Status: Completed
Period of Implementation: 2021
Donor: European Union – 11th European Development Fund
Implementing Agency: ONAO, Non-State Actors Advisory Committee
Direct Beneficiary: Member organisations of the NSA Advisory Committee
Donor Contribution: 25,000 EUR
Background:
The Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA) between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP), aims at poverty reduction and sustainable development. The CPA places emphasis on the participation of ‘non-state actors’ in ACP countries in the implementation of the Agreement to Facilitate deeper involvement of civil society in the country/EU partnership as far as policy dialogue, programming and review of project and programmes. Antigua & Barbuda, being a signatory to the agreement has established a Non-State Actor (NSA) Advisory Panel/Committee. The aim of this grouping is to ultimately evolve into a platform for continuous dialogue for Civil Society Organisation (CSO) networks, allowing for a more structured exchange between civil society and policy makers in assessing the relevance and impact of cooperation policies and programmes between Antigua and Barbuda and the European Commission.
The focus for Antigua and Barbuda’s NSA Advisory Committee continues to be capacity development to address sustainability and their ability to meaningfully engage likeminded organizations and government agencies. As such, a training needs assessment was conducted by surveying a representative group of NSAs, to identify capacity gaps within these organisations that could impact their effectiveness.
Objective:
The overall objective of the consultancy was to strengthen institutional arrangements for dialogue between civil society and the Government, enhancing the capacity of the NSAs to effectively influence and monitor national and regional (development) policies.
Project description:
A Contractor was engaged to coordinate and deliver four (4) capacity building training workshops to address capacity gaps identified across NSA Committee organizations. The training sessions focused on Grant Proposal Writing, Strategic Plan Development, IT Skills and Effective Use of Media.
To keep the sessions manageable and interactive, the class sizes were kept between 10-15 persons. The core participation in the sessions came from member organizations of the Non-State Actors Advisory Committee. The competency areas represented on the NSA Advisory Committee included, youth relations, women’s support and development, labour relations, credit union management, community development, environmental protection and fisheries.
Due to the COVID pandemic, all training was conducted in a virtual space.
After the conclusion of the workshop, the Contractor provided direct, individual capacity building support to the NSA Advisory Committee organisations to address specific areas of need within the scope of the areas identified.
