conflict

The project “Strengthening Democracy through Freedom of Expression and a Peace Agenda for Journalists in a post-conflict Colombia” was implemented by the Foundation for the Freedom of the Press (Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, FLIP) from 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2016. The overall development goal of the project was to create an agenda where the right to freedom of expression can be fully realized and to build a strong media network that can advocate in a post-conflict Colombia without retaliation or restriction. The project coincided with the culmination of the peace negotiations in Havana between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC), with the Final Peace Agreement ratified in November 2016.  The project had three outcomes: increased participation of Colombian journalists and civil society in an open, plural and democratic debate about the challenges and the role of media in a post-conflict peace time Colombia;increased awareness among the Government, FARC and civil society of the impact conflict has had on the media’s ability to exercise the freedom of expression; and increased understanding among journalists in conflict zones on thematic areas related to their work.  The project aimed at reaching the following two main groups of beneficiaries: journalists operating in conflict areas2 who would be actively engaged in the process of developing an Agenda for the Freedom of the Press and Peace; and other journalists with online access (through FLIP’s website) to documented resources/tools

The project “Strengthening Democracy through Freedom of Expression and a Peace Agenda for Journalists in a post-conflict Colombia” was implemented by the Foundation for the Freedom of the Press (Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa, FLIP) from 1 December 2014 to 30 November 2016. The overall development goal of the project was to create an agenda where the right to freedom of expression can be fully realized and to build a strong media network that can advocate in a post-conflict Colombia without retaliation or restriction. The project coincided with the culmination of the peace negotiations in Havana between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People’s Army (FARC), with the Final Peace Agreement ratified in November 2016.  The project had three outcomes: increased participation of Colombian journalists and civil society in an open, plural and democratic debate about the challenges and the role of media in a post-conflict peace time Colombia;increased awareness among the Government, FARC and civil society of the impact conflict has had on the media’s ability to exercise the freedom of expression; and increased understanding among journalists in conflict zones on thematic areas related to their work.  The project aimed at reaching the following two main groups of beneficiaries: journalists operating in conflict areas2 who would be actively engaged in the process of developing an Agenda for the Freedom of the Press and Peace; and other journalists with online access (through FLIP’s website) to documented resources/tools

To increase representation and participation of women in social, economic and political activities in Somalia, the project focused on training and providing support to 20 CSO partners, through mentoring, exchanges, and networking. Grassroots awareness was raised through the CSOs and via the media, as well as through a series of school debates. Advocacy targeting regional and national officials was carried out through meetings and the development of regional and national strategies on women’s empowerment. A final component of the project tested the new capacity of these CSOs, by awarding 10 USD2,000 grants to CSOs which submitted the most innovative projects on women’s empowerment. The project was well designed, with a number of components that helped it both to empower women in the 20 participating CSOs and beyond. It was also timely, given discussions on a new Constitution and elections announced for 2016. The actions planned were carried out and met their targets. There were no superfluous components in the project; each was designed to add value to other parts of the project.

The project aimed to address the problem of weak local civil society organizations [CSOs] and the general lack of collaboration between private and public development stakeholders in Yemen. Specifically, the project sought to improve the capacity of local CSOs and strengthen partnerships between local CSOs and the government at the local and national levels in order to effectively address emergencies and respond to humanitarian situations. The project was implemented in four governorates of Yemen (Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt and Hudaydah ) and in three pilot pilot districts (Ghayl Ba Wazir in Hadramawt, Al Boreqah in Aden, and Al Mansuriyah in Hudaydah), while advocacy at national level was conducted with the authorities in Sana’a. The project was very relevant, in that it identified genuine needs at community level and in terms of civil society capacity building and took a two-pronged approach (that was appropriate to the situation in Yemen. The project could not have anticipated the near-failure of central government that Yemen has experienced since 2014. However the project strategy of working with local authorities and civil society stakeholders at community level was relevant to the reinforcement of local governance, irrespective of the national political situation. Some significant groundwork has been carried out in this respect, which may bear fruit if a functional government is re-established.

The project aimed to address the problem of weak local civil society organizations [CSOs] and the general lack of collaboration between private and public development stakeholders in Yemen. Specifically, the project sought to improve the capacity of local CSOs and strengthen partnerships between local CSOs and the government at the local and national levels in order to effectively address emergencies and respond to humanitarian situations. The project was implemented in four governorates of Yemen (Sana’a, Aden, Hadramawt and Hudaydah ) and in three pilot pilot districts (Ghayl Ba Wazir in Hadramawt, Al Boreqah in Aden, and Al Mansuriyah in Hudaydah), while advocacy at national level was conducted with the authorities in Sana’a. The project was very relevant, in that it identified genuine needs at community level and in terms of civil society capacity building and took a two-pronged approach (that was appropriate to the situation in Yemen. The project could not have anticipated the near-failure of central government that Yemen has experienced since 2014. However the project strategy of working with local authorities and civil society stakeholders at community level was relevant to the reinforcement of local governance, irrespective of the national political situation. Some significant groundwork has been carried out in this respect, which may bear fruit if a functional government is re-established.

Involving women and youth CSOs in strengthening democratic debate and public news media around elections in Afghanistan sought to strengthen the voice of civil society and foster sustainable democratic practices within Afghanistan by generating a deeper public debate among women and youth groups around the 2014 presidential electoral process. The project lost relevance however in implementation. Only a few activities were done in the pre-electoral period and only a portion of the intended CSO-journalist elements were done. In addition, the predominate use of Pashto in the round tables and reporting, narrowed its relevance to the two-thirds of the country that use Dari.

Involving women and youth CSOs in strengthening democratic debate and public news media around elections in Afghanistan sought to strengthen the voice of civil society and foster sustainable democratic practices within Afghanistan by generating a deeper public debate among women and youth groups around the 2014 presidential electoral process. The project lost relevance however in implementation. Only a few activities were done in the pre-electoral period and only a portion of the intended CSO-journalist elements were done. In addition, the predominate use of Pashto in the round tables and reporting, narrowed its relevance to the two-thirds of the country that use Dari.

Involving women and youth CSOs in strengthening democratic debate and public news media around elections in Afghanistan sought to strengthen the voice of civil society and foster sustainable democratic practices within Afghanistan by generating a deeper public debate among women and youth groups around the 2014 presidential electoral process. The project lost relevance however in implementation. Only a few activities were done in the pre-electoral period and only a portion of the intended CSO-journalist elements were done. In addition, the predominate use of Pashto in the round tables and reporting, narrowed its relevance to the two-thirds of the country that use Dari.

The aim of the project was to engage talented young artists and journalists, and encourage them to use new forms of art in promoting change and advocating for free speech and media freedom as a cornerstone of democracy. The project had three primary outcomes: an increase in media coverage on human rights, media freedom, free speech and the right of access to information by trained young journalists; an increase in the engagement of young people in human rights, media freedom, free speech and the right of access to information through artistic activities/products by young artists; and raised awareness of young people of human rights, media freedom, free speech and the right of access to information by end-2013. The project assumed that enhancing the understanding and skills of the young journalists and artists participating in training, writing/performing and networking will have a multiplier effect. Participants joined an already established network called ‘Freedom Messengers’. The project also included public events and an advocacy campaign that were intended to build public support for the Freedom Messengers and thus create pressure for change. Additionally, the project included the further development of an existing on-line observatory and the creation of a web presence for the Freedom Messengers. The evaluation found that in the implementation of the project the specific press/information-related focus was lost. Consequently there a mismatch between the activities undertaken and the specific objectives set.

The project aimed to contribute to the judiciary reform process in Guinea through establishing a new social contract on justice linking CSOs, magistrates and auxiliaries of justice. Strategically, the project was based on two outcome components, to support increased capacity for advocacy, monitoring and judicial oversight, and enhanced capacity for dialogue and collaboration between civil society and the judiciary on ways to improve the judicial system in order for it to become more responsive to the needs of civil society. This strategic approach appropriate for the limited scope of the project; its key points of strength were the acknowledgement that training was a first step before the setting up a platform for dialogue and the inclusion of a mini-grant scheme. The project was ambitious but realistic. However, the methodology did not include a mechanism to replicate project experiences beyond the target areas of Conakry and Kankan - the most important judicial districts in Guinea - once the project ended.