Citizen First- Improving Hum. Security The Citizens First Project will contribute to the human security and good governance by strengthening the social contract i.e. citizens build up and/or restore trust in government as a reliable partner capable of resolving conflict and delivering basic services. In addition people also build trust among each other across different religious, sectarian, ethnic and cultural identities through fulfilling the obligations towards each other.
Project Overview
The project Citizen First is set of outcomes and interventions ranging from community mobilizations for their rights, facilitating community groups to interact and engage with local authorities for basic social services, promoting social harmony through cultural means including festivity and celebratinglife jointly beyond religious, sectarian and ethnic affiliations as well as theatre, music, folk dances etc. it also talks about democratization of public policies impacting peace and conflict in Pakistani social, political and economic context.
The project interventions are aimed to strengthen civil society and support informed mobilization process for accountability of state institutions and government on international obligations particularly International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), UN Security Council Resolution 1325 with Convention for Elimination of all kinds of the Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as Bench Mark for women#s social, political and economic participation.
The project also provides opportunity to build people contact among citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan for cooperation and peace. The terrorism survivors in Afghanistan and CSO representative will be invited to Pakistan to meet Pakistan Civil Society, Political Leadership, Media and other stakeholders and share each other# perspectives and perceptions for positive change. Project period is   for four years.
Outcomes and Outputs
Outcomes
The Citizens First project will ensure that in 15 districts of three provinces in Pakistan 50,000 people are educated and mobilized for basic human rights, peace, tolerance and social services. Eight implementing partners Civil Society Organizations will have increased capacity for evidence based adovacy at district, provincial and federal level.
Project will make it possible for 100 CBOs and Community Groups to be able to engage with local authorities on public demands for basic social services. In three provincesof Pakistan 30 CSOs will be facilitated/ supported to lobby and campaign for pro-people planning and budget allocation by putting forward alternative recommendations. Alliances of 100 CSOs/CBOs all over Pakistan will be campaigning and lobbying with federal/national assemblies and related bureaucracy in Pakistan for responding positively towards international commitments and obligations for rights of citizens. Project activities will also help in increased interaction of civilian actors among Pakistan and Afghanistan to challenge existing stereotypes about each other.
Outputs
The major output of this project will be that in 15 districts of three provinces 30,000 population will have increased access to social services. To address the stereotypical perspectives negatively affectingthepeace, tolerance and harmony, 50,000 men, women, youth from different ethnic, cultural, religious and sectarian groups will be interacting with each other. One of the output of this project is training and 5 C assessment of implementing partners followedbycapacity building trajectory. Eight implementing partners will be trained for research and reporting on human security and oriented towards constitutional and international framework of rights. 100 CBOs/ Community groups will be mobilized to engage with local authorities on issues related to basic social services in 15 districts of Pakistan.
CSOs will be mobilized to lobby and campaign for specific suggestions on budget allocations and implementation regarding social services and communicating the same to Assembly members and authorities. Civil Society alliances will be advocating, lobbying and campaigning for UNSCR 1325, ICCPR, ICESCR and Democratization of Public Policies (particularly foreign policy and budget). The project will ensure production of 32 annual reports on Human Security Situation in the project areas. Publications, material, websites and its dissemination regarding UNSCR 1325, ICCPR, ICESCR and Democratization of Public Policies particularly foreign policy and budgets will be among theoutputs of this project. Awareness will becreated at community level on negative impact of MNC business operations. Local organizations will be trained on private sector engagement (roles and responsibilities, complaint mechanisms, conflict-sensitivebusiness, identification of cases). Also local organizations will be supported and advised in their private sector engagement strategies in specific cases, including filing of complaints.Lastly civil actors and other stakeholders will be engaged throughstudy,exposure visits and lobby meetings for building social, cultural, political and trade relations.