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Democracy and Governance
Institutional Capability
World Learning seeks to develop the institutions and practices of democracy
around the world by strengthening civil society. Underpinning these
efforts is the recognition that democracy flourishes in societies where
non-governmental, governmental and private actors have the appropriate
space and capacity to play their respective roles, and where there are
opportunities for cooperation. World Learning provides technical assistance,
training and small grants to civil society organizations in an effort
to assist their development and constructive engagement with one another,
with government and with the private sector. Gender considerations feature
prominently in World Learning projects. World Learning recognizes that
development challenges are different for men and women and that assistance
needs to be crafted in such a way that affirms the dignity of each individual
and their unique requirements.
World Learning's democracy and governance portfolio includes:
Through these and other projects, World Learning has developed a solid
track record in organizational capacity building, advocacy training
and small grant management.
Since 1982 World Learning has provided customized
training services in an array of sectors to USAID-funded participants.
Similarly through its Delphi International
Program World Learning has arranged observational study tours for
more than 10,000 international visitors.
World Learning's democracy and governance work covers a range of technical
areas.
- Increasing capacity of NGOs to oversee government
and to articulate and advocate citizens' interests.
- Supporting the development of a media sector that
contributes to democracy.
- Preventing trafficking and protecting victims.
- Promoting decentralization and increasing capacity
of local government to work with NGOs to enhance democratic performance.
- Increasing capacity of NGOs to oversee government
and to articulate and advocate citizens' interests. During the past
decade, civil society discourse has focused on the role of NGOs and
their comparative strengths and weaknesses in delivering development
services, orchestrating policy reform, and galvanizing citizen participation.
Current debate centers around NGO legitimacy, accountability and representation.
NGOs have been criticized for undertaking development projects that
are disconnected from government programs, thereby duplicating or
contradicting efforts already underway with scarce public funds or
donor resources. Most NGOs now recognize that their development efforts
will only be successful and sustainable if they are linked to existing
institutions, including government. As a result, many NGOs are working
to ensure that government programs reflect citizen's interests, use
public and donor resources transparently and accountably, and achieve
some degree of positive impact on the lives of the intended beneficiaries.
A significant part of this effort involves educating the public about
the commitments government has made to international institutions,
the programs it has undertaken with public resources, and the extent
to which it has delivered on promises made to citizens. World Learning
supports those NGOs that are interested in strengthening their ties
with constituency groups, promoting policy reform, and encouraging
transparent and accountable government.
Sample projects include:
- PRSP in Uganda and Malawi Project
Brief
- Azerbaijan summary
- STAR project
- Angola
- Armenia
- Supporting the development of a media sector
that contributes to democracy. Shaping an effective democratic society
requires many steps and the formation and strengthening of a media
sector that contributes to democracy is an essential component of
civil society development. World Learning's work in this area focuses
on capacity building for media institutions such as media watchdog
NGOs, media law and policy institutes, and media advocacy organizations.
World Learning has a track record in promoting an understanding of
the components that contribute to an environment that enables media
to advance democratic goals (see "Legal
Enabling Environment for Media Reform" and The
Role of the Media in Democracy). This "enabling environment"
for media freedom is of increasing interest to donors and international
NGOs as they recognize the limitations of their interventions without
such an enabling environment. Moreover, the kinds of efforts required
to develop an enabling environment for media freedom are best led
from within a society and shaped by those individuals and organizations
with an understanding of the history and current context of the country.
The legal realm is one area that helps to shape the enabling environment
for media freedom. For example, drafting and debating media laws within
a society are important exercises to ensure that the end result has
validity for that particular society. World Learning applies its capacity
building expertise to assist the development of media law and policy
institutes in various regions of the world. Working in partnership
with the Oxford Programme
in Comparative Media Law & Policy, World Learning provides
customized technical assistance, training and small grants to enable
these institutes to carry out their missions and sustain their operations.
(See also The
Summer Programme in Media Law and Policy, WTO, and China as well
as MISA - The Media Institute of Southern
Africa.)
- Preventing trafficking and protecting
victims. Trafficking in persons is one of the most egregious forms
of human rights abuses and one that has garnered increased international
attention over the past several years. US policy makers have adopted
an approach of "prevention, protection and prosecution"
in order to attack the problem of trafficking on various fronts. Other
governments have also dedicated significant levels of resources and
diplomatic energy to addressing the problem, particularly in Europe
where increased numbers of trafficked individuals arrive every year.
Significant numbers of international NGOs complement government efforts
by creating databases of information about the problem of trafficking,
providing assistance to victims, and working with law enforcement
agencies to aid prosecution.
In this context, World Learning draws on its existing capabilities
in several different program areas and brings to bear these comparative
strengths on the problem of international trafficking. World Learning
recognizes the global nature of trafficking, and realizes that sensible
solutions must draw on local-level initiatives while linking these
to the international policy arena.
World Learning focuses its efforts on the problem of trafficking in
women, while recognizing that this heinous crime affects men and children
as well. Project activities fall into three broad areas:
- Linking local-level initiatives with national and international
policy dialogues
- Empowering trafficked individuals
- Exchanging information
- Promoting decentralization and increasing capacity
of local government to work with NGOs to enhance democratic performance.
As NGOs have increased in number and capacity, many governments, particularly
at the local level, feel disempowered and dwarfed by the resources
directed to NGOs. Many governments recognize the need to consult with
citizens and to communicate with them about policies and programs
undertaken. Few, however, have the relationships with civil society
organizations that would allow this kind of interaction, and governments
are increasingly seeking assistance in this area. World Learning is
well positioned to assist governments in understanding the contribution
that civil society can make to policy debates and development programs,
and helping governments to foster open and honest dialogue with civil
society representatives. Integral to this approach is training in
leadership and management for civil servants as is done in the PTP-E
project and at Delphi.
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