Post on 06-Aug-2015
Submitted to MOOC on Community Engagement – 8th April 2015
Nepal
Community Engagement in Natural Resource Management: A reflection on
Community Learning and Action Centre
Policy provision
Guidelines for Community Forestry Development 2009, Nepal has been a key policy document to focus on women, marginalized and poor households with the clear statement that at least 35 percent of the Community Forests Users Groups (CFUGs) income should be invested in livelihoods enhancement activities of the women, poor and marginalized communities.
Transformation: structural change
What needs to be transformed
All citizens including women, poor and marginalized communities need to be
• Aware of their rights, • Able to create opportunity to raise their voice, • Have choice to solve their problems , and • Have developed capacity to exercise their rights
Your suffering
your issue
Your voice you organize
Community awareness centre based on REFLECT |
Your issue you lead
Your advocacy your rights
Inclusiveness Participation
Transformation Networking
Issue based advocacy
Campaigns
CLAC
Knowledge for change
Engagement
Transformation
What is Community learning and Action Centre?
The community Learning and Action Center (CLAC) is a forum where the marginalized and disadvantaged are brought together to identify, analyze and take actions on issues that directly affect them.
The overall objective of CLAC is to facilitate transformative social mobilization process through community awareness and action to advocate their issues and get quality public services. It creates negotiating space with service providers and government.
Three fold approach of CLAC
Information
Empowerment
Transformation
•Deliberative communication on policy provision, issues and responsibility •Collective social actions •ICT enabled communication
INFORMATION +FEEDBACK
• Underlying causes of poverty and social injustice analysis •Thick and thin engagement • Critical awareness and authentic dialogue •Rights based collective social actions and practices •Policy dialogue •Effective implementation of policies and provisions INFORMATION + ACTION+ FEEDBACK
•Citizen actions: Elections, referendum, social movement, participatory budgeting , •Program planning and implementation based on poverty and vulnerability findings •Engagement in local level program planning •Exercise and practices of gender equality and social inclusion •Collective social actions and campaigns •Community involvement in policy implementation and its effectiveness •Natural resource management and utilization •Promotion of good governance •Biodiversity conservation •Equitable benefit sharing exercises •Community resilience
INFORMATION + ACTION + EFFECT/IMPACT +FEEDBACK
Community engagement in
improving development outcomes
Good governance & social justice
Governance Framework – 3 domains of change
Three domains of change where CLAC can contribute its efforts to change power relations in their society through transformative social mobilization processes
Domain 1: Marginalized Citizens are Empowered
Domain 2: Public Authorities and other Power Holders are Effective and Accountable to Marginalized
Citizens
Domain 3: Spaces for Negotiation between Power Holders and
Marginalized Citizens are Expanded
Dimensions of Change
1. Citizens are aware of rights & duties and have a greater sense of agency
2. Citizens participate and organize collective actions
3. Citizens participate in exacting accountability
4. CSOs are representative and accountable to marginalized citizens
5. CSOs influence public policy effectively
Dimensions of Change
1. Public authorities and power-holders have the capacities to protect rights and deliver public goods
2. Public authorities and power-holders are responsive to impact groups
3. Public authorities and power-holders are transparent, providing accessible and relevant information
4. Public authorities and power-holders are accountable to impact groups
5. Rule of law and justice is equitable and impartial
Dimensions of Change
1. Institutionalized spaces are inclusive and effective
2. Informal spaces are claimed
3. Inclusive political settlements are achieved
4. Alliances and coalitions for progressive social change are formed
CLAC implementation process
Informative Stage 16 weeks cycle
Organizing and Mobilizing
Empowerment Stage Emergence of Critical
Mass
Transformative Stage Critical engagement
Education
Health Livelihood
Good governance
Gender equality
Social inclusion
Resiliency Issue
Information
Empowerment
Transformation
Post CLAC Support expectation
• Wider constituencies based on issues and advocate those issues in systematic ways.
• Engage critical mass in social transformation processes.
• Community level interaction and discussion on changing power dynamics within the communities.
• Create community level learning forum for social transformation
Thank you for your time
Note: The presenter acknowledges Hariyo Ban Program CARE Nepal for the materials used and/or adopted in this presentation