Middle East and North Africa - Lebanon
Implemented by Cowater International (formerly Transtec), AFKAR III reinforced the role of civil society in the promotion of human rights, democratic reform and good governance through grant schemes, workshops and trainings. The project offered workshops, trainings and roundtables to CSOs including professional associations, community-based organisations, independent research institutes and universities, media organisations, plus public institutions like the Office of the Minister of State for Administrative Reform, and relevant ministries dealing with civil society issues. This project strengthened the overall capacity and accountability of civil society and increased its involvement in the policy dialogue with Government as well as enhanced the visibility and structure of civil society’s role and contribution to the political and institutional framework. Cowater’s project enhanced and promoted multi-stakeholder consultations and policy dialogue between civil society organisations and assisted the Office of the Minister of state for Administrative Reform in managing the implementation of civil society initiatives granted to civil society organisations under AFKAR III. The project followed-up on on project implementation both at technical and financial level and implemented training programmes to support grant beneficiaries and government staff. Training tools were developed and support was given to their adoption while the project also worked to engage in public outreach and visibility activities to raise awareness of the AFKAR III Programme, including providing content and coverage for the AFKAR III website and key project events.
