Oxfam DRC Governance and community protection Program -Our rights and our duties Oxfam DRC Samhällsstyrning och samhällsskydd - Våra rättigheter och skyldigheter Oxfam har ansökt om finansiering på 52 901 215 SEK från Sida för att genomföra programmet “Governance and Community Protection Program 2018-2022 - our rights our duties in DRC” under perioden 2018 till 2022.

Programmet förväntas bidra till att kvinnor och män, civilsamhällsorganisationer och andra samhällsgrupper bättre:
* kan utöva sina rättigheter
* kan få ökat skydd mot våld och övergrepp
* stärker sina röster och bättre kan delta i beslut som påverkar deras liv

Programmet omfattar:
*Stöd till lokala offentliga institutioner och civilsamhällsorganisationer för vägledning till att införa nya, eller förändra rådande policys och attityder för ökad respekt för mänskliga rättigheter och kvinnors rättigheter samt för att minska diskriminering och våld. 

* Stöd till kommittéer på lokal nivå, inklusive kvinnoforum, så att de kan stärka sin kapacitet och öka sitt förtroende för kollektiva åtgärder. Detta för att de ska kunna ställa högre krav på lokala och provinsiella myndigheter kring förbättrad förvaltning, respekt för jämställdhet och effektivitet i skyddsprocesser.

* Arbeta för att myndigheter på provinsiell och lokal nivå antar och förstärker praxis och processer i enlighet med medborgarnas krav. Dessa krav ska förverkligas genom regionala samrådsprocesser på medborgarnivå. Arbetet kommer att präglas av ökat ansvarsutkrävande, transparens, inkludering, ökad respekt för jämställdhet samt skydd av medborgerliga rättigheter. 

• Stärka nationella organisationers förmåga att på ett bevisbaserat sätt som representera medborgarnas åsikter och införliva de vittnesmål som kommer från lokala civila samhällsorganisationer. Detta för att de ska vara mer effektiva och trovärdiga i sin plädering för förändring. 

Oxfam kommer att genomföra insatsen tillsammans med lokala organisationer i tre provinser: Equateur, Syd-Kivu och Tanganyika. Insatsens totala budget uppgår till 52 901 215 SEK och Sida är den enda givaren till programmet. Oxfam has applied to Sida for funding of 52 901 215 SEK to carry out the "Governance and Community Protection Program 2018-2022-  our rights our duties in DRC" during the period 2018-2022.

The program aims to advance the goal of a DRC in which women and men, civil society organizations, and community groups are able to exercise their rights, secure protection from violence and abuse, voice priorities, and participate in decisions that affect their lives. 

The program will :
•	Enable communities, local public institutions and CSOs to adopt new or change current practices and attitudes to increase respect for human rights and women’s rights, and reduce discrimination and violence; 

•	Support community-level governance committees, including women’s forums, to build the capacity and confidence for collective action that engages territorial and provincial authorities to improve the accountability of governance, respect for gender equality and effectiveness of protection processes; 

•	Establish and facilitate a citizen-state consultation process by which authorities at provincial, territorial and local levels adopt practices and procedures in response to citizens’ demands for increased accountability, transparency, inclusiveness of governance, increased respect for gender equality and increased protection of citizens’ rights; 

•	Strengthen the capacity of national advocacy organizations to apply an evidence-based approach that represents the views and incorporates the testimonies drawn directly from local civil society organizations and ordinary citizens, to be more effective and credible in their advocacy efforts.

Oxfam will implement the intervention together with the local organizations in three DRC provinces namely: Equateur, South Kivu and Tanganyika.  The intervention’s total budget is 52 901 215 SEK and Sida is the only donor to the program. In its essence, the program aims to create new and transform existing relationships to bring about a shift in the power relations that currently keep women subordinate to men, youth and minorities excluded from opportunities, and citizens subject to the will of authorities.  Once created or changed, new relationships will be nurtured, strengthened and sustained to the extent that they are deemed valuable by those who are party to them.  
Oxfam proposes a program to advance the goal of a DRC in which women and men, civil society organizations, and community groups are able to exercise their rights, secure protection from violence and abuse, voice priorities, and participate in decisions that affect their lives. To achieve this, in this program Oxfam will be working in two provinces in East (South Kivu and Tanganyika) and one in the West (Equateur) of the DRC. The program will:
- Enable communities, local public institutions and CSOs to adopt new or change current practices and attitudes to increase respect for human rights and women’s rights, and reduce discrimination and violence;
- Support community-level governance committees, including women’s forums, to build the capacity and confidence for collective action that engages territorial and provincial authorities to improve the accountability of governance, respect for gender equality and effectiveness of protection processes;
- Establish and facilitate a citizen-state consultation process by which authorities at provincial, territorial and local levels adopt practices and procedures in response to citizens’ demands for increased accountability, transparency, inclusiveness of governance, increased respect for gender equality and increased protection of citizens’ rights;
- Strengthen the capacity of national advocacy organizations to apply an evidence-based approach that represents the views and incorporates the testimonies drawn directly from local civil society organizations and ordinary citizens, to be more effective and credible in their advocacy efforts.
To demonstrate the possibility and test a model of effective bottom-up change in DRC, Oxfam will build on programs proven effective in bringing about lasting individual and local level change, to address the more systemic governance, protection and equality issues that can only be achieved with engagement by higher levels of government.
The program’s direct beneficiaries will be the individuals trained to serve as change agents; as well as the community governance structure, women’s forum members, local, territorial and provincial formal and traditional authorities who participate in program trainings and other activities.
Direct beneficiaries (examples)
720 Change agents trained in 24 locations, 50% men, 50% women, 30% of the total youth Each change agent will reach out to at least 15 people in the project cycle – which leads to 10 800 change agents. Change agents will reach out at least to 2 public institutions at the community level: 48 public institutions and interaction with several individuals from each institution
Indirect beneficiaries:
72,000 community members in rural areas, based on communities of 3,000 inhabitants 500,000 through communication activities (including reach on social networks) Indirect beneficiaries at territorial, provincial and national level will be assessed during start-up phase