ENCISS forum unites the voice of civil society in Sierra Leone
Representatives from more than 100 civil society organisations will gather in Freetown to unite in a call to the government of Sierra Leone. The Civil Society Forum event has a theme of Enhancing partnership and inclusion: a path to accountable governance in Sierra Leone and will be held at the British Council, Tower Hill on Tuesday 24 April 2012.
The forum is the culmination of a series of five policy consultation events held over the past ten months. These events focused on issues of gender equality, decentralisation, justice and security, youth, and the 2012 elections.
The forum provides an opportunity for the participants to review the findings from these events and to identify the priority issues and recommendations that they want to communicate to the government of Sierra Leone. At the forum, the participants will work together to issue a joint statement outlining the priorities that they have identified.
Speaking ahead of the event, Christiana Baun, a civil society representative said “This event will mark a turning point in the history of civil society in Sierra Leone because it is going to usher in a new way of doing things for the betterment of citizens in Sierra Leone”.
Jeanne Kamara, Christian Aid Sierra Leone representative added “The forum and the consultations have captured the passion and views of civil society in Sierra Leone on a wide range of critical issues. This has been a highly participative approach and we hope that the government will listen and act on the recommendations of civil society organisations.”
Joining with the civil society organisations at the forum will be representatives from the state including the Hon. Minister of Local Government, the Hon. Minister of Social Welfare, the Clerk to the Parliament and the Chief of Staff of the Office of the President, as well as representatives from the UK Department for International Development and the European Union.
ENCISS seeks to strengthen the relationship between state and non-state actors to promote pro-poor policies in Sierra Leone. The goal of ENCISS is to improve accountability and to strengthen citizens’ voice, participation in decision making and access to information. The vision is to see an active and engaged civil society capable of articulating citizens’ demands, and an effective state that is responsive and accountable to its citizens.
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