SFCG: Engaging CSO in Eastern Congo Power of Civic Space SFCG: Rollen för civilsamhället Search For Common Ground (SFCG) has applied to Sida for funding of 44 995 758 SEK to carry out the " Engaging CSO in Eastern Congo in Power of Civic Space program" during the period 30th November 2020 - 31st December 2024.

The program aims to advance the goal of a DRC in which women and men, civil society organizations, and community groups are able to strengthen their capacity to promote democracy and improve inclusive governance, gender equality, and political participation. The program will be implemented at community level. 

The program will:
•	Enable CSOs, of which several are led by women and deliver crucial social services, and social movements to increase collective action and advocacy influencing security, human rights, governance and peace processes; 
•	Strengthen the representation of women's and youth's voices vis-à-vis state duty-bearers; 
•	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 CSO operational and technical capacity, representativeness, and network action, based on agreed criteria;
•	Increase human rights-relevant policies, action plans at global level developed with active participation of primary stakeholders or CSOs representing them.

SFCG will implement the intervention together with the local organizations in three DRC provinces namely: North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika.

The intervention’s total budget is 44 995 758 SEK and Sida is the only donor to the program. Search For Common Ground (SFCG) har ansökt om finansiering på 44 995 758 SEK för att genomföra "Engaging CSO in Eastern Congo in Power of Civic Space program" under perioden 30 november 2020 till 31 december 2024.

Programmet syftar till att stärka förmågan hos flickor, kvinnor, pojkar och män som organiserar sig i det civila samhället att påverka samhällsutvecklingen. Därmed bidrar programmet till att främja demokrati, en mer inkluderande styrning på lokalnivå, jämställdhet och politiskt deltagande. Programmet kommer att genomföras på lokal nivå i den östra delen av landet.

Programmet kommer att:
• Aktivera civilsamhällesorganisationer, varav flera leds av kvinnor och många bidrar till samhällsservicen, för att främja säkerhet, mänskliga rättigheter, styrning och fredsprocesser
• Öka och effektivisera de primära intressenternas röster gentemot statliga institutioner
• Inrätta och underlätta en samrådsprocess mellan medborgare och myndigheter på provinsiell, territoriell och lokal nivå så att de antar metoder och förfaranden som svarar mot medborgarnas krav på ansvarstagande, öppenhet, inkluderande styrning, respekt för jämställdhet mellan könen och skydd för medborgarna rättigheter;
• Stärka organisationernas operativa och tekniska kapacitet, representativitet och nätverk;
• Stärka organisationernas integrering av mänskliga rättigheter på olika nivåer. 

SFCG kommer att genomföra programmet tillsammans med lokala organisationer i tre provinser i östra DRK, nämligen Nord-Kivu, Syd-Kivu och Tanganyika. 

Insatsens totala budget är 44 995 758 SEK och Sida är den enda givaren till programmet. The overall goal of the programme is to work to strengthen the capacity of civil society to promote democracy and to improve inclusive governance, gender equality, and women's and youths political participation in DRC. In doing so, it will seek the following outcomes:

Outcome 1: Strengthened civic and political participation of CSOs is characterized by increased responsiveness and accountability to conflict-affected communities in Eastern DRC, especially the most marginalized such as women and youth; 

Outcome 2: Democracy for all is promoted through effective governance systems which allow conflict-affected communities to defend and enforce their rights, supported by responsive and accountable duty-bearers and power-holders;

Outcome 3: Peacebuilding and stabilization efforts allow conflict-affected communities to collectively negotiate and influence decision making, redress grievances, and resolve disputes through fair and inclusive local mechanisms, within a context of open civic space
and respect for human rights.

Actions taken to accomplish these Outcomes include:
Community-led research, such as actor mapping, conflict analysis, and participatory action research to identify barriers and opportunities; Skills trainings on capacity building, conflict resolution, and leadership for CSOs, activists, and authorities; Lobbying, advocacy, and communications campaigns to ensure responsive governance and research uptake among policymakers and governance structures.