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 can be likened to climbing a hillside prone to frequent landslides. Yet in this context it is more important than ever for CS:MAP and its partners to undertake constructive government engagement in advocating for pro-people public policies, and for carrying out effective monitoring and oversight of public resource use and public service delivery. This requires continued efforts by CSOs and media to improve their internal governance and self-regulation mechanisms, build technical capacity, and establish and nurture coalitions and alliances to improve public understanding and confidence in their role. There is also a need, now more than ever, for sustained civic engagement with federal, provincial and local government to advance the public interest. This requires a multi-pronged strategy to advocate for an enabling environment for civil society and media – working with identified champions within the federal and provincial Parliaments, and with civil society champions at the federal and sub-national level. In addition to this, Nepal has expressed a strong commitment to protecting human rights. The country’s new constitution, which was adopted in 2015, includes protections for a wide range of fundamental rights, and mandates that the country establish commissions overseeing the rights of marginalized populations such as women, Dalit and Madhesi. However, only the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and the National Women’s Commission are currently functioning, as the Government of Nepal (GON) has not yet appointed commissioners for other constitutional bodies. The Constitution had set a deadline of September 19, 2018 for the Parliament to pass new human rights enforcement laws and regulations. Though 16 laws have recently been passed through the Parliament, government officials did not consult with CSOs when they drafted the bills. The country has also adopted its fourth National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP), though government agencies do not consistently use it in their planning and reporting. Additionally, Nepal has ratified major United Nations human rights treaties and is currently a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council. This presents an opportunity to advance human rights in the country, as there will be greater international attention focused on the GON’s progress toward the human rights goals they have set for themselves.

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At the subnational level, government agencies generally do not have the capacity to ensure that they are addressing human rights in their budgets and plans. At both the local and national levels, CSOs have played a vital role in raising awareness of human rights issues through advocacy campaigns, civic engagement activities and human rights litigation. Organizations working to protect the rights of women, Dalit and Madhesi populations, and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Queer/Questioning (LGBTIQ) people have been on the frontline of human rights advocacy for nearly 20 years. Despite official GON commitments and the work of existing CSOs, very little progress has been made in protecting human rights in Nepal. In Year 5 (October 1, 2019 – September 30, 2020), CS:MAP will consolidate and strengthen the foundations laid in previous years, build upon technical assistance provided thus far, and provide additional assistance for strengthening the leadership and negotiation skills of civil society organizations and civic actors. CS:MAP will place added emphasis on strengthening civil society coalitions and promoting joint CSO-media initiatives to reinforce civic vibrancy at the sub- national level. And CS:MAP will maximize the utilization of social accountability tools, especially among youth, women, and marginalized groups, for promoting transparency, accountability, internal governance, and self-regulation within the public sector, as well as among CSOs. Finally, CS:MAP, through its supplemental program, CS:MAP-HRS, will assess the government's implementation of human rights commitments and human rights laws mandated by the Constitution of Nepal. CS:MAP-HRS will focus on building the capacity of selected partners to implement Nepal’s National Human Rights Action Plan and support the drafting of shadow reports for Universal Periodic Review (UPR) reporting. Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) continues to spread rapidly and has already led to thousands of deaths world-wide. On January 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak ‘a public health emergency of international concern’, and on March 11, it was declared a pandemic. In view of the global outbreak, the WHO declared Nepal a nation at high risk for COVID-19 infection and spread. As a result, the Government of Nepal (GON) declared a country-wide lockdown on March 24, which remained in force for nearly three consecutive months. On June 14, despite the rising number of cases, the government announced a phase-wise easing to the nation-wide lockdown while still continuing certain restrictions such as closure of all educational institutions, shopping malls, cinema halls, religious places, hotels; suspension of domestic and international flights (except permitted); ban on public transport, mandatory physical distancing protocols and so on. Besides these, many districts in the western region have been classified as hotspots due to the concentration of COVID-19 cases.

All these, and a significant shift in priorities of key stakeholders to respond to COVID-19, had a great effect on the implementation of the CS:MAP activities planned for the third quarter with subsequent impact on quarter four. This requires not only change in modality and reduction in the targets set previously but also adjustment in activities to address COVID-19 in order to have relevance and responsiveness to the current context.

This provides an opportunity for CS:MAP to support the government response and build mutual trust, while remaining vigilant towards possible backslide of the civic strengthening that has been made possible by the past and ongoing US Government support.

As CS:MAP works to strengthen the environment of civil society and media and to build its capacity for constructive engagement with the government so that the public have access to 7 quality public services and resources, and given that COVID-19 has emerged as a significant public interest issue, CS:MAP is well positioned to engage constructively with the government and civil society actors in the COVID-19 response. Thus, CS:MAP will engage in oversight and advocacy on improving service delivery during COVID-19; foster solution-oriented dialogues among stakeholders to address the socio-economic problems created by COVID-19; protect and improve the flow of information countering disinformation and misinformation; and help governments and the private sector to respect citizens’ rights to health and civic freedom including the right to dignity and non-discrimination while incorporating gender and social inclusion (GESI) into all interventions.

Strategic Approaches In Fiscal Year 2020 (FY 2020) CS:MAP enters a critical period for sharing project learning with the wider civil society and other stakeholders. CS:MAP will bring in additional knowledge, fund advocacy efforts, and support collaboration platforms with the goal of sharing at least seven policy briefs with citizens. To continue progress towards objectives and disseminate knowledge, CS:MAP will rely on the following strategic approaches: Strengthen civil society capacity for evidence-based advocacy that advances civil society and citizen interests. To maximize civil society’s ability to advocate, CS:MAP will provide grants and/or technical assistance (TA) to the CS:MAP CSO coalition and platforms that can assist civil society in representing its interests to parliamentarians, ministry officials, and local and provincial governments. CS:MAP will also work with CSO partners to incorporate evidence into advocacy campaigns, developing messages to influence target groups.

Elevate citizens’ voices, especially those most affected by priority issues, to inform policy and service delivery. CS:MAP will use participatory methods to identify and prioritize the public advocacy issues that the project will support through in-depth consultation with marginalized communities who are most affected by priority issues. In addition, CS:MAP will provide those most affected with sufficient space to discuss and develop advocacy plans and will work with partners to improve their constituency-building and outreach skills. CS:MAP partners will also work to increase citizen engagement in the legislative process at the federal as well as at the sub-national level, whereas local partners will work to improve public service delivery by providing feedback and inputs to policy reform through citizen engagement platforms at the local level.

Promote collaboration among civil society, media, government and other stakeholders to improve the effectiveness of policy advocacy and strengthen sectoral self-regulation. Local structures such as the Common Assembly, Partnership Forum (Sajhedari Manch) and CSO coalitions will continue to mobilize civil society as well as citizens for advocacy, and frequent meetings will ensure that participants are able to influence targeted audiences. Regular formal and informal meetings and engagement with coalition members and policy makers will likewise be used to achieve advocacy goals. CS:MAP will also continue its support for partner CSOs who will work with sub-national governments to formulate policy through participatory processes. At the sub-national level, CS:MAP will intensify project-supported dialogues and discourses on the role of CSOs and media in the evolving context and in the new governance system, and will

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support reflection sessions with project partners both at the national and sub-national level. The discussions will help build synergy among different types of civil society actors.

Develop and implement targeted strategies to improve outcomes of government engagement and advocacy initiatives. At the national level, CS:MAP will lobby members of Parliament as a group, but also on a one-on-one basis, ensuring that such engagement leads to some form of public commitment that they can be made accountable towards. At the sub-national level, CS:MAP will engage champions within a civil society coalition to both advocate for and oversee sub-national public policy reform. Such reforms will aim to address gaps in public service delivery to make the services more effective and citizen friendly. Thus, along with advocacy for improving service delivery, CS:MAP will engage its partners in advocacy for improved civic engagement in policy-making processes.

Promote the role of civil society and media to respond to COVID-19 pandemic. CS: MAP will take initiatives to support the GON’s efforts to contain the disease, focusing primarily on preventive measures. This support will raise public awareness, protect people’s rights (such as right to information, right to health), foster citizen- government trust, help government to address COVID-19 socio-economic issues, and coordinate for the provision of relief supplies, as needed. CS: MAP partners will engage in increasing accountability and transparency, advocacy, oversight of public service delivery, public resources use and public expenditure tracking during the COVID-19 response.

Indo Pacific Strategy and Journey to Self-Reliance. CS:MAP’s approach for FY 2020 will contribute to the US Indo Pacific Strategy (IPS) by building civil society and media capacity to increase government accountability and responsiveness and preserve civic freedoms. One of the challenges that IPS is trying to address in USAID partner countries is increasing corruption, exploiting institutional weaknesses and the undermining of democratic institutions and long-term stability. In response, USAID is working to strengthen democratic systems by promoting the integrity of electoral processes; supporting the independence of media and information integrity; protecting human rights, including fighting corruption and strengthening rule of law; and strengthening civil society. CS:MAP will orient its FY 2020 strategy around strengthening civil society and media to advance the principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), such as access to information, financial transparency, anti-corruption and citizen-government engagement, thereby bolstering the democratic institutions and norms in Nepal upon which strong alliances and economic opportunities are based. CS:MAP will support CSOs and the media to intensify civil society oversight and engagement with newly elected local governments to hold them accountable and strengthen civic freedoms. And, the project will build the capacity of CSOs and media actors to conduct participatory and evidence-based research and advocacy and initiate constructive engagement with the GON related to legal and policy frameworks that are encroaching on independent media and information integrity. As in previous years, CS:MAP will continue to coordinate and collaborate with USAID partners and their projects, both to avoid duplication and to leverage accomplishments across projects. Accordingly, CS:MAP will coordinate with Niti Sambad in integrating its public policy advocacy agenda, especially those areas related to strengthening an enabling environment for CSOs and media, and to coordinate efforts to lobby members of parliament and relevant 9 parliamentary committees. CS:MAP will also collaborate with Niti Sambad in promoting OGP discussions at the national level with different stakeholders and also for collective advocacy to encourage the GON to join OGP. Building on its FY 2019 accomplishments, CS:MAP will provide technical support to Niti Sambad stakeholders, especially mayors and deputy mayors, to strengthen their capacity for civic engagement in public policy advocacy and public service delivery and oversight. CS:MAP will work with Sajhedari – Support to Federalism to ensure that technical efforts are coordinated and leveraged for optimal results in geographic locations where CS:MAP and Sajhedari overlap. CS:MAP will also share with other USAID-funded projects its knowledge products including a handbook on OGP and a civic engagement resource book and video documentary which are being developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MOFAGA). CS:MAP will also contribute to the principles of Journey to Self-Reliance (J2SR) by strengthening civil society capacity to conduct budget oversight and advocacy, thereby improving public financial management and fiscal transparency and accountability at the sub- national level. CS:MAP will engage the private sector to collaborate with civil society in improving service delivery at the local level. To accomplish this, CS:MAP will organize seminars in different locations to bring government, civil society, media, and private sector representatives together to improve understanding of the public-private-partnership (PPP) concept, mechanisms, and practice. CS:MAP will support selected municipalities and gaunpalikas to design PPP models that take into consideration their unique local contexts, opportunities, and challenges so as to develop an enabling environment for private sector engagement within local governance initiatives. CS:MAP will also help CSO partners develop lobbying skills for encouraging private sector organizations, including banks and financial institutions, to provide resources to local CSOs as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. In response to the CS:MAP Mid-Term Evaluation conducted in September 2018, CS:MAP will focus on transformative approaches to promoting GESI. CS:MAP will work closely with local CSO partners to ensure that GESI principles are strongly incorporated into all activities. In addition, CS:MAP will bring in a new partner who will focus on GESI-related strengthening of local CSOs during public policy advocacy. CS:MAP will also work to promote maximum utilization of the GESI integration tools developed under the project in previous years. The 2017 baseline public perception survey showed 42.4 percent of respondents have public knowledge of and engagement with civil society and media whereas the 2018 midline survey showed that the understanding is 49.6 percent. Similarly, the 2017 baseline survey showed the public confidence in civil society and media as 37.2 percent and the midline showed that the confidence is 42.0 percent. At the same time, the majority of government stakeholders surveyed indicated that they were unaware of any internal governance and self-regulations mechanisms practiced by CSOs. To further improve public understanding and perception of civil society and media actors, CS:MAP will tailor its outreach campaign for FY 2020 to address these findings. To improve the enforcement of fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution, CS:MAP-HRS will build on USAID/Nepal’s co-creation efforts and collaborate with government institutions at the federal and local level, CSOs and other relevant stakeholders to secure ownership and improve long-term sustainability. CS:MAP will work with five selected municipalities through its dedicated six local/CSOs partners (at different tiers) to build the capacity of civil society and government to advocate for increased understanding of and

10 incorporation of human rights protections in government functioning, especially at the local level. Sustaining CS:MAP efforts: In FY 2020 CS:MAP enters a critical period for sharing project learning with the wider civil society and other stakeholders. CS:MAP will build on project successes and work to consolidate gains in media-civil society collaboration and civic participation in policy making and planning processes, thereby ensuring CS:MAP impact continues beyond the life of the project. CS:MAP has seen notable results from its efforts to bring civil society and media together to advocate jointly for a stronger and more sustainable civic space and freedom of expression. CS:MAP has also documented successes from activities to support civic platforms, such as the Sajhedari Manch, Common Assembly, and Listening, Discussion and Action Groups (LDAGs); multi-stakeholder media platforms including sub- national Content Advisory Group (CAG) meetings, outdoor productions and MeroReport; and youth platforms that exist through LDAGs and media campaigns. These mechanisms provide a unique opportunity for citizen-government engagement to advance effective planning and implementation. In FY 2020, CS:MAP efforts will focus on institutionalizing these platforms at the sub-national level through CSO-led advocacy, CSO-local government engagement and negotiation, and possible incorporation within policy frameworks. CS:MAP will also focus on supporting joint campaigns and continuous civic monitoring, including third-party monitoring, and will provide capacity building assistance as needed to advance these efforts. As a result, CS:MAP efforts will further strengthen the culture of dialogue and discourse among CSOs and media to improve civic participation in policy making and participatory planning processes, thereby increasing accountability and transparency. To improve public perception of CSOs and media, CS:MAP will focus on widening the use of CSO self-regulation standards and the media self-assessment toolkit. The project will also launch an outreach program which will focus on documenting and disseminating the success stories of CSOs and media resulting from CS:MAP efforts. CS:MAP will prepare an inventory of existing CS:MAP-generated knowledge material, platforms, and media products for possible utilization as training and advocacy tools. In terms of widening the human rights defenders’ community, CS:MAP-HRS will build the capacity of human rights champions or defenders, who in turn will develop the capacity of youth, and the cycle will continue. In addition, local government capacity strengthening will help local governments design and implement plans and programs focusing on the importance of protecting and promoting human rights. The materials developed under this component will be used as resource materials even beyond the project period. Expected Results To contribute to the US IPS under the governance pillar, CS:MAP will work for the independence of media and information integrity as well as strengthening civil society. CS:MAP will prepare six policy briefs outlining proposed policies that impact freedom of association and expression. The briefs will be prepared by national advocacy partners and shared with more than 3000 stakeholders, including federal and provincial parliamentarians, CSO leaders, government officials, and media representatives. CS:MAP will then convene policy dialogues with 300 stakeholders including parliamentarians, civil society leaders, political leaders, GON officials, advocates, lawyers, journalists, CSO champions, academicians, and intellectuals to participate and provide inputs in response to the civil society and media-related policies discussed in the briefs. CS:MAP will also work with civil society and local government associations to draft one sample law concerning freedoms of association and expression that are in line with constitutional 11 provisions and international standards and appropriate for local contexts; CS:MAP will then support local governments to adopt these laws. All the activities to improve the enabling environment for civil society and media will incorporate GESI principles by analyzing CSO and media legal frameworks using a GESI lens, providing GESI recommendations, and ensuring meaningful participation of women and other marginalized communities in policy dialogues and discussions. CS:MAP will also support the US IPS, strengthening Nepal’s democratic systems by assisting civil society and local governments to implement OGP principles. As a result, CS:MAP anticipates that more than 75 CSOs will support local governments as they develop their localized OGP principles. To contribute to J2SR and IPS strategies for fostering accountability and transparency, including fighting corruption, CS:MAP will work with local governments for the adoption of the Open Local Government Digital System (OLGDS), also known as the Open Budget Portal. At least seven local governments in CS:MAP working districts will adopt OLDGS in this fiscal year. CS:MAP will have a dedicated organization/team to support the local governments that adopt this system. In addition, CS:MAP will organize seminars in different locations to bring government, civil society, media, and private sector representatives together to improve understanding of the public-private-partnership (PPP) concept, mechanisms, and practice. CS:MAP will support 15 selected municipalities and gaunpalikas to design PPP models that take into consideration their unique local contexts, opportunities, and challenges so as to develop an enabling environment for private sector engagement within local governance initiatives. CS:MAP will build the capacity of civil society and media to increase government accountability and responsiveness to promote civic freedoms. CS:MAP will work with government training centers and academic institutions to include the courses related to civic engagement, FOA and FOE in their courses or other academic activities. The documentary film and the resource book on civic engagement that CS:MAP has started to prepare in collaboration with MOFAGA will be shared and used with diverse stakeholders. CS:MAP will also work with provincial and district chapters of project civil society and media coalition leads, NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN) and Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), to develop advocacy strategies and action plans to advocate for improved civil society and media policies. A study book on civil society‘s contribution in Nepal will be developed and shared with more than 1,000 actors to promote broader understanding of civil society. To extend its reach, CS:MAP will carry out targeted distribution through online and social media for key actors in civil society, media, and the government. CS:MAP will use the book to initiate discussions on the role and importance of civil society. In order to improve public understanding of and confidence in the role of CSOs and media, CS:MAP will finalize its study on civil society’s contribution in Nepal. CS:MAP will also launch a public outreach campaign based on the study’s results, and on recommendations from the perception survey that CS:MAP conducted in 2019. CS:MAP will advance its support for improved self-regulation of CSOs and the media by sharing the self-assessment standards of CSOs with 4000 CSOs, and the media self-assessment toolkit with 50 media houses. CS:MAP will also expedite discussions on the CSO accreditation process and framework in FY 2020. In addition, CS:MAP will mentor and coach journalists to produce approximately 10 investigative stories focused on public interest, which will be published in national media. CS:MAP will publicize these stories via social media, websites, podcasts, press releases and other CS:MAP media platforms including MeroReport and the Sajha Boli radio program. CS:MAP will also support eight national campaigns launched by civil society and media aiming to address public 12 interest issues including anti-corruption, good governance, civic engagement and civic rights, and will organize approximately 120 civil society-led interactions with 3,600 stakeholders to promote understanding of the role and increase positive perceptions of CSOs in society. CS:MAP will further the capacity of CSOs and media for evidence-based advocacy in FY 2020. CS:MAP will provide training in facilitation and leadership skills for the champions identified in FY 2019 as well as network members in different districts. The local CSO partners will advocate and lobby for institutionalizing civic participation structures at the sub-national level for continued civic-government engagement. To improve citizen awareness and use of available GON social accountability (SA) mechanisms, CS:MAP will produce 23 central and 240 local- level episodes of the Sajha Boli radio program for broadcast on 39 local FM radio stations and on national broadcaster Radio Nepal. A total of 1,856 broadcasts of the central and local version of Sajha Boli are anticipated in FY 2020. These episodes will be complemented by a robust short message service (SMS) and interactive voice response (IVR) platform that promotes audience interactivity with radio episodes. To support youth engagement and participation in SA mechanisms, CS:MAP will produce 12 episodes (480 broadcasts) of the youth radio program Saathi Sanga Manka Kura (SSMK). In FY 2020 CS:MAP will continue its organizational capacity support for partner CSOs and will conduct a final round of the Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) in Quarter 2 (Q2). CS:MAP anticipates that the OCA will show a capacity increase of 50 percent compared to the baseline score in 2017. The OCA practices will be shared with other CSOs in the districts, and CS:MAP will encourage organizations to adopt practices that are relevant to their capacity needs. To improve the human rights situation in Nepal, CS:MAP-HRS will focus on building the capacity of five groups of 25 CSOs to plan and develop shadow reports on seven major United Nations (UN) treaties. To complement these shadow reports, CS:MAP will support the development of a management information system that will serve as a database for information related to the seven treaties. In addition, CS:MAP will support civil society and federal government actors to implement the comprehensive NHRAP and will mobilize national and international resources to protect and promote human rights. CS:MAP will also work closely with five municipalities to create or improve their human rights policies, guidelines, and practices and use those resources to increase their capacity to apply a human rights-based approach in planning and public service delivery for marginalized populations. As a result, elected local representatives, civil society and political parties in five municipalities will collaborate through joint meetings, workshops and exchange of ideas to develop policies and laws related to the protection and promotion of fundamental rights, in conformity with constitutional provisions and international human rights standards. The selected five municipalities and 25 CSOs (five in each municipality) will demonstrate commitment to work together to reduce disparities and to ensure equal rights, opportunities and respect for women, Dalits, Madhesi, and LGBTIQ populations. The CS:MAP FY 2020 GESI approach and related activities will result into increased lobbying and advocacy efforts to promote gender and social inclusion. CS:MAP will work to enhance civil society and media collaboration to advance GESI principles and will support improved inclusive governance and self-regulation mechanisms of partner CSOs and media organizations. CS: MAP initiatives in response to COVID-19 will result in increased awareness and improved public communication, foster citizen-government trust and partnership, and contribute to protect civil rights during the pandemic. This will, in turn, strengthen the capacity of civil society and media to effectively contribute to the government’s COVID-19 response. 13

1. Context National Context With a two-thirds majority government promising a “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali”, expectations were high for interventions to reduce rampant corruption and abject poverty. However, after 18 months in office, officials have yet to deliver on their promises. Instead, the government is consumed by an intraparty feud, with ongoing conflict over power-sharing between co-chairs of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, as well as recurring rumors of reshuffling of the Council of Ministers. The opposition party, too, has failed to live up to expectations, as the Nepali Congress faces its own leadership challenges and internal disputes. Senior leaders are accused of past involvement in various scams and serious cases of corruption. And, time and energy have been lost in the inept handling of large-scale alleged corruption cases, like the reported 39 billion rupees tax evasion by Ncell, a private telecom operator; public land encroachment by a high-level political leader; and widely-perceived corruption in the purchase of two wide-body Airbus A330 jets by Nepal Airlines, among others. Citizens are likewise discouraged and angered by the Nepal police’s failure to apprehend the rapist of Nirmala Pant after more than a year. And, amid high expectations, the government announced a 1.53 trillion rupees budget for fiscal year 2019-20 on May 29 which drew criticism for raising the pay of civil servants, the President and the Vice President, thereby causing inflation on the prices for essential goods. Over the past year the GON has drafted and promoted bills and acts that have inspired controversy. Some, such as the Guthi (Trust) Bill, have resulted in the government withdrawing the bill entirely, while others have been stalled in their development. Activists have also protested efforts by the GON to put forward amendments that limit civic freedoms or drawn attention to problems with existing bills. For instance, in spring 2019 victims of the Maoist insurgency and the human rights community urged the government to amend the Transitional Justice Act. In a press meet held in Kathmandu on May 2, conflict victims and human rights defenders accused the government of stepping back on its earlier commitment to advance the transitional justice process. And, five special UN rapporteurs to Nepal wrote a letter to the government on April 12, seeking transparency in the transitional justice leadership selection process and amendment to the Act in line with international standards. The government's attempt to amend the Electronic Transactions Act, 2006 invited protests and demonstrations by Nepali journalists and rights activists. Human Rights Watch, an international rights body, urged the government to stop prosecuting journalists and social media users and limiting their freedom online expression, issuing a press statement in New York on April 19 and asking the government to review and reform the Act. The central government also issued an Integrity Policy that was purported to promote transparency and good governance yet was in fact intended to control CSOs. In response, CSO representatives and civic leaders opposed the policy, resulting in the government removing it from formal consideration. However, the government continues to seek opportunities to curtail freedom of expression and association, either by introducing stringent clauses in existing laws or by formulating new laws like the Media Council Bill that restrict media activities. Lawmakers and elected officials at the subnational tiers of government have limited capacity to formulate new laws, and federal lawmakers seem reluctant to share power. Additionally, the bureaucrats most responsible for drafting laws are typically aligned with the federal government. As a result, disputes arise between federal officials and their provincial and local counterparts. 14

Recently, draft bills have either been stalled or withdrawn due to public and political criticisms, and the law-making process overall is criticized for its lack of transparency and consultations. The lawmakers have not understood or embraced the role of citizens and civil society in democratic system, and do not actively seek citizens’ and civil society inputs in policy making. At the same time, provincial and local lawmakers are overwhelmed by the power devolved to them. As a result, they also seem to act in ways that mirror federal lawmakers. Policy making has also suffered from delays at the national and sub-national levels, in part because local laws are dependent on the federal framework and so cannot occur until the national-level laws are formulated. At the national level, ruling and opposition lawmakers express concerns that even they are not consulted during policy formulation processes, with laws originating out of the Office of the Prime Minister or relevant ministry without an opportunity for further input. In addition, some draft bills are tabled at Parliament without discussion by relevant parliamentary committees. When bills are put up for discussion, many parliamentarians do not read the clauses of the bills or are directed by senior leaders of their parties not to comment on the bills. As a result, civil society leaders are frustrated in their efforts to advocate for wider stakeholder consultation in formulating laws. Party leaders often agree to stakeholder agendas in private, but do not raise the agreed-upon issue in public. Of greater concern are efforts to keep draft bills a secret from civil society and media actors, which limits the amount of time to organize consultations on the bills. In order to shield themselves from criticism, the government officials shift the burden of sharing such draft bills with civil society to other entities that are supposed to be involved in the process. Although federal-level policymaking remains challenging for civil society and citizens, lawmakers at the provincial and local level are more open to stakeholder consultation. However, local officials’ relative lack of knowledge and confidence limits their ability to formulate effective laws. They may also follow the lead of their senior leaders at the federal level in denying access to civic actors and seek to be restrictive in their lawmaking. Context in the Earthquake-affected Districts: On June 17, 2019, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) issued a notice requesting that earthquake-affected families who had listed their names as a beneficiary for private housing grants but not yet signed their agreements complete their signature by July 6, 2019. The NRA further said that those who failed to sign the agreement by the deadline would be removed from the list of beneficiaries and, hence, would not be eligible for the housing grant. After the earthquake in 2015, the NRA has been reconstructing private houses, government buildings, public infrastructure and heritage sites, among others. As of September 2019, the NRA has supported reconstruction work in 272 local governments in 32 earthquake-affected districts. According to the NRA, by August 2019 it had surveyed 1,036,568 households, of which 816,253 are eligible for housing grants. It had further identified 69,973 beneficiaries for retrofitting their houses, and it signed agreements with 776,101 beneficiaries. By August 2019, a total of 769,105 beneficiaries received the first tranche of housing grants; 605,350 received the second installment and 488,134 families received the third tranche of grants. However, distribution of the grants to earthquake victims remains sluggish, and public services delivery in other sectors in these districts is not yet satisfactory, in part caused by delays in the formulation of new policies and laws at the federal level. Context in the Western Districts: The delay in formulating new policies and laws at the federal level has resulted in delays in policy and law formulation at the provincial and local level, since local-level laws must align with federal policies and laws. As in other areas, local government 15 officials demonstrate willingness to engage with civil society experts to support the policy- making process. Again, however, local officials’ lack of experience and limited understanding regarding policy formulation creates confusion about due process and roles and responsibilities. Although there have been delays in formulating new policies and laws at the provincial and local levels, civil society leaders and activists have used this time to engage with elected representatives and government officials, paving the way for policy formulation. They are also wary of potential constrictions in civic space, given the power devolved to the local and provincial governments and their tendency to control media.

COVID-19 Pandemic: Nepal confirmed the first case of COVID-19 on January 23, 2020 when a student who had returned to Kathmandu from Wuhan tested positive. With the global outbreak and the WHO’s declaration of Nepal as a nation at high risk of COVID-19, the government declared a nation-wide lockdown on March 24, 2020. In a bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the government extended the lockdown for nearly three months and cancelled all academic examinations, closed all educational institutions, suspended regular domestic and international flights and so on. On June 14, the government announced easing the lockdown in phases despite the rapid spread of COVID-19. As of June 25, 2020, a total of 26 COVID-19 deaths and 11,162 infections have been reported, which is expected to increase with the greater expansion of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing.

Escalating COVID-19 infections and the subsequent lockdown imposed by the government as a protective measure saw a growing shadow pandemic, violence against women, girls, and other vulnerable populations along with an increase in suicides and human rights violations. It also gave rise to the risk of undue suppression of civic and political rights resulting from measures taken, or their repurposing beyond the pandemic.

The government faced heavy criticism over poor handling of the return of Nepali migrant workers, particularly those from India, poor management of quarantine facilities, turning them into COVID-19 hotspots, lack of adequate testing kits and facilities and further continuous use of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) for COVID-19 despite the question on their efficacy and accuracy, and mismanagement of fund to combat COVID-19. Amid growing dissatisfaction against the government for its failure to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized section of the society at the time of crisis, protests flared up with youths across the country taking to the streets demanding action, accountability, transparency, stopping RDT and expanding PCR testing.

A pandemic of this magnitude stretches public health systems and government capacities to the limit and calls for CSOs to join hands and contribute to the response. This provides an opportunity for civil society to support the government response and build mutual trust, while remaining vigilant towards possible backslide of civic strengthening. 2. Introduction to the Project CS:MAP activities are designed to contribute to USAID/Nepal’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) Objective 1: More Inclusive and Effective Governance, with the goal of fostering a more legitimate, accountable, and resilient Nepali civil society that is capable of advancing the public interest. 2.1: Project Overview 16

CS:MAP provides grants, technical assistance (TA), and coaching and mentoring to 26 Nepali CSOs and media organizations to strengthen their capacity to: ● Engage GON in dialogue at the national, provincial and local level and implement advocacy initiatives focused on improving legal and regulatory frameworks for civil society and media; and improve public understanding of and confidence in civil society and media by developing and enforcing self-regulation mechanisms (Objective 1); ● Engage GON in dialogue at the sub-national level to improve GON policy, planning, and performance across sectors; and in coordination with local and national CSOs and media, conduct evidence-based advocacy that represents the needs of beneficiaries, including women, youth, and marginalized communities (Objective 2); ● Monitor and report on government performance in public service delivery and resource use through coordinated oversight initiatives that engage citizens and utilize SA mechanisms and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) (Objective 3); ● Improve institutional governance, long-term financial sustainability, and capacity to advance local solutions on priority development issues across USAID priority sectors (with focus on disaster risk reduction (DRR), education, agriculture, and health) and to promote peer-learning opportunities (Objective 4); and ● Improve enforcement of fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution through improving the ability of human rights organizations to advocate and engage with government at the federal and subnational level, and increasing the knowledge and understanding of subnational government on how to incorporate protections for rights into their functioning (Objective 5). To achieve CS:MAP goal and objectives, FHI 360 has partnered with Equal Access International (EAI) and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL). FHI 360 leads capacity building and TA activities for CSOs to improve their advocacy, oversight, and organizational development. EAI complements FHI 360’s expertise by providing training and TA to media partners and communication-related TA for CSO partners. It also leads the project’s radio programming and ICT platforms focused on engaging the public, especially youth and traditionally marginalized communities, in oversight and advocacy. ICNL supports activities focused on improving the enabling environment by providing legal and policy expertise to CS:MAP’s six current national-level advocacy partners. In addition, FHI 360, works with two previously selected Nepali Intermediary Service Organizations (ISOs) to serve as the primary capacity development and TA providers for the project’s 14 CSO and media partners at the district level. FHI 360 and its partners work closely with ISOs to equip them with the necessary tools, methods, and skills so that capacity- development initiatives can be locally led beyond the life of the project. 2.2: Overview of Progress to Date On strengthening the enabling environment for civil society and media in Nepal: ● As a result of continuous civil society advocacy with technical support from CS:MAP, six laws or policies1 drafted by government were improved by civil society inputs or delayed in formulation in order to incorporate civil society inputs.

1 The impacted laws or policies are: the Media Council Bill, Advertisement Bill, Social Organization Act-2075, Development Cooperation Policy-2018, Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) Directives, Information Technology Act.

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● Civil society, media and government stakeholders were sensitized on principles of freedom of association and expression in line with international standards and constitutional values. As a result, CSO leaders have started policy review, as and when needed, based on constitutional values and international standards. Trained participants reviewed eight civil society and media-related federal and provincial policies2, prepared policy briefs and shared them with more than 1,000 stakeholders. ● Discourse on the OGP has been initiated by civil society in Nepal. A handbook has been published and disseminated among stakeholders to promote understanding of the OGP and foster citizen-government partnership. The handbook includes concept and principles of the OGP, international best practices, an implementation framework for the national and local levels, and the roles of different stakeholders. The handbook provides a basis for civil society and government collaboration to develop and implement OGP principles: transparency, accountability, participation and technological innovation. ● Civil society and media-related awareness-raising materials (including a video documentary, video drama, and other information) were accessed by 140,134 people via social media. This has been an important step to develop broader public understanding about the role and importance of civil society and media. These audio-visual materials were disseminated through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. ● Civil society and media actors came together and collaborated to promote public interest issues such as anticorruption. In addition, both sectors for the first time engaged in a joint advocacy initiative to revise provisions of different proposed laws like the National Human Rights Commission Bill and Media Council Bill. This collaboration has contributed to improved relationships between the civil society and media sectors. ● CS:MAP, in consultation with the MOFAGA, has developed a handbook on civic engagement and sample guidelines for local governments. Similarly, CS:MAP has developed a documentary film on civic engagement based on the handbook. The purpose of these products is to promote civic engagement at the federal, provincial and local levels. ● Civil society organizations, government officials and business leaders agreed to promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds through civil society. Civil society also agreed to use CSR to advance public interest in a transparent way. This was made possible through a series of informal meetings between a CS:MAP partner and business sector and government representatives and based on an event organized to discuss the context of CSR and how civil society can leverage these commitments. ● A Civic Charter has been developed and launched to support commitments by the civil society sector to promote democracy and internal self-regulation. More than 200 organizations have committed to implement the charter to improve civil society credibility and demonstrate accountability to citizens, government, donors, and the broader public. ● A common framework for civil society internal governance and self-regulation standards has been developed and launched by 21 civil society networks. A monitoring and

2 The reviewed laws or policies are: the Media Council Bill, Advertisement Bill, Social Organization Act, MOHA Directives, Information Technology Act, Development Cooperation Policy-2018, RTI Bill of Province 3, Press, Publication and Broadcasting Bill of provinces. 18

implementation committee has been formed to promote the standards at the national and sub-national levels. Further, the Association of International Non-Government Organizations in Nepal (AIN) and NFN have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote the Civic Charter and internal governance standards, developed by the civil society coalition lead, through civil society partners and its members. ● A self-assessment toolkit developed by FNJ as a self-regulation framework has been rolled out in 100 organizations in Kathmandu and different districts through a series of workshops. FNJ provided guidance on how individual media organizations should develop action plans aimed at improving their internal governance mechanisms. These media houses developed their action plans for their institutional improvement. On civic engagement with government for policy advocacy and oversight of public services delivery and resources use: ● Implementation of SA tools (e.g., Public Hearing, Public Audit, Social Audit, Community Score Card, Tracking, Good Governance Barometer) provided opportunities for civic engagement. The number of local governments conducting Public Hearings has substantially increased. Public Hearings are now being conducted in the gaunpalikas and municipalities where CS:MAP has focused. By Year 4, 66 Public Hearings had been conducted. Results from participating gaunpalikas include: preparing annual educational calendars and distributing them to schools; inclusion of a provision for annual performance evaluations of the head teacher in draft education policies; setting up complaint boxes at service delivery institutions and forming grievance redressal committees; forming a monitoring committee; deploying full-time staff in the village health post, and holding a free health camp; designating a Public Information Officer to provide information to citizens; and initiating a process for seeking budget information from a gaunpalika and other sources to construct structures that are accessible to people with disabilities. ● A project-sponsored civic engagement handbook was prepared/developed in coordination with MOFAGA. ● A list of indicators/checklist was developed for public service oversight based on which CSO coalitions conducted oversights. ● To promote transparent government, CS:MAP supported Neelakantha Municipality, Dhading and Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city, Banke to develop an Open Local Government web portal and a specific mobile application (app). ● To increase community engagement with the local government, local structures were formed with the participation of marginalized communities (Dalit, disabled, female, youth, mothers’ groups, female community health volunteers, former Ward Citizen Forum, etc.) and local government agencies. These local structures helped to bridge the gaps between citizen (especially members of marginalized communities) and public services through community discussions. Participants explored possible solutions at the local level, and meeting notes were disseminated through different platforms (e.g., Sajha Sabha, coalition meetings, civil society interactions/discussions). A total of 68 Common Assemblies and 57 Sajhedari Manch were established to improve civic engagement at the local government level. ● CS:MAP has held 500 Common Assembly and Sajhedari Manch meetings through Year 4. These meetings have played a critical role in resolving long-standing issues that local 19

government units did not view as priorities. For example, a total of 340 out of 392 school buildings were constructed in Ramechhap as a result of advocacy efforts facilitated by a CS:MAP partner, and another 25 are under construction. Elsewhere, stakeholders have declared 40 points to improve education in Manthali municipality and 24 points in Khadadevi gaunpalika, Ramechhap. Similarly, the local government in Dang allocated funds for citizens with sickle cell anemia. Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city will conduct a blood transfusion service program for people affected by sickle cell anemia and use a total of 1.5 million rupees to provide free blood transfusions, health checkups and an awareness-raising program. Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city allocated one million rupees for the treatment and awareness of sickle cell anemia and Province 5 advocated for free treatment, awareness raising and required medical devices for addressing this issue. ● In some areas, local governments provided support for the sustainability and expansion support for government-civic engagement mechanisms (e.g., enabling environment, budget allocation). On improving the public understanding and confidence in the role of civil society and media: ● Local CSOs held a total of 98 interactions at the district level in an effort to revive the discourse on the roles of civil society and the media in the changing context. These interactions brought government officials, civil society and political parties together for informal discussions focused on understanding the role of civil society and media in democratic governance. The interactions encouraged greater civil society activity and ongoing collaboration with other actors, including provincial and local government units in need of laws and policies. This has contributed to increased confidence of the local CSOs in carrying out their advocacy and oversight role and has provided clarity on engaging constructively with the government on development work. ● CS:MAP has taken brought national-level attention to the local level, especially related to the new functions of local government units. For example, the proposed NGO Coordination Act/guideline is now under discussion among different local governments. ● FNJ and Freedom Forum organized trainings for journalists on public interest reporting. After these trainings, 17 trained journalists were awarded fellowships to showcase diverse voices in the media, contributing to an improved representation of all groups in Nepal, including marginalized ones, leading to an improvement in public perception of the media. ● Through the Public Outreach Campaign (POC), CS:MAP reached more than 60,000 people with messages about the role and importance of civil society. Products developed for the campaign include two video dramas, four award-winning videos (selected from a video contest), a civil society documentary and TV debate. Messages were disseminated through social media and “Get to know your CSO” fairs. ● CS:MAP trained 47 civil society actors representing 14 different districts on new media. They developed plans to maximize the use of new media to promote their work and initiate public interest campaigns. ● Social media has been used to promote activities and products of the POC. To increase views, likes, followers, and audience engagement, CS:MAP branded the campaign with a hashtag title #MaNagarikSamaj and has shared posts and pictures of events and activities using the hashtag title. To keep the POC page active and to increase visibility, the POC team has also been posting pictures and text messages at regular intervals. Social media 20

monitoring shows that there are more than 7,500 Facebook page likes and the total reach of all posts under the POC is approximately 1.4 million viewers. ● CS:MAP has conducted the second round of its public perception survey to measure the level of understanding of and confidence in the role of CSOs and media in Nepal. With reference to a similar study conducted by the project in 2017, this study has assessed the changes in public awareness and confidence, as well as the government’s satisfaction with the work of CSOs and media. As per this study, the level of understanding of CSOs and media among the public was improved over the baseline values (public understanding – 42.4 percent, and public confidence – 37.2 percent). On building the capacity of local CSOs and media organizations for effective policy advocacy and government engagement: ● More than 120 investigative stories were published as a result of the investigative journalism (IJ) training and study visit at the Center for Investigative Journalism that CS:MAP carried out for journalists. ● Twelve interactive groups were formed on the MeroReport platform, with a total of 2,216 members who engage in meaningful discussions on topics related to gaps and requirements within local-level public service delivery mechanisms through a total of 519 blog posts. There have been 73,779-page views of MeroReport through mid-August 2019. ● CS:MAP held 271 Content Advisory Group (CAG) meetings through June 2019. The meetings helped generate content ideas for project radio programs and allowed producers to engage in fruitful discussions with a wide range of stakeholders and topical experts. The CAGs are increasingly serving as platforms for engagement among government, CSOs, media, private sector, and citizens in general. ● More than 750 Sajha Boli episodes were produced and broadcast through mid-August 2019. The radio episodes call upon citizens to increase the frequency of their engagement with local government offices as a means of carrying out oversight and improving service delivery. A total of 347 Public Service Announcements (PSAs) were produced and broadcast in multiple languages, focusing on the local-level planning process (LLPP) and the importance of social inclusion to ensure social justice in local committee formation. Most respondents who provided feedback on the PSAs stated that the messages helped them understand changes in the LLPP, and the necessity of inclusion in local-level committees. ● CS:MAP convened two large campaigns: one on anti-corruption (Ma Khaandina) and another on violence against women (Ma Bolchhu). These campaigns also emphasized the role of civil society in fighting for the rights of individuals, and for the rights of citizens to make their voices heard. 2.3: Mid-Term Evaluation Recommendations in Work Plan The CS:MAP Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) provided an opportunity to reflect on the project’s focus, priorities, and approach. The recommendations from the MTE were reflected in the previous year’s annual work plan (FY 2019) and implemented accordingly. CS:MAP hired a dedicated staff member to lead advocacy efforts and mentor partner CSOs working on advocacy issues in 34 districts. CS:MAP also created 57 Sajhedari Manch to link local advocacy initiatives with decision makers at the municipal level. Through the Content Advisory Group (CAG) 21 mechanism, CS:MAP now brings communities, including LDAG and CA members, to directly interact on public interest issues through one facilitated platform. This addresses the MTE recommendations for local issues to be transported to the local government decision-making level. In Year 5, CS:MAP will continue to implement recommendations from the MTE, including improving coordination among CS:MAP national and local CSOs on national issues that have a local impact, and on local issues that can only be resolved by national-level authorities. For instance, CS:MAP will engage district and local chapters of the national coalition leads to discuss policies and laws related to the civil society and media enabling environment, thereby gathering local perspectives on these issues and gathering additional evidence for improved advocacy. And, local-level initiatives related to health, education, agriculture and DRR will be linked with relevant national networks at the federal level. CS:MAP will also advocate for the institutionalization of the local structures created/reformed by CS:MAP efforts, lobbying local government offices as well as other projects supporting local governments. And CS:MAP will build strong components to integrate GESI fully across components and provide support as needed to partners to ensure integration. Finally, CS:MAP will continue providing technical support to partners working at the sub-national level to assist them to more effectively engage decision makers at the appropriate levels of government. 2.4: Program Approach Sustaining project efforts For FY 2020, CS:MAP will be implemented in a context with a functioning two-thirds majority government that has a year or more of experience under the new federalist system. The federal, provincial and the local governments, as well as the citizens, have started to understand the functioning of the new governance system. The local governments have their own plans and programs as well as funds to implement the plans. CS:MAP will take advantage of this foundation, working closely with the government and civil society actors in their jurisdictions. CS:MAP will also build on the important accomplishments made through the end of FY 2019 and work on sustaining the effective structures and practices, where possible. Maintaining or expanding civic space FHI 360 will continue taking a coordinated approach to its work with implementing partners, including national advocacy partners, to strengthen the impact of its advocacy initiatives and minimize the chance of duplication among partners. FHI 360 and its international partners will continue serving as facilitators and conveners, and provide resources and international best practices to the GON, parliamentarians, policy makers, civil society, and the media as they develop solutions to address existing policy, regulatory, and service delivery gaps. ICNL will provide legal and technical support to the coalition partners and national advocacy partners on law and policy drafting, reviewing proposed bills and policies and mentoring partners to support policy advocacy. Additionally, ICNL will provide information and capacity building to CSO and media policy advocates to understand the legal and policy environment and policy advocacy. ICNL will also support coalition leads and the advocacy partners in the CSO accreditation process by bringing in examples from other parts of the world. ICNL will have four in-person visits in Nepal, hold meetings with coalitions and advocacy partners and facilitating activities as needed. Systematic engagement with local governments CS:MAP local work will target selected gaunpalikas and municipalities with a focus on working directly with the decision makers, much in the spirit of municipalities/gaunpalikas as per the new 22 federal structure. In FY 2019 FHI 360 has developed a strategy to intensify activities in 16 districts, and CS:MAP will continue following the strategy of intensified and moderate districts for its operation. Project activities will correspond with the new federalist structures that are in place and CS:MAP’s local partners will engage with elected local officials as key actors. In addition, civil society champions identified in each district in FY 2019 will serve as vehicles to continue project-initiated policy advocacy and oversight work after CS:MAP concludes. FHI 360 and its partner EAI will continue to support CSOs to: ● Strengthen engagement at the sub-national level on policy advocacy by facilitating coalitions between national and sub-national CSOs and media partners to advocate for policy reform; ● Expand horizontal (district-level networks/coalition) and vertical (coalition, alliance, and network at the central level) coordination and collaboration between national and local actors working on policy reform and governance oversight through the HEAD networks and the bi-annual summits; ● Ensure ownership of the application of SA tools including the Good Governance Barometer (GGB); ● Increase work with decision makers at the municipal level and link discussions at the ward level to the municipal level; and ● Work through a set of civil society champions who will continue the vehicle of civic engagement beyond the project period. FHI 360 will also hire consultants to provide support to enhance the capacity of civil society in the districts, and Sajhedari Manch, CAs and Public Forums will provide mediums for citizens to engage with government and civil society actors, ensuring CSO-local government engagement for OGP. Advancing J2SR and IPS CS:MAP will also contribute to the principles of the IPS and J2SR by strengthening civil society capacity to conduct budget oversight and advocacy, thereby improving fiscal transparency and accountability at the sub-national level, carrying out anti-corruption campaigns, and strengthening civil society capacity to advance fundamental freedoms. To accomplish this, CS:MAP will engage the private sector to collaborate with civil society in improving service delivery at the local level. CS:MAP will organize seminars in different locations to bring government, civil society, media, and private sector representatives together to improve understanding of OGP principles and the PPP concept, mechanisms, and practice. CS:MAP will support selected municipalities and gaunpalikas to design PPP models that take into consideration their unique local contexts, opportunities, and challenges so as to develop an enabling environment for private sector engagement within local governance initiatives. CS:MAP will also help CSO partners develop lobbying skills for encouraging private sector organizations, including banks and financial institutions, to provide resources to local CSOs as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. Media engagement In FY 2020 EAI will focus on improving integration between CSO and media efforts at the sub- national level. As such, EAI will identify opportunities for CSO partners to undertake joint advocacy initiatives with media actors, including trained journalists. Efforts will be made for CSOs to play a greater role in subnational CAG meetings, outdoor productions, and in call-in shows, with the aim of expanding activity ownership and identifying pathways for further collaboration. As in the previous year, EAI will support CSOs via ISOs to implement their 23 communication strategies, thereby ensuring that they prioritize media partnerships as a means of achieving their own vision and mission. In FY 2019, EAI built CSO and media capacity for effective policy advocacy and government engagement by expanding the notion of engagement beyond meetings. EAI will continue this process through field visits and direct outreach, one-on-one interactions, and through its media broadcasts. Through these efforts EAI will build understanding of engagement as a process along a continuum, starting from informing to bridge information and knowledge gaps; involving to build a sense of ownership and trust, especially among youth in marginalized communities; empowering to provide the confidence to think and act differently; and leading to engage effectively with CSOs and government on a continual basis. This year, EAI will focus on engaging journalists trained under CS:MAP to undertake joint advocacy on advocacy issues identified by CSOs to improve public resource use and public service delivery. EAI will ensure that increasing numbers of CSO and government representatives see the local CAG meetings as platforms for periodic engagement. Likewise, EAI will ensure that dialogue is seen as a means of oversight and accountability strengthening by including call-in segments and outdoor productions for the radio programs. Local CSOs will be encouraged to advocate for more youth members from LDAGs to represent youth issues at the Common Assembly and Sajhedari Manch meetings. Finally, EAI will increase youth utilization of ICT in public service oversight through participation in the SMS My Voice Campaign, interactivity in the radio programs through IVR, and participation in the youth-focused segments in MeroReport. Strengthening human rights To improve the enforcement of fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution, CS:MAP-HRS will build on USAID/Nepal’s co-creation efforts, collaborate with government institutions at the federal and local level, CSOs and other relevant stakeholders to secure ownership and improve long-term sustainability. CS:MAP will work with five selected municipalities through its dedicated six local/CSOs partners to build the capacity of civil society and government to advocate for increased understanding of and incorporation of human rights protections in government functioning, especially at the local level. In this process, the role of private sector actors and related issues will be explored, and functional collaboration and partnerships will be established as per the identified scope.

2.5: Year 5 Work Plan Development Process FHI 360 initiated work plan development conversations on June 7, 2019 by analyzing discussion notes from the April 2019 Bi-annual Summit and preparing a backward calendar for proper planning. The team held an internal meeting on June 14, 2019 that focused on highlights from the joint work plan meeting sponsored by the USAID/Nepal Democracy and Governance Office partners, as well as the project’s strategic approach for FY 2020. The project theme leads then met separately and prepared a guiding framework which was used for a parallel working session during the “All partners’ review, reflection and joint work planning meeting” held July 12-13, 2019. The inputs from all partners were thoroughly reviewed and incorporated while developing the plan. In addition, the team also held separate meetings with the heads of the partner organizations as well as the executive committee members of all national partners. The team met with ISO partners separately and discussed the needs and expectations of CSOs receiving ISO technical support.

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To develop the strategy and focus of FY 2020, the CS:MAP team met internally and analyzed discussion notes from project monthly and quarterly review meetings. The USAID Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR), alternate AOR (AAOR) and Activity Manager have been involved throughout the planning process, providing critical analysis and clarifying expectations regarding key milestones to be achieved in this Work Plan period. The following sections provide a detailed description of planned activities and anticipated results during this period. 3. Results Focus, Strategic Approaches, and Assumptions Objective 1: Strengthened enabling environment for civil society and media The following immediate outputs and outcomes contributing to CS:MAP intermediate results (IRs) are anticipated in this Work Plan period: Result 1.1 Improved legal and policy framework, based on international standards that leads to better operating environment and strengthened capacity for civil society ● Six policy briefs (synthesizing analysis and recommendations from a GESI perspective) analyzing proposed policies3 that impact freedom of association and expression will have been prepared by national advocacy partners and shared with more than 3000 stakeholders, including federal and provincial parliamentarians, CSO leaders, government officials, and media representatives. ● More than 300 stakeholders including parliamentarians, civil society leaders, political leaders, GON officials, gender activists, advocates, lawyers, journalists, CSO champions, academicians, and intellectuals will have participated in policy dialogues and provided inputs in response to the civil society and media-related policies. ● Civil society and local government associations will have drafted one sample law – the Civil Society Coordination Act and the FM Radio Operation Act – that protect or promote freedoms of association and expression in line with constitutional values and international standards, and supported local government to adopt those laws as per their specific contexts. These draft laws will also reflect GESI principles. ● More than 75 CSOs will have come together to localize OGP principles and work with different governments to promote their adoption. CS:MAP will continue advocating with the GON to join OGP. ● ● A total of 14 provincial and two federal monitoring reports on the status of citizen rights including freedom of association and expression during COVID-19 lockdown period will be produced and shared with the wider stakeholders through the civil society and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)-led mechanism. Result 1.2 Improved public understanding and confidence in the role of CSOs and media ● A study book outlining civil society’s contribution in Nepal will have been developed and shared with more than 1,000 actors to promote broader understanding of and

3 The proposed policies at federal level are: the Mass Communication Act, Public Service Broadcasting Act and Civil Society Registration and Operation Act; at the provincial level: the Civil Society Management and Coordination Law and Provincial Media Law; and at the local level: the FM Radio Operation Policy and Civil Society Coordination Policy

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confidence in civil society. Discussions and discourses on the role and importance of civil society will have been initiated based on the book. ● Fifteen investigative stories focused on public interest topics including corruption, budget allocations, quality of expenditures, shared benefits of natural resources, and public services delivery will have been published in national media outlets by investigative journalists trained by CS:MAP. Stories will have been promoted via social media, website, podcast, press release and other CS:MAP media platforms including MeroReport and the Sajha Boli radio program. ● Three national campaigns will have been launched by civil society and media to address public interest issues including anti-corruption, good governance, GESI, civic engagement, human rights and against COVID-19. Additionally, CS:MAP will continue digital campaigns against the COVID-19 crisis and its impact. ● A total of 115 CSOs will have led interactions with 2825 stakeholders to promote the role and positive image of CSOs in societies. Women and marginalized communities will be highly prioritized. ● CSOs and media actors will have come together and developed a collaboration framework for expanding civic space and organized at least four joint meetings to strategically reinforce the agenda for expanding civic space. ● Documentary film focused on civic engagement in Nepal will have been produced in collaboration with MOFAGA and shared with 753 local governments, civil society organizations and activists. The film will have been released through YouTube to expand its reach to national as well as global audiences. Various online media platforms will have been used for wider dissemination with descriptive links about the film. ● A Total of 24 COVID-19 Bulletins (SitReps) will have been produced and disseminated on COVID-19-related impact stories compiled from CS:MAP districts. These bulletins will have helped civil society leaders and activists understand CSO initiatives for COVID-19 response and will have exchanged experiences with each other. ● One workshop on socio-economic impact of COVID-19 will have been organized. Civil society, government and the private sector will have come together to discuss and recommend the solutions to deal with the issues of unemployment, migration, and foreign returnees due to the COVID-19. Result 1.3 Improved self-regulation of the sector and internal governance of CSOs and media ● An exhaustive set of minimum standards for internal governance and self-regulation of CSOs will have been developed by the civil society coalition and widely circulated among 4000 CSOs, encouraging them to adopt and abide by the standards. ● Civil society organizations will have established joint mechanisms at the federal and provincial levels to support the implementation and monitoring of the internal governance and self-regulation standards. ● Self-assessment toolkit customized for different media organizations and ombudsmen guidelines will have been prepared by media organizations through interactive discussions with media actors and experts.

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● In order to support the implementation of internal governance and self-regulation standards, six sample internal governance policies/guidelines will have been developed and circulated among 1,000 CSOs for their customization. ● Media governance guideline will have been developed based on the self-assessment toolkit and disseminated to at least 153 media houses at the national and sub-national level. Strategic Approach CS:MAP will continue the activities initiated in FY 2019 and begin new interventions based on feedback from the FY 2019 all-partners annual review reflection meeting, as well as the changing political context at the national and sub-national level. Since the law-making process is rapid, complex, unexpected and non-participatory, more interactions are needed between politicians, civil society leaders, GESI experts and other concerned stakeholders on civic issues. More specifically, CS:MAP will adopt the following strategic approaches to improve the enabling environment for civil society and media: ● CS:MAP will foster platforms for interactions focused on the public policy cycle so that stakeholders are aware of upcoming bills and able to provide feedback. ● CS:MAP will promote civic engagement in public policy formulation and consultations through civil society campaigns at the national and sub-national level. CS:MAP implementing partners at the national level will coordinate with local-level partners for the civil society campaign. And, the national civil society and media coalitions, led by NFN and FNJ, will coordinate to replicate the campaigns at the district and local level through their district chapters. CS:MAP will engage with government officials who are involved in the policy drafting process from the conception phase so that policies are aligned with constitutional provisions and international best practices. As a result, policy stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide their feedback and the policy drafters will incorporate citizens’ concern. ● CS:MAP will also build the capacities of CSOs and media actors for policy advocacy, constructive engagement in the policy cycle and working on possible options. CS:MAP national partners will promote freedom of expression and freedom of association through collaborative efforts at both the national and the district level. ● CS:MAP will continue working to support the public disclosure of information related to internal governance, drawing on Right to Information (RTI) promotion and adaptation. CS:MAP will also work with partners to periodically self-disclose information, and to advocate for other organizations to follow suit in order to increase transparency and accountability within the civil society and media sectors and improve public perception. ● Building on the FY 2019 approach, CS:MAP will continue its work with identified civil society champions and will target new and influential leaders at both the national and the subnational level. Engagement with these CSO champions will strengthen advocacy and promote sustainable civic engagement on civic issues and public policies. CS:MAP will work strategically to maintain relationships with these champions by identifying proper incentives for promoting the role of civil society. As a result, CS:MAP will have additional resources to support advocacy work at both the national and the sub-national level. CS:MAP will explore the possibility of a media ombudsman mechanism in the media sector as well as the internalization of CSO self-regulation guidelines. A national discourse on the CSO accreditation process has been initiated by CS:MAP to discuss the 27

modality, practicality, and institutionalization of the process. CS:MAP will continue to facilitate discussion related to CSO accreditation. ● CS:MAP will continue promoting the role of civil society and strengthening the civic engagement framework which was produced in collaboration with MOFAGA. CS:MAP partners will build the capacities of lawmakers at the national and subnational levels, using the project-supported handbook for civil society and civic engagement. Similarly, CS:MAP partners will increase local actors’ understanding of the role and importance of civil society, and support collaboration between media and CSOs at the local level to strengthen advocacy capacity and improve the civil society enabling environment. Critical Assumptions ● Government and policy makers provide space for civil society to engage and acknowledge the importance of civic engagement in the policy-making process. ● Federal, provincial and local governments speed up the drafting process of different policies and laws related to civil society and media as outlined in the Constitution. ● CSOs and media institutions acknowledge the need to improve the legitimacy and credibility of civil society and media through enhanced internal governance and self-regulation. Anticipated Challenges and Mitigation Measures

Anticipated Challenges Mitigating measures

The government’s approach to the law-making CS:MAP will work with policy makers to process is non-participatory, non-transparent and emphasize the value of constitutional provisions unpredictable, which limits civil society and (freedoms of association, assembly and expression) media’s access to the public policy cycle. and their place in a democratic society, as well as provisions contained in articles 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), articles 19 and 20 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and international best practices.

CS:MAP will also encourage the project-supported civil society and media coalitions to produce a common position paper on the bills regulating media and civil society and deliver them to relevant ministry officials, bureaucrats, parliamentary committees and wider stakeholders to present a common voice for effective advocacy.

Improvement opportunities are often limited to CS:MAP will engage with parliamentary the drafting stage (e.g., when the policies go to committees to gather information regarding the list Parliament), and with limited time to review the of priority bills for the bill session of Parliament. policies, lawmakers often follow the CS:MAP will work closely with lawmakers and recommendations of their respective parties. parliamentary committees to set priorities for advocacy as per the plan of tabling bills in the parliamentary session.

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The GON may delay law-making, possibly Civil society and media will utilize the time to inhibiting freedom of association and freedom produce sample policies that promote a common of expression. For instance, the GON could position and share them with national policymakers. redirect citizen attention to other national issues CS:MAP will convene dialogues with political and wait until a later time to advance the bills. parties, parliamentary committees and parliamentarians and share the common position papers and sample bills in order to advance civil society’s agenda and accelerate the law-making process.

Civil society and media may not see immediate CS:MAP will work closely with CSOs and media at benefits from developing and implementing both the federal and the subnational level to adopt internal governance and self-regulation self-regulation practices and will coordinate with mechanisms, which may limit their widespread NFN and FNJ to raise awareness about the adoption. importance of self-regulation and identify incentives for participating organizations. CS:MAP partner NFN will work closely with AIN to promote self-regulation practices, and lobby AIN to consider CSOs’ adoption of self-regulation practices in their implementing partnership. CS:MAP will support local CSOs and sectoral coalitions in customizing these guidelines in response to local needs and requirements. CS:MAP will also promote these guidelines to the GON in collaboration with NFN and FNJ and share CSO best practices with government officials, thereby improving government perception of CSOs.

Objective 2: Improved civil society and media capacity for effective policy advocacy and government engagement The following immediate outputs and outcomes contributing to CS:MAP IRs are anticipated in this Work Plan period: Result 2.1 Strengthened CSO initiatives to coordinate with the GON and to implement constructive advocacy strategies ● Advocacy resource/handbook will have been published and used by CSOs during advocacy campaigns, covering general definitions of advocacy, advocacy objectives, strategies, tools and techniques, and including advocacy case studies from CS:MAP activities. This handbook will reference MOFAGA’s civic engagement handbook. The handbook will serve as an advocacy reference for effective advocacy campaigns for CSOs, civil society activists, and facilitators beyond the life of the project. ● CSOs and media in 34 districts will have carried out advocacy campaigns to address at least 100 public interest issues related to health, education, agriculture, DRR and related to COVID-19. CSOs and media will have proactively and constructively engaged in the policy process and collaborated with government to provide policy alternatives and inputs. Major policies will have been formulated, revised and/or enforced as a result of advocacy and 29

oversight activities shared with local governments to improve service delivery, allocate resources equitably during the budget formulation process and improve the quality of the development works. CS:MAP will have brought in additional expertise to support the subnational governments through partner CSOs in reviewing and drafting policies. ● CSOs in 34 districts will have collectively advocated for improvements in local government business processes, supporting policy formulation and formation of governance committees in target communities to monitor local government activities. CS:MAP-supported or developed structures will have been institutionalized via establishment of guidelines and/or legalization through local policy. ● CSOs and media will have engaged in budget advocacy to promote effective and inclusive resource planning and budgeting processes and conducted monitoring and oversight during budget implementation, with a focus on GESI-sensitive budget processes. Analysis will have been conducted of audit irregularities, procurement functions and corruption cases, and subsequent advocacy initiatives will have been carried out to improve the budget system. CS:MAP will have provided necessary technical support to review the budget policy. ● Common Assemblies, Sajhedari Manch and HEAD/CSO coalitions will have been mobilized for the identification, prioritization, and implementation of constructive advocacy initiatives and citizen-led responses to inform the public on the risks related to COVID-19 at the local level. Capacity of Common Assemblies in all districts will have been improved, allowing them to develop and submit citizens’ budgets during the budget formulation process in all 34 districts. Participatory and Evidence-based Action Research (PEAR) reports will have been conducted in 34 program districts using evidence-based research to inform public policy advocacy. Local CSOs will continue using ICT in governance oversight. ● To ensure PEAR quality, the performance and quality of CARs will have been assessed and reviewed. ISOs will have provided coaching and mentoring support to relevant CARs. In some cases, as per the request and need of CSOs, local expert/s will have been hired to conduct professional research on issues identified by the CSO coalition (especially in the areas of corruption, effective service delivery, natural resources and participatory response strategies related to COVID-19 at the local level), prioritizing members of the CSO coalition if they are capable to conduct professional research at the sub-national level. ● CSOs and media will have worked with the District Coordination Committee (DCC) to share and replicate CS:MAP best practices to advance similar outcomes and impacts in other local governments in target districts. CSMAP will have collaborated with DCCs to monitor the performance of local governments and facilitate dialogue with respective local government to overcome some of the issues including COVID-19. ● Series of issues-based dialogue will have been organized through Sajha Sabhas (Public Forums and Sajha Sabha citizen bahas (dialogue)) with CSOs, media, political leaders and other relevant stakeholders. Thirty-four discourses/activities will have been conducted on contemporary development issues and issues related to COVID-19 to help increase public trust in media and CSOs due to their contribution to development. ● ISO partners MITRA Samaj and Nepal National Social Welfare Association (NNSWA) will have provided comprehensive capacity-building support to 34 districts in institutional capacity building, assisting local partners to conduct evidence-based research into new advocacy issues, design strategic advocacy plans and maximize involvement of constituencies and coalitions in the advocacy cycles, as well as carry out advocacy plans 30

through regular coaching and mentoring support. ISO partners will have supported CSOs to select, plan and carry out advocacy issues with potential for wider impact at the district level. ISO partnerships were terminated from the 3rd quarter. So FHI 360 will continue direct mentoring and coaching support for CSO partners on evidence-based research and advocacy cycles. ● Fourth (final) round of Advocacy Readiness Index (ARI) assessments of 14 CSOs will have been conducted in Q2, FY 2020 and ARI capacity building plans will have been prepared for the following year. ARI capacity score from the fourth round of assessment will have been compared with baselines established in FY 2017 to establish the final capacity score for each CSO. Result 2.2 Improved coalition-building between local and national CSOs, and between CSOs and the media, that leads to joint actions undertaken on selected policy priorities across sectors ● CSOs and media coalitions in project districts will have institutionalized their coalition by drafting a working procedure to support advocacy initiatives beyond the life of the project. ● Five issues will have been raised collectively by local and national CSOs and prioritized based on local interest and impact, with the involvement of national youth networks and advocacy organizations. Joint press statement will have been released, press conference will have been organized, and meetings will have been conducted with relevant agencies/authorities. ● Joints actions will have been implemented by CSO and media actors to raise designated issues to higher levels through meetings, delegations and submission of memorandums on public interest. ● District-level coalitions will have been oriented on “strategic advocacy tools” processes and functions in all 34 program districts to support advocacy initiatives beyond the life of the project. ● Joint oversight activities will have been conducted by CSOs related to public service delivery and public resource use, including the services of financial institutions, at the sub-national level to collect data and identify priority issues at the local level. ● Anti-corruption campaign will have been conducted with a focus on disallowed local government budgets. CSO and media partners will have developed a short status paper on the issues and distributed the paper to relevant agencies and individuals. Forums will have been organized to disseminate the findings of the disallowed budget of respective local governments and provide feedback to minimize this issue. Result 2.3 Improved CSO and media capacity to conduct participatory and evidence-based research on issues, policy, and enforcement in order to benefit marginalized groups ● 34 CARs will have been trained on participatory evidence-based action research and a two- day facilitation skill training conducted to collect, generate, compile and analyze the data to improve CSO research capacity and quality of advocacy initiatives. ● At least 14 successful and unsuccessful advocacy intervention cases will have been documented by CARs/trained journalists/CSOs/ISOs. ● At least 100 blogs and articles on HEAD thematic areas with a focus on COVID-19 management and response will have been published on the MeroReport platform, 31

highlighting issues and policy gaps from CS:MAP districts. Blogs and articles will be sourced from evidence-based advocacy conducted by CS:MAP partners and trained individuals to share learning among concerned stakeholders. ● At least 20 comprehensive investigative case studies on public interest issues linked to COVID-19 (e.g., public accountability related to HEAD; GESI; local-level budget allocation, distribution and utilization by and for youth; fair and equitable distribution of and access to public resources; etc.) will have been published by journalists who attended study visits in Year 2, Year 3 and Year 4. ● At least two academic articles will have been published on civic engagement for policy advocacy in national/international journals, with articles based on the CS:MAP constructive policy process. ● Develop Disaster Risk Reduction/Management (DRR/M) strategy of local governments in consultation with MOFAGA and the local government associations that includes preparedness for a pandemic and sharing with local governments of CS:MAP working districts. Strategic Approach ● CS:MAP will reorient ISOs and CSO partners on advocacy strategies and use of advocacy tools and techniques in informal settings in different clusters. This reorientation will help partners to consolidate their understanding, and review and reflect on advocacy experiences and learning from previous years. As a result, partners will be better prepared to support CSOs, CA members and HEAD coalitions to lead more effective advocacy initiatives. ● CS:MAP will bring in additional technical experts to assist partners in drafting sample policies related to HEAD issues and governance, which CSOs can use for reference when engaged in policy advocacy. Additionally, CS:MAP will collaborate with other USAID- funded projects to leverage their expertise to strengthen the advocacy capacity of CSOs in the districts. For example, CS:MAP will work with USAID Public Financial Management Strengthening Project (PFMSP) to provide expertise on gender-responsive budgeting for district-level advocacy. ● CS:MAP will prioritize sustainability in its FY 2020 approach to support the continued operation and impact of project outcomes, approaches, tools, and mechanisms. In order to sustain project mechanisms, CS:MAP will work through its ISO partners to help CSOs in drafting working procedures for CAs, youth oversight groups, Sajhedari Manch and the CSO coalition, using a participatory approach to increase local ownership. In addition, CS:MAP will work through its ISO partners to develop policies that prioritize civic engagement in local government planning and development based on the MOFAGA resource book on civic engagement. In order to strengthen stakeholders’ voices, for FY 2020 CS:MAP will continue to focus on developing working relationships among CSOs operating in target districts. ● CS:MAP will promote the MeroReport platform among CSOs and media in CS:MAP districts, encouraging them to share impact stories, concerns, and updates related to CS:MAP priority themes (e.g., HEAD, GESI, youth, COVID-19) in relevant local discussion forums; CS:MAP will also launch a monthly competition blog post series, thus improving awareness of available content on MeroReport for advocacy efforts. Project staff will provide regular follow-up with advocacy and monitoring/oversight (AMO) and IJ trainees and CRs and encourage them to identify investigative stories related to advocacy efforts aimed at promoting good governance in CS:MAP priority areas. Successful joint advocacy initiatives will be showcased through central and sub-national Sajha Boli broadcasts to highlight the 32

importance of sustained advocacy and engagement in advancing public interest issues. CS:MAP partner EAI will organize coordination meetings with trained journalist and share the advocacy issues identified by CSOs and encourage them to undertake joint advocacy involving media and CSOs. CS:MAP will promote and share featured blogs through social media platforms. ● CS:MAP will use virtual means to provide coaching and mentoring support to the local CSOs and media during the pandemic. These virtual means will be used until the situation improves and normalizes. CSO partners will also use virtual means to mobilize CSO champions, coalition members and other stakeholders for advocacy and oversight activities. The Sajha Sabha (public forum) will be changed into Sajha Sabha radio bahas. Critical Assumptions ● CSOs and local government will clearly understand their distinct responsibilities in the local development and policy-making process. Local governments will welcome the support of different civic-government engagement platforms created by CS:MAP efforts. ● CSOs are willing to take a more structured approach to advocacy based on goals set in their advocacy plans designed from ARI assessments. ● ISOs are able to provide effective capacity building in the form of continual mentoring and coaching support to CSOs. ● CSOs, trained journalists, and media professionals see value in working collaboratively to highlight local issues through evidence-based research about local-level policy issues and prioritize the issues related to vulnerable and marginalized groups. The identified issues will be presented/shared and discussed among local stakeholders in the CA and Sajhedari Manch, based on which stakeholders will plan and implement relevant advocacy efforts. ● The role of CARs in generating useful research to support evidence-based advocacy is acknowledged and accordingly promoted by CSO partners. ● CSOs, media outlets and journalists see value in undertaking joint advocacy to advance the public interest, not get caught up in petty political or self-interested disagreements. Anticipated Challenges and Mitigation Measures

Anticipated Challenges Mitigating measures

Coordination among all CS:MAP actors at the CS:MAP will continue to emphasize the need sub-national level has remained a continuing for CSO partners to facilitate coordination and challenge, leading to a lack of integrated integration among all project actors at the sub- advocacy initiatives based on sound evidence. national level, and will include this facilitation as a discrete, regular activity within each CSO’s scope of work.

CS:MAP, through its CSO partners, will provide support for CAs, Sajhedari Manch and coalitions to coordinate their work, and identify monthly advocacy agendas based on meetings between CSO partners, partner radio stations, community reporters, CARs, LDAG facilitators, and journalists trained on IJ and AMO.

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CSO partners regularly report on joint advocacy CS:MAP will use review and reflection efforts participatory evidence-based research meetings and the MeroReport platform for through their monthly newsletters and CSOs continued emphasis on the need to keep the quarterly reports. interests of marginalized groups at the center of all advocacy efforts. CS:MAP will identify and provide some form of recognition or reward, on a monthly basis, to one CSO and its district team that demonstrates exemplary coordination in harnessing multi- stakeholder efforts in government engagement and public policy advocacy and reform. Their efforts will be highlighted through special mention in the CS:MAP monthly newsletter, and they will be featured as the CSO of the month on MeroReport and will be featured as the CSO of the month on MeroReport.

Internet connectivity in rural locations can be a CS:MAP will provide data package, as challenge to conduct virtual meetings. necessary, to overcome such a challenge.

Objective 3: More coordinated and effective civil society and media oversight of public resource use and public service delivery The following immediate outputs and outcomes contributing to CS:MAP IRs are anticipated in this Work Plan period: Result 3.1 Improved capacities of local CSOs, media, and community-based organizations to monitor and report on cross-sectoral public service delivery, based on common standards applicable to each sector ● Public service oversight checklists will have served as common standards for monitoring of public service delivery. In FY 2020, the HEAD CSO coalition will have provided secretariat support to scale up public service oversight across the district by engaging other youth clubs, CSOs and community groups to improve its sustainability and uptake. Technical support will be provided to HEAD/CSO coalition members to feed oversight findings into advocacy initiatives and share them with relevant local government authorities to improve policies related to public services. ● GGB action plans will have been implemented in seven gaunpalikas (Triveni and Bafikot gaunpalikas in Rukum district, Gulmi Durbar and Chhatrakot in Gulmi district, Tripurasundari and Sunkoshi in Sindhupalchowk and Suddhodhan in Kapilvastu districts). GGB end-line assessment in these seven gaunpalikas will be conducted in Q2 of FY 2020. ● GGB implementation will have been extended to additional gaunpalikas (one each) in each Rukum, Sindhupalchowk, Gulmi and Kapilvastu districts, for a total of eleven local government units overall. ● Progress in public service delivery will have been assessed through regular monitoring of GGB action plans in eleven (seven old and four new) local government units. Meetings of the GGB Technical Monitoring Committee will have been held every quarter to track progress in implementing jointly formulated action plans.

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● CARs will have generated evidence on 40 issues out of 113 (evidence collected on 86 issues in FY 2019). Evidence collected by CARs will have been shared and discussed during HEAD coalition meetings, fed into local media programs for wider outreach and used for advocacy campaigns by HEAD coalitions/networks. Result 3.2 Improved bottom-up coordination between community, district, and national formal and informal CSOs engaged in public service oversight ● HEAD/CSO coalitions will have received orientation and technical support on public service oversight, including details about their role in public service oversight using a checklist developed by FHI 360 in consultation with subject matter experts. These efforts will assist in sustaining this approach beyond the life of the project. ● Collaboration, coordination and synergy among members of the HEAD coalition will have been made more effective through increasing the frequency of coordination meetings. Priority areas and future course of action will be charted out for advocacy and oversight of issues related to COVID-19 in the district to give sustainability to oversight and advocacy initiatives. ● Dissemination and sharing of oversight findings on a regular basis will have served as a basis for evidence-based advocacy and campaign in project districts. Sharing of oversight findings with concerned sectoral agencies or local governments will serve twin benefits: first, they will produce policy inputs to improve public service, and second, they will generate evidence for advocacy in the district. ● Vertical and horizontal linkages/coordination between community and/or district-level networks or coalitions working on HEAD issues with federal and provincial-level networks will have been further strengthened. Issues with federal policy implications will have been identified by district HEAD networks and linked with federal and provincial-level advocacy networks/coalitions for joint advocacy and campaigns. ● Common Assemblies and Sajhedari Manch will have been conducted, serving a dual purpose as a civic engagement platform at the community level (as no such civic platforms currently exist at the local level) and a forum for interface between citizens and service providers on public service delivery issues. Issues discussed in these forums will be linked with HEAD coalitions and networks at the district level for oversight and advocacy campaigns. Result 3.3 Improved citizen awareness and use of available GON social accountability mechanisms ● Fourteen CSO partners will have continued to provide technical support to 57 local governments and beyond in 34 districts to increase the frequency of Public Hearings, Public Audits and Social Audits at the gaunpalika and municipal levels. Technical support to local governments will serve as a motivation and increase their compliance with the social accountability guidelines/directives. ● Implementation of social accountability tools such as public expenditure tracking and community score cards will have continued to improve transparency and accountability in service delivery and public expenditure including expenses on COVID-19 prevention and treatment at district level. In addition, CSO partners will continue practicing Social Audits of their own organizations to increase their institutional credibility and public image among other stakeholders in the district.

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● CSO partners will have proactively enforced implementation of Right to Information (RTI), complying with proactive disclosure provisions by their institutions. Similarly, 57 local government units will have proactively disclosed 20 types of information on a quarterly basis through their websites/notice boards with technical support from CSO partners. ● Four national-level and 40 sub-national level CAG meetings will have been conducted on the main themes, topics, and concerns related to public service delivery, public service and public resources use-related oversight and SA mechanisms. ● Citizen awareness will have improved and use of available GON SA mechanisms will have been increased through the production of 23 central and 240 local-level episodes of the Sajha Boli radio program from 39 local FM radio and national radio Radio Nepal. A total of 1,856 broadcasts of the central version and local version radio program Sajha Boli will be completed this year. These episodes will be complemented by a robust SMS and IVR platform that promotes audience interactivity with radio episodes. ● For the engagement and participation of youth in SA mechanisms, CS:MAP will have produced 12 episodes (480 broadcast) of the youth radio program SSMK. All broadcasts of SSMK episodes will be complement by a robust short message service (SMS), IVR/VOY and social media platform that promotes audience interactivity with radio episodes. ● To enhance messaging within Sajha Boli and to mark international days, emphasize RTI and the local-level planning process (LLPP), and highlight other critical events or mechanisms, 88 PSAs will have been produced and broadcast through the Sajha Boli radio program, local FM partner radio and IVR platform. ● To monitor the content and technical production quality of radio program episodes a total of 40 critical listening and feedback session (CLFS) will have been conducted in all 34 project districts. This technique will assist in obtaining audience feedback and inputs on the produced radio episodes. ● Increased use of SA mechanisms will have been promoted through group listening (e.g., LDAG groups) to radio episodes and collective actions taken to seek sub-national level budget transparency (including resources available for young people) and greater accountability of public service providers in the HEAD sectors. LDAGs will actively participate in CA meetings. Result 3.4 Improved citizen engagements in media and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools to strengthen public participation and oversight ● A follow-up meeting will have been organized with MFAGA and NARMIN/MUAN to take stock of implementation of the circular issued by MoFAGA to local governments on adopting OLDGS. Follow-up action meeting with these stakeholders will have helped customizing/adopting OLDGS by local governments. ● Awareness and capacity of citizens will have been increased through us of the Sajha Sabha apps, an ICT tool, so that people will continue to use it as a mechanism for sharing feedback, accessing information and filing complaints with local governments on public services and other issues. Use of Sajha Sabha apps will be increased as a tool used by citizens to channel feedback and grievances to the authorities related to public services and development works. ● Two SMS My Voice campaigns will have been conducted, engaging citizens through an IVR platform, social media or digital media to identify citizens’ priorities. Issues raised by citizens and local CSOs will lead to discussions with concerned stakeholders within the 36

central and local versions of Sajha Boli and SSMK radio program. Each campaign will gather at least 600 responses from youth and other audiences during the work-plan year. Illustrative areas of focus for the campaign include: calling youth to actively participate in local issues raised and identified by local CSOs, such as LLPP and its implementation; anti- corruption; promoting an RTI drive among young people; channeling the priorities of women and girls (and the challenges and barriers that hamper women’s access to public services) to representatives at local levels; channeling the priorities of people with disabilities (and the challenges and barriers that hamper their access to public service) to the government at all levels. ● Thirty-four Community Reporters (CRs) will have captured photographs depicting the status of public service delivery and resource utilization in their communities and showcased the photographs at the annual photo exhibition organized by CS:MAP to raise awareness and hold public authorities accountable, responsive, and transparent. These photographs will also be shared and featured through the MeroReport web portal. ● At least 1,000 blog posts will have been published on CS:MAP thematic or cross-sectoral issues, including 100 blog posts on youth and social accountability issues. The blog posts will be published through MeroReport and will lead to an increase in dialogue and discussion on the importance of public participation and oversight. Increased participation and interaction with MeroReport will indicate an increase in the number of people engaging via ICT tools. ● MeroReport, Facebook pages of CS:MAP radio programs and Ma Khaandina and IVR interactivity will have led to an increased number of youth and women participating in the promotion, sharing and uptake of campaign messages, oversight-related videos, photos, events, and activities. ● The establishment of youth networks with the participation of LDAGs will have been encouraged. They will be coordinated via ICT tools including IVR and social media and will be encouraged to share cross-sectoral experiences and initiatives undertaken, leading to meaningful government engagement. Strategic Approach Sustaining project initiatives would be a top priority in FY 2020. CS:MAP will use the following strategies to sustain key project activities: ● CS:MAP will continue engaging with HEAD/CSO coalitions in oversight and advocacy actions, increasing their ownership of initiatives which is crucial for sustainability of project initiatives. The coalition members, being local representatives, can link local issues with provincial and federal-level networks/coalitions for advocacy on policy-related issues. ● CS:MAP will provide resource documents and develop coalition capacity, harnessing local- level knowledge and expertise to continue activities such as oversight and advocacy work. For example, common standards/checklist of indicators developed for oversight can be used by HEAD/CSO coalitions while monitoring public services at the community and district level. ● HEAD/CSO coalitions at the district level are comprised of various CSOs working in the district. Thus, they provide a forum for diverse stakeholders to come together, discuss pubic interest issue jointly and forge a common position/voice on public interest agendas. Therefore, the HEAD/CSO coalitions not only serve as a district-level forum for linkage and coordination between different networks/coalitions at the federal and provincial level, but 37

also serve as coordination platforms for issues emerging from CA meetings for further discussion and advocacy. ● Local governments, including bureaucrats, will be engaged in project activities to enhance understanding and ownership of the project, in addition to CSOs. CSO partners, as in the past years, would help government implement social accountability tools in a collaborative and participatory manner. This will allay fears among government authorities and officials that SA tools are meant to provoke people against them and will highlight for government the benefits of SA tools in improving public resource use and public service delivery. While implementing SA tools, including GGB, elected representatives will be consulted and engaged beginning with issue selection and continuing through different phases of implementation in order to secure their ‘buy-in’ to the process. ● The CAG meetings conducted at local-level government offices with multi-stakeholder participation; outdoor radio productions involving government, civil society, media and general citizens; and call-in shows with multi-stakeholder participation, will all serve as forums for bridging the gap between government and citizens and fostering a culture of coordination, cooperation and co-creation. Improved coordination between local CSOs and youth groups will enhance utility, ownership and sustainability of targeted campaigns aimed at advancing the public interest. For instance, the SMV campaign will create awareness among local stakeholders regarding the need for constructive government engagement and the use of SA tools. ● Remaining CAG meetings for the year will be conducted in small groups (around 7-10 participants) abiding by social distancing measures. If physical meetings are risky under the prevailing circumstances, only virtual meetings will be conducted with identified stakeholders with the support of the local CSOs. ● CS:MAP will produce additional 192 PSAs on the COVID-19 response on a weekly basis, from May 2020. These will be produced in nine different local languages apart from Nepali, and broadcast from 39 local FM stations. EAI will augment reach through podcast and Facebook. ● While campaign promotion was earlier possible through direct outreach, the campaign will now be promoted through the IVR and social media platforms, and the radio broadcasts. Community youth in LDAGs, CRs and CSOs will be encouraged to promote the campaign that will call upon subnational youth to share videos of innovative approaches taken by them to lend their support to the COVID-19 response. EAI will share the video and audio of youth and youth groups with elected representatives or local governments and post, share and boost via social media. Critical Assumptions ● HEAD/CSO coalitions are receptive to project interventions and show willingness to own and participate in oversight activities. ● Government officials and elected representatives consider implementation of SA tools positively and are open to participate in all steps/phases of the GGB process, Community Score Cards, Public Hearings, etc. ● CARs are adequately motivated and encouraged by CSOs to generate evidence on public interest issues and HEAD coalitions own the evidence and proactively feed them into advocacy campaigns.

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● CSO partners recognize, value, own and promote tools such as MeroReport, the SMV campaign, and the radio program episodes, and promote the same with other CSOs and citizens within their constituencies. Anticipated Challenges and Mitigation Measures

Anticipated Challenges Mitigating measures

Low level of motivation and participation of CSO partners will perform a ‘secretariat role’ like-minded CSOs in HEAD/CSO coalition and adequately engage the coalitions in all meetings that may ultimately affect public meetings. service oversight and advocacy campaigns.

HEAD coalitions might be indifferent to CS:MAP local CSO partners will engage HEAD advocacy initiatives and uninterested in coalitions in every step during oversight and implementing oversight actions. advocacy actions from convening to conducting meetings and oversight actions.

HEAD coalitions might not show full ownership CS:MAP will provide necessary coaching and of the issues selected for advocacy and mentoring to CSO partners in engaging sector/agency for oversight. HEAD/CSO coalitions through regular meetings and consultations from selection of advocacy issues to collection of evidence through CARs, seeking concurrence from HEAD coalition members to use the evidence for advocacy and oversight activities collectively.

CSO partners will adopt participatory approaches in selection of issues for advocacy and sites for oversight action.

Government agencies/local governments’ CS:MAP will work with CSO partners to interest in application of SA tools may be lesser consult and engage local governments in each than expected and they might not exhibit enough step while implementing SA tools. willingness to participate in the process.

Variation in implementation approaches CS:MAP has prepared a Strategic Guide to sometimes creates confusion among government harmonize partners’ understanding of the officials and elected representatives. terminologies and working approaches used by CS:MAP. This nurtures common understanding among partners and helps them communicate messages in a uniform way across 34 districts. CS:MAP encourages partners to refer to the Strategic Guide to harmonize their understanding of working approaches and communicate messages in a uniform way.

Dalits/marginalized people and youth may not Their voices and opinions will be incorporated have easy access to the internet. in such meetings through community reporters and via telephonic conversations.

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LDAGs may not be able to conduct physical LDAGs will be encouraged to conduct virtual meetings for discussing issues raised through meetings through Zoom and Messenger radio programs and carrying out regular platforms and will be coached on the use of ICT oversight of public interest issues by visiting for effective advocacy and oversight of public public offices. interest issues.

Local governments may not be very responsive EAI will work with the CRs to consult and to the idea of civic participation (especially engage with local governments to encourage youth) in COVID-19 response. government responsiveness to youth participation and partnership.

Objective 4: Strengthen organizational capacity and sustainability of CSOs working in USAID priority sectors to advance local solutions The following immediate outputs and outcomes, contributing to CS:MAP intermediate results, are anticipated in this Work Plan period: Result 4.1: Improved institutional governance of selected CSOs and media organizations ● CSOs will have received regular, comprehensive capacity building support through ISOs and the CS:MAP team, resulting in institutionalized minimum standard for internal governance, review of strategic plans, and implementation of policies and guidelines. ● CSOs’ organizational capacity score will have been increased by 50% compared to the baseline in 2017. ● Out of 34 CS:MAP program districts, CSOs coalitions from at least 12 districts will have prepared minimum standards for internal governance and shared with local units in 34 program districts through district coordination committees. The local CSOs in the districts will be supported to establish minimum criteria for CSOs to work and collaborate with each other for its implementation. The local CSOs will also engage with governments for increasing sectoral credibility. Local units in these districts will welcome the standards and use them for reference in their CSO guidelines or relevant policies. ● OCA tool will have been customized and replicated with other non-CS:MAP CSOs in target districts. Result 4.2: Improved capacity of select CSOs and media organizations to mobilize social and financial resources for sustainability ● All 14 CSO partners will have received a two-day training on “fundraising for civil society.” CSOs will maintain their efforts to increase funding diversification and financial sustainability. Result 4.3: Improved capacity of CSOs and media organizations to advance local solutions on priority development issues across sectors and to promote peer-learning opportunities ● CS:MAP’s bi-annual all-partners’ review and reflection meetings (as a part of the monitoring, evaluation, and learning plan [MELP]), and monthly and quarterly review meetings (internal), will have served as additional platforms for CS:MAP partners to share experiences and learn from each other.

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● The learnings from 14 CSO partners will have been shared with other CSOs (non-CS:MAP partners) in target districts to encourage best practices among other CSOs in collaboration with district chapters of NFN and district-level HEAD/CSO coalitions. ● At least 20 participants from CSOs will have received a Training of Trainers (TOT) on the OCA tool, building local capacity to deliver services on internal governance at the local level. CS:MAP will provide support to facilitate the OCA based on requests from CSOs in target districts. Strategic Approach ● CS:MAP ISO partners will conduct the final round of OCA assessments of all 14 CSO partners and adjust their institutional improvement plans (IIPs), with support from the CS:MAP capacity building team. ● CS:MAP will continue providing its ISO partners with tested capacity-development tools, with the goal of certifying them as service providers and allowing ISOs to market their services after the end of the project period. ● ISOs will continue to promote the CS:MAP OCA tool to non-CS:MAP partners and facilitate OCAs of CSOs in districts where CS:MAP local CSO partners have their main offices. ISOs and CSMAP CB team assistance will be based on requests received during OCA tool orientations held in FY 2019. ● In FY 2020, CS:MAP will work with ISOs to support all 14 CSOs to maintain and institutionalize minimum standards for internal governance. ISOs will work with CSOs to maintain minimum standards during their regular coaching, mentoring and support visits through April 2020. ● CSO partners will coordinate in their respective district and local governments and district to promote the importance of minimum standard for CSOs. Out of 34 CS:MAP program districts, at least 12 districts will declare the minimum standard for internal governance in FY 2020. ● To advance organizational sustainability, all 14 CSOs will assess their revenue and analyze their financial sustainability status from FY 2017 to 2019. CS:MAP will provide financial sustainability support based on findings from the FY 2019 assessments. ● To support funding diversification and financial sustainability, CS:MAP and ISO staff will deliver a two-day training on “fundraising for civil society,” a customized training based on sessions held by CS:MAP and ISO staff in Q4 FY 2019. ● ● ISO partners will provide support to CSOs through April 2020. After this period, the CS:MAP capacity building team will coordinate with all CSOs and provide backstopping support to CSOs to strengthen their capacity as needed through conducting visits and distance support virtually. ● In FY 2020 CS:MAP will expand efforts to share learning generated through project activities with civil society and other relevant actors who are not formal project partners. Local CSO partners will coordinate with NFN district chapters to organize learning fora in CS:MAP target districts to share effective practices related to internal governance and advocacy by Q4 2020. These platforms will help CS:MAP partners and other CSOs share knowledge within the districts. 41

● CS:MAP will organize a five-day training of trainers (TOT) for up to 20 participants to increase uptake of internal governance among non-CS:MAP CSO partners and build local expertise in target districts. This training will also help minimize gaps in ISO service provisions and meet immediate requests at the local level. The CS:MAP capacity building team will provide backstopping support for training facilitation. ● CS:MAP will work with CSO partners to expand use of the MeroReport, Facebook groups, bi-annual review meetings, bi-annual summits, and CS:MAP monthly calendars to share best practices. Critical Assumptions ● Two ISOs can provide comprehensive support to 34 program districts by April 2020, with both ISOs providing a similar level of capacity support. ● 14 CSOs maintain and institutionalize minimum standards for internal governance. Out of 34 CS:MAP program districts, at least 12 districts will be declared as the districts having practiced the minimum standard. ● NFN district chapters are willing to collaborate and CSOs and NFN district chapters organize joint learning and sharing events. ● CSO capacity will be capable of providing OCA assessments and will be able to provide follow-up support. Anticipated Challenges and Mitigation Measures

Anticipated Challenges Mitigating measures

ISOs support for providing comprehensive, ISOs will be guided by the CS:MAP capacity customized capacity building support to 14 building unit to provide distance coaching and CSOs working in 34 districts will be challenging mentoring, and/or to conduct visits focused on as ISOs will be engaged in OCA and ARI specific needs only. assessments in Q2.

ISO will not be able to conduct OCAs of non- A designated ISO staff will lead the assessments CS:MAP CSOs as requested and the CSO Program Coordinators will be mobilized for surge support. After providing ToTs to CSO board and staff, they will lead the assessments and the CS:MAP CB unit will support trained facilitators and ensure assessments as outlined in the tool.

CS:MAP also anticipates potential challenges CS:MAP will conduct a learning meeting related to non-partner CSO trust in the capacity focused on internal governance practices in of CS:MAP partner CSOs to provide target districts and will provide backstopping as organizational development support as needed to help CS:MAP CSO partners requested. implement high-quality assessments and increase trust in their ability to deliver.

Objective 5: Improved enforcement of fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution

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The following immediate outputs and outcomes contributing to CS:MAP IRs are anticipated in this Work Plan period: Result 5.1: Improved the ability of human rights organizations to advocate and engage with government at the federal and subnational level ● Five groups of 25 CSOs will have improved capacity, planning and technical expertise to develop shadow reports on seven major UN treaties. These CSOs will have been engaged with government in providing inputs in the state reports to be prepared on ICCPR and ICESCR and preparing shadow reports on the same; ● Civil society and the federal government will have drafted a comprehensive National Human Rights Action Plan, and initiated efforts to implement it by educating and engaging all stakeholders; ● Three CSO networks will have provided inputs to the federal government— specifically the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers; the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens; and national human rights institutions - the National Human Rights Commission; the National Dalit Commission; the National Women Commission; and the National Inclusion Commission—on the issues and concerns of women, Dalit, Madhesi, and LGBTIQ populations. As a result, the government and human rights institutions’ policies and decisions will reflect the needs and concerns of the relevant communities. ● Three human rights assessment reports will have been prepared, five human rights-related laws will have been reviewed from an international standards perspective, and a fundamental rights checklist/standard for three levels of government will have been prepared. These three types of documents will have been shared with wider stakeholders for further advocacy to promote human rights. Further, three additional assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on human rights, and impact on Dalits and women due to COVID-19 and the government lockdown will be carried out. ● A digital platform, Management Information System (MIS), for human rights status documentation, reporting and sharing will have been developed. It is anticipated that at least five municipalities4 will have started reporting through MIS in the coming fiscal year. ● Around 900 CSO representatives will have improved their capacity to engage and lobby with governments and stakeholders to advance human rights advocacy issues. Result 5.2: Increased knowledge and understanding of subnational government about how to incorporate protections of rights into their functioning. ● Five municipalities will have created or improved their human rights policies, guidelines, and practices using checklists/standards developed at the national level and will have used those resources to increase their capacity to apply a human rights-based approach in planning and public service delivery for marginalized populations. ● Elected local representatives, civil society and political parties in five municipalities will have collaborated through joint meetings, workshops and exchanges of ideas to develop policies and laws related to the protection and promotion of fundamental rights in conformity with constitutional provisions and international human rights standards.

4 Duduwa Rural Municipality, Banke; Badhaiyatal Rural Municipality, Bardiya; Gauriganga Municipality, Kailali; Birendranagar Municipality, Surkhet and Tribeni Rural Municipality, Rukum West. 43

● At least three of the working municipalities and 15 CSOs (three in each municipality) will have demonstrated commitment to work together to reduce disparities and to ensure equal rights, opportunities and respect for women, Dalit, Madhesi, and LGBTIQ populations. ● Simplified education materials will have been developed based on the international standards, fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution and the laws to implement them. These materials will have been disseminated widely, particularly at schools and colleges located in the five target municipalities. More than 2,300 human rights defenders including students and youth will have been educated based on the developed education materials. ● At least 15 laws/policies of five local governments will have been reviewed, suggestions and inputs will have been provided and CSOs will have engaged in advocacy with stakeholders to improve laws/policies from a human rights perspective. ● Five violence watch groups will have been formed in five municipalities and necessary assistance will have been received by 25 individuals to register cases to seek justice. ● Judicial Committee members of at least five municipalities will have been provided with opportunities for learning and sharing through project-created social media platforms as well as in-person peer learning sessions; and ● Thirty citizen trainings will have been delivered where at least 1,250 participants will have been given opportunities to understand the functioning modality of local government, including budget planning and service delivery, and improved their ability to demand their rights. Strategic Approach Nepali CSOs working on human rights issues are primarily focused on the various thematic areas that correspond to UN human rights treaties. The Human Rights and International Treaty Division under the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), National Human Rights Commission and other constitutional commissions are the major allies to engage in order to strengthen human rights through improving and implementing standards. For the effective engagement of the human rights organizations to advocate with government at the federal and subnational level the organizations should have a wider knowledge and understanding of human rights principles and practices. This also requires improved subnational government knowledge about ways to incorporate protections of rights into their functioning. To achieve this, CS:MAP will use the following strategic approaches: ● CS:MAP-HRS will work with governments at the federal, provincial, and local levels and CSOs to strengthen human rights protection mechanisms, including human rights-friendly laws and practices to fulfill the state's obligations at the national and international level. In doing so, CS:MAP-HRS will pay special attention to the rights of specific groups, including women, members of the LGBTIQ community and Dalits. Advocacy initiatives to advance human rights through improved legal and institutional frameworks and stakeholder understanding will likewise focus on women and members of the LGBTIQ and Dalit communities. ● CS:MAP-HRS will target its engagement efforts to the human rights organizations working as members of the Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Center (HRTMCC) and will support them to enhance their capacity for effective human rights advocacy. CS:MAP- HRS will also engage with the federal government and constitutional commission through 44

three national advocacy partners: Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), one CSO working on women and LGBTIQ rights, and one CSO working on Dalit rights and engaged with members of the HRTMCC. ● CS:MAP-HRS will promote collaboration and join initiatives with these institutions, emphasizing efforts to protect the rights of women, members of the LGTBIQ community and Dalits. This includes participation in drafting and implementing the 5th National Human Rights Action Plan, as well as in the process of preparing periodic reports for relevant treaties and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). CS:MAP-HRS will play a key role in promoting collaboration among government institutions, constitutional commissions and HRTMCC. ● CS:MAP-HRS will work through CSOs to engage local governments, improve understanding of their constitutional and legal responsibilities to protect human rights, and provide support to fulfill their responsibilities. CS:MAP will also contribute to a broader human rights culture by increasing citizen awareness of the principles and application of human rights protections. At the municipal level, CS:MAP will promote a human rights culture through human rights education and awareness programs directed to youth, human rights defenders, and students. Additionally, enhanced capacity of community mediators, judicial community members and elected representatives is expected to promote a human rights-friendly culture at the local government level. CS:MAP-HRS will also work to expand a human rights culture in communities and families, focusing on respect, mutual dignity, equality, and non- discrimination principles. Critical Assumptions ● Civil society organizations working on human rights issues are committed and willing to come together to enhance their capacity and apply acquired knowledge for human rights advocacy; ● The federal government is informed about human rights principles and responsibilities and committed to preparing a National Human Rights Action Plan and taking necessary action to implement it. Additionally, the GON fulfills state obligations by initiating reports to relevant UN Treaty Committees and the Human Rights Council; ● Local governments are willing to learn human rights-based approaches and develop and implement laws/policies promoting human rights in collaboration with CSOs; and ● CSOs and constitutional commissions prioritize advocacy and actions to promote the rights of women, LGBTIQ community members and Dalits at the federal and local level. Anticipated challenges and mitigation measures:

Anticipated Challenges Mitigating measures

The state is the main actor responsible for CS:MAP-HRS will facilitate meetings among protecting human rights, which includes governments agencies, CSOs, and constitutional formulation of legal and institutional commissions to protect human rights that are mechanisms, fulfilling constitutional and already guaranteed by the Constitution. The international obligations, increasing the capacity meetings will provide an opportunity to discuss and awareness of citizens and other the responsibility of the government as per the stakeholders, and coordinating among Constitution and international human rights stakeholders. However, at present, the treaties to respect, protect and fulfill human government's working approach is not rights. The potential role of CSOs and likely

45 convincing when it comes to human rights contribution to fulfill the human rights protections, and collaboration among civil obligation of the state will be shared and society organizations is limited. Stakeholders’ discussed in these meetings. participation in the law- and policy-making Regular meetings and constructive engagement process is narrowed. of CSOs with government will create a conducive environment for collaboration where mistrust will be minimized, and government will see the value of collaboration with civil society. This will minimize mistrust and promote collaboration to advance human rights; develop and implement the NHRAP; prepare state reports to submit to UN mechanisms; and implement the laws to fulfil fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

Local governments are overwhelmed with lots CS:MAP-HRS will offer technical support to of responsibilities, including activity elected representatives for formulating policies development, institutional setup, formulation of and standards on human rights and related different laws/policies and service delivery. learning opportunities, focusing on deputy Although Annex 8 of the Constitution has mayors and members of Judicial Committees. In outlined multiple rights that local governments addition, through different meeting, are obliged to protect and promote, local representatives of the local governments will be officials are often unaware of this charge. able to understand the value of work on human Elected representatives of local governments rights and their related constitutional may not be interested in dry "human rights" obligations. The opportunity to receive expert subjects. services from CSOs will in turn ease their work and resources shared by CSOs will motivate local governments to work on human rights issues in collaboration with CSOs.

Due to COVID-19, it will not be possible to Virtual meetings will be organized through organize in-person events in the areas where Zoom, Teams, or other online platforms lockdown continues for an extended period or people fear to gather in-person due to the threat of the spread of the virus.

The local governments and elected The project will continue to engage with the representatives will have less focus on human local governments and elected representatives, rights against the backdrop of COVID-19. pursue the link between the human rights and other services that has been affected by COVID- 19; revise the contents of the intervention in consultation with them to reflect the present priorities.

Due to COVID-19, in-person events planned Other alternative methods such as phone-calls or have been revised to virtual events. However, it use of laptops in small groups maintaining is not an appropriate option for the events in physical distance, sharing of devices by peers, community level, where access to technology, collection of views by a peer shall be used, as necessary infrastructure and knowledge is not required. available; and members of the marginalized 46 community may lose their opportunities to participate in the event; or be part of the process.

4. Activity Description

Objective 1: Strengthened enabling environment for civil society and media

Result 1.1: Improved legal and policy framework, based on international standards that leads to better operating environment and strengthened capacity for civil society

Activity 1.1.1: Implement advocacy action plans on regulatory reform issues on CSOs and media. Building on Year 2, 3 and 4 activities focused on regulatory frameworks assessments and stakeholder consultations that informed advocacy action planning, CS:MAP partners will undertake advocacy efforts to improve enabling environment for CSOs and media. Activity 1.1.1.1: Law and policy review Federal, provincial and local governments are formulating various civil society and media policies and laws. Those policies and laws require review based on international standards, constitutional provisions and best practices before advocates can share inputs with policy makers to strengthen the enabling environment. The federal-level Mass Communication Act, Public Service Broadcasting Act and Civil Society Registration and Operation Act; the provincial-level civil society and media coordination and management laws; and the local-level FM policy and civil society coordination policy are expected to be processed during FY 2020. Moreover, the GON is planning to introduce other laws and policies that will affect the media policy landscape, and government priorities may shift at any time. Through a review of at least seven laws, CS:MAP and national advocacy partners will identify the gaps in the proposed draft laws and policies based on international standards and best practices, as well as constitutional provisions. Policy briefs based on the reviewed laws will be prepared and shared with stakeholders including parliamentarians, provincial assembly members, relevant committee members and other stakeholders such as government officials, political party representatives, CSOs partners and media via email or postal service. These policy briefs will also include the perspectives of women and other marginalized communities. The CS:MAP GESI Advisor and GESI partners will work closely with coalition leads and other national advocacy partners to ensure the integration of a GESI lens in policy review, and GESI priorities in policy briefs. Similarly, coalition leads, and national advocacy partners will share the draft policy briefs with GESI partners to get their inputs. Also, GESI partners’ participation will be ensured in coalition meetings to improve coordination and better integrate advocacy for improving laws and policies. Proposed Modifications: Because of COVID-19, law/policy making will not be in priority for stakeholders including the governments. The governments will be focused on responding to COVID-19. Parliaments (federal as well as provincial) will not be giving proper time for law making. Because of the lockdown, CS:MAP national advocacy partners will be constrained at home with limited activism and advocacy work. 47

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g target remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY2020Q FY2020Q workplan postpone per this 3 – 4 year d from existing workplan (realized FY 2020) work plan year target)

No. of 7 3 4 1 2 6 1 policies and laws reviews

Activity 1.1.1.2: Disseminating/sharing of the policy review CS:MAP will share the policy briefs prepared under Activity 1.1.1.1 with more than 4,000 stakeholders including federal and provincial parliamentarians, CSO leaders, government officials, women and other marginalized communities’ rights advocates and media representatives. CS:MAP and partners will disseminate the documents through multiple formats, including hard copy (via post) and electronic versions via emails, social media platforms, podcasts, and websites. CS:MAP will support workshops to share major policy outputs/concerns for policy reforms, and national advocacy partners will organize at least eight workshops or interactions with more than 200 stakeholders for this purpose. In addition, the CS:MAP team and national advocacy partners will follow up with the stakeholders to understand how the policy review has been applied in policy advocacy through one-on-one advocacy meetings with policy makers, civil society leaders, political parties and other stakeholders. Approximately 16 one-on- one meetings will be conducted to share the reviews and advocate for policy improvements. Output of Activity 1.1.1: 7 policy briefs, reports disseminated, follow-up reports Proposed Modifications: Because of the lockdown in response to COVID-19, CS:MAP national advocacy partners will remain at home and the activism and advocacy works will be limited. Thus, in-person sharing events may not be possible and their targets will be reduced. However, the reviewed policies/laws will be shared with stakeholders through online platforms including email. The planned 16 one-on-one meetings will be conducted successfully to share the reviews and advocate for policy improvements despite the potential adverse impact of COVID-19.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY2020Q FY2020Q workplan postpone per this 3 4 year

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existing workplan (realized d from work plan year target) FY 2020)

No. of 8 events 3 events 5 events 1event 3 events 7 events 1 event events/pa (200 (87 (25 (50 (150 rticipants participan participan participan participan participan ts) ts) ts) ts) ts)

Activity 1.1.2: Policy dialogue and discussion with and among CSOs, media, political parties, government and Parliament CS:MAP implementing partners will organize at least 12 policy dialogues and discussions with 400 stakeholders from parliamentary committees, the civil society section of political parties, GON officials, civil society leaders, women’s rights activists, advocates, lawyers, journalists, CSO champions, academicians including those focusing on GESI, and intellectuals focused on project policy priorities and the need to ensure freedom of association and freedom of expression. These activities have been proposed under the assumption that unless stakeholders are adequately sensitized and oriented, required reforms and civil society enabling environment improvements cannot take place. During these events, participants will also be sensitized on existing provisions in the draft bills and laws which are inconsistent with international standards, and that are likely to impede civil society space and freedom. CS:MAP partners will receive support to implement these dialogues from CS:MAP, including ICNL, which may include international experience and examples. Experts may provide support in the form of policy briefs that highlights strengths, weaknesses and gaps in the draft bills, existing laws and guidelines, with highlights from international standards and experiences. Output of Activity 1.1.2: Dialogue reports, follow-up reports Proposed Modifications: Because of the lockdown in response to COVID-19, CS:MAP national advocacy partners, government representatives, parliamentarians and media people got limited opportunity for in- person meeting. Additionally, they were mostly busy responding to COVID-19. Thus, less priority was given to policy dialogue and discussion. So, considering the priority of the major stakeholders, the planned number of events have been reduced. However, engagement and discussion with major stakeholders in small groups will be continued through online platforms on media and CSO-related policy issues. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details with targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the measuring per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY units per existing (FY 2020 last this 2021 existing work work Q2) quarter of FY2020 FY2020 workplan (to be plan plan this Q3 Q4 year postpon workplan (realized ed from year target) FY 2020)

49

No. of 12 events 6 events 6 events 1 event 3 events 10 events 2 events/partici (400 (250 (150 (30 (90 (370 events pants participa participa participa participa participa participa nts) nts) nts) nts) nts) nts)

Activity 1.1.3: Support to local governments to develop and implement civil society and media- related laws CS:MAP will work with local government associations and MOFAGA to develop two sample laws that align with constitutional provisions for freedom of association and freedom of expression and will advocate for their adoption by local government units. CS:MAP will provide necessary guidance for GESI-friendly laws and ICNL will provide technical expertise during the drafting process. These draft model laws will be disseminated in collaboration with different associations and federations related to local government such as Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN), National Association of Rural Municipality in Nepal (NARMIN), chapters of CS:MAP national advocacy partners, local CSOs and media. CS:MAP will also include information about the draft mode laws and subsequent interactions via the MeroReport platform and CS:MAP radio program. Output of Activity 1.1.3: 2 Draft laws, compilation of stakeholders’ inputs Proposed Modifications: One sample law/guideline will be prepared on NGO/CSO collaboration at the local government level and will be shared with all local governments through MuAN and NARMIN. MuAN and NARMIN are interested in it and have priority only on laws related to NGO/CSO collaboration in the post-COVID-19 crisis. They don't have interest in and priority for FM Radio Management Law. Additionally, at present, FM Radio Management Law is not relevant for the local government level considering the practices and interpretation of rights of the local government relating to law making on FM radio management. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets details with targets as of targets till remaining quarters annual for the FY measuring per quarter the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to units per existing 2 quarter of year this be existing work work (FY this workplan postponed plan plan 2020 workplan FY 2020 FY2020 year from FY Q2) year Q3 Q4 2020) (realized target)

No. of sample 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 laws/guideline s

Activity 1.1.4: Promotion of Open Government Partnership (OGP) concept at the national and sub-national level

50

Open Government Partnership (OGP) promotes government openness and accountability, bringing together government and civil society representatives to co-create agendas and action plans to advance transparency, accountability, participation and technological innovation. While eligible to join OGP, Nepal has yet to make its formal commitment. To facilitate Nepal’s commitment to join OGP, more discussion is needed with critical stakeholders. CS:MAP has been working to promote OGP at the federal and local level through national and local partners. In Year 4, CS:MAP organized a series of multi-stakeholder dialogues and discussions on OGP concepts in an effort to increase transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in governance processes. An OGP Handbook has also been developed as an important resource material. In Year 5, CS:MAP will organize four OGP dialogues in collaboration with other USAID projects, especially Niti Sambad. These collaborative dialogues will provide an opportunity to assess civil society readiness for OGP and bring civil society and government together to reinforce the OGP agenda in Nepal, in addition to encouraging the GON to join OGP. In addition, OGP principles will be promoted in two provinces in collaboration with provincial governments and other stakeholders. To promote OGP, CS:MAP partner Freedom Forum will map stakeholders and actors, especially those working in open government thematic areas. Freedom Forum will then form different CSO thematic groups and introduce them to OGP concepts and processes, and organize discussions focused on OGP themes including government openness and accountability and co-creation by government and civil society to advance OGP principles. Please refer to Activity 1.2.6, Activity 1.2.3 and Activity 3.2.4 for local-level discussions focusing on citizen-government engagement principles. In addition, see Activity 3.4.5 for CS:MAP support in replicating the local government open budget portal (OLGDS) in at least seven local governments in Nepal. Output of Activity 1.1.4: OGP operational framework, dialogue reports, local governments applying OGP standards Proposed Modifications: Because of COVID-19 lockdown and restriction on in-person events, the proposed events may not be possible in the same format and number. Thus, the revision in the modality of the event has been proposed. Out of four, two events will be organized through virtual platforms like Zoom or Teams. The targets will remain the same, but the implementation approach will be changed.

Activity 1.1.5: Improving electoral laws and policies CS:MAP will work with the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) through civil society partners to apply the findings from election observation which was carried out during federal, provincial, and local elections held in 2017. The purpose of engagement is to improve the electoral framework for further elections as needed and applicable in different contexts. In Year 4 CS:MAP, in partnership with National Election Observation Committee (NEOC) Nepal, reviewed election-related laws and policies and identified gaps and recommendations for improvements. This report will be shared with stakeholders to sensitize them on electoral advocacy priorities. ECN has announced by-election for vacant seats at the federal, provincial and local level on November 2019. CS:MAP will support national civil society organization in election observation and will also mobilize local CSO partners in election observation by providing election observation guidelines and checklists developed in Year 4.

51

Output of Activity 1.1.5: Election observation report, meeting notes, case studies Proposed Modifications: No revision is needed. Activity 1.1.6: Civil society and media coalition meetings In Year 2, CS:MAP supported the formation of sectoral civil society and media coalitions, including a broad range of stakeholders and groups. These coalitions have been working to develop common positions, joint advocacy plans, and sectoral improvement standards for the civil society and media sectors. Coalition meetings have provided opportunities to increase stakeholder ownership of policy advocacy initiatives and self-regulation mechanisms. These civil society and media coalition meetings will be continued in the Year 5 at the federal and provincial levels to advance laws and policy improvements, and to support constructive engagement with government and implementation of internal governance and self-regulation standards at different levels. These coalitions will work to find common ground for advocacy and include women and other communities to ensure diverse voices in both sectors. Three coalition meetings will be organized in each quarter to discuss issues related to civil society and media space, freedom and roles in various contexts. These meetings will also be instrumental in bringing CSOs and media together and increasing understanding of the linkages between freedom of expression and freedom of association, resulting in the initiation of joint campaigns to expand civic space. Output of Activity 1.1.6: 12 Coalition meeting reports and sets of policy and advocacy recommendations Proposed Modifications: Because of COVID-19 and specific and different priority of media and CSO, the coalition meeting will be held less frequently. Additionally, in-person coalition meetings between civil society and media will not be possible because of lockdown. However, engagement and discussion with major stakeholders in small group will be continued through online platforms on media and CSO-related policy issues and issues that may have similar impact on these two sectors.

Modification tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details with targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the measuring per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 units per existing (FY 2020 last this (to be existing work Q2) quarter of FY2020 FY2020 workplan postpon work plan plan this Q3 Q4 year ed from workplan (realized FY year target) 2020)

No. of 12 events 6 events 6 events 1 event 3 events 10 events 2 sample (240 (116 (124 (20 (60 (196 laws/guideli participan participan participan participan participan participan nes ts) ts) ts) ts) ts) ts)

52

Activity 1.1.7: Capacity-building training on Freedom of Association and Freedom of Expression In Year 4 FNJ and NFN central committee members received training on public policy advocacy and international best practices related to freedom of association and freedom of expression. In Year 5, both coalitions will expand capacity building initiatives at the provincial and district levels, thereby enabling the coalitions and member entities at various levels to advocate jointly on priority policy issues. To accomplish this, FNJ and NFN will organize two provincial-level public policy advocacy trainings on freedom of association and freedom expression with CS:MAP technical support. CS:MAP civil society and media partners will also attend these trainings. Through these trainings, media and civil society leaders at the provincial level will strengthen their ability to influence policymakers to support new policies that improve the enabling environment for media and CSOs in Nepal. By the end of these training participants will jointly develop an advocacy strategy and action plan to advocate for the identified recommendations. These trainings will be organized in Q2 and Q3 of Year 5 with approximately 50 participants. CS:MAP will also follow up and provide necessary technical support in the implementation of participant-development advocacy action plans. Output of Activity 1.1.7: 2 Training reports and participants’ action plans for policy advocacy Proposed Modifications: No revision is needed. Activity 1.1.8: Regular technical assistance on policy work Technical assistance is key in supporting CS:MAP national partners in the policy drafting process and to ensure that these constitutional provisions and international standards are reflected in the draft laws and policies. CS:MAP and partner ICNL will conduct legal analyses of priority laws including: Mass Communication Act, Social Organization Act and Public Service Broadcasting Act, as well as update analyses, as needed, on pending laws, including but not limited to IT Bill and Press Council Act. ICNL will also provide legal analyses of relevant provincial-level laws, as needed. ICNL will prepare three cross-sector impact reports of draft laws; these impact reports will highlight how laws generally understood to affect the media or freedom expression will affect civil society, and how laws generally understood to affect civil society will affect the media and/or freedom of expression and will produce two “Recommendation Documents,” which will highlight the most restrictive provisions of two separate laws, and provide recommendations to amend these highlighted provisions. It will also lead in revising, updating and finalizing Resource Books on Freedom of Association and Freedom of Expression. ICNL will also support the national coalition leads to conduct three follow-up refresher workshops on international standards on FOA and FOE, and will support the national advocacy partner on CSO accreditation system. ICNL will have four trips to Kathmandu in FY 2020 to support the partners directly. Output of Activity 1.1.8: Cross-sector impact reports; resource book on freedom of association and expression; 3 refresher workshops and 1 workshop on CSO accreditation Proposed Modifications:

53

Technical assistance was expected mainly from CS:MAP’s implementation partner ICNL through country visits. Because of COVID-19, such visits will not be possible though support will be provided through email and online meeting.

Modification tracking table: Outputs Annual Progr Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets details with targets per ess as targets till remaining quarters annual for the measuring existing of the last of the workplan Year targets of FY units per work plan quarte quarter of this 2021 existing r 2 this FY FY 2020 workplan (to be work plan (FY workplan 2020 Q4 year postpon 2020 year Q3 ed from Q2) (realiz FY ed 2020) target)

No. of 3 cross- 0 3 cross- 3 cross- 3 cross- impact sector sector sector sector reports impact impact impact impact reports reports reports reports

No. of 2 0 2 2 2 recommend recommend recommend recommend recommend ation ation ation ation ation documents documents documents documents documents

Activity 1.1.9: Promote civic engagement, freedom of association and freedom of expression through government training academies or universities CS:MAP will explore opportunities to promote civic engagement, freedom of association and freedom of expression through government training academies and universities. To accomplish this, CS:MAP will organize informal meetings with relevant government training academies like Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) and Local Development Training Academy (LDTA), and relevant departments of Tribhuvan University. CS:MAP will use these meetings to assess existing courses that cover relevant material and the possibility of integrating civic engagement, freedom of association and freedom expression principles in these existing courses or trainings. Based on this assessment, CS:MAP will provide technical support and resources as needed to support this integration. Integrating material into existing courses will provide CS:MAP an opportunity to sustain project-generated knowledge and resources related to the civil society enabling environment and civic engagement, and also improve dissemination to existing and future government officials, civil society leaders, and political parties representatives. Reference materials for these courses will include the CS:MAP-developed civic engagement resource book, study report on civil society contributions in Nepal and Nepal assessment report, as well as the civil society and media legal framework. In order to promote and sustain civic engagement initiatives at the federal, provincial, and local level, CS:MAP will work with MOFAGA to use MOFAGA’s civic engagement resource book and documentary film. The 54 resource book and documentary film were developed in Year 4 by MOFAGA with support from CS:MAP. In addition, CS:MAP will work with the Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (CDJMC) of Tribhuvan University to implement the recommendations of CS:MAP-supported research on ‘media self-regulation and credibility’ that the CDJMC carried out in Year 3. Support will be provided, and consultations will be organized to integrate the research findings and learnings in relevant University media courses. Output of Activity 1.1.9: At least six meeting notes, two assessment report, integration of materials into academic and training courses Proposed Modifications: Because of COVID-19 and specific and different priority of media and CSO, the coalition meeting will be held less frequently. Additionally, in-person coalition meetings between civil society and media will not be possible because of the lockdown. However, engagement and discussion with major stakeholders in small groups will be continued through online platforms on media and CSO-related policy issues and issues that may have similar impact on these two sectors.

Modification tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets for details targets per of quarter 2 targets till remaining quarters of annual the FY with existing (FY 2020 the last the workplan year targets of 2021 (to measuring work plan Q2) quarter of this be units per this FY 2020 FY 2020 workplan postponed existing workplan Q3 Q4 year from FY work plan year (realized 2020) target)

No. of 6 events 3 events 3 events 0 3 events 6 events meetings (60 (30 (30 (10 (60 and participants participants participants participants participants participant ) ) ) in each in total) s event)

No. of 2 0 2 0 2 2 assessment assessment assessment assessment assessment report report report reports reports

No. of 2 events 0 2 events 0 2 events 2 events events and (40 (40 (40 (40 participant participants participants participants participants s ) ) ) )

Proposed New Activity: 55

Activity 1.1.10: Support civil society and NHRC-led mechanism to monitor citizen rights and freedom of association and expression (New activity) Responding to COVID-19, different governments have taken different measures where there is risk of limitation/violation of civil rights. Civil society networks (NGO Federation, Nepal Bar Association, Federation of Nepali Journalists) and National Human Rights Commission have come together to monitor civic rights violation. CS:MAP will support this civil rights monitoring initiatives where NGO Federation will ensure to produce two federal level reports (one in each remaining quarter); and 14 provincial level reports (4 reports in third quarter and 10 reports in fourth quarter).

Result 1.2: Improved public understanding and confidence in the role of CSOs and media Activity 1.2.1: Launch outreach campaign to improve public understanding and confidence in CSOs and media In FY 2020 CS:MAP will use the findings of the 2019 mid-line perception survey to develop a public outreach campaign to improve public perceptions of civil society and the media. By Q2, CS:MAP will design and launch an open call to identify a Nepali public relations/communications partner to craft and implement a nationwide outreach campaign to reach approximately 7 million Nepalis with messaging regarding the role of civil society. FHI 360 behavior change communications experts and EAI media and communications staff will provide TA and quality assurance as needed throughout the process. The campaign activities may include documenting civil society and media contributions and successes, street theater performances, and TV and radio spots highlighting civil society and media contributions and successes. The campaign will ensure coordination and cohesive messaging across project activities. CS:MAP will work to ensure that the positive messaging conveyed by the campaign is reinforced by ongoing successful interventions of the grantees and their partners on the ground, and that the emerging grantee success stories are transmitted via various channels of the campaign. The media activities will be designed using creative concepts and effective media tools. They will be implemented by mobilizing media and behavior change communication expertise, advanced technology, hi-tech equipment, and wider networks. Recommendations and references from partner organization at both the community and national level will be incorporated during planning and implementation. Messaging will include a “call for action” for greater impact. Activity 1.2.1.1: Use of new media for promoting civil society Given the rapid growth in information and communication technologies and increased access to mobile phones and internet in Nepal, new media is increasingly critical for civil society and media actors working to inform and engage constituents and policy makers. New media, including social media, interactive web-portals, online platforms, mobile applications, video games and others, offer the potential to reach larger audiences in a shorter period, improve interaction among users and producers, and customize content for target audiences. In FY 2020 CS:MAP will continue to use new media to strengthen and promote the role of civil society. Specifically, CS:MAP will conduct new media workshops that leverage civil society’s increasing interest in using new media to raise awareness among stakeholders, thereby equipping CSOs to use social media appropriately and more effectively communicate their work. CS:MAP will conduct two workshops and two refresher trainings to train civil society activists and 56 provide additional support to those trained during Year 5. Since the initial training, activists have used new media to raise concerns and draw public attention to priority issues, leading to issue resolution. Both the workshops and the refresher trainings will be held at the national and sub- national/provincial level with civil society actors in Q2. Following the trainings, CSOs will develop plans to use social media effectively. CS:MAP will provide technical support to implement the plans. Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification in this activity, however the activity has been postponed due to delayed sub-contracting to implementing partner to carryout public outreach campaign. The delay in sub-contracting took place due to suspension of the activities because of the COVID-19 crisis. The activity will be continued with the resumption of the activities. The activity has been reshuffled for Q4.

Activity 1.2.1.2: Social media campaign In order to promote better understanding of civil society and the media, CS:MAP will continue using social media in Year 5. Widely used social media tools and MeroReport will be used to promote project civil society strengthening activities and knowledge. In addition, products developed for the Public Outreach Campaign and other resources developed by CS:MAP partners will be promoted through these platforms. Campaign activities will be both ongoing and event-based, as needed. As a result, civil society actors will be better supported to advance their advocacy agenda and engage with beneficiaries and decision makers. Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification or deviation in this activity. However, the plan for the development of guideline for new media has been postponed to Q4 due to COVID-19 crisis. Output of Activity 1.2.1: Guideline for new media, new media workshop and refresher training reports, social media monitoring report Activity 1.2.2: Study on civil society contribution In Year 4, CS:MAP signed a contract with Martin Chautari (MC) to carry out a study on civil society contributions in Nepal. MC has consulted with civil society leaders and intellectuals to gather suggestions for possible themes as part of the initial canvassing; selected researchers and asked them to submit their research concepts; organized a meeting during which researchers presented their ideas to each other, the research director and the CS:MAP team; and worked with researchers to submit their revised abstracts. In Year 5, researchers will employ various research methods and tools to collect and prepare reports containing preliminary findings. In addition, a two-day workshop will be organized to share preliminary findings with the MC team, CS:MAP and experts. Copyedited versions of all the chapters will be consolidated and a complete report will be produced and presented in book form. This book will be used to initiate discussions and discourses on the role and importance of civil society in the country. The book will be widely shared with civil society actors, enabling them to review sectoral contributions to date and develop a roadmap for civil society in the changing context. Output of Activity 1.2.2: Study report, resource book, a workshop report Proposed Modifications:

57

No modification for this activity.

Activity 1.2.3: Discourse on civil society and development issues In FY 2020 CS:MAP, under POC, will organize at least six discussions with around 50 participants in each discussion. The participants will include civil society actors, CSO leaders, journalists, sociologists, development practitioners, academia, leaders, experts from the education, health, agriculture, DRR and emergency preparedness and response sectors at the national and sub-national levels. The discourses will allow representatives of different schools of thought to discuss the importance and role of civil society in Nepal. These structured discourses will involve representatives from diverse sectors and will, therefore, strengthen broader understanding and perception of civil society and the media. An audio-visual and a written report will be developed at the end of the program in order to document learning. Please refer to Activity 1.1.4, Activity 1.2.6 and Activity 3.2.4 for further details of interactions on the role of civil society. Output of Activity 1.2.3: Six discussions, an audio-visual and a written report plus footage Proposed Modifications: There has been modification in this activity due to the COVID-19 crisis as the discourse on civil society and development issues has not been feasible. So, two events will be conducted in Q4 and the remaining two in FY 2021. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY2020 FY2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year d from existing workplan (realized FY 2020) work plan year target)

No. of 6 2 4 2 4 2 events/pa rticipants

Activity 1.2.4: Training and technical support for public interest reporting Freedom Forum and FNJ have organized capacity-building trainings and provided technical support on public interest reporting, which has been reflected in trainee media stories published in different media outlets. In addition, the trained journalists formed a Public Interest Journalists’ (PIJ) Group on their own initiative to explore and identify different public interest issues, develop a culture of sharing issues and stories and sharpen their skills and capacities. Building on these successes, in Q1 FY 2020, Freedom Forum and FNJ will organize a workshop on Public Interest Reporting (PIR), including PIJ Group members and other media professionals. During the workshop Freedom Forum and FNJ will also identify PIR issues related to federal,

58 province and local-level government functioning. After identifying the issues, Freedom Forum and FNJ will also provide technical support to 10 previously trained journalists (who are also receiving fellowship from FY 2019) or other investigative journalists who have demonstrated capacity to produce high-quality investigative stories. The technical support will help journalists to explore in-depth stories related to the identified public interest issues. While writing stories, journalists will be asked to use the RTI tool to the extent possible. Stories produced through fellowships will be published or broadcast via various mainstream media platforms, and CS:MAP will expand the stories’ reach through social media, websites, podcasts, press releases and other CS:MAP media platforms including MeroReport and the Sajha Boli radio program. Output of Activity 1.2.4: 1 Workshop report, at least 10 public interest stories/newspaper features on civil society Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification in this activity. However, due to the COVID-19 crisis the timeline to publish the stories has been reshuffled to Q4. The journalists were not mobilized in the field due to the lockdown and the risk of COVID-19.

Activity 1.2.5: Proactive civil society initiatives to resolve social issues To help civil society and media fulfill their role in advancing public interests by supporting social and governance reform, CS:MAP partners will organize eight public interest campaigns at the national and sub-national level. CS:MAP CSO partners will coordinate campaign initiatives with other CSOs existing in different districts. The issues raised through the campaign will be shared and disseminated via CS:MAP digital platforms, MeroReport and the Sajha Boli radio program. These events will convene stakeholders to address priority issues including corruption, good governance, integrity and malpractice, and civic engagement. The campaign will demonstrate, gather and voice/raise relevant and contextual issues. Output of Activity 1.2.5: Eight campaigns, campaign guidelines, civil society declarations and reports, news reports Proposed Modifications: Due to COVID-19 crisis, the activity target has been reduced from eight to three. The lockdown restricted people’s movement and participation in any public gathering. Hence, in Q3 and Q4 civil society campaigns have been canceled considering the risk of the virus transmission. However, COVID-19-focused digital campaign and awareness program will be initiated and promoted. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY2020 FY2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year d from FY 2020)

59

existing workplan (realized work plan year target)

No. of 8 2 5 1 3 civil society campaign s

Activity 1.2.6: Organize interactions to promote understanding on the role of CSOs CS:MAP partners will organize interactions/discussions on the role of civil society at the federal, provincial, and local levels. These interactions will be held among CSOs, government agencies, political parties, media, and private sector representatives to reinvigorate civil society and promote its role in the changed context. Each discussion/interaction will be issue- or agenda- based. The agenda for discussion will be finalized in consultation with the CS:MAP team. Each discussion will be action-oriented, which will also feed advocacy efforts. Identified CSO champions will be engaged in these discussions. This activity will contribute to enhance the understanding of and clarity on the role of CSOs related to different issues that are relevant to diverse stakeholders in each district. The discussions will also provide a platform for discussing new policies, acts or legislation at the district level and building consensus among CSOs to draw government attention on the issues under discussion. A total of 138 events will be organized in Year 5 to promote the role and improve the positive image of CSOs in society. CS:MAP will use participatory approaches to design events, which will be organized to allow CSO beneficiaries and stakeholders to share their concerns with CSOs, and for CSOs to share details about their work and minimize understandings. Events may include multi-stakeholders meeting, CSO and media forums, CSO and citizen representatives’ meeting, CSO and beneficiary meetings, and CSO meetings with different user groups and forums. At least 25 people will participate in each event. Please refer to Activity 1.1.4, Activity 1.2.3 and Activity 3.2.4 for further details of interactions on promoting understanding on the role of civil society. Output of Activity 1.2.6: 138 district level interactions, Sets of recommendations, declarations, expert papers and reports Proposed Modifications: The activity has been modified and the target has been reduced due to COVID-19 crisis. The target set for Q4 are planned through virtual platforms and the remaining 23 interactions will be carried out in FY 2021. Modification tracking table: Outputs details with measuring units per existing work plan Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY2020 FY2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year

60

existing workplan (realized d from work plan year target) FY 2020)

No. of 138 71 events 67 events 10 events 34 events 115 23 events events (2213 (1675 (250 (850 events and (3450 Participan Participan Participan Participan (2875 participan Participan ts) ts) ts) ts) Participan ts ts) ts)

Activity 1.2.7: Media and civil society collaboration to advance public interest To develop a common understanding among CSOs and media organizations regarding the need for expanded civic space, NFN and FNJ have organized different coordination and collaboration events in Year 4 that have convened representatives from both sectors to advance public interest issues. In Year 5, NFN, FNJ and other partners will organize at least four dialogue and collaboration meetings to strategically reinforce the agenda for expanding the civil society and media space. Four of these meetings will be jointly organized by NFN and FNJ, and approximately 15 leaders from each sector will participate in each event. These meetings will also foster collaboration between civil society and media for resolving issues related to governance and democratization. After each event, an action plan will be developed and shared within the sectors. Output of Activity 1.2.7: Number of meetings and joint action plans Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification in the target of media and civil society dialogue events. However, the remaining events will be carried out through virtual platforms due to COVID-19 crisis and the restriction on public gathering. But the target to develop the joint action plan has been reduced to 3 from 4 for this work plan period. Remaining joint action plan will be produced in FY 2021. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual the FY with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 last this be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY 2020 FY 2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year d from existing workplan (realized FY 2020) work plan year target)

No. of 4 2 2 1 3 1 joint action plan

Activity 1.2.8: Video production on citizen engagement and role of civil society

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Through a competitive process, CS:MAP selected Shubha Media Home Pvt. Ltd to produce a documentary film on civic engagement and signed an agreement in Year 4. Pre-production work has been completed and filming will take place in September 2019. In FY 2020 Q1, the documentary film will be finalized, and a launch workshop will be organized with MOFAGA and other line ministry officials, USAID representatives, civil society experts, and development agency representatives, along with major artists and production teams. The film will be disseminated widely. Shubha Media Home will broadcast all three episodes of the film on national television (HD format) on a weekly basis and will release the episodes through its YouTube channel to reach a national as well as global audience. Along with the release on television and YouTube, Shubha Media Home will circulate the film through various online media platforms for wider dissemination and will include descriptive links about the film. Shubha Media Home will also work with the Federation of Nepalese National Transport Entrepreneurs Association and other relevant organizations to show the film in in long-route night buses. Popular actors will be mobilized for the promotion of this documentary film. Output of Activity 1.2.8: 1 Documentary film, broadcast of 3 episodes from national level television Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification in this activity as the Video has already been produced but the dissemination at field level has been affected due to COVID-19 crisis. Video dissemination through virtual platforms will be continued and promoted. Activity 1.2.9: Document and disseminate information and positive impact stories related to COVID-19 (new activity) CS:MAP implementing partners, both at national and sub-national levels, will collect and compile firsthand information about civil society’s initiatives on the COVID-19 response, their impact stories, and engagement with different tiers of government. These stories will be collected through phone calls, email and other digital channels and disseminated to wider civil society through various digital platforms. Based on the same stories, the CS:MAP team will analyze the information and produce regular COVID-19 bulletins on a weekly basis with both quantitative and qualitative information. A total of 24 bulletins will be produced in Q3 and Q4 and will be disseminated. Civil society leaders and activists will use these bulletins for their advocacy on COVID-19 response of the governments and raise awareness of citizens about COVID-19 risk. Output of Activity 1.2.9: Twenty-Four COVID-19 bulletins on CSOs COVID-19 response and impact stories will be produced. Activity 1.2.10: Provide relief support to local governments to respond COVID-19 (new activity) CS:MAP CSO partners will identify local government’s need and gap in relief materials in their COVID-19 response to the affected citizens. The need will be identified specially at ward level with the support of Common Assembly and LDAG members in municipalities and gaunpalikas where these structures are operational. Considering the need, support of certain relief materials will be provided in coordination with the local governments and stakeholder. These relief support will be mainly services to quarantine centers, sanitary equipment, health equipment and

62 other protecting gears. The limited relief support will be provided to all CS:MAP program districts.

Output of Activity 1.2.10: Report of relief support, handover notes Activity 1.2.11: Hold a multi-stakeholders dialogue on post-COVID-19 issues like employment, health services (new activity) CS:MAP will organize a national level multi-stakeholder dialogue on socio-economic impact of COVID-19 crisis in Nepal, in collaboration and coordination with national advocacy partners. This dialogue among government, civil society and the private sector on issues of livelihood, unemployment, migrant and returnees, will provide an opportunity to recognize the problems faced at different levels and recommend solutions to tackle the issues. Expert papers will be produced based on the evidence collected by CS:MAP implementing partners at national and sub-national levels and shared during the workshop as advocacy materials for civil society. A total of 40 participants from society and government representatives will attend the workshop. After a certain time period, a follow-up meeting will be organized to assess the impact of the dialogue and facilitate the stakeholders.

Output of Activity 1.2.11: One national level multi-stakeholder meeting with set of recommendations, expert thematic paper, reports on COVID-19 impact on socio- economic status

Result 1.3: Improved self-regulation of the sector and internal governance of CSOs and media. Activity 1.3.1: Implement minimum standards of CSOs’ internal governance and self-regulation NFN has develop an exhaustive set of minimum standards of internal governance and self- regulation of CSOs based on discussions with CSO constituents and real-time experiences. The minimum standards document will be printed and widely circulated among NFN’s member organizations and beyond, encouraging CSOs to adopt and abide by the standards. NFN will also work with media to publicize the minimum standards and secure their acknowledgement and recognition by the GON and other external actors. The document will be printed and shared with civil society networks and organizations. Nepali media has also realized the need for and importance of self-regulation to strengthen its credibility and public trust. The National Mass Communication Policy has also endorsed the idea of media self-regulation. Media stakeholder are continuing to discuss the self-regulatory concept in different forums as a way of improving public perception of the media. To operationalize these developments, FNJ has developed a media self-regulation toolkit. In FY 2020 CS:MAP will customize the toolkit through discussions with media houses. CS:MAP will hire a self- regulation expert to customize the toolkit, pilot it in media house and draft media ombudsmen terms of reference (TOR) and guidelines. The customized version of the toolkit and ombudsmen TOR and guidelines will be finalized through a stakeholder discussion which will engage 50 media houses in collaboration with FNJ and Freedom Forum.

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After the toolkit, TOR and guidelines are finalized, Freedom Forum will collaborate with two media houses to implement the policies. Freedom Forum will then encourage the media houses to appoint media ombudsmen to support implementation of the self-regulation policies. During the finalization process of both the minimum standards of civil society internal governance and self-regulation and the media self-assessment toolkit, coalition leads will consult with relevant government agencies to increase their understanding of these mechanisms and improve sectoral credibility. Output of Activity 1.3.1: Minimum standards of CSOs’ internal governance and self- regulation, consultation reports, minimum standard of CSOs’ shared with 5000 CSOs and adopted by 500 CSOs, disseminated with 200 media houses and implemented by 50 media houses Proposed Modifications: Due to COVID-19 crisis, there are modifications in the targets. The sharing of minimum standard of CSOs internal governance and self-regulation has been decreased from 5,000 civil society organizations to 4,000 and adaptation by 500 organizations to 97 CSOs. As the CSOs are busy in dealing with COVID-19 crisis with limited space and scope, their concentration shifted towards response work. Similarly, the reach to media houses has been reduced from 200 to 58. Out of 50 media houses targeted for practicing self-regulation, the target is reduced to 25 as the media houses concentration is more on dealing with COVID-19 crisis and implementation of SOP during crisis reporting. CS:MAP is advocating more for implementation of COVID-19- related guidelines for journalists reporting frontline considering their safety and security. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised targets Revised Targets details with targets per as of targets till for remaining annual for the FY measuring existing work quarter the last quarters of the targets of 2021 (to units per plan 2 quarter of workplan year this be existing work (FY this workplan postponed plan 2020 workplan FY 2020 FY year from FY Q2) year Q3 202 2020) (realized 0 Q4 target)

No. of CSOs Shared with shared Shared shared adopting 5,000 CSOs; with with 1,000 with minimum adopted by more CSOs; more standards of 5,00 than adopted by than internal organizations 4,000 400 CSOs 4,000 governance CSOs; CSOs; and self- adopted adopted regulation by 97 by 97 CSOs CSOs

No. of media 200 media 58 142 media 58 media houses houses media houses houses reached houses

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No. of media 2 media 2 media 0 2 media houses houses houses houses implementing policies

No. of media 50 media 18 25 media 25 media houses houses media houses houses practicing houses self- regulation and ombudsmen

Activity 1.3.2: Prepare “Sample Internal Governance Guidelines” and circulate among CSOs In order to support CSOs in implementing minimum standards of internal governance and self- regulation, different internal governance policies are needed. CS:MAP has been supporting CSOs in developing these policies as a part of its organizational development and organizational improvement work. This includes assisting CSOs to outline internal governance policies and guidelines (e.g., GESI policies, Do No Harm policies, anti-corruption policies, internal control systems, workforce-diversity guidelines, anti-harassment policies). In FY 2020, CS:MAP will draft a sample or template copy of policies or guidelines which will be circulated among CS:MAP local CSO partners for customization. These sample documents will serve as resources to guide CSOs in formulating policies to meet minimum standards and provisions to streamline internal governance system. At least seven sample policies will be developed and shared with 5,000 civil society organizations through NFN and other CS:MAP partners. Output of Activity 1.3.2: Seven sample guidelines to implement internal governance, shared with 5,000 CSOs and adopted by 500 CSOs Proposed Modifications: There are modifications in the target and the remaining targets will not be completed in FY 2020. Due to COVID-19 crisis, the CSOs and media’s priorities have been shifted towards COVID-19 response and media coverage during Q3 in Q4, consequently the remaining targets have been reduced. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY 2020 FY 2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year d from existing workplan (realized FY 2020) work plan year target)

No. of 7 6 1 6 internal governan ce 65 policies guideline s

No. of 5,000 2,400 100 4,900 CSOs reached

No. of 200 47 153 47 media houses reached

Activity 1.3.3: Develop and implement Civic Charter for civil society sector as a means of self- regulation In Year 4, CS:MAP supported the development and launch of a Civic Charter to operationalize its commitment to democracy and improved self-regulation, as promised by 21 national-level civil society networks and federations. The Charter has been shared with more than 3,000 CSOs to improve civil society credibility and demonstrate accountability to citizens, government, donors, and the broader public. In Year 5, the civil society coalition will update the Charter and launch the updated version at the national-level civil society conference. This Charter will inform a civil society roadmap in the changed context. Output of Activity 1.3.3: Updated Civic Charter and national-level civil society conference Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification for this activity as it has already been completed.

Activity 1.3.4: Roll-out of self-assessment toolkit and development of action plans FNJ has been facilitating the roll-out of the media self-assessment toolkit among media organizations affiliated with its central and district chapters. A workshop will be organized among the media actors who have implemented the self-assessment toolkit to assess its impact. If needed, the toolkit will be customized based on the needs of different media sector actors and a shorter checklist will also be prepared for newly established media organizations. FNJ will guide ten media organizations through the self-assessment exercise to identify gaps and weaknesses in their internal governance mechanisms and practices. Finally, FNJ will provide guidance on how individual organizations can develop action plans aimed at improving their internal governance mechanisms. FNJ will also support at least four media houses to develop internal governance guidelines after conducting consultation workshops with the media houses. These guidelines will be based on the self-assessment toolkit described above. Prior to this, two consultation workshops will be organized in Kathmandu with journalists, media houses, civil society leaders, and other media stakeholders to discuss internal governance issues addressed by the self-assessment toolkit. Once the sample guidelines are finalized, they will be published and disseminated to at least 200 media houses at the national and sub-national level. Efforts will be made to convince the media houses to adopt the internal governance guidelines. 66

Output of Activity 1.3.4: Two consultation workshop reports, a checklist for new media organizations, one impact assessment workshop, sample guidelines and a set of recommendations for 10 media houses Proposed Modifications: There are modifications in these activities. Due to COVID-19 crisis, the public events may not be organized in Q3 and Q4, consequently the targets have been reduced as below. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual the FY with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 last this be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY 2020 FY 2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year d from existing workplan (realized FY 2020) work plan year target)

No. of 1 event 1 event 1 event 1 event events/pa (Around (Around (Around (Around rticipants 40 37 40 40 participan participan participan participan ts) ts) ts) ts)

No. of 4media 2 media 2 media 2 media media house houses houses houses houses developin g internal governan ce guideline s

No. of 2 events 1 event 1 event 1 event events/pa (Around rticipants 50 participan ts)

No. of 10 2 8 2 media houses supported for self- assessme nt exercise

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Activity 1.3.5: Activity Counter disinformation, misinformation and stigma, and support to journalists for effective reporting during COVID-19 using information technology (new activity) Given the COVID-19 crisis, different rumors and speculations are floating on social media sites which is ultimately posing a threat to individual privacy, social harmony and the safety of journalists who have been working on the frontline. With this changed context, CS:MAP’s response will be the support to national CSOs and media coalitions in countering disinformation, misinformation, and stigma. As the lockdown continues, citizens at large are worried not only about their economic and health-related risks but also about the behavior towards them during this crisis. CS:MAP’s implementing partners such as NFN, FNH, Freedom Forum and CSOs will develop a checklist to identify the misinformation and its pattern. Similarly, the CSOs will be supported in their advocacy and awareness raising effort of discouraging disinformation through social media. For this, a consultant will be hired for the development of guidelines for journalists to be used for identification of disinformation. Similarly, a social media campaign “Don’t Promote Fake News” will be launched mobilizing the CS:MAP identified CSO champions. FNJ will develop a guideline and share with journalists which will be used to assess the media content and shared with media houses. A consultant will be hired to develop a guidance document and a checklist for the safety and proper reporting on COVID-19 issues. This document will be shared with journalists and CSOs through FNJ and NFN. Besides, support to FNJ for its advocacy and lobby with media houses will be provided to deal with journalists’ issues and challenges due to COVID-19, including pay cuts and layoffs. FNJ and CSOs will also share the best practices of journalists reporting, CSO’s initiation and impact stories during COVID-19 crisis. This sharing of best practices and examples will be made through digital platforms.

Output of Activity 1.3.5: Checklist of filtering and identifying the misinformation, journalists’ reporting checklist from COVID-19-affected areas, working guidelines for journalists and CSOS, success stories and examples, social sites reports of digital campaign and advocacy materials. Modifications Summary – Objective 1 List of activities List of List of List of List of new with reduced target activities being dropped/stopped/ activities with activities now; but will be dropped now discontinued reduced continued until next and will be activities targets year done next year

Activity 1.1.1.1 Activity 1.2.5 Activity 1.1.3 Activity 1.2.9 Activity 1.1.1.2 Activity 1.2.7 Activity 1.2.10 Activity 1.1.2 Activity 1.3.1 Activity 1.2.11 Activity 1.1.6 Activity 1.3.2 Activity 1.3.5 Activity 1.2.3 Activity 1.3.4 Activity 1.2.6

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Objective 2: Improved civil society and media capacity for effective policy advocacy and government engagement Result 2.1: Strengthened CSO initiatives to coordinate with the GON and to implement constructive advocacy strategies Activity 2.1.1: Strengthen advocacy and government engagement capacity of 14 district-based CSOs and media organizations Activity 2.1.1.1: Continue coaching ISOs in providing advocacy and government engagement capacity building to partner CSOs and media organizations CS:MAP will deliver targeted capacity-building support to its partners based on local needs, taking into account existing knowledge. CS:MAP, including partner EAI, will continue providing ongoing coaching and mentoring to project ISOs to ensure quality capacity- development support to district-based partners. ISOs will provide support to CSOs until April 2020 and the CS:MAP team will provide support to CSOs as needed after this period. ISO partners MITRA Samaj and NNSWA will provide comprehensive capacity building support to 14 CSO partners; each ISO will support seven CSOs. CS:MAP will periodically follow up, including thorough spot-checks during coaching as well as by soliciting feedback from CSO partners to ensure the quality of need-based support. ISOs support until April 2020 will include quarterly visits in program districts, focusing on evidence-based action research in line with CSOs advocacy plan, carrying out advocacy efforts and expanding district-level advocacy efforts identified by CSOs. In addition, ISOs will provide support for other activities that promote CSOs’ role and vibrancy at the district level. From May 2020-on, CS:MAP capacity building experts will provide necessary support to CSOs in the areas of advocacy, organizational capacity, GESI and governance to carry out their advocacy efforts/campaigns in the district. Activity 2.1.1.2: ISOs design and implement advocacy and government engagementcoaching and training based on CSOs’ and media organizations’ needs ISOs will provide support through regular coaching and mentoring visits to 14 CSOs based on the ARI capacity-building action plans developed as a result of the second round of ARI assessments in FY 2019. The CS:MAP capacity building team will coordinate with EAI and ISOs to deliver coaching and mentoring based on FY 2019 assessments, including support for evidence-based research, communication/media strategies, and monitoring and oversight. The research findings will be used to advocate for new or amended local government policies. As needed, CS:MAP will bring in additional technical support to strengthen the advocacy capacity of ISOs and CSOs. Activity 2.1.1.3: Conduct refresher training/orientation or review meeting with selected ISOs on usage of the Advocacy Readiness Index (ARI) In FY 2020 Q1, the CS:MAP capacity building team will provide a two-day refresher training on ARI tools to two ISOs, preparing them to conduct the final round of ARI assessments and prepare assessment plans with 14 CSO partners. In Q2, and following ARI refresher training, ISOs will conduct the fourth round of ARI assessments of 14 partners to measure progress against the baseline set in 2017, identify advocacy capacity gaps and develop action plan for the following year. ISOs will develop a comparative score (0-5) for each CSO against their baseline as outlined in the CS:MAP ARI tool. Proposed Modifications: 69

As of Q2 2020, a total of 13 ARI assessments were completed. Considering the current COVID- 19 scenario, remaining one ARI assessment has been postponed which will be conducted in Q4 2020.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY 2020 workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year Q3 2020) work plan (realize d target) ARI 14 13 1 0 1 14 0 assessme assessm nts ents

Activity 2.1.1.4: Develop and publish advocacy resource handbook: CS:MAP will develop an advocacy resource handbook and publish 500 copies for use by CSOs during their advocacy campaigns. The handbook will also be available to CSOs beyond the life of the project in support of their ongoing advocacy efforts. The resource book will include definitions, objectives, and various strategies for advocacy tools and techniques, as well as best practices from CS:MAP efforts. Output of Activity 2.1.1: Advocacy Resource Handbook, ARI assessment reports and capacity building plans of 14 CSOs; 1 event – 35 participants Proposed Modifications: There has been no modification in this activity. However, the timeline to publish resource handbook has been postponed to Q4.

Activity 2.1.2: Strengthen ISO capacity on budget monitoring and advocacy CS:MAP will conduct a refresher session in Q2 FY 2020 for CS:MAP ISO partners on budget advocacy, budget review, and monitoring and preparation of citizens’ budgets, including gender- responsive budgeting. CS:MAP will draw on the expertise of USAID’s Public Financial Management Strengthening Project. This training will help CS:MAP build ISO capacity for effective, transparent, and accountable budgeting. CS:MAP will work to prepare the resource material on budget advocacy. This knowledge will be transferred to local civil society actors, who will continue efforts to promote good budget practices, budget advocacy and monitoring. In addition to this, in Q2 FY 2020 CS:MAP will help the local CSOs analyze the budget of ten of the local governments. The analysis will be used for further advocacy for effective planning and implementation. Output of Activity 2.1.2: Number of facilitators trained, budget analysis report of ten local governments 70

Proposed Modifications: No modification in this activity as targets have already been completed in Q2. Activity 2.1.3: Mobilize Sajhedari Manch (Partnership Forums) and Common Assemblies (CAs) In Year 2, CS:MAP district-based partners established 68 CAs in 34 program districts (two in each district) with an average of 25 members each at the ward level. CAs are loose networks of service providers and beneficiaries—including members of former ward citizen forums, youth clubs, and Aama Samuha—that work to identify public service delivery issues at the ward level and engage community members and service providers to ensure equal access to HEAD services, prioritizing issues of marginalized communities and groups. The prioritized issues are then sent to Sajhedari Manch at the municipal level to address. CAs meet on a quarterly basis to discuss local-level issues and prepare an action plan to address those issues. Sectoral HEAD task groups operating under CAs lead action plan implementation and share progress on their efforts at follow-up meetings. These forums also serve as a platform for government-civil society partnership to promote accountability and transparency at the local level. Regular business and agenda items for discussion at Sajhedari Manch gatherings emerge from Common Assembly meetings/discussions held at the ward level and members of Sajhedari Manch may collect issues from other sources as well. In FY 2020 an estimated 25-30 members, including mayors/chairs, deputy mayors/vice chairs of working gaunpalikas/municipalities, HEAD leads in each local unit, ward chairs of all wards, and CSO representatives active in local units will be invited to attend Sajhedari Manch meetings. Each of these forums will meet three times a year, or more as needed. Provincial/federal legislators will be invited to Sajhedari Manch meetings as well. Through these meetings, CAs and Sajhedari Manch will address at least 200 issues related to HEAD and GESI. Output of Activity 2.1.3: Fifty-seven Sajhedari Manch operating in target gaunpalikas/municipalities of 34 program districts met at least three times a year, 68 CAs held at least once in each quarter Proposed Modifications: Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the priority of the local government has been changed. There will be less priority among members of Sajhedari Manch for in-person meeting and less priority will be given to governance issues. In this context, the meetings of Sajhedari Manch are reduced. Similarly, Common Assembly meetings will also be impacted due to COVID-19. The participants will be less interested to participate physically. In this case, the number of meetings and participants will be decreased. So, meetings will be organized virtually as well as in-person based on the given context. The details of the changes are presented below.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of FY 2020 FY 2020 workplan postpone per this Q3 Q4 year d from existing workplan (realized FY 2020) work plan year target)

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171 61 110 0 15 events 76 50 events No. of meetings Sajhedari events (225 Sahjedha Sajhedari (Around Manch participan ri Manch Manch 4,275 meetings ts) meetings meetings/ participan (around (Around participan ts) 1,550 1,775 ts participan participan ts) ts)

No. of 272 109 163 5 68 182 34 common meetings Common events Common Common Common assembly (Around Assembly Assembly Assembly Assembly meetings/ 6,800 meetings meetings meetings meetings participan participan (around (Around (Around (Around ts ts) 2725 40 680 4,500 participan participan participan participan ts) ts) ts) ts)

Activity 2.1.4: Conduct Sajha Sabhas, or Public Forums Sajhedari Manch deliberations, action plans, and results will be shared with the public through Sajha Sabhas (Public Forums) organized by 14 CS:MAP partners. Each CS:MAP partner will be expected to organize at least one Sajha Sabha in each district in FY 2020. Sajha Sabhas will not only serve as another platform for civil society and government engagement, but also ensure that citizens provide input into the planning and implementation of CA and Sajhedari Manch action plans. Moreover, this forum can be used for contemporary development discourses. In addition, given that these events will be covered by the media and there will be follow-up radio programming on issues emerging from CAs, Sajhedari Manch, and Sajha Sabhas, these forums will incentivize public authorities and CSOs to live up to their promises. In addition, sharing information about successful efforts will help increase the sense of a nationwide movement toward positive change, raising public trust in CSOs and the government. Some of the positive examples, accomplishments, and impact—especially regarding marginalized groups—will be featured through CS:MAP’s radio programs and outreach campaign (including features from the journalists trained under CS:MAP). Provincial and federal legislators will be invited in the Sajha Sabhas. In addition, mayors/chairs, deputy mayors/vice chairs of working gaunpalikas/municipalities, HEAD leads in each local unit will be invited to attend Sajha Sabhas and to make commitments to address issues discussed in those Sabhas. Output of Activity 2.1.4: At least 68 Sajha Sabha held in program districts Proposed Modifications: Out of a total of 68 events, 27 events were completed by the end of Q2. There are 41 remaining events of this year. Due to COVID-19, it is impossible to organize public forums in-person because of anxiety and fear. The stakeholders will have less priority to participate in in-person gathering and assembly. In this context, Sajha Sabha will be discontinued for this year.

Modifications tracking table:

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Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan Year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY20Q4 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year No. of 68 events 27 Sajha 41 events 0 0 27 Sajha Sajha (Around Sabha Sabha Sabhas/p 2,700 (Around (around articipant participan 1,080 1,080 s ts) participan participan ts) ts)

Activity 2.1.5: Capacity building to the facilitators of CS:MAP supported local structures By Q2 FY 2020, CS:MAP will use focused training as well as coaching and mentoring approaches. CS:MAP ISO partners will provide a specific training on facilitation, negotiation, and leadership to the possible and existing facilitators in five clusters and will continuously provide coaching and mentoring support during their visits in each district. This will help in build knowledge and capacity at the local level that can continue beyond the life of the project. In addition, CS:MAP will provide capacity enhancement trainings for women and members of marginalized groups to equip them with the essential knowledge and skills to engage in advocacy and to promote GESI. The trainings will include practical sessions where issues raised in the earlier meetings will be analyzed using a GESI lens. This will enable the participants to identify and elevate GESI issues and ensure effective oversight of public service use and service delivery from a GESI perspective, thereby improving the meaningful participation of women and members of marginalized group members and effecting a shift in gender norms where men by default tend to become spokesperson and dominate meeting discussions and decisions. CS:MAP will include a specific session on GESI during the trainings planned in five clusters. Output of Activity 2.1.5: A total of five capacity building trainings in five clusters for a total of 170 possible and existing facilitators Proposed Modifications: The capacity building program was designed for the sustainability of advocacy initiatives implemented by CS:MAP. The total targeted trainings were five. Of these, four capacity building events were completed by the end of Q2. Due to the COVID-19, in-person training will be impossible to organize this year. The participants will have less priority to participate in physical training due to the high risk of COVID-19 in Karnali province. So, the remaining one training will be organized next year in-person.

Modifications tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan Year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of postpone 73

per this workplan d from existing workplan year FY 2020) work plan year FY 2020 FY 2020 Q3 Q4 (realized target) No. of 5 events 4 events 1 event 0 0 4 events 1 event in events/pa (Around (135 35 (170 Karnali rticipants 170 participan participan participan province participan ts) ts ts) will be ts) organized next year physicall y.

Activity 2.1.6: Record citizen-led responses to inform the public on the risks of COVID-19 (new activity)

During a pandemic situation, citizens will use different alternatives in response to the pandemic. During COVID-19, citizens will use /adapt new means to cope with the situation. CS:MAP will collect such citizen-led responses to COVID-19 pandemic in consultation with CSOs, media and citizens. These responses will be published and shared during common assembly, LDAGs, HEAD coalition, partnership forum (Sajhedari Manch) and other structures’ meetings. Local CSO partners and HEAD coalition will distribute those materials through various means.

Output of Activity 2.1.6: Two customized messages/fact sheets will have been developed and shared among CS:MAP local structures.

Activity 2.1.7: Conduct virtual Sajha Sabha - citizen’s bahas (new activity) Local CSO partners will organize Sajha Sabha citizen’s bahas (dialogue) through local radio or their virtual platform on various contemporary public issues including COVID-19. There will be participants from citizens, CSO representatives, media persons, representatives from local government, political representatives and parliamentarians. This bahas will be facilitated by CSO champions at district level. The local CSO partners will document the discussion and make advocacy plan for effective public service delivery and public resource use at local level. This event will be focused on the issues of women, Dalits, youths, person with disabilities and other vulnerable people.

Output of the activity 2.1.7: 20 district level virtual Sajha Sabha - citizen’s bahas will have been organized through virtual means

Result 2.2: Improved coalition-building between local and national CSOs, and between CSOs and the media that leads to joint actions undertaken on selected policy priorities across sectors Activity 2.2.1: Strengthen coalitions and networks to undertake joint advocacy actions on policy priorities across sectors 74

Fourteen CS:MAP partners working for policy advocacy and governance oversight have established or reformed networks or coalitions in each of the USAID HEAD priority sectors. CSOs are using coalitions and networks to discuss district-level HEAD issues including COVID- 19, CSO advocacy issues, and CA action plans. Throughout FY 2020, CS:MAP and its ISOs will also provide TA (through orientation, coaching and mentoring) to coalitions and networks to promote oversight of public services and resource use. Through this TA CS:MAP will enhance networks’ capacity for evidence-based advocacy, improve their support of network members, strengthen their external relations, mainstream GESI into their work, and support strategic planning and sustainability to improve their public services oversight. CS:MAP will support at least one direct orientation in FY 2020 in all 34 program districts. The orientation will be conducted by Q2 FY 2020 which will focus on public service delivery and public resource use based on the checklists prepared by FHI 360 in FY 2019. CS:MAP will also facilitate joint actions across sectors and between national and local HEAD organizations by convening bi- annual summits and providing an online platform for collaboration (see Objective 3, Results 3.2 and 3.4). At the district level, coordination meetings among HEAD coalitions will be held on a quarterly basis. Issues identified at district-level HEAD meetings will feed into CAs, Sajhedari Manch and Sajha Sabhas deliberations. ISOs will support CSO partners in building the capacity of HEAD networks for issue mapping, policy analysis, and effective government engagement. Please refer to Activity 3.2.1, 3.2.2, 3.2.3 and 3.2.5 for other details. Output of Activity 2.2.1: 34 HEAD networks meetings, number of joint actions taken by CSOs and media organizations on identified issues related to public service delivery and resource use and issues related to COVID-19. Proposed Modification: There has been no modification for this activity, however meetings and joint actions will be focused on response to COVID-19 in Q3 and Q4. Activity 2.2.2: Support local governments to develop and implement Disaster Risk Management strategies that includes preparedness for pandemic (new activity linked with 3.1.4)

Due to COVID-19, it has been realized that the current DRR/M policy of local government has gaps to address the issues related to the pandemic. There is urgent need to revise and amend this policy. So, CS:MAP will develop a DRM strategy of the local governments in consultation with MOFAGA and the local government associations and share with local government and provide technical support to adapt and implement locally. Physical and virtual meetings will be used to share DRM strategies by local partners.

Output of Activity 2.2.2: One Disaster Risk Management Strategy including preparedness for pandemic will be developed and shared with CS:MAP working local government. Result 2.3: Improved CSO and media capacity to conduct participatory and evidence- based research on issues, policy, and enforcement in order to benefit marginalized groups Activity 2.3.1: Build research capacity for CSOs and media organizations CS:MAP partner EAI will conduct a series of meetings with ISOs and will finalize the participatory evidence-based action research (PEAR) manual and toolkit for publication. EAI will continue to provide TA to ISO partners and receive regular updates on CAR performance on the utilization of PEAR from ISOs. EAI will also follow up with CSOs and CARs to share

75 information about the identified local advocacy issues and encourage them to post these advocacy stories through the MeroReport web portal on a regular basis. CSO partners, with the support from ISOs, have already identified 113 issues and have mobilize CARs to conduct 85 PEAR initiatives by Q3 FY 2019. The CSOs will further identify 40 additional public interest issues. By the end of FY 2020, the CSOs will have conducted 68 new PEAR initiatives. Research findings will be discussed and shared with district-level coalitions and networks, as well as with CSO champions as advocacy material, or as inputs into advocacy briefs. CS:MAP will work on a separate plan for research capacity-building support for CSOs. Output of Activity 2.3.1: Four meetings conducted by EAI with ISOs to provide technical assistance on participatory and evidence-based action research – one per Quarter (more if or as needed); 68 PEAR reports discussed and shared with district coalition and networks, as well as CSO champions. Proposed Modifications: EAI conducted two meetings with ISOs and provided technical assistance on participatory and evidence-based action research in the 1st and 2nd quarters. ISO partnerships were terminated in the 3rd quarter. So EAI will coordinate with the FHI 360 Advocacy Advisor to continue direct mentoring support for CSO partners on PEAR. As such, EAI will finalize the PEAR manual and toolkit by the end of the 3rd quarter and publish on MeroReport for public access. EAI also publish a Nepali version of this toolkit by the end of this workplan period.

The CSOs will conduct 52 PEAR initiatives. Research findings will be discussed and shared with district-level coalitions and networks, as well as with CSO champions as advocacy material, or as inputs into advocacy briefs.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual the FY with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year target of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year No. of 4 events 1 meeting 3 events 1 Virtual 2 events events/pa (Around (11 event (20 (30 rticipants 40 participan participan participan participan ts) ts) ts) ts)

Participat 68 31 37 5 research 10 52 0 ory research research research reports research research evidence- reports reports reports reports reports based action research Findings 68 events 22 events 46 events 5 events 10 events 37 events 0 sharing events 76

PEAR 2 sets of 2 sets of ToT PEAR PEAR manual ToT ToT and manual manual toolkit and and (English toolkits toolkits and Nepali)

Activity 2.3.2: Organize study visit for media partners in Kathmandu for investigative journalism CS:MAP partner EAI will organize a two-day residential coordination meeting with AMO and IJ-trained journalists to promote joint public interest investigative story identification, research, documentation, and publication. During this meeting participants will discuss their IJ experiences and challenges, and how to build strong relationships and coordinate with national and subnational CSOs and media actors. The meeting will be held in Q1 with approximately 30 journalists. The journalists (including trained media professionals from Year 2 and 3) will also receive a fellowship from CS:MAP to continue their investigative reporting, in coordination with CSOs. A total of 20 stipends will be provided as part of the fellowship, which will support in- depth investigation and reporting on issues of public interest, especially those related to HEAD and GESI themes. By the end of FY 2020, 20 published investigative case studies will also be posted on the MeroReport to facilitate sharing and learning among CS:MAP partners. Output of Activity 2.3.2: One coordination meeting held with 30 journalists participate in the meeting; 20 investigative stories published via MeroReport and other media platforms Proposed Modifications:

No modification in this activity. A total of 20 stipends, provided as part of the fellowship, will support in-depth investigation and reporting on issues of public interest, especially those related to HEAD, COVID-19, and GESI themes. By the end of FY 2020, 20 investigative case studies will be published on MeroReport, and in national and subnational print and online media to facilitate sharing and learning among CS:MAP partners.

Activity 2.3.3: Mentoring and coaching provided to journalists who receive Advocacy and Monitoring/Oversight (AMO) Training CS:MAP partner EAI will continue to provide ongoing mentoring and coaching support to 25 AMO trainees, who have been covering topics such as reporting responsibly, engaging with government officials on sensitive issues, amplifying the issues and voices of women and minority groups, and using technology and new media (i.e., media platforms that utilize digital technologies, including the internet and social media) to mobilize AMO. As a result, at least 25 media stories related to monitoring, oversight, and advocacy will be generated for sharing via MeroReport and other media platforms. These stories will also serve as a resource for CS:MAP CSOs and media partners to use in identifying and designing common advocacy agenda and efforts. Output of Activity 2.3.3: 25 AMO trainees receive ongoing mentoring and coaching support and 25 AMO media stories published via MeroReport and other media platforms

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Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity. Activity 2.3.4: Mentoring and coaching to Investigative Journalism (IJ) trained journalists and media professionals CS:MAP partner EAI will continue to provide mentoring and coaching support to 30 trained journalists and media professionals, including IJ trainees, study visit participants and fellowship recipients, who have been involved in investigative reporting on CS:MAP priority themes/issues. The 30 stories and reports generated by these trainees will contribute to support local-level advocacy efforts to improve local authority responsiveness and accountability, and to highlight policy gaps within HEAD thematic areas. The stories will be shared via national/local media platforms, including on the MeroReport website. Output of Activity 2.3.4: Thirty IJ trainees received ongoing mentoring and coaching support and 30 media stories published in MeroReport and other media platforms. Proposed modification: No modification for this activity. Activity 2.3.5: Public interest reporting training and fellowship Please refer to CS:MAP Result 1.2, linked with Activity 1.2.4. Activity 2.3.6: Document advocacy case studies from 14 CSOs and publish academic article CS:MAP will develop advocacy case studies with information from 14 effective and ineffective advocacy initiatives from the 34 project districts. These case studies will be documented in writing as well as in documentary video stories by CSO partners and the CSO coalition with support from the CS:MAP Advocacy Advisor and other relevant experts. Once completed the compiled case studies will be published for public access. Likewise, two academic articles in Nepali/English will be written and published in a Nepali and an international journal. Output of Activity 2.3.6: A compilation of advocacy case studies developed, and two academic articles published Proposed modification: No modification in this activity. Activity 2.3.7: Publish civic monitoring report of local government response to COVID-19 (new activity) During the COVID-19 crisis, local governments will have played a significant role in response activities. They will be engaged in quarantine management, market monitoring, provide right information, and rescue their migrant returnees from other parts of the country or aboard. There will be different views about the role of local government in the current pandemic situation. CS:MAP local partners including media and coalition members will collect, analyze, and publish data of local government response in COVID-19. This civic monitoring report will be developed by CSOs and media at least in five districts. The major findings of the data will be shared by CSOs and media locally. This report will also provide policy inputs to local governments on COVID-19.

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Output of Activity 2.3.7: At least five civic monitoring report will be developed and shared with the local government’s response in COVID-19.

Activity 2.3.8: Share CS:MAP advocacy strategies, tools and techniques between academia and practitioners (new activity) CS:MAP local/national partners have been engaged in policy advocacy to transform the issues of poor and vulnerable communities through policy advocacy initiatives. These initiatives have been practiced by CSOs which has not adequately been shared with academia. In Q4, CS:MAP local partners in partnership with academic institutions will organize sharing meeting between academia and practitioners which will also help to sustain CS:MAP approach and advocacy tools in future. Output of Activity 2.3.8: Two sharing events will be organized, and a brief report will be prepared. Activity 2.3.9: Document and share participatory response strategies at local level (new activity)

During COVID-19 crisis, community peoples will have different coping strategies in response to pandemic. CS:MAP will document and publish coping strategies of poor and vulnerable people in response to COV1D-19. The cases will be collected from migrant workers, women, farmers and the poor and vulnerable people. Ten cases will be developed from 10 different districts and communities. The compiled version of the document will be shared among CS:MAP stakeholders.

Output of Activity 2.3.9: One compiled document with 10 local coping strategies of poor and vulnerable people in response to COVID-19 will have been developed and shared among relevant stakeholders.

Modifications Summary – Objective 2 List of activities List of List of List of List of new with reduced target activities being dropped/stopped/ activities with activities now; but will be dropped now discontinued reduced continued until next and will be activities targets year done next year

Activity 2.1.3 Activity 2.1.5 Activity 2.1.4 Activity 2.3.1 Activity 2.1.6 Activity 2.1.7 Activity 2.2.2 Activity 2.3.7 Activity 2.3.8 Activity 2.3.9

Objective 3: More coordinated and effective civil society and media oversight of public resource use and public service delivery Result 3.1: Improved capacity of local CSOs, media, and community-based organizations to monitor and report on cross-sectoral public service delivery, based on common standards applicable to each sector 79

Activity 3.1.1: Conduct GGB in select local governments CS:MAP local CSO partners Samudayik Sarathi, Integrated Rural Development Society (IRDS), Human Rights Protection and Legal Service Center (HRPLSC) and Indreni Rural Development Center (IRDC) will continue GGB implementation in seven gaunpalikas (Triveni and Bafikot gaunpalikas in Rukum district, Gulmi Durbar and Chhatrakot gaunpalikas in Gulmi district, Tripurasundari and Sunkoshi gaunpalikas in Sindhupalchowk district and Suddhodhan gaunpalika in Kapilvastu district). The first and second rounds of GGB implementation assessed the status of health and education service delivery in these seven gaunpalikas and formulated action plans in FY 2019. The first round of GGB implementation provided baseline measurements, and the second round provided midline measurements in five key global categories: accountability, participation, rule of law, effectiveness, and equity. In FY 2020 Q2, a mid-line will be conducted in these seven gaunpalika measuring real progress against GGB baseline numbers. In FY 2020, one additional gaunpalika will be added in each of the four target districts (Rukum, Gulmi, Sindhupalchowk and Kapilvastu). Output of Activity 3.1.1: Eleven GGB action plans (seven existing and four new), reports of proceedings and GGB scores, and progress against GGB baseline scores in eleven gaunpalikas Proposed Modifications: No Modification. However, timing of workshops has been reshuffled. These workshops will be conducted maintaining social distancing. Activity 3.1.2: Conduct research to generate evidence for advocacy CARs will be mobilized to generate evidence-based research studies in 34 districts in FY 2020. By Q3 FY 2019, CARs have already generated evidence for 85 issues. By the end of FY 2020 CARs will have generated evidence for 68 issues, bringing the overall total to 153. Each of these 153 issues were or will be identified by a CSO partner in FY 2018, 2019 and 2020. Evidence generated from the field will continue to be discussed during HEAD/CSO coalition meetings to validate the information, inform advocacy initiatives and increase local uptake of evidence-based advocacy at the district level. Based on the evidence the coalitions will continue to conduct meetings or send delegations to relevant authorities, which can also be fed into local media programs for wider outreach through media advocacy and campaigns. Output of Activity 3.1.2: 68 evidence-based research reports Proposed Modifications:

This is the last year of CS:MAP. The participatory evidence-based Action Research (PEAR) is basically used to collect evidence for effective advocacy messaging and strategies. The total target of PEAR in this was 68; in total 37 PEARs have been generated by the end of Q2. For the remaining period advocacy will be focused on COVID-19 and partners will use evidence collected from available sources so that the targets are reduced.

Modification tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets details with targets as of targets till remaining quarters annual for the FY measuring per quarter 2 the last targets of 2021 (to 80

units per existing (FY quarter of of the workplan this be existing work 2020 this year workplan postponed work plan plan Q2) workplan year from FY year 2020) FY 2020 FY Q3 2020 Q4 (realized target) No. of 68 31 37 research 5 10 52 0 participatory research research reports research research research evidence- reports reports reports reports reports based action research conducted

Activity 3.1.3: Utilize online collaboration platform (MeroReport) to monitor and report on cross-cutting issues MeroReport will allow issue-based and sectoral groups comprised of representatives from CS:MAP partners, other civil society actors, journalists, and the general public to share advocacy and oversight experiences and results, which can be communicated through videos and messages for broad mobilization. MeroReport will feature, monitor and initiate interaction, group discussion, and dialogue among youth, women, media, and CSOs dealing with cross-sectoral oversight of public resource use and service delivery. In its current form, the portal features a home page and other tabs labeled About Us, Blog, Multimedia, Resources, Members, Nepali Blogs, My Page, Discussions, Groups, and Report. It provides links to CS:MAP’s Sajha Boli radio episodes, a snap-poll section, featured blogs, a discussion forum, and links to its Facebook and Twitter pages. Various CS:MAP-led coalitions, networks, and groups, including HEAD networks, CAs, CR groups, CAR groups, and LDAG facilitator groups will have dedicated threads or pages on MeroReport to facilitate intra- and inter-group discussions. Output of Activity 3.1.3: Monitoring and reporting on cross-cutting issues done through 1,000 blog posts (on CS:MAP thematic issues), 100 blog posts on youth and social accountability issues, and 11 interactive groups on MeroReport Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity.

Activity 3.1.4: Support local governments to draft specific laws/policies/guidelines for effective civic-government engagement To strengthen and institutionalize opportunities for civic-government engagement, CS:MAP, through its local CSO partners, will work with local governments in formulating local policies that affect citizens and public services. CS:MAP will identify and work with 57 local governments and relevant stakeholders to develop the governance policies/guidelines of at least 40 local governments, GESI-related policies/guidelines of 34 local governments, HEAD-related policies/guidelines of 50 local governments and public-private partnership (PPP) policies/ guidelines of 15 local governments. CS:MAP will bring in relevant experts to help in drafting such laws/policies/guidelines.

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CS:MAP will ensure participatory approach while drafting these policies. For example, while developing the PPP policies/guidelines, CS:MAP will organize seminars along with government, civil society, media, and private sector representatives together to improve understanding PPP concept, mechanisms, and practice. CS:MAP will consider their unique local contexts, opportunities, and challenges so as to develop an enabling environment for private sector engagement within local governance initiatives. CS:MAP will also help CSO partners develop lobbying skills for encouraging private sector organizations, including banks and financial institutions, to provide resources to local CSOs as part of their corporate social responsibility initiatives. This will forge collaboration among private sector and civil society to hold government accountable in its responsibilities. When the private sector can provide resources to local government to fill the gap to provide regular services to the public under its corporate social responsibility, it can also be a part of oversight mechanisms in the district. For example, private sector and civil society actors can jointly monitor the quality and availability of the medicine to be provided in a health center and make government accountable for providing better health services. Output of Activity 3.1.4: At least 40 governance policies/guidelines, 50 HEAD-related policies/guidelines, 34 GESI-related policies/guidelines and 15 public-private partnership policies/ guidelines Proposed Modifications:

The priority of local government will be shifted from governance to COVID-19 response. They will have priority in DRR, health and agriculture in response to the needs of the local people. There were targeted to formulate 40 governance policy, 50 HEAD related policies, 34 GESI policy and 15 PPP policy. Till Q2, the progress seemed very low and now priority of local government is shifted to COVID-19 and less priority will be given to policy formulation related to governance, GESI and public-private partnership (PPP). In this context, the following changes are made for the remaining period of the project.

● Organize discussion program on GESI policy at select local government units; ● Organize discussion programs on PPP model at select local government units.

GESI policy discussion will be organized instead of policy formulation. In-person or physical meeting will be organized among stakeholders at local levels. They will basically discuss on local budget and other policies formulated by local government.

Discussion programs on PPP model will be organized at local government units instead of policy formulation. There are very few policies have been formulated at local level in Nepal. It needs intensive and in-depth discussion to formulate policy and plan for the effective implementation of PPP. In this context, CS:MAP will involve stakeholders to initiate discussion at local level in limited local government units.

Modification tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan Year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this year 82

existing workplan (realized d from work plan year target) FY 2020) No. of 40 6 34 0 4 10 6 Governan governan governan governan governan governan ce related ce ce ce ce ce policies/g policies/g policies policies/g policies/g policies/g uidelines uidelines uidelines uidelines uidelines

No. of 50 HEAD 4 HEAD 46 HEAD 15 10 39 HEAD HEAD related related related related related policies/g policies/g policies/g policies policies/g uidelines uidelines uidelines uidelines

No. of 34 GESI 0 34 GESI 0 0 GESI GESI related related policies/g related policies/g policies/g uidelines policies/g uidelines uidelines drafting uidelines will be replaced by GESI related discussio ns - 10 events (50 participan ts in each event)

No. of 15 0 15 0 0 GESI public- public- public- policies/g private private private uidelines partnershi partnershi partnershi drafting p p p will be policies/g policies/g policies/g replaced uidelines uidelines uidelines by GESI related discussio ns - 5 events (50 participan ts in each event)

Result 3.2: Improved bottom-up coordination between community, district, and national formal and informal CSOs engaged in public service oversight

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Activity 3.2.1: Strengthen coalitions and networks for public service oversight by conducting an orientation for HEAD coalitions/networks on common standards/checklists for public service oversight CS:MAP’s CSO partners will organize a refresher orientation for HEAD/CSO coalitions on public oversight checklists/indicators. The refresher is expected to reinforce the HEAD/CSO coalitions’ technical knowledge and capacity for oversight of education, education, agriculture, and disaster risk reduction public services in CS:MAP working districts. CSOs will receive technical support from the ISOs and FHI 360 while conducting refresher orientations for coalitions/CSOs on oversight skills/capacity. Please refer to Activity 2.2.1 for more details. Output of Activity 3.2.1: Thirty-four refresher orientations on public service oversight and checklists delivered No Modification: Targets have been achieved.

Activity 3.2.2: Organize coordination meetings of the HEAD coalition for oversight HEAD/CSO coalitions will meet every two months to discuss priority areas for advocacy and oversight in the district. During the meetings participants will also chart out future courses of action that they need to take for oversight and advocacy campaigns. HEAD/CSO coalition meetings serve twin purposes – first, participants will identify and discuss priority HEAD areas and forge consensus for oversight activities; and second, coalition meeting participants will review minutes from earlier meetings, discuss evidence generated by CARs and prepare plans and strategy for effective advocacy on public interest issues. Output of Activity 3.2.2: 154 coordination meetings and meeting minutes, action plans Proposed Modifications:

Due to COVID-19, it is impossible to meet annual targets. Thus, targets have been reduced to 145. These meetings will be conducted virtually and in-person modality considering the local context and situation. There will be 10 meetings less than the annual target.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year

Meetings 154 67 87 10 68 145 10

Activity 3.2.3: Conduct public service oversight through the HEAD/CSO coalitions The HEAD/CSO coalitions will carry out oversight of public resource use and public services based on checklists/indicators developed by FHI 360. The checklists were designed in FY 2019 by FHI 360 in consultation with subject matter experts. Given the public service delivery and

84 resource use by local governments in containing COVID-19 pandemic, oversight actions will also focus on these areas in the new context. The HEAD/CSO coalitions will carry out oversight on a quarterly basis and share findings among coalition members for further advocacy in the districts. The coalitions will also share oversight findings with the relevant agency or local government for improving service delivery systems in the district. Output of Activity 3.2.3: 102 oversight reports, set of recommendations and findings Proposed Modifications:

Due to COVID-19, annual target for oversight actions has been amended to 96. Since oversight actions require in-person field visits and given the situation of COVID-19, these targets have been reduced. Remaining oversight actions of this FY will be conducted in FY 2021.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year

Oversight 102 62 40 34 96 6 functions

Activity 3.2.4: Organize district-level interactions focused on increasing vibrant civic space, the role of civil society and policy priority issues As in FY 2019, CSO partners will organize district-level civil society interactions on various topics and themes. These interactions will be held among CSOs, government agencies, political parties, media and the private sector to reinvigorate civil society at the district level and emphasize civil society’s role in society. Each interaction will be issue- or agenda-based. Given new evolving context of COVID-19, such interactions will also focus on civil society’s role in the present context of coronavirus pandemic. Each discussion will be action-oriented, not only highlighting civil society’s role for positive changes but also informing HEAD advocacy efforts. Identified CSO champions will lead these discussions in each district. This activity will contribute to improve understanding and clarity on the role that CSOs plan in addressing different issues among diverse stakeholders in the district. These interactions will also provide a platform for discussing any new policy, act, or legislation at the district level, thereby building consensus among CSOs and drawing government attention to the issues. Output of Activity 3.2.4: 138 interactions, identification of issues for joint actions Proposed Modifications: Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the annual target has been amended to 82. Since civil society interactions require in-person gathering, we are unlikely to meet annual targets. Thus, conducting this activity both virtually and in-person will help meet the revised target. Remaining interactions of this FY will be conducted in FY 2021.

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Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year

Interactio 138 62 76 20 82 40 n events

Activity 3.2.5: Conduct strategic coalition-building meetings between CSOs and media to initiate joint actions District level-interactions (see Activity 3.2.4 for more information) to promote vibrant civic space and emphasize the role of civil society and policy priority issues will include discussions of identified issues, including district laws or policies that impact civil society or service delivery or social issues and require joint civil society-media advocacy or campaign actions. These issues or agendas that emerge from district-level interactions will be discussed during strategic coalition- building meetings among CSOs and media. These strategic meetings will finalize the issue or agenda under discussions and identify relevant joint actions or advocacy in the district. Output of Activity 3.2.5. At least 102 issues identified, and joints actions initiated Proposed Modifications: Due to COVID-19, annual target has been amended to 66. This activity will be organized by both virtual and in-person modalities considering the local context and situation for mobility.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year

Joint 102 52 50 16 66 actions

Activity 3.2.6: Hold Bi-annual Summits CS:MAP will continue to convene two thematic summits that will bring together local and national organizations working on HEAD issues to facilitate public service oversight and advocacy activities. The bi-annual summits will be held in Q2 and Q3. Each summit will 86 convene approximately 40-50 participants, including the representatives from HEAD networks from all districts. The summits will focus on sharing the oversight results and ensuring that follow-up advocacy actions at the national level are informed by and linked with locally identified service delivery and policy gaps. Output of Activity 3.2.6: Two bi-annual summits, coordination and connection with national level networks/coalition established Proposed Modifications:

No modification! Timing of bi-annual summits has been reshuffled. This event will be organized virtually and/or in person-modality considering the situation.

Result 3.3: Improved citizen awareness and use of available GON social accountability mechanisms Activity 3.3.1: Conduct orientation for citizens on Social Accountability (SA) Tools Citizens will be oriented to and empowered to use available social accountably tools, including the tools’ legal provisions. ISOs will provide orientation support whenever needed. Orientations will be encouraged citizens to increase demand for application of public hearings, public audits, social audits and RTI, among others. A total of 57 orientations will be organized at the gaunpalika/ municipality level. Output of Activity 3.3.1: 57 orientations on SA tools, citizens empowered to use SA tools Proposed Modifications:

This activity requiring in-person modality and impossibility of organizing orientation due to COVID-19 pandemic, annual target has been amended to 26.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan Year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year 57 events 14 events 43 events 12 events 26 events Orientatio n sessions

Activity 3.3.2: Institutionalize and regularize Social Audits and Public Hearings in target gaunpalikas/municipality at a fixed venue As in previous years, CS:MAP CSO partners will continue to provide technical support to local governments to conduct Public Hearings, Public Audits and Social Audits as required by existing law/guidelines. Local governments complain about not having trained facilitators in their 87 districts who can assist in implementing Public Hearings and Social Audit. Realizing the need for collaboration and joint initiatives with government actors, trained CSOs will continue their collaboration with local governments to hold Public Hearings, Social Audits and Public Audits as and when there are requests from gaunpalika and municipalities. Output of Activity 3.3.2: At least 102 Public Hearings conducted by local governments Proposed Modifications:

Because of COVID-19, local governments have other priorities like managing quarantines and other logistics. There is little possibility that local governments will conduct public hearings and invite CS:MAP local partners for technical support. Thus, annual target has been amended to 48 with 26 public hearings likely to fall short of the annual target.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year Public 102 28 74 20 48 hearings

Activity 3.3.3: Conduct public expenditure tracking (PET) at the local level CSO partner will continue public expenditure tracking (PET) at the local level in the areas of education, health and/or agriculture and COVID-19 also. Since local governments are also spending hefty budgets in setting up quarantine and preparations against COVID-19, PETs will be used to track the expenses related to the pandemic. PET is currently being used to track how targeted funds are being spent and how public service entitlements are being delivered. PET will also provide an opportunity for citizens to access information on how the budget is being spent on the one hand and on improving fiscal transparency in resource management and mobilization. Output of Activity 3.3.3: 57 PETs conducted, and a set of recommendations developed Proposed Modifications:

This activity requires in-person field visits and meetings which are not possible because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, annual target of PETs has been amended to 34. Out of 23 remaining PETs, 14 PETs will be conducted by the local CSOs in FY2021.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 postpone 88

per this workplan d from existing workplan year FY 2020) work plan year No. of 57 12 45 22 34 14 PETs

Activity 3.3.4: Apply Community Score Cards at the local level CS:MAP CSO partners will continue applying community score cards (CSCs) in priority areas such as health and education. ISOs will provide technical support to CSOs in applying CSCs as and when needed. CSCs will offer a platform for service users and service providers to identify gaps, strengths, and weaknesses in service delivery and design action plans for improving the services in days to come. Application of CSCs will also provide space for civic engagement for citizens and service providers. Output of Activity 3.3.4: 57 Community Score Cards conducted, and action plans prepared Proposed Modifications:

Conducting Community Score Card requires in-person field visits and meetings with stakeholders in a row which is not possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, annual target of CSC has been amended to 30. Out of the remaining 27 CSCs, 14 CSCs will be conducted by the local CSOs in FY2021.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this (to be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this (realized year d from existing workplan target) FY 2020) work plan year No. of 57 19 38 11 30 14 CSC

Activity 3.3.5: Conduct Social Audit of CSOs CSOs will continue Social Audits to improve their institutional accountability and transparency. As in the previous year, at least 14 institutional Social Audits will be conducted by CS:MAP partners through an independent facilitator in FY 2020. The Social Audits of the organizations will be conducted as per the Social Audit Guidelines 2067 prepared by the MOFAGA. The practice of conducting Social Audits will help improve CSOs’ public images and further build their legitimacy. Output of Activity 3.3.5: 14 Social Audits conducted, reports prepared, and a set of recommendations prepared Proposed Modifications:

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No modification. Annual target will be achieved by Q4. Activity 3.3.6: Conduct Right to Information (RTI) Campaign CSO partners (FMDC and IHRC) will organize one RTI caravan, RTI campaigns/clinics, and RTI orientations in Kailali, Doti, Achham, Banke and Bardiya districts. These RTI campaigns will raise citizens’ awareness about their rights and the process to access information from public agencies. These RTI events will promote accountability, transparency and access to information from public bodies. CS:MAP CSO partners will also file public interest litigation (PIL) and RTIs seeking information on public interest issues. Output of Activity 3.3.6: 1 RTI caravan, 5 RTI clinics, 8 RTI orientations and 4 PIL cases filed and 50 instances of RTI filed Proposed Modifications: No modification. However quarterly targets have been reshuffled. Annual targets will be achieved by Q4. Considering the current context, RTI PIL filing targets will be increased.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual the FY with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 last FY 2020 FY 2020 this be g units work plan Q2) quarter of Q3 Q4 workplan postpone per this year d from existing workplan FY 2020) work plan year RTI 1 0 1 1 1 caravan RTI 5 0 5 5 5 clinics RTI 8 4 4 4 8 orientatio n RTI PIL 4 1 3 3 3 7 RTI filing 50 5 45 22 23 50 cases

Activity 3.3.7: Radio programming to raise citizen awareness of social accountability mechanisms CS:MAP local FM radio station partners will continue to produce and broadcast two episodes of the local Sajha Boli program accompanied by two central Sajha Boli episodes every month. The radio series will increase citizen awareness of available GON SA mechanisms through creative formats, including mini-dramas, outdoor discussion and call-in segments. A total of 26 central and 260 local episodes of Sajha Boli will be produced, with 2,054 broadcasts. Aside from raising awareness of available SA mechanisms, the radio episodes will complement the SMS My Voice campaign through a “call to action” for LDAG members, youth, and audiences generally. Youth and CSO-led advocacy and oversight actions will be promoted through dissemination of successful actions taken and reported by youth groups through IVR, the Facebook page of radio program Sajha Boli and SSMK, or through the CS:MAP CRs. 90

Proposed Modifications: CS:MAP local FM radio station partners will continue to produce and broadcast two episodes of the local Sajha Boli program accompanied by two central Sajha Boli episodes every month. The local FM radio series will focus on COVID-19 related issues to increase citizen awareness of available GON response, program implementation; SA mechanisms through creative formats, including mini-dramas, studio based online discussion and call-in segments. A total of 23 central and 260 local episodes of Sajha Boli will be produced, with 1856 broadcasts. Aside from raising awareness of available SA mechanisms in the oversight of COVID-19, the radio episodes will complement the SMS My Voice campaign through a “call to action” for LDAG members, youth, and audiences generally. Youth and CSO-led advocacy and oversight actions will be promoted through dissemination of successful actions taken and reported by youth groups through IVR, the Facebook page of radio program Sajha Boli and SSMK, or through the CS:MAP CRs. EAI will organize two virtual panel discussions – the first will involve the participation of CS:MAP radio content producers including CRs and subject matter experts focusing on the local level planning process, government policies, programs and plans related to DRR, and COVID-19 response; and the second one will involve CRs and will deal with reporting skills related to DRR while remaining cognizant of safety, security and do no harm principles. Modifications tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets details with targets as of targets till remaining quarters annual for the FY measuring per quarter 2 the last of the workplan year targets of 2021 (to units per existing (FY quarter of this be existing work 2020 this FY 2020 FY20Q4 workplan postponed work plan plan Q2) workplan Q3 year from FY year (realized 2020) target)

Virtual 0 0 0 0 2 2 panel discussions

Activity 3.3.7.1: Hold Content Advisory Group (CAG) meetings CS:MAP partner EAI will continue to organize quarterly CAG meetings with project stakeholders, including media representatives, CSOs, media, CSO umbrella organizations or other existing networks and coalitions, government officials, and sector experts to determine the main themes and topics to be covered in Sajha Boli throughout the work plan period. Similarly, 10 local program-producing partner FM radio stations will organize field-based local CAG meetings once every quarter. Output of Activity 3.3.7.1: 44 CAG meetings held Proposed Modifications: There is no specific modification in this activity. CS:MAP partner EAI will continue to organize Quarterly virtual CAG meetings with project stakeholders, including media representatives, CSOs, media, CSO umbrella organizations or other existing networks and coalitions, government officials, and sector experts to determine the main themes and topics to be covered in Sajha Boli

91 throughout the workplan period. With the technical support from EAI, 10 local program- producing partner FM radio stations will organize virtual CAG meetings in the remaining Quarters.

Activity 3.3.7.2: Conduct refresher training on local content production for Sajha Boli local production partners In Q1, CS:MAP partner EAI will organize a three-day refresher training for the 10 Sajha Boli radio program producers connected to the local FM radio station partners, who will contribute content to the central version and produce the local versions. These program producers will be trained to understand, identify, and research emerging issues and stories; to coordinate with the central production team on program issues and formats; to more effectively use local resources and coordinate and collaborate with local CSOs, local government and other stakeholders for radio sustainability; and to raise governance issues through radio programs. Producers will also be trained on success story writing skills and panel discussion skills. The training will build the capacity of local radio producers to produce a range of interactive programming on SA themes as well as other themes that may emerge as a result of the changing governance structures. Output of Activity 3.3.7.2: One three-day refresher training delivered to 10 producers from 10 production partners of Sajha Boli This activity has been completed. Activity 3.3.7.3: Carry out Sajha Boli Program production, broadcast and audience engagement Sajha Boli will be co-produced in partnership with 10 local FM radio stations. The central episode will be produced every two weeks in Kathmandu for a total of 26 episodes in FY 2020. The radio partners will also produce 26 episodes (every two weeks) in local languages other than Nepali. The central and local versions will complement and add value to each other by highlighting local issues that need to be conveyed to larger audiences or central issues that need to reach audiences in remote locations. Each of the 26 central-level episodes will be broadcast from Radio Nepal to a nation- wide audience and from 39 local FM radio broadcast partners (including the 10 production partners) to audiences in the 34 CS:MAP districts for a total of 1,040 broadcasts of the central version in FY 2020. Similarly, there will be 39 broadcasts of the Sajha Boli local version episodes every month, bringing the total broadcasts during FY 2020 to 1014. CS:MAP CRs will provide support to central version and local version radio program preparation processes. They will communicate perspectives from local audiences, local authorities and concerned stakeholders; they will record field discussions and develop field reports which they will provide to the radio program production team. EAI will produce 88 Sajha Boli episodes (out of 286) with an outdoor discussion format, and 48 episodes with a call-in segment. The remaining episodes will use a magazine or docu-drama format.

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Additionally, CS:MAP will deliver a one-day orientation to 34 CRs as needed. In case of CR turnover, new CRs will receive an orientation to familiarize them with their duties and responsibilities. Output of Activity 3.3.7.3: 26 episodes of the central Sajha Boli radio program and 260 episodes of the local Sajha Boli radio program produced and 2,054 Sajha Boli broadcasts (out of these, 88 episodes will use an outdoor discussion format, and 48 episodes will include a studio based call-in segment) Proposed Modifications: EAI will produce 263 of the targeted 286 with a virtual or studio-based discussion, call-in segment, and use a magazine or docudrama format. Additionally, CS:MAP will deliver a one-day virtual orientation to 34 CRs as needed. After this modification, outputs of this activity will be - 23 episodes of the central Sajha Boli radio program and 240 episodes of the local Sajha Boli radio program produced and 1,856 Sajha Boli broadcasts. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remainin Revised targets for Revised Targets details targets as of g targets remaining quarters of annual for the with per quarter 2 till the the workplan year targets of FY 2021 measurin existing (FY 2020 last this (to be g units work Q2) quarter of FY 2020 FY 2020 workplan postpone per plan this Q3 Q4 year d from existing workplan FY work year 2020) plan

Sajha 26 12 14 central 5 central 6 central 23 3 central Boli central central version version version central version radio version version episodes episodes of episodes version episodes programs episodes episodes of Sajha Sajha Boli; of Sajha episodes of Sajha of Sajha of Sajha Boli; 40 local Boli; of Sajha Boli; Boli; Boli; 130 local version 70 local Boli; 20 local 260 local 130 local version episodes;35 version 240 local version version version episodes 6 episodes version episodes episodes episodes of Sajha broadcasts of Sajha episodes of Sajha of Sajha of Sajha Boli; Boli; of Sajha Boli; Boli; Boli; 1,067 513 Boli; 2,054 987 broadcast broadcast 1,856 broadcast broadcast s s broadcast s s s

Activity 3.3.7.4 Conduct critical listening feedback sessions (CLFSs) EAI will conduct 40 CLFS through 10 local FM radio stations to review Sajha Boli technical and content quality for each radio episodes. During CLFSs, producers will visit target groups, explains the CLFS process and its purpose, and then tune into a Sajha Boli episode being broadcast over radio. The producer will then request that participating audience complete a form,

93 explaining the scoring criteria against each indicator. The producers will collect the forms and analyze the participants’ inputs in keeping with training provided to them during content production and evaluation training. The participants will evaluate each indicator/criterion on a scale ranging from 1 (“very poor”) to 5 (“very good”). During analysis, the score will be converted to a percentage, with a score above a certain threshold percentage considered satisfactory. Producers will be asked to action to address indicators against which they score poorly. The CLFS will use the following indicators – clarity of script, quality of script, creativity, relevance of content, technical quality of content (e.g., recording, editing, packaging), GESI content, and evidence-based content. This technique will allow producers to obtain audience feedback and stakeholder inputs on the produced radio episodes. The session will also inform upcoming radio episode production and help improve the quality of the programs, including by making them more inclusive and informative for target audiences. Since this method provides instant feedback on the effectiveness of the radio program, CLFS will serve as a meta- monitoring of radio programming. CRs and local CS:MAP CSO partners will provide support to local producers for coordination and collaboration with local stakeholders in district. Output of Activity 3.3.7.4: 40 CLFSs conduct in the 34 projects districts. Proposed Modifications: No modifications. Remaining CLFS sessions will be conducted through virtual approach. Activity 3.3.7.5: Produce and broadcast public service announcements (PSAs) To enhance messaging to mark international days like International Women’s Day, International Youth Day, and International Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and to highlight themes such as RTI, LLPP, GBV and other social justice-related concerns, CS:MAP will work with its 10 local partner FM radio stations to produce and broadcast 88 PSAs. The partner radio stations will be asked to broadcast these PSAs as frequently as possible to support CS:MAP-related events and campaigns. The PSAs will be shared via MeroReport, the Sajha Boli radio program, Sajha Boli Facebook page and Ma Khaandina Facebook page. To engage target audiences in these PSA, a robust, user-friendly SMS/IVR system will be launched to provide critical information directly to target groups; conduct surveys and polls; gather feedback from listeners; serve other purposes as determined by CRs. Feedback received will be analyzed by the production and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams and will inform production and program team activities accordingly. Eight local FM radio partners will produce PSAs in local languages or dialects other than Nepali. Output of Activity 3.3.7.5: 88 PSAs produced and broadcast Proposed Modifications: To enhance messaging to mark international days like International Women’s Day, International Youth Day and International Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and to highlight themes such as RTI, LLPP, GBV and other social justice-related concerns; and to promote critical public information and awareness on COVID-19 issues, CS:MAP will work with its local FM radio station partners to produce and broadcast PSAs. With 44 PSAs produced and broadcast until the end of Quarter 2, EAI will work with 15 local FM radio station partners in Q3 for weekly PSA production and these will be broadcast from 39 local FM radio station partners. In Quarter 4, EAI will work with 10 local FM radio station partners to produce the PSAs on a fortnightly basis, slightly lowering 94 the frequency from the previous Quarter. These will be produced in nine different local languages addressing COVID-19. The PSAs will be shared via MeroReport, the Sajha Boli radio program, Sajha Boli Facebook page and Ma Khaandina Facebook page. To engage target audiences in these PSA, a robust, user-friendly SMS/IVR system will be launched to provide critical information directly to target groups; conduct surveys and polls; gather feedback from listeners; serve other purposes as determined by CRs. Feedback received will be analyzed by the production and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) teams and will inform production and program team activities accordingly. Eight local FM radio partners will produce PSAs in local languages or dialects other than Nepali. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised targets Revised Targets for details targets as of targets till for remaining annual the FY with per quarter 2 the last quarters of the targets of 2021 (to measuring existing (FY quarter of workplan year this be units per work 2020 Q2) this workplan postponed existing plan workplan FY FY year from FY work plan year 2020 2020 2020) Q3 Q4

PSAs 88 44 44 128 108 280 0

Activity 3.3.8: Listening, Discussion and Action Groups (LDAGs) to engage citizens in social accountability CS:MAP has formed a total of 102 LDAGs, with LDAG facilitators for all 102 groups trained thus far, to ensure effective group facilitation and mobilization. There is the tendency for trained facilitators to move on due to personal reasons, necessitating the need for new facilitators to be selected and provided with training. As a result, CS:MAP will conduct one three-day training to provide training for as many new facilitators as needed. It is anticipated that there may be a need to train at least 25 new facilitators to familiarize them with their roles and responsibilities and expected outputs. Priority will be given to those who need additional support and those who are new in the group. Regular technical support will be provided to the trained LDAG facilitators as and when required. The trained facilitators will facilitate group meetings on a regular basis, supporting the generation of increased advocacy efforts aimed at policy and oversight-related actions. The facilitators will be closely supported by the concerned CSO partners to conduct the meetings on a regular basis. In addition, the overall management of LDAGs and the responsibility for continuation of the regular meetings will be handed over to the respective CSO partners at the beginning of FY 2020. CS:MAP and CSO partners will jointly explore possible pathways for an exit strategy to ensure that the groups will be self-sustaining with the support of CSOs and, possibly, the local government. It is envisaged that the LDAGs will transform into sub-national youth oversight groups that are integrated within local governance policies and structure, with clearly identified roles and responsibilities. This will require the active participation and support of local CSOs, their engagement and lobbying with local government units (at the Ward level), and the acceptance by local governments of the oversight function and responsibility of youth.

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EAI will engage with local CSOs on a continual basis to ensure the integration of LDAGs as youth oversight groups. EAI will train a total of 55 LDAG facilitators on the utilization of social accountability tools to enhance their capacity to carry out effective advocacy for and oversight of public resource use and public service delivery. Out of the 55 LDAG facilitators, 25 of them will receive this training along with group facilitation skills training. Output of Activity 3.3.8: One three-day LDAG facilitators training held for 25 LDAG facilitators on group facilitation skills and utilization of SA tools; and capacity building training for 30 facilitators on the utilization of SA tools for advocacy and oversight Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity. This activity has already been completed. Activity 3.3.9: Engage youth in social accountability initiatives To encourage youth engagement with SA mechanisms, CS:MAP will produce 12 episodes of the widely popular and trusted youth radio program SSMK. The program is designed to empower young people with the knowledge, skills, and awareness related to holding society and government accountable to address the needs of youth. CS:MAP will determine the themes and content to be specifically addressed through the ongoing CAG meetings and quarterly youth polls conducted through the IVR and social media platform. Twelve episodes will be broadcast nationally over Radio Nepal and locally through the 39-broadcast partner FM radio stations, with a total of 480 SSMK broadcasts in FY 2020. SSMK broadcasts will be followed by partner facilitated LDAGs to ensure youth voices and concerns are integrated into upcoming radio program episodes through location and field reporting. At least five audio and video documentaries will be publicizing via social media that highlight youth involvement in SA mechanisms. An IVR poll will be initiated in FY 2020 to measure youth engagement in SA mechanisms by way of the SSMK radio program. The IVR poll will collect data on increases in the number of youths who interact via IVR (Voice of Youth) and the SSMK Facebook page to talk and share their experiences with SA tools to conduct local governance oversight. At least 300 young people will interact via IVR, Voice of Youth and social media in Year 5 and will demonstrate improved understanding of their roles and responsibilities to make local governments more transparent, fair and accountable towards youth. Output of Activity 3.3.9: 12 youth focused SSMK episodes produced, 480 SSMK episodes broadcast and 300 qualitative Voice of Youth or other messages received Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity. Result 3.4: Improved citizen engagement in media and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools to strengthen public participation and oversight Activity 3.4.1: Conduct SMS My Voice campaigns CS:MAP partner EAI will organize two SMS My Voice campaigns targeting issues related to CS:MAP priority areas and sectoral issues as identified by citizens through IVR, MeroReport and social media platforms such as Sajha Boli, SSMK and the Ma Khaadina Facebook page. People’s participation in identifying priority areas for campaigning will be promoted through the

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Sajha Boli broadcasts, MeroReport and CA meetings. Key issues identified through local CSO and the campaigns will be taken up for discussion through local CSOs and local youth and broadcast through 88 field-based productions and studio-based call-in segments described above. EAI will collect messages received from participants in this campaign and use them to analyze the local governance context. The two campaigns will be focused on local issue which have raised and identified by local CSOs. This activity will also incorporate the Ma Khaandina campaign, which all CS:MAP partners unanimously agreed to promote in CS:MAP target districts. Illustratively, campaign themes and messages may include: calling on youth to address corruption; promoting an RTI drive among young people; elevating the voices of women and girls and highlighting the challenges and barriers that hamper women’s access to public services; and elevating the voice of people with disabilities and the challenges and barriers that hamper their access to public service at the local level. Output of Activity 3.4.1: 1,200 messages received through IVR, social media and the MeroReport platform; 40 out of 88 field-based Sajha Boli productions will address issues gathered through SMV; and 20 out of 48 studio-based call-in Sajha Boli episodes produced based on issues gathered through SMV Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity. However, the SMV campaigns in upcoming quarters will be focused on COVID-19 response issues that have been identified by local CSOs and CS:MAP trained journalists. This activity will also incorporate the Ma Khaandina campaign, which all CS:MAP partners unanimously agreed to promote in CS:MAP target districts. Illustratively, campaign themes and messages may include: calling on youth to address corruption; promoting an RTI drive among young people; elevating the voices of women and girls and highlighting the challenges and barriers that hamper women’s access to public services; and elevating the voice of people with disabilities and the challenges and barriers that hamper their access to public service at the local level, especially COVID-19 response and DRR issue. Activity 3.4.2: Organize Public Service Delivery Photo exhibits The CRs of CS:MAP have been trained to identify and capture high-quality photographs of public service delivery, highlighting the service gaps that affect the daily lives of women and other traditionally marginalized groups, prompting local authorities to action, and raising awareness about service delivery issues through photography. FHI 360, with support from EAI, will organize an exhibition of the photos captured by the trained CRs as in the past year. Additionally, CS:MAP will organize one three-day training event for 34 CRs on public interest reporting in Q2 FY 2020. Output of Activity 3.4.2: One photo exhibit event and 300 public service oversight photographs submitted by CRs for exhibit; one training held for CRs on public interest reporting Proposed Modifications: No modification. Activity 3.4.3: Update online collaboration platform (MeroReport) MeroReport is used to engage citizens in media through ICT to strengthen public participation and oversight. In this work plan period viewers and members will engage with MeroReport 97 content through its Facebook page and Twitter. On average, MeroReport will generate 10,000- page view per quarter in FY 2020. Output of Activity 3.4.3: 10,000-page views of MeroReport per quarter Proposed Modifications: No modification. Activity 3.4.4: ICT workshop for CSOs, media and concerned stakeholders CS:MAP partner EAI, with the support of FHI 360, will conduct four “ICT in governance” workshops in 34 CS:MAP districts. Approximately 120 local youth, youth group members, CSO representative and journalists will benefit from these two-day workshops. The workshops will be focused on how to use government and other stakeholder websites to gather knowledge and information, and how to use social media tools for digital advocacy to address local-level concerns and issues. Through these workshops CS:MAP will also promote the MeroReport as a source of information sharing and engagement. Output of Activity 3.4.4: Four ICT4D workshops with approximately 120 participants. Proposed Modifications: CS:MAP partner EAI, with the support of FHI 360, will conduct one “ICT in Governance” workshop at the end of Quarter 4 of this year. Approximately 30 local youth, youth group members, CSO representatives, and journalists will benefit from the two-day workshop. The workshops will be focused on how to use government and other stakeholder websites to gather knowledge and information, and how to use social media tools for digital advocacy to address local-level concerns and issues; use of new media or digital media use and practice for online advocacy and oversight on public interest issue. Through the workshop, CS:MAP will also promote the MeroReport as a source of information sharing and engagement. The remaining three workshops will be conducted in the 1st quarter of year 6 of CS:MAP. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised targets Revised Targets for details with targets as of targets till for remaining annual the FY measuring per quarter 2 the last quarters of the targets of 2021 (to units per existing (FY quarter of workplan year this be existing work 2020 this workplan postponed work plan plan Q2) workplan FY FY year from FY year 2020 2020 2020) Q3 Q4

ICT 4 events 0 4 events 0 1 1 event 3 events workshops event

Activity 3.4.5: Technical support to open local units’ (municipality/gaunpalika) annual budgets and plans to the public To promote OGP and fiscal transparency, government and civil society must build a functional partnership. The substantive engagement of civil society and government is designed to achieve standards of openness, transparency, and accountability by the application of different tools. 98

Through the OGP process, civil society and government sit together to identify priority areas of reform and develop an action plan. The action plan provides a clear picture of the identified needs, suggested actions, prescribed working modalities, and expected achievements. In order to increase citizen participation, inclusion, transparency, and accountability, CS:MAP supports national and sub-national government to adapt and implement OGP standards. In Year 3, CS:MAP supported Neelakantha municipality in Dhading and Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city in Banke to promote an Open Local Government Digital System (OLGDS) in line with OGP. In Year 5, CS:MAP will hire an organization or firm to replicate this system in five-to-seven local units in consultation with MOFAGA. CS:MAP has received requests from different local governments asking for support in implementing the OLGDS. Those requests have been reviewed by the team and a proposed list of local governments has been shared with MOFAGA. The proposed local governments for OLGDS implementation are: Gauriganga Municipality - Kailali, Bheri Municipality- Jajarkot, Lekbeshi Municipality- Surkhet, Meghang Gaunpalika- Nuwakot, Panauti Municipality-Kavre, Narayan Municipality- Dailekh, Ghorahi Sub metropolitan- Dang. However, this may be changed in consultation with MOFAGA. In addition, CS:MAP will provide technical and financial support to these municipalities to localize and implement Open Government Partnership (OGP) principles. The two local government units (Neelakantha municipality, Dhading and Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city, Banke), where CS:MAP piloted OLGDS in FY 2019, will be developed as a showcase of openness and citizen engagement. Output of Activity 3.4.5: Number of local units replicating OLGDS with technical support from CS:MAP. Proposed Modifications: Due to COVID-19, local governments have other priorities such as managing quarantines and isolation wards; thus, this is unlikely to be achieved in this work plan period. And, this activity cannot be completed within a short project implementation period in FY 2021. So, this activity has been dropped. Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress Remaining Revised Revised Target for details with targets per as of targets till targets for annual the FY measuring existing quarter 2 the last remaining targets of 2021 (to units per work plan (FY quarter of quarters of the this be existing 2020 this workplan year workplan postponed work plan Q2) workplan year from FY year FY FY 2020) 2020 2020 Q3 Q4

Technical 5-7 local 0 5-7 local 0 0 0 0 support to government government the local units units government units

Modifications Summary – Objective 3 99

List of activities List of List of List of List of new with reduced target activities being dropped/stopped/ activities with activities now; but will be dropped now discontinued reduced continued until next and will be activities targets year done next year

Activity 3.2.2 Activity 3.1.4 Activity 3.1.2 Activity 3.1.4 Activity 3.2.3 (some) Activity 3.1.4 (some) Activity 3.2.4 Activity 3.4.5 (some) Activity 3.3.7 Activity 3.3.3 Activity 3.2.5 (some) Activity 3.3.4 Activity 3.3.1 Activity 3.3.7.3 Activity 3.3.2 Activity 3.4.4

Objective 4: Strengthen organizational capacity and sustainability of CSOs working in USAID priority sectors to advance local solutions Result 4.1: Improved institutional governance of selected CSOs and media organizations Activity 4.1.1: Train and provide technical assistance and coaching to partner CSOs and media organizations Based on the IIPs developed from the third round of OCA assessments, CS:MAP ISO partners NNSWA and MITRA Samaj will provide comprehensive coaching and mentoring support to CSOs to implement the IIPs by Q1 FY 2020. Extensive coaching and mentoring support will be provided through December 2019, and CS:MAP will conduct the final round of OCA assessments in Q2 FY 2020 before the agreement with ISO partners ends in April 2020. After the final round of OCA assessments in Q2 FY 2020, the CS:MAP capacity building team will provide backstopping support to CSOs to achieve the OCA IIPs. The CS:MAP capacity building unit will compile OCA IIP priorities from fourth round of OCA and support CSOs based on their needs. Output of Activity 4.1.1: Coaching and mentoring visits based on CSO need Proposed Modification: No modification for this activity. Coaching and mentoring will be done through in-person visits or virtual approach. Activity 4.1.2: Conduct annual organizational capacity assessments with partner organizations, and adjust IIPs The CS:MAP capacity building team will work with the designated organizational capacity- building ISOs MITRA Samaj and NNSWA to facilitate the third round of OCA to measure progress against the baseline scores set in FY 2017. Prior to the final application of OCA, CS:MAP will organize a two-day workshop in Quarter 1 FY 2020 with ISOs to provide a tool refresher based on the third round of assessment findings and to prepare assessment plans. The fourth and final round of OCA will evaluate the organizational capacity improvements against baseline scores established in 2017. Assessments will cover 39 sub-domains under seven major domains: governance, administration, human resource management, financial management, organizational management, program management, and external relationships. GESI is incorporated throughout all capacity areas. A comparative score chart of each CSO will be prepared and shared with CSOs using a four-part scale: startup (1), development (1.5–2), 100 expansion (2.5–3), and sustainability (3.5–4). Based on the assessment results, CS:MAP and ISOs will work with CSOs to prioritize capacity-development areas for the next year and develop or adjust IIPs based on their need. Output of Activity 4.1.2: Fourth round of OCA conducted in 14 CSOs and IIPs prepared Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity as this activity has already been completed.

Result 4.2: Improved capacity of select CSOs and media organizations to mobilize social and financial resources for sustainability Activity 4.2.1: Analyze Financial Sustainability Plans (FSPs) and make necessary changes CS:MAP has completed Financial Revenue Forms (FRF) on an annual basis since FY 2017 to assess the revenue streams of 14 local CSOs and analyze their financial sustainability. In Q3 FY 2019, CS:MAP drafted the FSPs, which provided an assessment of partner CSOs’ funding diversification and financial sustainability. CS:MAP capacity building team and ISOs will work with each partner in FY 2020 to review the Financial Sustainability Plans (FSP) developed in FY 2019 and help adjust the plans. CSOs will then follow the revised FSPs for funding diversification and financial sustainability. Output of Activity 4.2.1: Analysis report of FSPs for 14 CSOs Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity as this activity has already been completed.

Activity 4.2.2: Build capacity of select CSOs in financial sustainability Based on the 2019 FSP findings and analysis report of FY 2020, the CS:MAP capacity building team will provide follow-up support related to funding diversification, new funding, and implementation of CSOs’ resource mobilization guidelines. In addition, the CS:MAP capacity building team and ISOs will conduct a two-day fundraising training in Q2 FY 2020. This training will be a follow up to the four-day training received by ISO personnel in Q4 FY 2019. The CS:MAP capacity building team will customize the training content and deliver the training along with ISO staff. Output of Activity 4.2.2: Two-day training on civil society fundraising delivered to 14 CSOs Proposed Modifications: The activity was planned for FY 2020 Q2 and due to current COVID-19 scenario it could not be conducted in the planned date. Considering the current context, this event will be conducted through virtual approach in quarter 3.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing quarter of year this be

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g units work (FY 2020 this FY FY 2020 workplan postponed per plan Q2) workplan 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year Q3 2020) work plan (realize d target) Two-day 1 event 0 1 1 0 1 0 training 28 on fund particip raising for ants CSOs

Activity 4.2.3: Conduct open houses to expose CS:MAP partners to new donors In Q4 FY 2019 CS:MAP organized a one-day open house meeting with donors, during which CSOs shared their learning, best practices, and future plans in an effort to identify opportunities for future donor support. Donors and partners working on advocacy and governance attended the meeting, which was conducted in coordination with AIN. Based on lessons learned from that event, a similar event will be held in Q4 FY 2020 along with the public service delivery photo exhibit. These opportunities will help CSOs build relationships with donors and INGOs to support funding diversification and financial sustainability of their organizations. Output of Activity 4.2.3: Open house meeting with donors conducted, number of CSOs shared best practices, learning and future plans in open houses Proposed Modifications: Due to the current COVID-19 scenario, it has become a challenge to conduct the event inviting larger participants. Considering the COVID-19 scenario, the activity will be postponed for the next workplan period reducing the target of this workplan period.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY 2020 workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year Q3 2020) work plan (realize d target) Open 1 event 0 0 0 0 0 1 house (50 meeting particip with ants) donors

Result 4.3: Improved capacity of CSOs and media organizations to advance local solutions on priority development issues across sectors and to promote peer-learning opportunities 102

Activity 4.3.1: Train and provide TA to selected CSO and media partners to improve technical and organizational development capacities In addition to the TA to support organizational development and institutional capacity improvements (Activity 4.1.1), bi-annual HEAD summits (Activity 3.2.6), online MeroReport (Activity 3.1.3), CS:MAP’s bi-annual all-partners’ review and reflection meetings and monthly and quarterly review meetings (internal) will serve as additional platforms for CS:MAP partners to promote cross-sectoral as well as national-to-local peer learning. These learnings will help the partners in improving their technical as well as organizational development capacities. Output of Activity 4.3.1: Two bi-annual HEAD summits, four quarterly review and reflection meetings conducted Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity. Coaching and mentoring, bi-annual summits and review and reflection meetings will be done through in-person visit or virtual approach.

Activity 4.3.2: Strengthen the local marketplace of capacity development services To expand use of internal governance systems by CSOs in CS:MAP working districts, CS:MAP partner CSOs, with support from ISOs, conducted orientations for non-CS:MAP CSOs in 14 districts in FY 2019. The orientation was focused on the effectiveness of CS:MAP’s institutional capacity-building support, as well as the project’s ability to provide support to replicate OCA tools with non-partner organizations in districts where CS:MAP CSOs work. Based on requests from non-CS:MAP CSOs for their OCA assessments, ISO partners will work with CS:MAP partner CSOs to facilitate the assessments. The assessments will be conducted through customized OCA tool which will be developed by the CS:MAP capacity building unit for non- CS:MAP partners. CS:MAP has established minimum standards for internal governance in 14 CSOs in FY 2019. To institutionalize the minimum standard, ISO partners will continue their support to CSOs to maintain the minimum standards. CS:MAP will also encourage CSO boards and general assemblies to endorse these minimum standards. Reports on the effectiveness of minimum standard will be shared in different platforms at the district level, at the CS:MAP all-partners meetings, at the open house meeting with donors, and through other platforms as appropriate. Output of Activity 4.3.2: Number of OCA assessments conducted with non-CS:MAP partners, customized OCA tool, institutionalized minimum standard in 14 CSOs Proposed Modifications: This activity is being linked with the activity 4.3.5 and will be achieved after capacity building of CSOs through organizing ToT on the tool. This approach was adopted to conduct OCA of the non-CS:MAP partners in absence of ISOs partners. As of FY2020 Q2, ISOs have conducted OCAs of 2 non-CS:MAP partners. Now, ToT for conducting OCA has been rescheduled to conduct in fourth quarter due to the current context. So, the remaining 12 non-CS:MAP partners OCA will be conducted in FY2021.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets targets till remaining quarters annual the FY

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with per Progress as the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing of quarter quarter of year this be g units work 2 this FY FY 2020 workplan postponed per plan (FY 2020 workplan 2020 Q4 year from FY existing Q2) year Q3 2020) work plan (realize d target) OCA 14 2 12 0 0 2 12 assessme assessm nts of ent non- CS:MAP CSOs

Activity 4.3.3: Promote internal governance standards at the local and district level To promote the minimum standards for internal governance at the district level, CS:MAP CSO partners will organize district-level interactions on the importance of minimum standards for CSO internal governance with local government officials, media and representatives from other CSOs in the district. The interactions will increase awareness and understanding of the standards and lay the foundation for wider use by CSOs and recognition by local government. CS:MAP partners will share the minimum standards that were developed by the CS:MAP coalition lead with all participants and will encourage CSOs working in target districts to apply the internal governance standards within their organizations. These interactions will increase understanding of the standards and build a foundation for their wider use by CSOs, as well as recognition of the standards by local governments. In addition, CS:MAP partners will share the minimum standards of internal governance and self-regulation with local officials in order to increase local government trust in CSOs’ governance systems and confidence in CSOs’ work. Implementation of internal governance and self-regulation will be monitored and assessed on a regular basis by the CSOs and results and lessons learned will be shared with local governments and other stakeholders. In addition, CS:MAP will establish a collaboration mechanism among NFN, CS:MAP CSO partners in target districts and other CSOs in the districts to support application of the internal governance standards. In addition, CS:MAP will identify and provide expert TA to support local CSOs in developing guidelines for CSO internal governance, who will then discuss with the local governments for sectoral credibility. Output of Activity 4.3.3: 34 districts will have developed internal governance standard for CSOs and shared with the local governments for increasing sectoral credibility Proposed Modifications:

Discussion on importance and declaration may require larger participation of district level stakeholders and CSOs, so it could not be possible due to the current COVID-19 scenario. Target is reduced from 34 to 24 districts revising the original plan as the LoP target considering lots of remaining priorities of CSOs for FY2020Q4 and FY2021Q1. A total of 12 declarations will be made in FY 2020 and remaining another 12 will be in FY2021Q1.

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Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY 2020 workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year Q3 2020) work plan (realize d target) districts 34 6 28 0 6 12 12 declaring the minimum standard for internal governan ce of CSOs

Activity 4.3.4: Facilitate peer learning among local CSOs and media organizations CS:MAP will continue facilitating peer learning practices among partner CSOs and media organization more explicitly through MeroReport, Facebook groups, bi-annual summits and review and reflection workshops, CS:MAP monthly calendars; and monthly newsletter. Since November 2017 (FY 2018), CS:MAP had started producing a monthly newsletter with an aim to provide a platform for all partners to share their work, both internally among other CS:MAP partners and also among external stakeholders, and to highlight some key activities, events and achievements from preceding months. CS:MAP will continue to produce a monthly bulletin capturing key achievements and stories of 26 national and local partners, 40 radio partners, two international partners and relevant other stakeholders under CS:MAP. This will be used as a peer-learning document, shared with all the partners through email list-serve. Further, CS:MAP will conduct cross-peer-learning visits with partner CSOs to share experiences among all CS:MAP partners working at the sub-national level. These peer-learning visits will highlight effective practices of host CSOs related to advocacy, citizen-government engagement and institutional governance initiatives that could be replicated in other districts. For these visits, CS:MAP will provide support to ISO partners to identify three CSOs that perform well in the areas of advocacy, citizen-government engagement, and institutional governance. A professional video documentary of peer learning processes and discussions will be made for further reference; and after the visit, each team will prepare a summary report detailing their expectations, observations and major learning as takeaways. ISO partners will lead the thematic visits and ensure the agreed-upon process of peer learning and documentation. Output of Activity 4.3.4: Number of peer learning events conducted by CSOs, monthly activity calendars and best practices/efforts shared to publish in CS:MAP monthly newsletters

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Proposed Modifications: There is modification for this activity.

Activity 4.3.5: TOT on customized OCA tool To expand the use of internal governance practices at the district level among non-CS:MAP CSOs in CS:MAP target districts, CS:MAP will organize five-day trainings of trainers (TOTs) in Q3 FY 2020. Participants for the TOT will be Program Coordinators and board members from 10 partner CSOs who were actively engaged in their organizations’ OCA assessments and IIP implementation. Support from these CSO representatives will help to minimize ISOs gaps and meet immediate requests at the local level. In addition, this opportunity will help to expand CS:MAP internal governance practices and build local expertise. The CS:MAP capacity building team will provide backstopping support to CSOs to facilitate application of the customized OCA tool for non-CS:MAP CSOs. Output of Activity 4.3.5: 20 participants received TOT on OCA tool, customized OCA tool Proposed Modifications: No modification for this activity. This activity will be conducted by the end of FY2020. Modifications Summary – Objective 4 List of activities List of List of List of List of new with reduced target activities being dropped/stopped/ activities with activities now; but will be dropped now discontinued reduced continued until next and will be activities targets year done next year

Activity 4.2.3 Activity 4.3.2 Activity 4.3.3

Objective 5: Improved enforcement of fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution Initiatives under Objective 5 will build the knowledge, capacity and networks of human rights organizations and sub-national government actors to advocate for and effect change through new or existing policies that promote and protect human rights guarantees. Result 5.1 Improved ability of human rights organizations to advocate and engage with government at the federal and subnational level Activity 5.1.1: Review of human rights context Nepal has demonstrated a commitment to protect human rights by adopting a new Constitution that guarantees a number of fundamental human rights, ratifying seven major UN human rights treaties, and drafting and implementing the National Human Rights Action Plan (NHRAP). Despite official commitments through these normative frameworks and standards, the implementation of these commitments has not proceeded as planned and remains unsatisfactory. CS:MAP-HRS will assess the human rights context in these areas and engage with relevant agencies and civil society organizations to support human rights provisions. As a party to multiple UN human rights treaties, the GON has an obligation to submit progress reports to the respective treaty committees on periodic basis. Similarly, Nepal also participates 106 in the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and has a responsibility to produce progress reports as a part of that process. CS:MAP-HRS will therefore conduct an assessment to determine the status of the GON’s reporting and responding compliance with its UN commitments, which also includes the progress the GON has made in addressing the recommendations from the UPR working groups. Based on the status report, CS:MAP-HRS will provide technical assistance to civil society groups through the Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Center (HRTMCC) which will help them to engage with government to comply with requirements under the human rights treaties and UPR mechanism. As per Article 47 of the Constitution, the federal Parliament has passed 16 laws to protect fundamental human rights, individual privacy, racial and caste-based discrimination, compulsory and free education, reproductive health rights, and employment. Those 16 federal laws were passed in September 2018 to meet the constitutional deadline, but the laws have not been reviewed to ensure that they comply with the Constitution and international standards. CS:MAP- HRS will analyze at least five laws to determine if they comply with the spirit of the Constitution and international standards. Similarly, CS:MAP-HRS will support advocacy work based on the findings of the review for amendment and implementation of these laws. Nepal adopted the first NHRAP in 2004 as a comprehensive system to protect human rights across the country. Despite the country’s commitment to promote and protect human rights, the past three NHRAPs have not been implemented effectively due to the lack of political will and related capacity issues. The current action plan, which ends in 2019, lacks a clear vision for collaboration between civil society and different layers of governments, an effective coordination office, and skilled and knowledgeable officials to carry out activities. Effective implementation of the NHRAP is particularly important, as local governments now have considerable power over how human rights are addressed at municipal level. CS:MAP–HRS will first assess how effectively the GON has implemented the current NHRAP, why the plan was not implemented and where there are existing gaps and weaknesses. As the GON begins to draft the next NHRAP, CS:MAP-HRS will convene government and civil society representatives to jointly lead the drafting process. CS:MAP-HRS will also provide necessary technical assistance, including information on international best practices and standards during different phases of the NHRAP drafting process. CS:MAP-HRS will likewise assist CSOs to engage in the development of and advocacy for implementation of the NHRAP. Three separate reports of the findings of these three assessments will be prepared in Q1 FY 2020 and will be shared with major government agencies, the constitutional commission and CSOs for their review, updates and actions. These assessment reports will be printed and shared with at least 200 CSOs, 100 members of federal Parliament, eight constitutional commissions, five federal government agencies, two provincial governments structure, and five local governments in the second and third quarter of the project respectively. Output of Activity 5.1.1: Three human rights assessments reports shared; five laws reviewed, HR education materials, Fundamental Rights checklists/standards for three levels of government Proposed Modifications: The following two new activities have been proposed under this activity:

Activity 5.1.1.1: Assessment on impact of COVID-19 on human rights COVID-19 has made an impact on every aspect of life including on the exercise of the fundamental rights and civic freedoms. The impact will not only affect the exercise of those 107 rights in the present situation but also for years to come. In this situation an assessment on the impact of COVID-19 on fundamental rights has been proposed. However, as it will not be feasible and practical to address all aspects of human rights, the assessment will be limited to the right to freedom of expression, opinion, assembly and association only.

The impact of COVID-19 and the lockdown imposed by the government to prevent the spread of the virus made disproportionate and adverse impact on the lives of marginalized communities such as women, Dalits, and LGBTIQAs. In this context, a rapid assessment study on the effects of COVID-19 on the lives of Dalits and women will assess the impact on different aspects of their lives. Further, the report shall also be used as an advocacy tool at the different levels of the government to reduce the adverse effects on Dalits and other marginalized groups.

Output of Activity 5.1.1.1: Three assessment reports

Activity 5.1.1.2: Human rights media monitoring CS:MAP has started human rights media monitoring from April 2020. It produced two monthly reports in April and May 2020 and has started producing weekly human rights situation reports since June 2020. The project shall continue producing such situation reports till the end of the project. The report which covers COVID-19 related human rights violations, as well as other violations, is shared with USAID, CS:MAP partner organizations and the wider civil society community.

Output of Activity 5.1.1.2: 18 human rights situation reports

Activity 5.1.2: Capacity building of CSOs for human rights advocacy CSOs play a key role in advocating for the rights of people and engaging with government to fulfill its commitments. Thus, building civil society capacity will allow CS:MAP-HRS to increase support for human rights protections and government compliance with constitutional provisions and international treaties. CS:MAP-HRS envisions that improving the ability to human rights organizations to advocate and engage with government at the federal and sub- national levels will improve the human rights situation in the country. CS:MAP-HRS will adopt proven capacity-building tools and approaches, including both training and ongoing TA, mentoring and coaching, to develop self-assessments for human right advocacy capacity and checklists and guidelines for applying human rights-based approaches in policies and planning. HRTMCC, a coalition of human rights organizations, coordinates its members under different thematic groups corresponding to specific treaty-based rights. CS:MAP-HRS will carry out a primary assessment to understand HRTMCC members’ advocacy needs and design effective capacity building initiatives based on the assessment, which may include trainings, workshops, and technical assistance. CS:MAP-HRS' national partner INSEC will organize the capacity building events and provide continuous support to organizations’ advocacy work. CS:MAP-HRS will support at least eight events with 25-30 participants per event. The majority of events will take place in Q2 and Q3. CS:MAP-HRS national implementing partners working to promote the rights of women, members of the LGBTIQ community and Dalits will organize different capacity-building events for national human rights organizations and HRTMCC members. Partners will organize at least eight capacity-building events related to women’s and LGBTIQ rights and eight events related to Dalit rights, all at the federal level, with approximately 25-30 participants per events. In addition, 108

12 capacity-building events each focused on women and LGBTIQ’s rights and Dalit rights will be organized at the municipal level. Participants will include representatives from local human rights organizations, district and local chapters of national advocacy partners and INSEC, and local networks of LGBTIQ/women and Dalit groups in these events. These local/municipal level events will be organized mainly in Q2 and 3 of FY 2020 including at least 20-25 participants in each of these events. Output of Activity 5.1.2: Forty-eight capacity-building events conducted for human rights organizations, number of participants attending capacity-building events, UPR/periodic reports or shadow reports Proposed Modifications:

The annual target has been revised to 36 from 48. Many of the events were planned by the national advocacy partners at the palika/district level, and due to the travel restrictions could not travel for conducting training in Q3. Further not all activities are possible or effective to be conducted virtually. Also, priority was given to ensuring human rights, especially of Dalits, women and LGBTIQA in the pandemic. The targeted activities in Q3 and Q4 will be conducted virtually, or in-person depending on the situation. The 12 remaining events will be carried onto the first quarter of FY2021, if possible.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of Year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) Capacity 48 20 events 28 events 6 events 10 36 events 12 events building events (685 (Around events (Around (around of CSOs (Around participant 25 (Around 900 300 for human 1,200 s) participa 25 participan participant rights particip nts in participa ts in s in total) advocacy ants) each nts in total) event) each event)

Activity 5.1.3: Advocacy, lobbying and consultation meeting/workshop with stakeholders CS:MAP-HRS plans to implement activities following an expanded co-creation model which requires the engagement of relevant government counterparts, key civil society actors and other stakeholders to promote human rights. Different advocacy, lobbying and consultation meeting/workshops will be organized with stakeholders to sensitize them about their responsibilities and to plan joint efforts/interventions to address human rights gaps and needs. CSOs will organize advocacy and lobbying meetings with different government agencies, including ministries and the Human Rights and International Treaty Division under the Office of 109

Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM). Consultation meetings and workshops will be held with the National Human Rights Commissions, National Women Commission, National Dalit Commission and other constitutional commissions. Consultations and meetings will also be conducted with the National Planning Commission to discuss target-setting to protect and promote human rights in the 15th National Plan. CSOs will initiate 12 meetings and workshops to address Nepal’s general human rights frameworks and their implementation statuses. Similarly, eight meetings and workshops will be organized that focus on women’s rights protection and promotion, and LGBTIQ and Dalit issues. Similarly, different consultation meetings and workshops will be organized with civil society groups working in different thematic areas at the national and sub-national level. These meetings will be organized to raise awareness around the human rights context and to support the organizations to prioritize human rights advocacy and lobbying with relevant stakeholders. INSEC will organize a total of eight events focused on the National Human Rights Action Plan, new laws to protect fundamental human rights and state obligations to submit reports to UN mechanism. In addition, CS:MAP national advocacy partners will organize eight events focused on the rights of women, LGBTIQ communities and Dalits. Collaboration among multiple stakeholders is essential to protecting human rights. Therefore, at least eight consultation meetings or workshops will be organized in multi-stakeholder settings. These events will aim to improve advocacy, lobbying and consultation among the stakeholders for human rights promotion, with approximately 25-30 participants per event. Output of Activity 5.1.3: Forty-four advocacy and lobbying meetings organized with around 1,100 participants Proposed Modifications: There is no modification in the number of activities but the number of participants in the event and medium. The consultations will be done using the most suitable medium for a specific context, either virtually or in-person.

Proposed new activities

Apart from the proposed modification, two new activities have been proposed. CS:MAP shall conduct, through its implementing partners, two workshops/webinars on "Situation of Human Rights during COVID-19” in national and province level. The events will be useful to take stock of human rights situation, challenges emerging, and possible ways to address those challenges.

Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) Advocacy 44 28 events 16 events 6 events 10 44 events , lobby events (1,527 (Around events and (Around 20 (Around 110

consultati 1,100 participant participa 20 on particip s) nts in participa meeting/ ants) each nts in workshop event) each with event) stakehold ers Worksho 2 events 2 events p/webinar (60 (60 on human participa participan rights nts in ts in situation total) total) in COVID- 19 situation

Activity 5.1.4: Develop and implement management information system (MIS) for human rights situation reporting Nepal’s Constitution has delegated significant responsibility to local governments for protecting citizens’ human rights. While the federal government has to prepare and submit reports to different agencies detailing implementation status of human rights policies and provisions, provincial and local governments are tasked with collecting and sharing relevant information with the federal government for reporting purpose. At present no formal mechanism exists for sharing information about the status of human rights implementation among governments in the changed context. To address this gap, CS:MAP-HRS will develop a Management Information System (MIS) in consultation with the Human Rights and International Treaty Division under the OPMCM, constitutional commissions and other relevant government agencies to systematize human rights information sharing among different tiers of governments. CS:MAP-HRS will develop the MIS and implement it in at least five municipalities. To implement the system, CS-MAP-HRS will build the capacity of five municipalities by providing an orientation on its use. A firm will be hired to develop the MIS and provide a first- round orientation to the local governments. At least 30 people from each municipality will be trained on using the MIS system. Similarly, CS:MAP-HRS local CSO partners working at the municipal level will support and facilitate at least five municipalities to submit human rights status reports as required by the NHRAP and UN documents. The human rights status reports generated by municipalities will be used by provincial and federal governments as needed. In particular, the federal government will use the information received through MIS to prepare reports, submit reports to the UN and prepare reports on the implementation status of the NHRAP. The MIS system will be operationalized Q3 FY 2020 and municipalities will start sharing information through MIS in Q4. Output of Activity 5.1.4: MIS developed, five trainings developed and delivered to municipal officials, MIS implemented in five municipalities and at the federal level Proposed Modifications:

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The proposed timeline has been modified for this activity due to the delay caused by the pandemic. It is expected that the MIS development will start from August and will be completed in FY2021. Testing of MIS, and implementation of the MIS by the municipality and capacity building events are postponed to FY2021.

Modifications tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) No. of 1 - 1 0 0 1 MIS developed No. of 5 - - - 0 5 municipal ity implemen ting MIS Capacity 5 - - - 0 5 building event/3 events/15 event 0 participant particip s in each ants in each

Result 5.2 Increased knowledge and understanding of subnational government about how to incorporate protections of rights into their functioning. Activity 5.2.1: Assess the need of local governments to implement human rights Local governments have the power to pass laws, adjudicate disputes and make budget decisions that affect service delivery. Adequate knowledge and understanding of human rights principles, human rights-based approach and necessary legal and institutional setup are essential to implement human rights at the municipal level. The functions of local governments have a direct impact on fundamental human rights that are guaranteed by Nepal’s Constitution, particularly economic, social and cultural rights. Ensuring fundamental freedoms, guaranteeing substantive equality and enabling political rights also fall under the domain of local government. However, local officials—including mayors, deputy mayors, chairpersons and deputy chairpersons—have limited knowledge, skills, policies, and institutional systems to respect and protect the fundamental human rights as enshrined in the Constitution. CS:MAP-HRS will take a tailored approach to assess the strengths and gaps of five municipalities to implement human rights protections by adopting human rights-based approaches. Through the assessment, CS:MAP-HRS will review elected representatives’ and officials’ understanding, as well as local government legal and policy environments and 112 institutional set-up. Assessment methods will include one-on-one interviews, document reviews, and institutional observations to examine the human rights context in the selected five municipalities. This assessment will be conducted in Q1 FY 2020. The assessment report will be used to produce human rights resource materials, including a guide to help local governments understand and assess their capacity, and adopt human rights-friendly policies and human rights- based working modalities in their respective municipalities. Similarly, supplemental materials will be developed to support local governments, including knowledge materials such as a resource book, checklists for policy/law development and resource allocation, and a self- assessment toolkit. Additionally, CS:MAP-HRS will review at least three laws and policies adopted by five municipalities and provide inputs to improve these laws and policies from a human rights perspective. A total of 15 laws will be reviewed while CS:MAP-HRS supports advocacy with municipalities to amend the laws based on human rights considerations. Review of the laws will take place during Q1 FY 2020 and advocacy will continue throughout the work plan period. Output of Activity 5.2.1: Completed assessment reports of municipal policies and systems – five reports, human rights resources developed, reports on reviews of 15 laws Proposed Modifications: No modification proposed for this activity.

Activity 5.2.2: Build capacity and provide technical assistance to elected representatives and officials Human rights in Nepal can only be strengthened if municipalities adopt human rights-based approaches and implement improved policies. To accomplish this, CS:MAP-HRS will review the assessment reports described under Activity 5.2.1, and design capacity-building events for elected representatives and officials in target municipalities. CS:MAP-HRS will organize events to strengthen the understanding and capacity of elected representatives and officials in five municipalities. The project will support at least 10 capacity- building events to expand the human rights understanding of mayors, deputy mayors, ward chairs and Executive Committee members, and officials working in municipalities. At least 25- 30 people will participate in each of these capacity-building events. CS:MAP-HRS will also provide ongoing TA/mentoring/coaching through national advocacy and local CSO partners to develop self-assessments for human right advocacy capacity, and checklists and guidelines for applying human rights-based approaches in policies and planning. In addition, CS:MAP-HRS will design a special capacity-building event for deputy mayors, judicial committee members and community mediators that cover the legal and technical knowledge required to understand the constitutional protections for human rights, including how to apply that knowledge while adjudicating the disputes. The project will support at least 10 events which are directly related to adjudicating cases and delivering justice through judicial committee functioning. CS:MAP-HRS will also provide support to five municipalities to adopt at least one set of human rights guidelines and standards which will provide a framework for adjudicating cases, implementing support programs, formulating budgets, and supporting regular functioning of the municipalities. Necessary technical assistance and other support will be provided to municipalities to support them in making the developed human rights guidelines functional. 113

Output of Activity 5.2.2: Twenty capacity-building events organized, number of participants at capacity-building events, TA and coaching visits conducted by national and local partners, development of human rights guidelines and standards Proposed Modifications:

There is no modification in the number of activities for building capacity and providing technical assistance to elected representatives, but the number of participants in the event and medium might change. The events will be conducted using the most suitable medium for a specific context, either virtually or in-person.

The annual target of the number of municipalities adopting human rights guidelines and standards has been reduced from 5 to 3 municipalities for FY 2020. Due to the priority and focus of the local governments in COVID-19 response, it has been difficult to coordinate regarding the development of the human rights guidelines. Adoption of the two guidelines already drafted will be coordinated with the palikas for its adoption. The development of the guidelines for the remaining three palikas will be initiated in Q4, and its adoption will be carried out in the first quarter of FY2021, if possible.

Modifications tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) Build 20 17 events 3 events 3 events 20 events capacity events (558 (Around 25 (Around (Around and (Around participant participants 25 500 provide 250 s) in each participa participan technical particip event) nts in ts in assistance ants in each total) to elected total) event) representa tives

No. of 5 - 5 3 3 2 municipal municip municipaliti municip municipal municipali ity alities es alities ities ties adopting human rights guidelines and standards

Activity 5.2.3: Build capacity of local CSOs and human rights defenders

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To strengthen civil society work to advance the protection and promotion of human rights, CS:MAP-HRS will build local capacity to improve human rights defenders’ understanding and advocacy skills. CS:MAP-HRS will organize capacity-building events including workshops, conferences, for human rights defenders engaged in target municipalities and districts to enhance their knowledge of constitutional rights, their ability to engage with local government to improve human rights protections and implement the NHRAP, and their capacity to advocate for human rights at the local government level. At least two of these events will be organized in each municipality for a total of 10 events, and at least 250 defenders actively working at the municipal and district levels will be trained for human rights advocacy. Similarly, CS:MAP-HRS will bring together GESI groups and groups from other marginalized communities—such as LGBTIQ, Dalit and Madhesi communities—and train them to engage with municipal government actors to advocate for their rights. At least 250 people from GESI groups and groups from other marginalized communities will be trained through 10 capacity building events in the five municipalities. CS:MAP-HRS staff will provide regular mentoring and coaching services to these human rights defenders on a regular basis to ensure effective human rights advocacy work. Additionally, to improve advocacy impact at the municipal level, CS:MAP-HRS will increase understanding of citizens’ rights and develop a “human rights culture” by engaging youth advocates. In collaboration with municipal officials, CS:MAP-HRS's local CSO partners will organize human rights education programs for secondary schools and colleges in the target municipalities. Human rights groups will be formed in participating academic institutions, and the groups will support youth advocates to educate their families and communities about human rights. At least 2500 (500 per municipality) students will learn about human rights principles and human rights-supporting behaviors. As a result, participants will help to sustain human rights advocacy beyond the life of the project. Output of Activity 5.2.3: Twenty capacity-building events held for human rights defenders, number of participants in capacity-building events, number of human rights groups formed, number of students educated about human rights principles Proposed Modifications:

The annual target for this activity has been revised to 14 from 20 as none of the capacity building training to human rights defenders were conducted in Q3. The capacity building training to human rights defender is usually a two-day training, and its transition to a virtual training was not possible immediately in Q3. Seven events will be conducted in Q4 using the most suitable medium available virtually or in-person at that time/context to conduct the training. The remaining 6 events is planned for FY 2021, if possible.

The annual target for the school-based program to train the youths and students on human rights standards has been revised to 2000 from 2,500 as the schools and colleges are planned to be opened in the last stage of easing the lockdown, and it will not be possible to conduct the school- based events. Two events in school conducted in March that was not reported in the Q2 due to data validation issues, will be however reported in Q3. As the reopening of the schools is still uncertain, appropriate measures and approaches, including virtual platform, will be utilized to conduct the training. Remaining number of students to be trained on human rights standards is planned for FY 2021.

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Modification tracking table:

Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Targets for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) Build 20 7 events 13 events 7 events 14 events 6 events capacity events (172 (Around (Around (Around of local (Around participant 25 350 150 CSOs and 500 s) participa participan participant human particip nts in ts in s in total) rights ants in each total) defenders total) event)

No. of At least 19 events 1,444 Around Around Around Around students 2,500 (1,056 students 75 870 2000 500 learned students students) students students students students about human rights principle

Activity 5.2.4: Facilitate peer learning among human rights advocates and elected representatives for human rights-friendly local governments CS:MAP-HRS will promote peer and cross-learning and sharing opportunities among human rights defenders, CSO representatives, elected representatives, members of judicial committee, and community mediators. The learning and sharing opportunities will be available in person as well as through virtual platforms and use of technologies. CS:MAP-HRS will facilitate collaboration among the stakeholders through these learning and sharing platforms which will provide opportunities for stakeholders to share resources to advance common causes. At least four in-person peer learning events will be organized among deputy mayors, elected representatives and members of Judicial Committees in five municipalities. Additionally, two learning summits will be organized among the stakeholders of five municipalities. At least two sharing meeting will be organized per municipality with elected representatives and officials of the municipalities and human rights defenders, CSO representatives, and community mediators. There will be approximately 25-30 participants at each event. Similarly, a social media platform will be created to facilitate interaction among different stakeholders, but priority will be given to deputy mayors, Judicial Committee members, and community mediators working in target municipalities. CS:MAP-HRS will encourage and provide necessary technical support to make this platform functional through local CSO partners. Output of Activity 5.2.4: Social media platform created, four peer learning and sharing events organized, four in-person peer learning sessions Proposed Modifications: 116

No modification has been proposed for this activity.

Activity 5.2.5: Formation and mobilization of violence watch group Women, children, Dalits and members of marginalized groups are more vulnerable to violence in CS:MAP-HRS target municipalities. Therefore, CS:MAP-HRS has designed a strategic approach to address violence against vulnerable groups. CS:MAP-HRS will form at least one violence watch group in each selected municipality. The violence watch group will be comprised of human rights defenders, teachers from local schools, social workers and political parties, particularly those who have a basic understanding of human rights and zeal to fight against violence. There will be at least 20-25 members in such groups. The members of the violence watch groups will receive theoretical training on fundamental human rights principles and legal provisions that apply to violence against individuals based on sex, caste, origins, etc. There will be at least three capacity-building events in each municipality with regular coaching and mentoring provided to the violence watch group members. The groups will be formed in Q2 FY 2020. The violence watch group will engage with communities to educate them and raise awareness against violence. The watch group will assist victims to seek justice through different mechanisms including municipal judicial committees. At least 10 victims will receive support to register their cases, allowing them to seek justice in each municipality. Violence watch groups will assess municipal patterns of violence and organize at least five events in at-risk communities in each municipality with technical and resource support from CS:MAP-HRS' implementing local partners. These events and support will take place from Q2-on. Output of Activity 5.2.5: Five violence watch groups formed, at least 50 individuals receiving assistance to register cases, 15 events organized in at-risk communities Proposed Modifications:

As of FY2020 Q2, targets of violence watch groups formation have been achieved. The annual target for their capacity building under this activity has been revised to 8 events from 15 events. The members of VWG are from marginalized populations, and except few do not have access to phones, internet, and have not been able to work during the lockdown. Also, the working palikas are in the 'red zone' with rapidly increasing cases. Further, these capacity building events are usually a two-day training event and will be difficult to achieve the same level of effectiveness through a virtual medium. As such, it will not be possible to conduct any training events for FY20. However, coaching and mentoring of the VWG members will be continued through different mediums as per need.

The target for the legal support has been revised to 25 as it was difficult to reach the survivors due to the lockdown, and it was difficult for the violence watch group to identify any violations as well. Further, as the working palikas are in the 'red zone', it will take time for the lockdown to ease in these areas. However, during a pandemic or a crisis, human rights violations will increase. So, it is important that the support given is continued, and 15 cases to be supported will be done in FY2021, if possible.

Modification tracking table:

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Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) Capacity 15 5 events 10 events - 3 Events 8 events 5 events building events (119 (Around (75 (Around (Around events of (Around members) 255 participa 200 125 violence 375 participants nts)- participan participant watch particip ) ts in s in total) groups ants in total) members total) Legal 50 cases 9 41 5 11 25 15 support

Activity 5.2.6: Enhance the capacity of community members to demand their rights Municipal development plans, budgets and processes clearly delineate local commitments to and protections for human rights, especially economic, social and cultural rights. Similarly, in order to demand their rights citizens require the knowledge and ability to engage with local government during planning processes. Therefore, CS:MAP-HRS will provide trainings to citizens to help them understand their rights, and the roles and responsibilities of citizens and local government to protect rights. Building citizen capacity in this way will improve collaboration between citizens and government, and improve the participation of marginalized communities in budget-making processes. Because members of vulnerable groups have not participated in planning and budget-making processes in previous years, most local governments have failed to allocate funds to protect the rights of children, women and marginalized groups. To address this gap, local CSOs will assess participation by members of marginalized groups during previous years and identify interventions to increase participation for future cycles. CS:MAP-HRS will then organize capacity-building events to address these gaps and build overall citizen capacity during Q2 FY 2020. Capacity-building events will provide information about human rights, including the particular rights of marginalized communities (e.g., Dalit, LGBTIQ, Muslim). At least 10 community-level capacity building events will be organized in each municipality with approximately 25-30 people per event. These events will focus on enhancing citizen capacity to understand their and demand their rights, and gain familiarity with the process for and importance of participating in the municipal planning process and engaging with their respective Ward Office and municipality for better service delivery. Local CSOs will assess changes in civic participation in local planning processes as compared to previous years. Output of Activity 5.2.6: Fifty citizen trainings delivered, around 1,250 participants in citizen trainings, assessment reports on civic participation in target municipalities Proposed Modifications:

The target for this activity has been revised to 34 from 50 for this work plan period. As these trainings are targeted to enhance the capacity of community people, especially from the 118 marginalized communities, it was not possible to conduct these training virtually during the lockdown. Targeted community members, except few, are found not having access to phones, internet, and have not been able to work during the lockdown. The events, in reduced number and targeting those with access to digital mediums, will be conducted using the most suitable medium available virtually or in-person at that time/context to conduct the training. Further, as the working palikas are in the 'red zone' with rapidly increasing infections, it will take time for the lockdown to ease and public life to return to normalcy in these areas. Considering this context, six more events are planned to be organized in FY 2021, resulting to 40 events in total compared to 50 events originally planned.

Modifications tracking table: Outputs Annual Progress as Remaining Revised targets for Revised Target for details targets of quarter targets till remaining quarters annual the FY with per 2 the last of the workplan targets of 2021 (to measurin existing (FY 2020 quarter of year this be g units work Q2) this FY FY workplan postponed per plan workplan 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 year from FY existing year (realized 2020) work plan target) Enhancin 50 27 events 23 events 2 events 5 events 34 events 6 events g capacity events (839 (Around (Around (Around of (Around participant 15 25 1,000 communit 1,250 s) participa participa participan y people particip nts in nts in ts in to ants in each each total) total) event) event) demand

their rights

Modifications Summary – Objective 5 List of activities List of List of List of List of new with reduced target activities being dropped/stopped/ activities with activities now; but will be dropped now discontinued reduced continued until next and will be activities targets year done next year

Activity 5.1.2 Activity 5.1.4 Activity 5.1.1.1 Activity 5.2.2 (some) (some) Activity 5.1.1.2 Activity 5.2.3 Activity 5.1.3 Activity 5.2.5 (some) (some) Activity 5.2.6

5. Incorporation of Cross-Cutting Interventions Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) CS:MAP will intensify its efforts to ensure GESI integration in interventions aimed at fostering a more legitimate, accountable, and resilient Nepali civil society that is capable of advancing public interests. To this end, CS:MAP will continue to analyze legal frameworks and policies 119 related to civil society and media using a GESI lens, and to undertake advocacy efforts to improve the legal and policy framework to reflect international standards and principles of gender equality and social inclusion. Simultaneously, CS:MAP will reinforce self-regulation and internal governance of CSOs and media to create an enabling environment that promotes the full participation of women and marginalized populations. In Year 5 CS:MAP will focus on promoting increased use of GESI resources developed under the project in previous years. This includes the GESI Minimum Standards for CSO-related laws and policies formulation and implementation, Handbook on GESI in Advocacy, Toolkit on GESI in Public Resource Use and Toolkit on GESI in Public Service Delivery, GESI Vision for the legal framework for CSO registration, operation and renewal and the Umbrella Act for National Mass Communication. In addition, CS:MAP will work to enhance stakeholder and public understanding of GESI and its principles, building CSO and media capacity to develop a standard GESI policy and achieving implementation of the guiding documents at both national and sub-national levels to promote GESI. In Year 5, CS:MAP will intensify its advocacy efforts at both the national and sub-national levels. At the national level, CS:MAP will continue advocating to integrate GESI as a means of strengthening the enabling environment for civil society and media. CS:MAP will continue reviewing the legal framework for CSOs and media with from a GESI perspective to ensure GESI-friendly legal frameworks that will enforce GESI considerations at all stages - registration, operation, and renewal. For instance, if as expected the laws related to CSO Registration, Renewal and Operation and National Mass Communication are tabled for discussion in Parliament then CS:MAP will review the bills to identify gaps, anomalies or ambiguities within the legal and policy instruments from a GESI standpoint. Gaps identified during the review will be discussed with CS:MAP’s “strengthening enabling environment” partners, including both the CSO and media coalitions and with policymakers. CS:MAP will hand over GESI recommendations for civil society and media-friendly laws, based on the GESI Vision for the legal framework for CSOs Registration, Operation and Renewal and the Umbrella Act for National Mass Communication, to concerned ministries, parliamentarians and parliamentary committees. In addition, CS:MAP will hold policy dialogues with parliamentarians focused on bills related to CSOs’ Registration, Renewal and Operation and National Mass Communication separately. To ensure integration of GESI in the project’s advocacy efforts at the sub-national level, CS:MAP will identify systematic ways to mainstream GESI in all advocacy efforts. CS:MAP will strengthen local CSOs’ knowledge of gender-responsive budgeting to ensure effective public oversight and advocate for sufficient allocation and equitable distribution and use of public resources for gender impacts. Simultaneously, CS:MAP will equip local governments with essential knowledge and skills to implement gender-responsive budgeting to address gaps between their GESI commitments and resource allocations. CS:MAP will work closely with sub- national CSO partners to ensure that GESI principles are strongly incorporated into all activities, including LDAG mobilization, CAG operations, CA and Sajhedari Manch meetings, and various project trainings. Prior recommendations from the CSOs’ GESI audits and resulting action plans emphasized the absence or insufficiency of GESI policies, which was addressed through intensive coaching mentoring to develop tailor-made GESI policies and action plans for each CSO. Another round of GESI mentoring visits has been postponed to the next year so that the resources including the Handbook on GESI in Advocacy, public resource use and service delivery can be disseminated with accompanying discussion on how to use a GESI lens in advocacy in addition to mainstreaming GESI within the organizations. 120

Similarly, CS:MAP disseminated the Checklist for GESI in Policy Analysis (GESI Minimum Standards for CSO-related law and policy formulation and implementation) to parliamentarians, committee members, influencers in the process of formulating new laws/policies and all 753 local units. The checklist is based on the Constitution and several international frameworks, including Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and is designed to assess laws and policies from a GESI perspective. The checklist analyzes the objectives, content, development process, and implementation approach of any given law or policy. The project will continue to follow up on how all 753 local units are using the checklist with the use of Google forms for feedback. Based on the online feedback, CS:MAP national advocacy partners Samjhauta Nepal and Media Advocacy Group (MAG) will provide recommendations to the national coalitions for integrating GESI in the policy-making process. A consolidated report will be prepared during this year. In addition, a workshop on using the GESI Checklist while formulating local laws and policies will be organized for elected representatives in select project districts. The workshop aims to equip elected representatives from the select districts with knowledge for using the GESI checklist to develop GESI-responsive laws and policies. In addition, the GESI Checklist will also be handed over to the Urban and Rural Municipality Association including the members and district chapters of NFN and INSEC. Samjhauta Nepal/MAG will observe the 16 Days of Activism Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence by organizing events aligned with the #Ma Bolchhu theme: “I will speak up,” which calls on communities to think, act and be gender-inclusive by promoting collective action and shared responsibility. The event will offer women and other excluded groups an opportunity to speak up against inequality and exclusion, voice their concerns, and make demands for equality and inclusion. The campaign will be promoted through national media and social media. In Year 4, Samjhauta Nepal and MAG conducted evidence-based research that resulted in successful case studies within CSOs and media where GESI incorporation impacted overall performance. During the research, it was found that most of the CSOs did not have GESI policies in their organization; where policies existed, they required updating, and researchers identified implementation gaps. In order to improve self-regulation and internal governance of CSOs and media, CS:MAP partners Samjhauta Nepal and MAG organized capacity enhancement training workshops for media and CSO leaders for the development of GESI policies in coordination with NFN and FNJ. Following the training, the project anticipated that participating organizations would update or develop their GESI policies along with implementation plans. In Year 5, Samjhauta Nepal/MAG will follow up with the organizations to assess the status of GESI policies and their implementation. The Sajha Boli and SSMK radio programs will continue to focus on and raise issues related to women and marginalized, differently abled and underrepresented groups to promote their participation in policy advocacy and reform and to ensure they have better access to public services. As in Year 4, radio episodes will continue to cover topics related to the participation of women, differently-abled and marginalized groups in the local-level planning process, gender- responsive budget development and women’s empowerment, and planning and development of services for differently-abled people, with messages reinforced through PSAs. To ensure wider reach and listenership among audiences from diverse backgrounds, the production of media content in multiple languages and dialects such as Nepali, Magar, Newari, Awadhi, Tamang, Sherpa, Tharu, and Doteli will continue. The radio production teams at both the central and sub- national levels will ensure that the issues and voices of female and marginalized groups are increasingly included within content. Additionally, CRs will be mentored and encouraged to 121 continue to identify and document issues of marginalized groups and to make efforts to reach out for more information. These will be disseminated for public consumption through audio interviews in the radio programs and through photographs at public service delivery exhibits. GESI disaggregation of CAG and LDAG meetings, IVR callers, and ICT users in the past reveals a steady improvement, both in terms of participation as well as from inclusion of issues within agenda and content. CS:MAP will continue efforts to ensure meaningful participation of marginalized groups, especially at CAG meetings and outdoor production forums. While efforts to make these structures more inclusive will be prioritized, the project will also ensure that discussion forums, such as LDAG meetings, and the MeroReport, IVR, and social media platforms, remain receptive and respectful towards the voices and concerns of women, differently-abled people and marginalized groups. CS:MAP will ensure that LDAG facilitators; moderators of the MeroReport, IVR, and social media platforms; and training facilitators remain aware of the importance of GESI principles. Additionally, CARs will be mentored and encouraged to carry out research to reveal evidence for advocacy that will support access to public service for women and marginalized groups. Youth Engagement In order to increase youth involvement in SA initiatives, youth engagement will continue to be promoted through SSMK episodes and campaigns calling for youth participation in public service oversight. Numerous examples from Year 4 suggest that information, interactivity, and dialogue encourage youth to take collective actions to conduct oversight of public resource use and service delivery. As a result, in Year 5 CS:MAP will prioritize youth-focused radio episodes, campaigns, training, and exposure/study visits to encourage youth to first ask questions, and then to act. While both Sajha Boli and SSMK radio programs will continue to prioritize youth issues, innovative approaches such as call-in radio segments, live broadcasts from social media platforms, field/community-based media production, LDAG of the month competitions, promotion of youth-icons, and weekly discussions on MeroReport will be continued. CS:MAP will encourage and ensure that CSO partners promote the participation of youth, including LDAG members, at different civic forums and interactions. Moreover, the LDAGs will be encouraged to target youth-related issues within their advocacy campaigns. In Year 5, the project will continue to promote the strategic participation of LDAGs in the SMS My Voice campaign and other youth-targeted campaigns to encourage youth-led actions aimed at improving sub-national public resource use and service delivery. In addition, all CS:MAP campaigns, including Ma Bolchhu, Ma Khaandina and RTI campaigns, will have a specific focus on youth engagement to ensure that youth are more active on issues of local governance and in seeking public accountability. Twelve episodes of SSMK will be produced in Year 5. As a result of these episodes, it is expected that at least 300 youth will interact with CS:MAP via IVR and VOY messages to share their opinions and experiences using SA tools for improving transparency, accountability, and participation. The messages will be analyzed by the EAI team and the queries will be addressed in future radio episodes. Two SMS My Voice campaigns will be conducted, engaging citizens through an IVR platform to identify citizens’ priorities. Issues raised by citizens will lead to discussions with concerned stakeholders within the central and local versions of Sajha Boli and through SSMK episodes. Each campaign will gather at least 600 responses from youth and other audiences, totaling 1,200 122 messages received via IVR, social media, or through the MeroReport platform. Illustrative areas of focus for the campaign include: calling youth to actively participate in the LLPP and its implementation; anti-corruption; promoting an RTI drive among young people; conveying the priorities of women and girls (and the challenges and barriers that hamper women’s access to public services) to representatives at the national, provincial, and local levels; conveying the priorities of people with disabilities (and the challenges and barriers that hamper their access to public service) to the government at all levels. The CRs of CS:MAP, all youth, have been trained to identify and capture high-quality photographs of public service delivery, highlighting the service gaps that affect the daily lives of women and other traditionally marginalized groups, prompting local authorities to action, and raising awareness about service delivery issues through photography. CS:MAP will organize an exhibition of the photos captured by the trained CRs as in the past year. Additionally, CS:MAP will organize one three-day training event on public interest reporting for the 34 CRs, thereby increasing youth capacity for reporting effectively on issues of public interest. Twenty-five LDAG facilitators (all youth) will be trained on group facilitation skills along with SA tools; an additional 30 facilitators (all youth) will be trained on the utilization of SA tools for advocacy and oversight; leading to increased youth engagement in public policy advocacy and public service oversight. Use of Information, Communication, and Mobile Technologies With the objective of encouraging more youth participation in advocacy and public service oversight, CS:MAP will continue extensive promotion of ICT tools and platforms such as IVR, MeroReport, and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. There has been a significant increase in listeners’ participation in the IVR system of Sajha Boli, and MeroReport has also witnessed a gradual increase in participants accompanied by a significant increase in the number of blogposts to the platform. EAI will continue to ensure that this increase in participation in IVR, MeroReport, and other social media platforms is sustained. Significantly, an overwhelming majority of MeroReport users are youth and over 40 percent of blog posts have been made by female contributors. In Year 5, the target for MeroReport will be to ensure that it is accessed over 10,000 times per quarter by its users. Monitoring and reporting on cross-cutting issues will be done on MeroReport through 1,000 blog posts on CS:MAP thematic issues, 100 blog posts on youth and social accountability issues, and 11 interactive groups that partake in sharing and possible interactions. MeroReport will allow issue-based and sectorial groups of CS:MAP partners, other civil society actors, journalists, and the general public to share advocacy and oversight experiences and results, which will be communicated through videos and messages for broad mobilization. MeroReport will feature, monitor and initiate interactions, group discussions, and dialogue among youth, women, media, and CSOs. Focusing on cross-sectoral oversight of public resource use and service delivery. In its current form, the portal features a home page and other tabs labeled About Us, Blog, Multimedia, Resources, Members, Nepali Blogs, My Page, Discussions, Groups, and Report. It provides links to CS:MAP’s Sajha Boli radio episodes, a snap-poll section, featured blogs, a discussion forum, and linked to its Facebook and Twitter pages. Various CS:MAP-led coalitions, networks, and groups, including HEAD networks, CAs, CR groups, CAR groups, and LDAG facilitator groups will have dedicated threads or pages on MeroReport to facilitate intra- and inter-group discussions.

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Local CSOs will begin using ICTs in governance oversight. One hundred research activities conducted in 34 program districts using evidence-based research will feed into public policy advocacy. To improve CSO and media capacity to conduct participatory and evidence-based research with the use of ICT, at least 25 blog posts and articles on HEAD thematic areas, highlighting issues and policy gaps from CS:MAP districts, will be published on the MeroReport platform, as part of the evidence-based advocacy done by the CS:MAP partners and trained individuals as a means of sharing and learning among concerned stakeholders. CS:MAP will also improve the capacity of citizens to use ICT tools such as Sajha Sabha apps for information sharing, accessing information and filing complaints with local governments on public service delivery. In addition, the number of citizens sharing feedback and filing grievances on public services by using Sajha Sabha apps will increase. CSOs will continue to make use of Sajha Sabha apps by uploading (new) local problems/issues on the app and will use the Sajha Sabha application to reach a wider audience, both within and beyond CS:MAP. CSOs and citizens at large will use Sajha Sabha apps in project districts and the number of grievances and feedback shared to local governments on public service delivery will increase. Other local governments in the district will also replicate Sajha Sabha because of its effectiveness as a handy ICT tool. To encourage youth to engage in ICT and mobile technologies, EAI will organize two SMS My Voice campaigns targeting issues related to specific priority areas and sectorial issues of CS:MAP as identified by citizens through IVR, MeroReport and social media platforms such as Sajha Boli, SSMK and Ma Khaadina Facebook pages. Participants will be encouraged to use the IVR platform to voice their opinions and concerns, and such opinions and concerns will be analyzed and disseminated through radio programming and project Facebook pages. At least 1,200 messages will be received from youth through IVR and Facebook for processing and use. Such campaigns will focus primarily on calling youth to stand against corruption; promoting an RTI drive among young people; elevating the voice of women and girls and highlighting the challenges and barriers that hamper women’s access to public services for elected representatives at the local levels; and elevating the voice of people with disabilities and highlighting the challenges and barriers that hamper their access to public service at the local level. CS:MAP will conduct 10 ICT4D workshops for around 200 local youth, youth group members, CSOs representatives and journalists. The workshops will focus on how to use and search the government and other stakeholder websites for public policy and public oversight (including RTI and SA tools) knowledge and information, and on how to use and mobilize social media as a digital advocacy tool to lobby for local concerns and issues. Through these workshops, CS: MAP will promote the MeroReport as a hub for information sharing, archiving and cross-sectoral dialogue among youth. 6. Coordination and Collaboration Coordination and Collaboration with GON The CS:MAP team will meet with the chairpersons and members of relevant parliamentary committees, as well as officials from relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs; MOFAGA; Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; and Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens. CS:MAP will also meet with the Nepal Law Commission and the National Information Commission to continue to promote CS:MAP activities and engage the GON champions in its interventions. CS:MAP will also work with the NHRC and Office of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet of Ministers along

124 with other commission as mandated by the Constitution. At the provincial level, CS:MAP will engage with the provincial legislators through its national advocacy partners such as NFN, FNJ and INSEC. NFN, FNJ and INSEC have provincial chapters that will receive support for linking national advocacy to the sub-national level. At the local level, CS:MAP partners will work in coordination with local elected representatives and government officials to identify issues and work for solutions for better service delivery and use of public resources. In addition, structures such as CAs, Sajhedari Manch and HEAD coalitions will serve as coordination and collaboration platforms at the local level. Coordination and Collaboration with USAID and other donor-funded projects- Hamro Samman Project: CS:MAP will share its customized organizational capacity assessment toolkit and advocacy readiness toolkit with USAID’s Hamro Samman Project for their reference and use in consultation with FHI 360. It will collaborate with the Hamro Samman Project networks, where possible, for citizen-government engagement at the local level. It will also link the CS:MAP reporters trained in investigative journalism with the Hamro Samman team to make them aware of human trafficking issues. Sajhedari- Support to Federalism Project: CS:MAP will also share its tools and resources with the Sajhedari- Support to Federalism Project of USAID to promote governance at the local level. It will share information on civic-government partnership forums supported by CS:MAP at the municipal level and local level, to avoid duplication and foster collaboration where the two projects overlap. CS:MAP will share its resource book on OGP, the civic engagement handbook developed in collaboration with MOFAGA and also the details of OLGDS and Sajha Sabha application with the Sajhedari Project. CS:MAP and Sajhedari will coordinate and collaborate in budget advocacy, orienting local government and citizens on the local-level planning process and oversight. CS:MAP will also share its customized capacity-building tools, such as OCA, ARI, GGB, GESI assessment toolkit, GESI in advocacy and policy-making handbooks, etc. to Sajhedari Project for their reference and use in consultation with FHI 360. Public Financial Management Strengthening Project (PFMSP): CS:MAP will use the expertise of USAID’s Public Financial Management Strengthening Project (PFMSP) to improve civil society leaders’ understanding of good budget practices for improving financial transparency of local governments. Please refer to Activity 2.1.2 for details on collaboration with PFMSP. Niti Sambad Project: CS:MAP will provide support to USAID’s Niti Sambad Project to improve collaboration among civil society, political parties, and elected representatives on the principles of OGP, electoral reforms and governance. CS:MAP and Niti Sambad will collectively advocate for advancing the principles of OGP and also work to lobby the GON to join OGP. CS:MAP will share the resource books on civic engagement and OGP with Niti Sambad. It will also provide technical support in orienting the stakeholders under Niti Sambad Project on OGP, civic engagement and social accountability tools and mechanisms. Please refer to Activity 1.1.4 for other details. Conduct Monthly/Quarterly meetings To monitor the activities planned in the Year 5 Work Plan (FY 2020) and draw lessons learned from past activities, CS:MAP will hold monthly and quarterly review and reflection meetings with its national advocacy partners and ISO partners. For the local CSOs, the monthly and quarterly review and reflection meetings will be organized internally and/or in the working

125 districts and CS:MAP team members will participate in these meetings whenever possible. This will allow CS:MAP and partners to make necessary changes during the work plan period. • Monthly - at the district level where all CSOs/coalition come together and review and reflect on project work and progress • Quarterly – CS:MAP partners and CS:MAP team bilateral-review and reflections on the planned activities’ implementation and progress Conduct bi-annual review/reflection workshops To remain responsive and adaptive to the complex and evolving context in Nepal, CS:MAP will conduct a formative, continuous cycle of action and reflection that ensures stakeholder engagement, data utilization, and continuous project improvement. To do so, the CS:MAP staff and partners will conduct bi-annual review and reflection or learning workshops with key project personnel and selected partners. Conduct bi-annual interaction and sharing meeting on financial management CS:MAP will conduct bi-annual interaction and sharing meetings with all its partners for effective financial management. Each of these meetings will take place over two days and will be held in clusters, one in Kathmandu and the other in a venue easily accessible for the partners in the CDCS districts. Monthly meeting with USAID AOR/AAOR and Activity Manager To keep USAID abreast of programmatic progress, the CS:MAP team will hold separate meetings with the USAID AOR/AAOR and Activity Manager on a monthly basis and engage the AOR and/or AAOR and also Activity Manager in preparing quarterly reports. Monthly bulletin of CS:MAP CS:MAP will produce a monthly bulletin capturing key achievements and stories of 22 national and local partners, 39 radio partners, two international partners and other relevant stakeholders under CS:MAP. This will be used as a peer-learning document, shared with all the partners through email. 7. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan CS:MAP has a robust Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) system that is guided by FHI 360’s monitoring and evaluation strategies and principles (e.g., transparency, accountability, participation). It provides feedback to the project implementers about project outcomes and progress made during the course of project implementation. It is an integral part of the project that serves to establish and strengthen linkages between effective program implementation and achievement of results, while making CS:MAP information available for its stakeholders in a timely and reliable manner. Since the beginning, CS:MAP has established a strong monitoring system for all activities using multiple tools that include periodic progress review and reflection meetings, field visits, surveys, on-site technical backstopping, and orientation sessions provided to the CSO partners. The orientations provide information about the CS:MAP database management system and how it is linked to partner activities and indicators. CS:MAP has also continued producing a monthly newsletter - a peer-learning document for distribution to partners, USAID/Nepal, and other relevant stakeholders. In FY 2020, CS:MAP will continue relevant activities to maintain a strong monitoring system for effective program implementation and capture learning for further improvements. 126

More specifically, CS:MAP will undertake the following MEL activities during this Work Plan period: Capacity building activity related to MEL and CS:MAP Database Management System: The CS:MAP M&E team will hold regular orientation sessions for partners to reinforce a mutual understanding of key CS:MAP MEL concepts, and to enhance and build partner expertise on the database management system. During this Work Plan period, the CS:MAP M&E team will conduct MEL orientation sessions for the partners through multiple approaches, such as one-on- one meetings, field visits and bundling sessions with other events. This will help the partners understand the reporting timeframe and alignment of activities with the project goal, and will expand partner technical capacity to manage the database and update it periodically. Conduct periodic field visits for data monitoring and field verification: The CS:MAP M&E team will also lead periodic field visits for data monitoring and data verification to ensure quality of data reported through the CS:MAP database management system. These visits will allow the team to compare reported data with records and documents onsite in partner offices. This activity will be bundled with other regular and relevant field visits. Conduct Data Quality Assurance (DQA) of CS:MAP partners: CS:MAP highly believes in the importance of quality data to track project progress and outcomes. CS:MAP uses multiple approaches for quality data recording and reporting, stressing proper documentation and periodic field verification of the data reported in its database management system. In addition, CS:MAP will follow the standard checklist and procedures to conduct Data Quality Assurance (DQA) of its partners periodically. The DQA will assess five aspects of data quality (validity, reliability, timeliness, precision, and integrity) and document the findings. The CS:MAP M&E team will conduct at least one DQA every six months. Given different reporting mechanisms used by CS:MAP partners depending on their activities, the M&E team has customized a DQA checklist that assesses each of the five aspects of data quality in each activity that generates data. This team also ensures data quality by preparing standard recording and reporting guidelines and providing orientation and coaching to the staff involved in data collection. Conduct Monthly/Quarterly review and reflections: As noted above, CS:MAP will continue holding monthly and quarterly review and reflection meetings with its national advocacy partners and ISO partners. For the local CSOs, the monthly and quarterly review and reflection meetings will be organized internally and CS:MAP team members will participate in these meetings whenever possible. Further, to keep USAID abreast of programmatic progress, the CS:MAP team will hold separate meetings with the USAID AOR and/or AAOR on a monthly basis. Conduct bi-annual summit and review reflection workshops: To improve coordination among CS:MAP national advocacy partners, national coalition leads, local-level CSO partners and HEAD coalition/network members, CS:MAP will conduct two bi- annual summits. These bi-annual summits will strengthen collaboration, integration, and learning among partners and across activities by improving both vertical and horizontal linkages. They will contribute to coordination on national-level issues that impact the sub-national level, and sub-national level issues that require the attention of and advocacy from national-level 127 authorities. Such events will also forge a joint commitment/declaration based on effective practices, lessons learned, and challenges in implementing key recommendations of the midterm evaluation and explore the possibility for replicating effective practices by seeking a common agenda for local and national advocacy. Further, to remain responsive and adaptive to the complex and evolving context in Nepal, CS:MAP will conduct a formative, continuous cycle of action and reflection that ensures stakeholder engagement, data utilization, and continuous project improvement. To do so, the CS:MAP staff and partners will conduct bi-annual review/reflection or learning workshops with key project personnel and selected partners. Such events will be bundled with the bi-annual summits. Facilitate peer learning among partner CSOs and media organizations: CS:MAP will continue facilitating peer learning practices among partner CSOs and media organization more explicitly through MeroReport, Facebook groups, bi-annual summits and review and reflection workshops, CS:MAP monthly calendars, and monthly newsletters. Since November 2017 (FY 2018), CS:MAP had started producing monthly newsletter with an aim to provide a platform for all partners to share their work, both internally among other CS:MAP partners and also among external stakeholders, and to highlight some key activities, events and achievements from preceding months. CS:MAP will continue to produce a monthly bulletin capturing key achievements and stories of 26 national and local partners, 40 radio partners, two international partners and other relevant stakeholders under CS:MAP. This will be used as a peer-learning document, shared with all the partners through email list-serve. Further, CS:MAP will conduct cross-peer-learning visits with partner CSOs to share experiences among all CS:MAP partners working at the sub-national level. These peer-learning visits will highlight effective practices of host CSOs related to advocacy, citizen-government engagement and institutional governance initiatives that could be replicated in other districts. For these visits, CS:MAP will provide support to ISO partners to identify three CSOs that perform well in the areas of advocacy, citizen-government engagement, and institutional governance. A professional video documentary of peer learning processes and discussions will be made for further reference; and after the visit, each team will prepare a summary report detailing their expectations, observations and major learning as takeaways. ISO partners will lead the thematic visits and ensure the agreed-upon process of peer learning and documentation. Conduct annual organizational capacity assessments with partner organizations: The CS:MAP capacity building team will work with the designated organizational capacity building ISOs to facilitate Organizational Capacity Assessments (OCAs) to measure progress against the baselines set in Year 2. Based on the assessment results, CS:MAP and ISOs will work with CSOs to prioritize capacity development areas for the following year. OCAs will result in organizational profiles with quantitative measures for each of the grantee to calculate a composite value for each capacity area of the OCA. The assessment tool evaluates seven main capacity areas: governance, administration, human resource management, financial management, organizational management, program management and external relations. GESI is incorporated throughout all capacity areas. Based on the assessment results, CS:MAP and ISOs will also work with CSOs to prioritize capacity development areas and develop Institutional Improvement Plans (IIPs). The results will also be incorporated into the development of the grantees’ M&E and Work Plans. OCAs will be repeated annually to track progress and adjust IIPs as needed. Use of remote monitoring mechanism 128

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent government lockdown and other restrictions, the project activities are increasingly being conducted through virtual platform. To maintain an abreast database management and documents repository system, CS:MAP has redefined the documentation measures for all events hosted in virtual platforms. All partners will be trained in the redefined documentation measures. Further, continuing to build the capacity of CS:MAP M&E as well as program team, regular orientation as well as coaching and mentoring will be held using the virtual platform.

8. Deliverables During this Work Plan period, the following programmatic deliverables will be submitted to USAID for review and approval: Deliverables Due Date Annual Report # 4 (October 1, 2018 - September 30, 2019) October 28, 2019 FY20 Quarterly Progress Report #1 (October - December 2019) January 31, 2020 FY20 Quarterly Progress Report # 2 (January - March 2020) April 30, 2020 FY20 Quarterly Progress Report # 4 (April - June 2020) July 30, 2020 Annual Work Plan # 6 (October 1, 2020 – April 3, 2021) August 31, 2020

9. Travel Plan Traveler # of Trips Origin-Destination Purpose Legal Advisor, ICNL 4 Washington, DC – Coaching sessions with partners and Kathmandu, Nepal other TA as needed Program Director, or 1 Washington DC – Program management support, Program Manager, Kathmandu, Nepal oversight, quality control, technical Equal Access assistance International

10. Activity Summary Matrix Please refer to Annex 1 for Activity Summary Matrix.

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