The Cotonou Partnership Agreement recognises the complementary role of, and the potential for, contributions by NSAs to the development process. NSAs will, where appropriate, be kept informed of and involved in consultation on co-operation strategies. They will be provided with financial resources by the European Union, involved in the implementation of co-operation projects and programmes and be provided with capacity building support in critical areas in order to reinforce their capabilities(1). Analysis so far shows that in most countries (48 out of 55) NSAs have been consulted (2) and Country Strategy Papers (CSPs) have been adapted accordingly in more than 50% of the cases (30 countries out of 55). In many countries (32 out of 55), amounts have been earmarked for NSA capacity building and networking. These amounts represent some 5% of the programmable resources allocated (€ 166 million out of € 3,5 billion).(3)

The Local Government and Non-State Actors Programme in Lesotho is providing support in line with the spirit and demands of the Cotonou Agreement. This assignment shall seek to support further NSAs in this context by identifying blockages, facilitating networking, knowledge management and the linking of Lesotho NSA to the wider region and internationally. This assignment is to be considered as a starting point for developing a more sustainable, organised civil society voice in Lesotho which shall, in time, be able to adapt to address issues beyond the Cotonou paradigm.

The importance of the Cotonou Agreement to Lesotho should not be underestimated with the relationship also impacting on its regional relationships including Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and SADC. It is thus imperative that the Lesotho non-state sector has an opportunity to influence, oversee and monitor the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement. The tripartite dialogue between government, the EU and NSA requires an organised, legitimate voice to represent the needs of civil society honestly and reliably. The tripartite dialogue could cover issues relating to the implementation of the development programme (through NSA participation in Joint annual reviews (JARs), National and Regional Indicative Programmes (NIP/RIP) development, Country strategy papers (CSP) reviews, etc.,), issues relating to trade, governance, etc.

The five pillars of the Agreement are:

1. Reinforcement of the political dimension of relations between ACP countries and the European Union;
2. Involvement of the civil society, private sector and non-state actors;
3. Poverty reduction;
4. An innovative economic and trade cooperation framework; and
5. Rationalisation of financial instruments and a new system of “rolling programming”.(4)

When one considers NSAs in Lesotho and the fact that resources are limited, it seems expedient to merge the financial/economic pillars into three proposed “thematic areas” to be engaged with by NSAs in Lesotho namely:

1. Development
2. Business and Trade
3. Governance

This classification of thematic areas means that the policy dialogue will target relevant actors and for non-Cotonou issues, specialist civil society groupings exist. For example, policy dialogue around issues of SACU may be more relevant to the NSA in the business and trade group (unions, producers, business and professions associations, etc.,) than to smaller development CSOs.

METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS PROJECT

The methodology described below shall at all times:

• Adopt an inclusive approach
• Seek to ensure a good gender balance
• Strive to include emerging actors
• Attempt to build local capacity
• Strengthen sustainability through local ownership, identification of unique/innovative approaches and organisational development
• Seek to promote constructive dialogue

This assignment shall be carried out with support from international expert Dr Jennifer Tangney in partnership with the Lesotho Council of NGOs (LCN) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) under the supervision of the LGNSP Programme Management Unit based in Maseru.

Being a membership organisation, it is anticipated that LCN will able to engage its members to participate in the implementation of the project. This membership will be effective to ensure broader understanding of the Cotonou agreement, as many of the initiatives key stakeholders are LCN members and will be active in the advocacy and necessary representation.

As a contribution to general capacity building in Lesotho and sustainability of knowledge, students from the National University of Lesotho (NUL) will be selected to participate in the implementation of this project. The students will work with SAIIA and LCN to provide some administrative support and would benefit from exposure to this important area of work. The students would be provided with a small stipend to support their contribution.

It is important to note that the model for dialogue proposed in the methodology below is specifically designed to enable effective representation of NSA voices in frameworks and paradigms beyond only Cotonou dialogue – in this way a multiplier effect and greater value for money are assured.

The methodology comprises of five key elements:

1. Needs assessment and Desk Research
2. Facilitation of tripartite dialogue through support to the development of an organised structure and strengthening of LCN
3. Capacity Building of NSA in Lesotho for policy dialogue and engagement
4. Networking of NSA in Lesotho with regional and international platforms/networks
5. Technical Support to understanding of key issues relevant to the Cotonou Agreement

SPECIFIC OBIECTIVES OF THIS PROJECTS

Constituency Building - to support the establishment of NSA representation in the framework of Cotonou Dialogue in Lesotho

SAIIA has much experience at the facilitation of networking and policy dialogue processes at both regional and national levels and is thus well placed to support this process. SAIIA facilitates many fora that support NSA dialogue and representation in policy processes. For example, in the course of its work on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) since 2003, SAIIA has worked in over 20 African countries. Activities have ranged from informing national actors about the APRM and its opportunities to mobilising various national stakeholder groups and sectors to become involved in the various APRM processes, to working with NSA coalitions to develop independent written submissions for their national APRM process (Lesotho, Mauritius, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia), to training researchers and think tanks on how to compile a Country Self-Assessment Report, to empowering NSAs to track the implementation of the APRM (Southern Africa, including Lesotho, Mozambique, Mauritius and South Africa). Other SAIIA work has concentrated on capacity building in trade issues (through, amongst others, its involvement in the Trade Knowledge Network (TKN)) and making input into national and regional policy initiatives including the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA).

LCN, as the largest NGO network is a key stakeholder to be considered as it falls within its mandate to coordinate and facilitate the representation of its members. LCN will support the creation of an inter-disciplinary Task Force with the representative bodies of labour, commerce and other sectors to ensure that all facets of the NSA sector are represented. The three thematic area approach, based on the original five pillars of the Cotonou Agreement as previously described, will ensure that specialisation and appropriate constituency targeting occurs while the more general Task Force will also facilitate coordination and cross-pollination.

A model for tripartite dialogue that has worked for some time successfully in Ethiopia and which is being replicated in Malawi is proposed also in the case of Lesotho (although it is open to change and discussion following local input) as a starting point to facilitate Cotonou Dialogue. This model requires limited resources, makes use of existing networks and structures and avoids “institution building”. Both the General Assembly and the Task Force are informal structures.

The diagram below denotes the basic structure that has proven effective in other countries. In the course of the inception phase, this model will be interrogated and modified as required with regard to the local context in Lesotho.

PARTNER'S CREDENTIALS RELEVANT TO THIS ASSIGNMENT