Project

Promoting democratic dialogue and social cohesion in the Western region of Côte d’Ivoire

Grantee: Centre de Recherche et d'Action pour la Paix

The overall objective of the project was to reinforce community dialogue and participatory democracy in the Western part of Cote d’Ivoire, with a view to enhancing social cohesion and the enhancement of democratic values at local level. To achieve this objective, the project had three outputs: Civil society organizations (CSOs) and the authorities are better equipped to use community support techniques; CSO’s providing support to communities on the management of conflicts; and enhanced involvement of local communities in development initiatives. The project was remarkably relevant, in that it correctly identified the lack of social cohesion as a major risk for conflict returning to the target areas. The project developed strategies and activities that specifically addressed the needs of the local communities and those of the CSOs working with them. However, the project design phase did not sufficiently involve the communities and CSOs, and the project should have involved more technical experts.

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Lessons from Project

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The grantee should have played a greater role in building relationships with the local authorities. The CSOs, though they had adequate links to local officials, lacked the credibility and credentials to help build capacity at local government level.

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The grantee should have ensured that the CSOs and communities received additional technical advice in the design and implementation of the micro-projects, for example on economics and livelihoods.

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The project design phase did not sufficiently involve the communities and CSOs who were partners. The project could have also benefited from more technical expertise in the design of some of the micro-projects, to help ensure their success. The project duration was only 18 months (a three-month extension was eventually granted), was probably too short in view of its ambitious objective.

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The project’s impact was most visible among the beneficiaries of the micro projects. For example, the association of women selling fresh products on the market in Bloléquin was able to create common interest among women from different backgrounds – locally born, as well as older migrants and recently resettled women. This association, created by the project, was able to lobby local authorities on behalf the market women on matters such as the allocation of market stalls and to improve the storage of fresh produce.

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The micro-projects are sustainable to the extent they were specifically designed to last beyond the project period and to be self-financing. New skills were acquired by communities, and by the grantee itself, will also contribute to the sustainability of the project’s results.

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The project put in place “frameworks for coordination” – Cadres de concertation – bringing together local officials, CSOs and representatives of the various communities to discuss and prevent conflicts. These were very effective and are likely to have an impact in the future in terms of easing tensions among communities.

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The project was appropriately financially and administratively managed. The project team was competent and committed; and its pro-active attitude contributed to the success of the project. The support given to the by the grantee’s senior management team was also a factor of success.

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