Strengthening Civic Participation
Throughout the Horn of Africa, independent civil society organizations are facing challenging oppressive working environments and restricted civic space. Civil society organizations are faced with the inherent challenges of operating in one of the world’s most politically volatile regions, beset by war, massive human rights violations and the prospect of famine. They are also increasingly viewed with suspicion by their own governments. Hence, Civil society organizations face restrictive legal environments that encumber processes of registration and re-registration with onerous requirements and long delays and allow for excessive government intrusion into organizational matters. In 2017, the Horn of Africa Civil Society Forum (HoACSF) was established as a regional network of civil society organizations to monitor the shrinking civic space in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda. Al-Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (KACE), a Sudanese based organization, initiated and continues to act as the secretariat for the Forum which brought together over 70 CSOs and individuals from the ten countries mentioned above. to challenge the shrinking space for civil society and to support organizations to fulfil their vital role in society.
The project was started on March 1st, 2023, and completed by April 30th, 2024
70 CSOs and individuals from the ten countries . Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Somaliland, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda se the website here: https://hoacsf.org/
Responsible Individuals
Ahmed Elzobier, Doreen, Albaqir