CIVIL SOCIETY: MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT Annual Work Plan (Year 5) October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020
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CIVIL SOCIETY: MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT Annual Work Plan (Year 5) October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020 Revised, July 2020 August 30, 2019 Cooperative Agreement Number: AID -367-A-16-00007 Project Start and End Date: April 4, 2016 to April 3, 2021 Submitted to: Bishwas Rana, Agreement Officer’s Representative USAID Submitted by: Prem Raj Ojha, Deputy Chief of Party, Civil Society: Mutual Accountability Project FHI 360 GPO Box 8803, Gopal Bhawan Anamika Galli, Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 977.1.4437173 Email: [email protected] This document was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by FHI 360. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Abbreviations and Acronyms AAOR Alternate Agreement Officer’s Representative AIN Association of International Non-Government Organizations in Nepal AMO Advocacy and Monitoring/Oversight AOR Agreement Officer’s Representative ARI Advocacy Readiness Index CA Common Assembly CAG Content Advisory Group CAR Community Action Researcher CLFS Critical Listening Feedback Sessions COVID-19 Corona Virus Disease 2019 CSC Community Score Card CS:MAP Civil Society: Mutual Accountability Project CS:MAP-HRS CS:MAP-Human Rights Strengthening CR Community Reporter CSO Civil Society Organization DCC District Coordination Committee DRR Disaster Risk Reduction DQA Data Quality Assessment EAI Equal Access International ECN Election Commission of Nepal FNJ Federation of Nepali Journalists FRF Financial Revenue Form FSP Financial Sustainability Plan GESI Gender Equality and Social Inclusion GGB Good Governance Barometer GON Government of Nepal GBV Gender-based Violence HEAD Health, Education, Agriculture and Disaster Risk Reduction HR Human Rights HRPLSC Human Rights Protection and Legal Service Center HRTMCC Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Center ICNL International Center for Not-for-Profit Law ICT Information and Communications Technology IJ Investigative Journalism INGO International Non-Governmental Organization INSEC Informal Sector Service Center IPS Indo-Pacific Strategy IR Intermediate Result ISO Intermediary Service Organization IVR Interactive Voice Response LDAG Listening, Discussion, and Action Group LDTA Local Development Training Academy LGTBQI Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Queer or Intersex MC Martin Chautari M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MOFAGA Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration MOU Memorandum of Understanding MuAN Municipal Association of Nepal MELP Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan MTER Mid-term Evaluation Report NARMIN National Association of Rural Municipality in Nepal NASC Nepal Administrative Staff College NEOC National Election Observation Committee NHRAP National Human Rights Action Plan NHRC National Human Rights Commission NFN NGO Federation of Nepal NNSWA Nepal National Social Welfare Association NRA National Reconstruction Authority OCA Organizational Capacity Assessment OGP Open Government Partnership OLGDS Open Local Government Digital System OPMCM Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction PFMSP Public Financial Management Strengthening Project PEAR Participatory and Evidence-based Action Research PET Public Expenditure Tracking PIJ Public Interest Journalists PIR Public Interest Reporting PPP Public-Private Partnerships POC Public Outreach Campaign PSA Public Service Announcement RDT Rapid Diagnostic Test RTI Right to Information SA Social Accountability SMS Short Message Service SSMK Saathi Sanga Manka Kura TA Technical Assistance UN United Nations USAID United States Agency for International Development WHO World Health Organization Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms 2 Executive Summary 5 1. Context 14 3. Results Focus, Strategic Approaches, and Assumptions 25 4. Activity Description 47 5. Incorporation of Cross-Cutting Interventions 119 6. Coordination and Collaboration 124 7. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan 126 8. Deliverables 129 9. Travel Plan 129 10. Activity Summary Matrix 129 Executive Summary The Civil Society: Mutual Accountability Project (CS:MAP), implemented by FHI 360, in partnership with Equal Access International (EAI) and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), fosters a more legitimate, accountable, and resilient Nepali civil society that is capable of advancing the public interest. The project works to achieve this by accomplishing four objectives, while incorporating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) across project activities: 1. Strengthened enabling environment for civil society and media; 2. Improved civil society and media capacity for effective policy advocacy and government engagement; 3. More coordinated and effective civil society and media oversight of public resource use and public service delivery; and 4. Strengthened organizational capacity and sustainability of selected civil society organizations (CSOs) working in USAID priority sectors to advance local solutions. CS:MAP-Human Rights Strengthening (CS:MAP-HRS), a supplement to CS:MAP, will be implemented for one year (FY 2020) within the CS:MAP timeframe. It is designed with the hypothesis that, “if civil society adopts a Human Rights (HR)/Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) framework to better advocate with government; and, if local governments are informed, become knowledgeable about their role in HR/GESI and are re-equipped with appropriate mechanisms and policy frameworks for promoting HR; then the HR protections within the new constitution will be more successfully institutionalized at the federal and sub- national level.” CS:MAP-HRS will assess the government's implementation of human rights commitments and human rights laws mandated by the Constitution of Nepal and build the capacity of CSOs to monitor and report on them. Additionally, CS:MAP-HRS will build sub- national governments' capacity to use a rights-based approach when creating policies and strengthen the fragile relationship between CSOs and the government so that new policies better reflect the protection of human rights on their functioning. CS:MAP-HRS will work to accomplish the following objective, which will be Objective 5 for the CS:MAP project: 5. Improved enforcement of fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution. Prior to the 2017 federal, provincial and local elections, citizens of Nepal expected that election results would lead to a stable government and, hence, to political stability. Such stability would provide a long-awaited conclusion to Nepal’s peace process following a decade-long conflict and post-conflict instability, and open the door for much-needed social and economic development. To advance this vision, Nepalis voted for a federal government with a resounding two-thirds majority. Following the elections, the country embarked on a rapid implementation of the principles of federalism enshrined in the Constitution. Under the Constitution, Nepal was to be transformed from a unitary to a federated system of governance, and this transformation was to be advanced via collaboration between the state, civil society and citizens. The shift to federalism further involved the devolution of 22 exclusive and 15 concurrent powers/authorities to provincial and local-level governments, raising expectations of accessible, independent local governments with the powers and resources to fulfill their mandates. The transition to federalism contained inherent challenges, first among them the need for three tiers of government to effectively coordinate, cooperate, coexist and co-create, with optimum clarity and respect for individual and concurrent jurisdictions. While some discord between 5 governments at different levels was anticipated, the actual gaps and misunderstandings often reached alarming proportions. These gaps were exacerbated by a lack of human resources at the provincial and local levels, and subsequent misunderstandings regarding how to address this lack. Governments likewise faced confusion and controversy over the scope of provincial and local security-related authority, the convening of Public Service Commission examinations, and the need for harmony among federal, provincial and local-level laws and policies. As a result, the governments could not live up to citizens’ public service delivery expectations. The left-leaning coalition that came into power - later unified to form a single party - following the 2017 elections had the reputation of supporting non-governmental or civil society activism to address human rights abuses, and to promote gender equality and social inclusion, cooperative movements, social development, and grass-roots empowerment. As such, it was expected that the new government would support the strengthening of an enabling environment for civil society and media. Contrary to expectation, however, there was minimal consultation with the civil society and media sectors in the drafting of laws and policies related to freedom of association, freedom of expression, and press freedom. Provisions within draft laws and policies were often found to be control-oriented rather than facilitatory, and failed to align with constitutional provisions, or with international principles. This proved an impediment to constructive engagement between civil society and government on matters of public interest. Given the challenges outlined above, CS:MAP’s efforts at strengthening civil society and media in advancing the public interest