RWI Regional Africa Human Rights Programme II 2019-2024 RWI Regional Africa Human Rights Programme II 2019-2024 This program supports Raoul Wallenberg Institute (RWI) with an overall objective of bringing about a demonstrable improvement in access to justice for all and implementation of human rights commitments in Africa. This objective is framed by the premise that the key challenge for increased respect for human rights regionally is not primarily a lack of standards and institutions, but making existing standards and institutions work.

To achieve this objective, RWI has chosen to work according to two main, overarching strategies/methods. The first intervention method relies up on working in cooperation with and supporting key stakeholders that are perceived to be able to exert influence on how regional human rights commitments are implemented in the region. Actors in focus in this respect are Pan-African Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and networks thereof and network of six African academic institutions. 

This method with in this specific program primarily targets direct cooperation with 6 Pan-African Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that work both at regional and sub-regional levels. The assumption is that these Pan-African CSOs have good thematic knowledge, expertise and will build the capacity and influence the work of the regional and sub-regional duty bearer human rights institutions. Thus, these CSOs will be used as a vehicle to build the institutional capacity of the regional institutions while also benefiting from better networking and building the capacity of their own institution through trainings and experience sharing that will be primarily taken care of by RWI.

The interventions by this regional and sub-regional CSOs is also effectively tied to the national level through their designed catalytic role in accelerating the effective implementation of the decisions of the regional and sub-regional Courts at a national level. In addition to this, they are also set to engage in awareness raising campaign about the existence and effective utilization of the courts at national level. The same applies to the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and their regional network. 

The network of six African academic institutions will also contribute towards the realization of the theory of change through the production of research based empirical evidences to the implementing institutions, so that they can have evidence based interventions. 

The second intervention method concerns working directly with regional institutions to address capacity and other gaps through training, literature and system support, experience sharing, research, manual, working order and plan development. The regional institutions in focus are primarily those of the East African Community (EAC) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

This will be primarily take care of by RWI, i.e., in addition to the interventions by the regional and sub-regional CSO as mentioned above. This indicates that RWI will be playing a double role of capacity building and coordination both for the regional and sub-regional CSOs together with other national actors and the regional and sub-regional duty bearer institutions. 

The above proposed intervention methodology is assessed to be sound in relation to the expected results.    

RWI has proposed a five-year program that runs from 2019 to 2023 with a total amount of 80 MSEK, of which around 25 MSEK or 31% to be forwarded to six Pan-African CSO partners. However, the Embassy will initially sign agreement only for the first three years (2019-2021) for a total amount of 50 MSEK though the assessment encompasses the full five years program period, mainly due to limitations to Sida`s framework for outstanding commitments, with a possibility of extension to five years in 2021. Programmet avser stöd till Raoul Wallenberg Institutet (RWI), med ett övergripande syfte att förbättra situationen vad gäller stärkande av rättssektorn i bred bemärkelse, och implementering av MR-ramverk i Afrika. Syftet bygger på antagandet att den huvudsakliga utmaningen vad gäller respekt för mänskliga rättigheter på regional nivå, inte är bristen på normativa ramverk eller institutioner i sig, utan snarare på att hos de standarder och institutioner som redan finns på plats inte fungerar på ett optimalt sätt för medborgarna. 

För detta ändamål har RWI valt att arbeta utefter två övergripande strategier. Den första strategi innebär samarbete med och stöd till aktörer som antas kunna påverka implementeringen av MR-åtaganden i regionen. Aktörer i fokus är panafrikanska civilsamhällesorganisationer, nationella MR-institutioner samt nätverk av dessa, samt ett nätverk av sex afrikanska akademiska institutioner. 

Fokus för just detta program kommer framförallt att vara direkt samarbete med sex panafrikanska civilsamhällesorganisationer verksamma på både regional och subregional nivå. Dessa antas ha god tematisk kunskap och expertis för att kunna bygga kapacitet och påverka arbetet hos relevanta MR-institutioner. Dessa civilsamhällesorganisationer kommer i sin tur kunna dra nytta av nya nätverk och möjligheter till kapacitetsbyggnad inom den egna verksamheten genom kunskapsutbyte och utbildningar primärt anordnade av RWI. 

Dessa civilsamhällesorganisationers aktiviteter är i praktiken även länkade till den nationella nivån, eftersom de förväntas få en katalytisk roll vad gäller effektiv nationell implementering av beslut tagna av regionala domstolar. Utöver detta kommer de även engagera sig i kampanjer för ökad medvetenhet och kunskap om nationella domstolar och deras roll. Detsamma gäller nationella MR-institutioner och regionala nätverk.

Nätverket av sex afrikanska akademiska institutioner kommer även de att bidra mot förverkligandet av förändringsteorin, genom forskning och empiriskt material till institutionerna, i syfte att främja evidensbaserade aktiviteter.

Den andra metoden innebär direkt samarbete med regionala institutioner i syfte att åtgärda brister i bland annat kapacitet genom utbildning, stöd till litteratur, systemstärkande, erfarenhetsutbyte, forskning, utarbetande av arbetsordning och -plan. Primärt fokus är Östafrikanska gemenskapen (EAC) och Västafrikanska staternas ekonomiska gemenskap (ECOWAS). 

Detta hanteras primärt av RWI i tillägg till de ovan nämnda aktiviteter som genomförs av de regionala och subregionala civilsamhällesorganisationerna. Detta innebär dubbla roller för RWI eftersom de kommer hantera både kapacitetsbyggnad och koordinering av regionala och subregionala civilsamhällesorganisationer tillsammans med nationella aktörer och de ansvariga regionala och subregionala institutionerna. 

Ovan nämnda metod bedöms som rimlig i relation till de förväntade resultaten. 

RWI har föreslagit ett femårsprogram från år 2019 till 2023 med en total budget på 80 miljoner SEK, varav runt 25 miljoner SEK, eller 31%, vidarebefordras till de sex panafrikanska partnerorganisationerna. Ambassaden kommer dock inledningsvis skriva avtal för endast tre år (2019–2021) med ett totalbelopp om SEK 50 miljoner, på grund av begränsningar inom Sidas bemyndiganderam. Beredningen avser dock hela programperioden och kan förlängas till fem år 2021. The overall objective of the Program is a demonstrable improvement in access to justice for all and implementation of human rights commitments in Africa. This objective is framed by the premise that the key challenge for increased respect for human rights regionally is not primarily a lack of standards and institutions, but making existing standards and institutions work.
To achieve this objective, RWI has chosen to work according to two main, overarching strategies. The first concerns working in cooperation with and supporting other key stakeholders who are assessed to be able to exert an influence on how regional human rights commitments are implemented in the region, including by national and regional institutions. Actors in focus in this respect are academic institutions, CSOs and NHRIs, and in particular networks thereof.
The second strategy concerns working directly with regional institutions, including related duty-bearers in the region, to address capacity and other gaps to strengthen implementation of regional human rights commitments in the region. The regional institutions are primarily those of the East African Community, but also ECOWAS as a REC is targeted. The two RECs are targeted mainly because RWI wants to consolidate the work that has been started in the previous phase of Africa Program with EAC; and ECOWAS is considered to be the second most integrated region in Africa next to EAC. Among regional institutions, there is a focus on judicial bodies and departments dealing with political affairs, security, social services and gender.
The Program thus seeks to embody an approach that supports implementation of regional agreements and commitments in different ways; through direct support to organizations and agencies (duty-bearers) responsible for the implementation, through support to actors within civil society or otherwise not duty-bearers who work with accountability and through dialogue which, in a systematic and informed way, are connected with commitments in the regional context.