonwealth Fund for supporting this effort.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN-dYUI-Ju4?rel=0]

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Strengthening the PEN Africa network for civil society engagement

Issue

The pen and the written word are powerful tools for upholding free expression, cultural rights and democratic governance. Through creative expression, Commonwealth citizens have the ability to advocate for the legislation that underpins these rights.

Project

PEN International (founded 1921) is a global community of writers, who work to promote literature and defend freedom of expression. The organisation will target measures to build capacity, skills and knowledge in order to advocate in favor of freedom of expression. Local PEN Centres will participate in policy training to help with advocacy work on local, regional and international levels and a three-year advocacy strategy will map out plans to engage with regional-level forums such as the Africa Commission on Human Rights.

This work will serve to leverage the voice and influence of PEN Africa Network members in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and Zambia. PEN members will gain greater understanding of areas including freedom of expression and digital freedom, cultural and linguistic rights and quality education. It will help to empower not just them but the people with whom they work and future generations of writers, journalists and advocates.

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Promoting the recognition of carers in India

Issue

The need for long-term care for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities is universal, and the rapidly increasing demand is an urgent challenge facing countries throughout the world. In India, carers – like elsewhere in the world – are often unheralded and are usually unpaid family members.

Project

Carers Worldwide UK is supporting carers in India, who are mostly women, to advocate for the social provisions and protection needed to reduce their vulnerability to impacts such as reduced earnings, poor health and loss of education. Carers Worldwide is partnering with socially-focused CSOs in Jharkand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, to build on the lessons of an earlier advocacy pilot project, which highlighted the importance of helping carers through participatory processes such as group-led actions. The pilot has already achieved a number of important outcomes – including establishing self-help groups that have allowed carers to come together for the first time, participation in a government-run livelihood scheme and raising their profile with local government officials – and this project aims to help take that work even further.

The carers most affected by poverty in each of the three districts will receive livelihood and training options compatible with caring and will learn engagement and advocacy skills, to allow them to participate in their own development. The project will also support district level Carers’ Associations, allowing people to communicate with peers and giving them a platform through which they can make their issues known to development and district government agendas.

“This project is creating the first opportunity for carers to come together, be seen and make their voices heard,” explained Anil Patil, the founder and executive director of Carers Worldwide. “This is a huge step forward for this vulnerable group who, until now, have been unrecognised by their communities and the wider society. In partnership with NBJK, SACRED and Samuha, we believe we will achieve significant change for marginalised carers over the next three years, transforming the lives of them and their families as well as laying firm foundations for a carers’ movement across India.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZRBuhvtrMg?rel=0]

Carers Worldwide

Carers Worldwide works with carers in developing countries.

It aims to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health problems.

www.carersworldwide.org

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Promoting fair trade networks

Issue

Fair trade between Commonwealth nations is recognised as vital in order to drive business.

Project

Shared Interest Foundation is promoting fair trade in Africa by giving three networks a chance to share experiences and learn from each other.

With a grant from the Commonwealth Foundation, Shared Interest Foundation is collaborating on joint activities to allow greater networking and sharing of benefits, as well as learning from the success and failure of others. It will allow time and space for critical reflection involving those working in a similar context as well as those without any prior knowledge, helping to create a more objective analysis of progress, challenges, barriers, hopes and opportunities.

Focusing on learning by seeing and doing, project partners will visit each other’s operations and meet members, producers and board members to hear a wide range of experiences about how projects and schemes, such as income generation activities, have worked in reality.

The project has a strong emphasis on peer-to-peer learning and staff exchanges working in different country contexts. This project also responds to the 2013 Commonwealth Theme ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’.

Shared Interest Foundation, UK

Shared Interest Foundation was formed in 2004 as the charitable arm of Shared Interest Society.

It uses the pooled investments of its members in the UK to effect real and lasting improvements to people’s lives in poorer parts of the world. The organisation has an extensive knowledge of the fair trade sector, with prior experience of managing capacity building exchange projects through the Commonwealth Local Government Forum. It has worked directly with fair trade businesses in Africa for nine years.

www.shared-interest.com

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Supporting rural entrepreneurs for social change

Issue

Millions of people living in rural poverty in Pakistan have limited job opportunities outside of agriculture. To help improve the livelihoods and basic rights of poor communities, this project supports rural entrepreneurs while addressing the challenge of creating a supportive policy environment in which they can thrive.

Project

HOPE International Development Agency and Pakistan Kissan Trust are improving the livelihoods and basic rights of poor communities in Pakistan by creating supportive environments for rural entrepreneurship and social change.

By giving a voice to people and equipping them with the relevant knowledge and skills, the project supports them to shape dialogue and policies relating to agriculture, education, food security and gender rights.

By increasing collective social action through the formation of community groups and training sessions, the project improves the capacity to secure basic service provision for 6,000 people. Civil society groups will be encouraged to engage with networks and government, as well as share best practice on policy and advocacy. In addition, the project will provide technical and financial assistance for 1,200 people and their families, promoting small and innovative businesses.

This project builds on earlier work carried out in Southern Punjab by Pakistan Kissan Trust to improve food security for rural populations, establishing farmers groups and strengthening democratic governance.

HOPE International Development Agency

Established in 1975, HOPE International Development Agency‘s mission is to enable people in the developed world to connect with the world’s poorest communities. HOPE currently works in 28 countries providing alternative technological and educational support where environmental, economic and social circumstances have negatively impacted on the ability of local communities to sustain themselves using traditional methods.

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Pakistan Kissan Trust

Pakistan Kissan Trust is a membership organisation serving the interests and rights of poor smallholder farmers.

The Trust aims to skill up farmers to become a political and social force for democratic change. Its local programming focuses on governance, skills development and advocacy, connecting farmers with other civil society groups and social movements to address challenges and build collective action.

Increasing access to finance for women and young people

Issue

Access to finance is a big challenge facing women and young people in the subsistence agriculture, fisheries and food processing sectors in Bangladesh.

Project

The Anglican Alliance is increasing opportunities for enterprise by involving 600 women and young people in the development of policies on accessing finance.

This project will enable three communities in Bangladesh to engage with business, civil society and government to shape the policy for economic inclusion, ensuring these policies are relevant and locally owned. It will foster the development of best practice in participatory governance and share this through a distance learning programme, available throught the Open University.

The project is further strengthened through the Anglican Alliance’s reach in other regions, particularly Africa and the Pacific, and responds to the 2013 Commonwealth Theme ‘Opportunity through Enterprise’.

Anglican Alliance

Anglican Alliance is actively involved in working towards a world that is free of poverty and injustice.

It tackles poverty and its causes by working in partnership with others around the world, empowering individuals and communities to overcome inequality and injustice. Women and youth empowerment are regarded as key development challenges and are the focus of Anglican Alliance projects in several countries.

www.anglicanalliance.org

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Promoting cultural industries through multi-stakeholder participation

Issue

Challenges such as low levels of professionalism among artists and operators in the sector; the lack of recognition and statutory regulation of the cultural professions; limited institutional capacity within the Ministry of Culture; underuse of the potential of the country’s cultural diversity; and the lack of social protection for cultural practitioners are all being addressed.

Project

The Centre for Ewe Language and Cultural Research (CEFOELAC) is developing a plan to guide the country’s cultural development stakeholders in their work, as well as increase collaboration between the state and civil society groups working to promote the cultural industries in Ghana.

Centre for Ewe Language and Cultural Research (CEFOELAC)

Since 2000, the Centre for Ewe Language and Cultural Research has been advocating for the use of culture in development in Ghana.

It has worked with the Ministry of Culture to develop a curriculum of study on culture and development in tertiary institutions. In addition to having close ties and collaborating with local and international organisations on cultural issues, the centre is also a member of the local network of cultural practitioners that organised the first ever culture and arts competition in the Volta region of Ghana.