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Providing information and creating awareness
Public access to information and people’s awareness of their rights, of the resources provided for services, and of how effectively they are used are all fundamental to social accountability initiatives. Roles in this area could include:
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developing two way communication with communities that will enable them to participate in social accountability initiatives and express their priorities;
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promoting awareness of governance as an issue in its own right and integrating it with other issues;
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strengthening public awareness and understanding of corruption;
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enhancing transparency and accountability in public procurement;
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sharing experiences and providing access to case studies and technical assistance;
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providing translations of material dealing with significant issues; and
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publishing a regular newsletter of topical issues with translations in different languages.
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Capacity building, training and technical support
Surveys of service delivery and performance need to be rigorous, replicable, and representative to ensure credibility. The network can help to:
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inform stakeholders about protocols and standards for conducting research;
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provide training / access to training to develop local capacity;
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facilitate access to local and international expertise;
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facilitate learning through access to local and international case studies / experience;
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facilitate learning between Lusophone, Francophone and Anglophone countries;
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support organisational development for social accountability;
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supporting capacity development in civil society for social accountability;
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support approaches to demand side monitoring at macro, meso and local levels;
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develop positive interactions with government and other governance structures focusing on problem solving;
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package information for different purposes and users;
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run workshops with roleplayers from different countries to learn from experiences; and
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develop criteria for rendering technical assistance.
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Networking
The network needs to play a pro-active role in building a critical mass of support for social accountability at local, national, regional, continental and international levels through:
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conducting an initial scoping study to identify initiatives and expertise;
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acting as an ongoing repository and clearing house for this information;
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assisting members in getting access to information and permission to conduct research;
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linking organisations on the continent and abroad to learn from experiences;
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linking organisations working on corporate social responsibility with those promoting public sector social accountability and associated areas;
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co-ordinating projects to avoid duplication and ensure mutual benefits;
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helping to bring on board countries that are not yet active in this area;
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supporting the development of accountability education networks;
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involving the media in encouraging public debate on social accountability issues;
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helping to coordinate advocacy on a regional and continental basis, for example when SADC or AU leaders meet; and
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linking and integrating social accountability with initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP).
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Funding
ANSA needs to support short, medium and long term funding strategies to ensure successful and sustainable social accountability initiatives. This includes:
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hosting and funding workshops and other events where stakeholders in the social accountability arena can meet to debate the issues;
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funding capacity building initiatives in the social accountability arena in Africa;
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providing or assistance in sourcing seed money for new initiatives including piloting more high risk initiatives on a small scale;
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funding of research work or related projects that advance the objectives of the Network and enhancing social accountability across the continent.
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funding or assisting in providing funding of indigenous civil society groups to engage in processes such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM);
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assisting roleplayers and stakeholders to develop funding strategies to ensure sustainability in the medium and long term; and
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promoting government commitment and budgetary provision for sustainability and replicability.
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