Strategic Partnership 2016 NIMD - AWEPA - Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Strategic Partnership NIMD-AWEPA-MFA Conducive environments for effective policy influencing: the role of political parties and Parliaments The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has introduced a new funding framework for civil society organizations for the period 2016-2020. Under this new framework, a selected number of partners entered into a “Strategic Partnership” (hereinafter referred to as SP) with the MFA. In 2014, NIMD and AWEPA teamed up to prepare an application consisting of a Theory of Change and a Track record with input from in-country staff and partners. At the end of January 2015, the Dutch MFA announced that the NIMD/AWEPA alliance had been selected as one of the 25 organizations under the Strategic Partnership funding window and that the alliance would be entitled to a maximum of €6.410.250 per annum for a period of five years. In March this year, following the kick-off meeting organised by the MFA with all selected organizations to provide the framework for shaping the Strategic Partnership programme document, NIMD and AWEPA engaged with their counterparts from the Ministry to jointly formulate the strategic goal(s) for the partnership. This resulted in a document that defines the mutually agreed goals and geographical and thematic focus for the partnership which guided the preparations for the underlying programme document. The strategic goals and programme rationale and geographical focus for the partnership that follows from this agreement are briefly summarised below. Partnership goals The Partnership between NIMD, AWEPA and the MFA aims to contribute to a conducive environment in which political and civic actors can effectively lobby and influence political and policy processes to advocate for inclusive and equitable social change. Within this broad overarching goal, the partners jointly contribute to three specific goals: i. To improve the enabling environment for effective policy influencing on inclusive and equitable development in 10 countries in Africa and South-East Asia and 1 region (Central America) (system level change). ii. To strengthen the policy influencing capacities and responsiveness of political parties, parliaments, parliamentarians and civil society actors as drivers for inclusive social change through trust building, gender-sensitive agenda setting and inclusive dialogue in 10 countries and 1 region (actor and culture level change). iii. To develop the organisational capacities of a selected number of southern partner organizations (implementing partners, political parties and parliament) to autonomously and effectively advocate for effective policy influencing in partnership with civil society (actor level change). The themes of gender equality and inclusiveness are identified as important crosscutting themes for all proposed country and regional programmes. Chapter 3.3 outlines how NIMD and AWEPA plan to operationalise their strategy to enhance gender equality and inclusiveness in their programme activities. This general strategy is subsequently translated into country and region specific approaches as part of the country and regional programmes presented in chapter 6. Programme rationale The departing points for the NIMD-AWEPA Programme Document are a joint NIMD-AWEPA Theory of Change and the existing country programmes of both organizations (based on the DAC list of lower- and lower middle income countries, as stipulated by the Subsidy Framework). These country programmes –underpinned by an country specific ToC and baseline– are embedded in strong local political networks; are underpinned by a deep rooted knowledge of the local political economy and have a solid institutional infrastructure for programme implementation. To acknowledge the importance of cross-border themes and regional interdependencies that increasingly shape national policy agendas and to stimulate peer learning and exchange, dedicated strategies and instruments for peer learning, knowledge and innovation and PME will be developed as part of the strategic partnership. Furthermore, to maximize opportunities for regional and international lobby and advocacy on issues that emanate from national policy agendas, the programme foresees in the development of dedicated strategies for potential upstream policy influencing at regional and global fora and bodies. Political actors are defined as the combined main target group of the Strategic Partnership: - (representatives of) political parties - politicians - (Members of) Parliament and its Committees - Other elected representatives at local levels. NIMD will primarily focus on political parties.