In line with their mandate to promote civil society organisations (CSOs) as important actors in the fight against poverty on the African continent, the Southern Africa Trust and an advisory group of organisations met on 26 September 2006 to reflect on the establishment of an independent mechanism for CSOs to interface with the secretariats of the intergovernmental institutions of the African Union (AU), namely the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the Pan African Parliament (PAP).

In Africa there is a general consensus that the Africa Union (AU) and its structures were created primarily to assist African citizens and their mmber sates to improve governance systems, promote accountability, economic development and uphold the rule of law. To implement this vision, the AU created organs such as the PAP and engaged the international community to establish NEPAD and the APRM. Although these are states-based, they have in their Charters the space for civil society organisations in their programming and activities on the basis of the 'notion of popular participation' which was agreed on as far back as the 1990s. There is evidence of an increasing conviction that development and democracy in Africa cannot be achieved without effective and meaningful participation of African citizens and CSOs.

Weak representation by civil society is a reflection of CSO's poor capacity. There is a need for CSOs to be strengthened so that they can engage as well as monitor and participate in the implementation of programmes related to the Intergovernmental Institutions. Unless this is done, the space provided by the institutions will be used ineffectively.

The consultant is expected to implement setting up of the support facility to facilitate the engagement of African civil society organisations with Intergovernmental Institutions based in Midrand, South Africa, in order to contribute to strengthening governance and securing economic development in Africa through:

• Strengthening the coordination and capacity development of CSOs to enable and facilitate the involvement of CSOs with Intergovernmental Institutions in a creative and effective way for public policy influence based on the CSO constituency experiences or research.



• Interface with intergovernmental institutions to proactively facilitate interface between African civil society and Intergovernmental Institutions for enhanced participation in policy formulation and activities of the African intergovernmental institutions;



• Deepen CSO engagement with ntergovernmental institutions in policy debates and formulation



• Monitoring and evaluation of level and quality of CSO engagement with intergovernmental institutions

If you are interested, please send a motivation letter and an indication of your fee. Your expression of interest should be submitted by 21^st November 2008, no later than 15h00.

Please direct applications to:

The Regional Poverty Observatory Unit
Southern Africa Trust
International Business Gateway,
4 Midridge North
6th Road, (off New Road)
Midrand
South Africa

Email: jchiriga@southernafricatrust.org

Note: No phone calls please. Please note that a closed tender process will be issued only to short-listed candidates.