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Rule of law

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights training and capacity-building for indigenous people

Training was effectively leveraged because it allowed participants to go on to organize additional human rights training courses within their own community. Knowledge about how to indigenous peoples’ rights was disseminated more widely at the local level and allowed people to make the links between their own situation and international norms.
Project Partner
International Indian Treaty Council
Project Description
The project aimed to expand the awareness of and ability of indigenous groups to use international human rights standards and mechanisms. The project particularly targeted skilled community leaders who could replicate the training courses. Ultimately the grantee sought to build the indigenous peoples’ ability to participate and organize themselves so that they could challenge discrimination and oppression. The training of trainers succeeded in empowering community leaders and increasing their knowledge of international instruments for the defense of their rights, of which they were previously unaware. Methodological and pedagogical support for disseminating human rights knowledge in indigenous communities was, however, not provided and there is no evidence of any analysis being made of the results and lessons learned during the training, which would contributed to the sustainability of the project and the future usefulness of the training documents.
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights training and capacity-building for indigenous people

A local monitoring system would have helped the beneficiary groups tackle the human rights abuses that affect them by putting in practice the knowledge acquired. Beneficiaries from Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru expressed also the wish to take part in further training, and to receive updates with the latest news on indigenous peoples’ rights
Project Partner
International Indian Treaty Council
Project Description
The project aimed to expand the awareness of and ability of indigenous groups to use international human rights standards and mechanisms. The project particularly targeted skilled community leaders who could replicate the training courses. Ultimately the grantee sought to build the indigenous peoples’ ability to participate and organize themselves so that they could challenge discrimination and oppression. The training of trainers succeeded in empowering community leaders and increasing their knowledge of international instruments for the defense of their rights, of which they were previously unaware. Methodological and pedagogical support for disseminating human rights knowledge in indigenous communities was, however, not provided and there is no evidence of any analysis being made of the results and lessons learned during the training, which would contributed to the sustainability of the project and the future usefulness of the training documents.
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening transitional justice processes in Burundi

Victims’ groups were established as a direct result of the project – for example groups of women who suffered from politically motivated sexual violence and survivors of the 1972 killings in Burundi.
Project Partner
International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Project Description
The project was related to the establishment in Burundi of a National Consultation Steering Committee (NCSC) made up of government, UN and civil society representatives and tasked with addressing issues of national reconciliation and accountability for past large-scale human rights violations. The overall goal of the project was “to help the NCSC to achieve its mandate and promote transitional justice”
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening transitional justice processes in Burundi

The project could most probably have been more efficient if it had been more closely managed by the grantee’s office in South Africa. Its greater involvement would have enhanced the value of the project in the eyes of implementing partners and provided valuable assistance to the staff working on Burundi.
Project Partner
International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Project Description
The project was related to the establishment in Burundi of a National Consultation Steering Committee (NCSC) made up of government, UN and civil society representatives and tasked with addressing issues of national reconciliation and accountability for past large-scale human rights violations. The overall goal of the project was “to help the NCSC to achieve its mandate and promote transitional justice”
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights training and capacity-building for indigenous people

In terms of effectiveness, the strategy selected for the training of trainers was not well designed. More thought needed to have been given to designing an appropriate pedagogical approach to achieve a more sustainable impact among the targeted indigenous communities.
Project Partner
International Indian Treaty Council
Project Description
The project aimed to expand the awareness of and ability of indigenous groups to use international human rights standards and mechanisms. The project particularly targeted skilled community leaders who could replicate the training courses. Ultimately the grantee sought to build the indigenous peoples’ ability to participate and organize themselves so that they could challenge discrimination and oppression. The training of trainers succeeded in empowering community leaders and increasing their knowledge of international instruments for the defense of their rights, of which they were previously unaware. Methodological and pedagogical support for disseminating human rights knowledge in indigenous communities was, however, not provided and there is no evidence of any analysis being made of the results and lessons learned during the training, which would contributed to the sustainability of the project and the future usefulness of the training documents.
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Human rights training and capacity-building for indigenous people

Impact was limited as the project was mainly focused on mobilizing the partner organizations’ members, with little regard for establishing significant collaboration with other actors from Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru involved in the same issues.
It would have been useful to publish a simple directory of indigenous organizations existing in Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru, as well as of stakeholders in civil society and their donors, which include indigenous communities among their priorities.
Project Partner
International Indian Treaty Council
Project Description
The project aimed to expand the awareness of and ability of indigenous groups to use international human rights standards and mechanisms. The project particularly targeted skilled community leaders who could replicate the training courses. Ultimately the grantee sought to build the indigenous peoples’ ability to participate and organize themselves so that they could challenge discrimination and oppression. The training of trainers succeeded in empowering community leaders and increasing their knowledge of international instruments for the defense of their rights, of which they were previously unaware. Methodological and pedagogical support for disseminating human rights knowledge in indigenous communities was, however, not provided and there is no evidence of any analysis being made of the results and lessons learned during the training, which would contributed to the sustainability of the project and the future usefulness of the training documents.
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening transitional justice processes in Burundi

Many of the professionals trained by the grantee before and during the project period have subsequently taken an active part in transitional justice related work in civil society, international organizations, the media and sometimes in state institutions in Burundi. Many representatives working on transitional justice and met by the evaluators had been trained by the grantee, and had used the skills they acquired to develop projects on behalf of their respective NGOs.
Project Partner
International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Project Description
The project was related to the establishment in Burundi of a National Consultation Steering Committee (NCSC) made up of government, UN and civil society representatives and tasked with addressing issues of national reconciliation and accountability for past large-scale human rights violations. The overall goal of the project was “to help the NCSC to achieve its mandate and promote transitional justice”
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Strengthening transitional justice processes in Burundi

Although it foresaw the possibility of politically motivated delays, the project had little in place in the way of mitigation. The strategy in relation to institutional stakeholders in Burundi was not fully developed – for example there was no attempt to formalize and set an agreed framework for the project’s support and technical advice to the National Consultation Steering Committee.
Project Partner
International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ)
Project Description
The project was related to the establishment in Burundi of a National Consultation Steering Committee (NCSC) made up of government, UN and civil society representatives and tasked with addressing issues of national reconciliation and accountability for past large-scale human rights violations. The overall goal of the project was “to help the NCSC to achieve its mandate and promote transitional justice”
Evaluation Date
August 2010
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Empowering Female and Youth Domestic Workers in Uganda

Door to door engagements may be the most time consuming and expensive way of doing engagement, but for this face-to-face interaction is the most effective outreach approach.
Project Partner
Platform for Labour Action
Project Description
The project aims to promote the recognition of domestic work as decent work and domestic workers (WDs) contribution to society. 3500 domestic workers reached will be positioned to take individual and collective actions to improve working conditions. Two Associations of existing 61 mutual support groups of the domestic workers will be established to build solidarity and support for each other, develop advocacy strategies and represent themselves with support from PLA in influencing change. This project will also further the participation of female and youth DWs in claiming their rights, accessing services including legal aid and inclusion in decision making in policy, local and national government processes.
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Promoting Citizen’s Participation in the Constitutional Reform Process in Ghana

Only 10 of those MPs who followed the advocacy seminars and expressed their support were recently re-elected into parliament, which gives additional reason for concern.
Project Partner
Institute of Economic Affairs
Project Description
The project facilitated the participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups of citizens in the constitutional reform process in Ghana. This process was initiated by the Ghanaian government when it established a Constitution Review Commission (CRC). The project aimed to consult the country’s marginalized populations on key constitutional issues and considered their recommendations in conjunction with the results of field surveys and thematic research papers. The project organized workshops with participants. On average 21 new relevant recommendations were made by each participant. This improved the quality of submissions - compared to the officially conducted CRC consultations – and prompted various Members of Parliament (MPs) to declare their support. Over 80% of the Constitution Review Commissions’ recommendations were informed by the project’s input, which demonstrates the impact the project had.
Theme
Country