democracy

When significant events threaten to alter the course or delivery of a project, as well as having the flexibility to extend in time it may also be beneficial to review Results Frameworks and adjust objectives and target indicators. Risk management should not shy away from worst case scenarios (who would have thought that after so much effort in Chile to draft a new Constitution during 2021-2023, there would be so little to show for it?).

When operating in a highly charged political context, where significant stakeholders can pro-actively resist change, disinformation campaigns are increasingly a fact of life. To counter this, project managers should be able to rely on a robust media/engagement strategy to counter false messages that undermine the integrity of their project.

Project designers and managers should always be alive to what is ultimately achievable – and limit scope and ambition accordingly. The scope of the project was very broad, with many activities and actors to cover, and challenging to manage. The UNDEF partner admits they were “carried away by the enthusiasm” of the first constitutional reform process, following the social protests of 2019. The project did not necessarily suffer as a consequence, but it placed strain on delivery.

Capturing, and preserving for future use, key takeaways and materials should be an integral part of any successful and well-run project. In the present case, the experience of the constitutional reform processes in Chile and lessons learned from the project will self-evidently be of wider interest in the Latin American region, and beyond.

The project has highlighted the receptiveness of municipal governance structures to the voices of young people. It is, therefore, opportune to invest in initiatives that actively incorporate youth perspectives into the development of public policies concerning youth affairs.

The inclusion of political parties in the development and planning of activities during the project design phase could have further enriched the initiative's relevance and ensured a broader and more inclusive platform for youth participation in Mozambique's democratic development processes. In this project, specific activities aimed at encouraging youth involvement in political parties resulted in eighty-nine percent of the project beneficiaries registering with political parties. However, the potential for even greater youth involvement in political activities could have been realized by involving political party representatives in the design of tailored activities to promote active participation and enhance engagement in party-related initiatives.

Integrating project activities with existing municipality initiatives involving youth has proven to be a successful strategy for ensuring project sustainability. In addition to creating new dialogue spaces between municipal authorities and youth, this project leveraged existing platforms, such as annual meetings with the local councilors, to include youth consultation in the municipal annual activity plans. This approach fostered stronger youth participation following the project capacity-building activities.

It is widely accepted that local community radios continue to be the medium most established and most used and trusted (for news and information) by people in Mali and other countries in the Central Sahel region – especially in remote areas where access to print media and television is more limited. However, the use and influence of social media is already significant and is expected to grow – and should be part of any context-setting, if not the subject of direct activity, in future projects supporting the media sector.

When supporting electoral processes there is clear value in working “upstream” to cover, and connect, key aspects of the full electoral cycle (e.g. registration, awareness raising, monitoring, conflict prevention and resolution) before the election event itself. Where possible, this can also include linkages with initiatives promoting access to information and freedom of speech – i.e. ensuring that electoral choices are as well informed as possible and contribute to community dialogue and improving social cohesion. A new civil society platform for the Sahel, the Coalition citoyenne pour le Sahel, appears to be a promising forum just such interaction.