Issue
Organisation for Responsible Governance Bahamas Foundation (ORG) has developed prototype online tools to increase citizens’ participation in governance. Unfortunately, these tools are not yet cost-effective and their use is not recognised in ORG strategy.
How we are helping
We are working with ORG to develop online citizen participation tools for public use. The project will also ensure that the new strategic plan integrates the tools.
About the project
The Foundation’s capacity strengthening grants stream supports smaller Commonwealth civil society organisations in smaller Member States, building their expertise and enhancing their capacity to influence policy.
ORG has developed online tools where citizens can easily review and comment on policies under consideration by the Bahamian government. These tools, such as the Policy Review Center, are currently in a pilot phase due to cost and manageability. If the tools could be delivered affordably, they could significantly increase citizen participation in governance. We are supporting ORG to make these tools more affordable and to integrate their use into ORG’s strategy.
The key actions for this project are:
- Developing a new strategic plan which builds the sustainability of the organization and incorporates online citizen participation tools.
- Refining the online citizen participation tools to make them more cost-effective and easier to manage.
- Developing a communications plan to promote the tools and increase their use.
It is hoped ORG’s tools will be more affordable to run and used frequently by the public. Once the tools are in public use, citizens in the Bahamas will be more engaged with government policies.
Project Partners
The Organization for Responsible Governance Bahamas Foundation (ORG) is a not-for-profit civic foundation committed to promoting government accountability, responsibility, transparency, integrity and respect for the rule of law, good governance and economic growth. Their mission is to identify core challenges affecting The Bahamas and be a catalyst for the development of actionable solutions. ORG engages citizens, business and the government to address problems with sustainable solutions.
We support people's participation in democracy and development by providing grants, platforms, and expertise.
