Just Future - Mali The Just Future (JF) programme is a 5 years programme funded under the ‘Power of Voices’ framework by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Cordaid leads the Just Future Alliance that joins 6 coalition partners, 3 research institutions, around 25 local CSOs and an international civil society network. Through this partnership we work to strengthen capacity of civil society organizations in their role of lobby and advocacy. This will build on the previous phase of the strategic partnership from the MOFA called : “Dialogue and Dissent”- 2016-2020. 

Fragility, conflict and violence are the most significant obstacles to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Just 20% of fragile and conflict-affected states are on track to achieve SDG targets by 2030, when 85% of the world’s poorest people will be concentrated in those states; millions of people living in fragile contexts are at risk of being left behind. As it addresses fragility directly, SDG16 on peaceful, just, and inclusive societies is a vital accelerator of Agenda 2030. In the most fragile and conflict-affected contexts, insecurity and injustice is chronic and widespread due to weak, unresponsive institutions that do not meet the needs and claims of security and justice seekers, with adverse impact on the dignity, prosperity, and survival of all in society. The prevalence of insecurity and injustice also undermines people’s perception of the efficacy and legitimacy of the state, inducing the weak social contract at the heart of fragility. In 6 countries—Afghanistan, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mali, Niger and South Sudan—fragility also manifests as lack of freedom and space for independent civic action. All 6 countries are amongst the world’s least free and most closed, due to repressive legislation and regulation by states, conservative or patriarchal social norms and informal institutions that restrict space for women and youth, the actions of violent non-state actors, or a combination thereof. In the cases of Afghanistan, Mali, and South Sudan, deficient processes of peacemaking or peace implementation are also present; 5 countries (all but Burundi) host large international peace and security assistance missions. Civil society organizations (CSOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), social movements, and informal activist groups in all 6 countries are working to improve security and justice and make political decision-making and peace processes more inclusive. CSOs, CBOs, social movements, and informal activist groups can aggregate and articulate the needs and demands of the most excluded constituencies, and engage on their behalf with duty-bearers and power-holders. But the relative weakness, fragmentation, and contested legitimacy of civil society in a context of shrinking civic space undermines the capacity of these actors to advocate for effective institutions or negotiate and collaborate with the state. Consequently, the demands and expectations of the most excluded are seldom reflected in the policy and practices of security, justice, governance and peace actors at the sub-national and national levels. Just Future’s vision is of a world in which all people in fragile states benefit from more accessible, responsive and accountable security and justice institutions, and more inclusive arrangements for political governance and peace-making. Just Future will work in solidarity with CSOs in each country—especially those representing women, young people, displaced people, and identity-based groups—enabling them to represent the voices of the most excluded at the local, national, regional, and global levels.