Skip to main content

Rule of law

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights and democracy campaign

Some partnership agreements lacked detail. Cooperation on the development of the manuals and the implementation of the initial training session was undermined by misunderstandings. These stemmed in part from the failure of the agreement between the partners to set out clearly their tasks and responsibilities.
Project Partner
Association pour la Recherche et l'Education pour le Développement en
Project Description
Aiming to contribute to the emergence of responsible and aware citizens in four of Senegal’s regions, the project provided information on human rights and democracy in the country’s most common languages - Wolof and Pulaar. The project also aimed to ensure citizens access to legal and administrative texts through local document libraries; and trained local resource persons to be involved in the establishment of democracy and human rights monitoring centres. The project responded to clearly existing information gaps and its relevance was enhanced by the fact that it sought to build the capacity of local officials and leaders to implement decentralization policies and other decision-making processes. It is a matter of concern, however, that the project did not include any lobbying component targeting the government itself, to address the language issue at policy level, which was the principal root cause for lack of relevant legal and administrative documentation.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights and democracy campaign

The activity of drafting handbooks on issues including human rights, decentralization, and conflict management was a key prerequisite to the training, which took five instead of two months.
Project Partner
Association pour la Recherche et l'Education pour le Développement en
Project Description
Aiming to contribute to the emergence of responsible and aware citizens in four of Senegal’s regions, the project provided information on human rights and democracy in the country’s most common languages - Wolof and Pulaar. The project also aimed to ensure citizens access to legal and administrative texts through local document libraries; and trained local resource persons to be involved in the establishment of democracy and human rights monitoring centres. The project responded to clearly existing information gaps and its relevance was enhanced by the fact that it sought to build the capacity of local officials and leaders to implement decentralization policies and other decision-making processes. It is a matter of concern, however, that the project did not include any lobbying component targeting the government itself, to address the language issue at policy level, which was the principal root cause for lack of relevant legal and administrative documentation.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights and democracy campaign

Democracy and human rights monitoring centres were not established, because they were considered highly political by local officials. It was probably overambitious on the part of the project to seek the establishment of formal structures to monitor governance. A more detailed analysis, carried out by researchers or organizations with specialist expertise in local governance issues, would probably have led to a better understanding of the power politics at stake. The grantee reacted ad hoc, and took an alternative approach requesting trained community leaders present in the field to act as focal points in the monitoring of governance.
Project Partner
Association pour la Recherche et l'Education pour le Développement en
Project Description
Aiming to contribute to the emergence of responsible and aware citizens in four of Senegal’s regions, the project provided information on human rights and democracy in the country’s most common languages - Wolof and Pulaar. The project also aimed to ensure citizens access to legal and administrative texts through local document libraries; and trained local resource persons to be involved in the establishment of democracy and human rights monitoring centres. The project responded to clearly existing information gaps and its relevance was enhanced by the fact that it sought to build the capacity of local officials and leaders to implement decentralization policies and other decision-making processes. It is a matter of concern, however, that the project did not include any lobbying component targeting the government itself, to address the language issue at policy level, which was the principal root cause for lack of relevant legal and administrative documentation.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Action Program for the involvement of religious leaders and community opinion leaders in promoting democracy and sustaining peace in Togo

Planned activities were mostly undertaken and the training and some published materials were of good quality. The vague strategy and the lack of professionalism of those responsible for its implementation have ultimately made the project less effective than it could have been.
Project Partner
Association Internationale des Educateurs pour la Paix du Monde
Project Description
The project aimed to contribute to the establishment of a climate of peace in Togo in advance of the 2010 elections. The project strategy was to involve religious leaders in support of the promotion of democracy and sustainable peace in Togo. In addition the project aimed to strengthen institutional support to community organizations, giving priority to community and religious leaders, and among them especially women and youth. The project document identified the poor state of human rights and the recurrence of electoral violence. Factors that reduced the relevance of the project were the limited involvement of main religious faiths other than protestant, the reduced audience of these churches, and the failure to address human rights violations actually committed in Togo.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Action Program for the involvement of religious leaders and community opinion leaders in promoting democracy and sustaining peace in Togo

In terms of familiarization with human rights and democracy, the project may have had a positive impact among the community and religious leaders who participated in the training sessions in Togo. It was, however, impossible to identify specific impacts of the project activities on the wider target groups of parish and community members. The same applies to women leaders: those who participated in training may have benefitted in terms of knowledge, but the project managers could not identify specific changes in women's participation in public affairs that could have been attributable to the project.
Project Partner
Association Internationale des Educateurs pour la Paix du Monde
Project Description
The project aimed to contribute to the establishment of a climate of peace in Togo in advance of the 2010 elections. The project strategy was to involve religious leaders in support of the promotion of democracy and sustainable peace in Togo. In addition the project aimed to strengthen institutional support to community organizations, giving priority to community and religious leaders, and among them especially women and youth. The project document identified the poor state of human rights and the recurrence of electoral violence. Factors that reduced the relevance of the project were the limited involvement of main religious faiths other than protestant, the reduced audience of these churches, and the failure to address human rights violations actually committed in Togo.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Action Program for the involvement of religious leaders and community opinion leaders in promoting democracy and sustaining peace in Togo

The results of the project in Togo were significantly less than planned for in the budget. It is clear that the project enabled the grantee to rent and furnish premises and to pay its staff for 24 months. In addition, the vast majority linked their participation in the existence of financial compensation. The project did therefore not meet the criterion of sustainability.
Project Partner
Association Internationale des Educateurs pour la Paix du Monde
Project Description
The project aimed to contribute to the establishment of a climate of peace in Togo in advance of the 2010 elections. The project strategy was to involve religious leaders in support of the promotion of democracy and sustainable peace in Togo. In addition the project aimed to strengthen institutional support to community organizations, giving priority to community and religious leaders, and among them especially women and youth. The project document identified the poor state of human rights and the recurrence of electoral violence. Factors that reduced the relevance of the project were the limited involvement of main religious faiths other than protestant, the reduced audience of these churches, and the failure to address human rights violations actually committed in Togo.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Action Program for the involvement of religious leaders and community opinion leaders in promoting democracy and sustaining peace in Togo

The grantee should have established structures to ensure that weaknesses and difficulties encountered will be avoided in the future. In particular the organization should ensure that financial controls check payments for administrative appropriateness and also in terms of their relevance to project objectives. In addition, project strategy and design should be coordinated with other non-governmental organizations working on human rights and democracy.
Project Partner
Association Internationale des Educateurs pour la Paix du Monde
Project Description
The project aimed to contribute to the establishment of a climate of peace in Togo in advance of the 2010 elections. The project strategy was to involve religious leaders in support of the promotion of democracy and sustainable peace in Togo. In addition the project aimed to strengthen institutional support to community organizations, giving priority to community and religious leaders, and among them especially women and youth. The project document identified the poor state of human rights and the recurrence of electoral violence. Factors that reduced the relevance of the project were the limited involvement of main religious faiths other than protestant, the reduced audience of these churches, and the failure to address human rights violations actually committed in Togo.
Evaluation Date
October 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the capacities of Magistrates

This initiative was the first of its kind by the grantee in Niger. Although the grantee did not put in place measures to ensure sustainability, it successfully raised awareness among the magistracy of the necessity to communicate with stakeholders external to the judiciary. The project prompted beneficiaries to create the association of investigating judges in Niger (AMPN), whose mission it will be to provide similar, additional training for magistrates.
Project Partner
Syndicat Autonome des Magistrats du Niger
Project Description
The project organized training for judges and activities to create discussion among magistrates on the adoption of the Ethical and Deontological Code in Niger. The project objectives were: to improve the capacity of investigating judges, prosecuting attorneys and state prosecutors to fight economic and financial crimes related to public finance; to increase the magistracy body’s knowledge of the Ethical and Deontological Code’s principles; and to establish a network of specialised judges to fight economic and financial crimes related to public finance. These thematic areas, such as the fight against economic and financial crimes and the raising of moral standards among the magistracy, were relevant for the country in terms of building judicial transparency. While the training and awareness-raising activities aimed to improve the functioning of justice and at improving ethics, the project’s design was not based on a thorough screening of available information about the main issues faced by judges, and also lacked a clear methodological approach.
Evaluation Date
July 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the capacities of Magistrates

The project’s overall conceptual framework did not properly connect the goal of re-establishing citizens’ trust in justice in Niger with the actual activities carried out since the activities were focused only on the magistrates themselves and not the wider population or local or traditional leaders.
Project Partner
Syndicat Autonome des Magistrats du Niger
Project Description
The project organized training for judges and activities to create discussion among magistrates on the adoption of the Ethical and Deontological Code in Niger. The project objectives were: to improve the capacity of investigating judges, prosecuting attorneys and state prosecutors to fight economic and financial crimes related to public finance; to increase the magistracy body’s knowledge of the Ethical and Deontological Code’s principles; and to establish a network of specialised judges to fight economic and financial crimes related to public finance. These thematic areas, such as the fight against economic and financial crimes and the raising of moral standards among the magistracy, were relevant for the country in terms of building judicial transparency. While the training and awareness-raising activities aimed to improve the functioning of justice and at improving ethics, the project’s design was not based on a thorough screening of available information about the main issues faced by judges, and also lacked a clear methodological approach.
Evaluation Date
July 2011
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening the capacities of Magistrates

The project was implemented without taking into consideration the full range of target beneficiaries. Contrary to the project’s plan, the National Trade Union of Judicial Agents, the National Bar Association and CSOs’ members who engage in similar activities were not involved in the project activities.
Project Partner
Syndicat Autonome des Magistrats du Niger
Project Description
The project organized training for judges and activities to create discussion among magistrates on the adoption of the Ethical and Deontological Code in Niger. The project objectives were: to improve the capacity of investigating judges, prosecuting attorneys and state prosecutors to fight economic and financial crimes related to public finance; to increase the magistracy body’s knowledge of the Ethical and Deontological Code’s principles; and to establish a network of specialised judges to fight economic and financial crimes related to public finance. These thematic areas, such as the fight against economic and financial crimes and the raising of moral standards among the magistracy, were relevant for the country in terms of building judicial transparency. While the training and awareness-raising activities aimed to improve the functioning of justice and at improving ethics, the project’s design was not based on a thorough screening of available information about the main issues faced by judges, and also lacked a clear methodological approach.
Evaluation Date
July 2011
Theme
Country