Strengthening Dialogue for Community Decision-Making

The project’s relevance was undermined by weak risk management. Some predictable risks in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including armed violence, were mentioned in the project document, but no specific mitigation strategies were developed. It would be appropriate in the future for project applicants to more systematically develop fully-fledged risk mitigation strategies.

Due to a focus on pre-existing radio listeners’ clubs, the project lost an opportunity to establish new clubs where needed. Concentrating on existing clubs, hampered dialogue between local political and communities representing particularly vulnerable and marginalized groups.

The project benefited from prioritizing women’s rights. Women targeted by training activities made good use of the knowledge they acquired, thanks in part to the grantee’s use of experienced trainers, including UN experts. However, the effectiveness of the grantee’s strategy would be improved by also including men systematically in training, awareness raising and lobbying for women’s rights.

The broadcasts based on the community debates complemented the training sessions on human rights and democracy. Together, they contributed to developing the capacity of the radio listeners’ clubs, so that the members had an improved understanding of democratization.

The project activities – raising awareness about human rights, organizing community debates and producing broadcasts – contributed the local democratization agenda, and complemented the gradual reestablishment of a stable and democratic situation in Ituri District. In particular, the project helped to reach remote communities; increase women’s awareness of their rights; and in some communities the project helped address security concerns, including the use of violence by police and military personnel against civilians.