Skip to main content

Facilitating Zimbabwe’s Civil Society Immediate Contributions to the Constitutional Reform Process

Completed
Mar 2010 – Dec 2011
Partners

Supporting the democratic reform process

The aim of this project was to anchor the democratic reform process as set out in the Global Political Agreement (GPA) within Zimbabwean society in ways that would help to overcome division and make the reforms lasting and visible. We contributed to this by supporting the work of domestic civil society organisations (10 partners) in anchoring the constitutional reform process within Zimbabwean society in ways that helped to enhance civic participation in the constitutional referendum, heal divisions within society and make the reforms consolidated and visible. The project was structured around the following pillars: 

  • Strengthening civil society coordination of activities in the context of the Constitutional reform process, in order to empower Zimbabweans to participate meaningfully in the Constitutional reform process;
  • Creating synergies between the Parliament-led process of consultation around the constitutional reform and local civil society’s efforts and activities in this area; and
  • Channelling funding from the European Union to local civil society organisations in a timely and flexible manner.

Results

  • Fears surrounding politicisation and poor execution of the consultation process were addressed in cooperation with local organisations by focusing on the need for impartial information, and safe and established channels of communication of the Zimbabwean public.
  • Through the sharing of international best practices, education meetings, the dissemination of informational material, advocacy for the mobilisation of citizen participation and increasing synergies between the parliament-led process and popular input, respect for the process described in the GPA was ensured.
  • Through the provision of long term and stable sources of funding Zimbabwean civil society organisations have been enabled to articulate and coordinate long term programme cycles.

Open positions

Working for democracy provides an opportunity to contribute towards shaping fair, just, and equitable societies around the world. Our network of organisations, located at the heart of Europe, is dedicated to making a positive impact on individuals’ and communities’ freedoms and human rights through our programmes, research, and advocacy activities.