The CSO Cluster on Decentralisation and Citizen’s Participation – a community of Civil Society Organizations in Ghana has called on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to lay the Affirmative Action Bill (Gender Equality Law) before Parliament.
A press statement released by the group opined that:
“The passage of the Affirmative Action Bill will accelerate Ghana’s efforts at meeting Sustainable Development Goal 5 target of Gender Parity in decision making by 2030 and the African Union Gender Agenda of 50-50 representation of both men and women in decision making.”
The group as part of its series of advocacy actions is embarking on a walk through the principal streets of Accra and Tamale on Friday, 30th of August 2019 and Saturday 7th September 2019 in Accra and Tamale respectively, to demand prompt action from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection on the laying of the Affirmative Action Bill (Gender Equality Law) before Parliament.
The CSO Cluster on Decentralisation and Citizen’s Participation is a community of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working around Good Governance, Decentralisation and Citizens’ Participation in Ghana with a common goal to promote active citizenship at national and sub-national levels.
The cluster, supported by Ghana Foundation, stems from the Foundation’s learning vision to strengthen and encourage learning, internally in STAR Ghana and externally amongst civil society organizations and across diverse stakeholders in Ghana; and more particularly to contribute to the Foundation’s commitment to enhance Gender Equality and Social Inclusion as a central dimension of transformational change in Ghana.
Join the walk on Friday, 30th August 2019 at Time: 7:30 am prompt. Converging Point: Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle. Route: from Nkrumah Circle through Kwame Nkrumah Avenue, Makola Market, Rawlings Park, High Street to submit petitions to Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection then to Parliament House and finally to the Presidency.
Dress Code: Red
Related projects
STAR Ghana Foundation supports maiden National Conference of Youth Parliaments in Ghana
STAR Ghana Foundation in collaboration with the Parliament of Ghana, the National Youth Authority of Ghana and the Youth Empowerment for Life (YEfL), together with other partners has organized a maiden National Conference of Youth Parliaments in Ghana. Under the office of the 1st Deputy Speaker and mandated by the Speaker of Parliament, the event was held in the Eastern regional capital of Koforidua from Friday 16th to 17th of August 2019 with technical support from the Parliament of Ghana.
The purpose of the event was to build consensus among the youth and other stakeholders on a consolidated framework and mechanism for coordinating a proposed National Youth Parliament. The event also sought to strengthen coordination and alliances among and between youth groups and the National Youth Authority as well as the Parliament of Ghana.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA) - Emmanuel Asigri, in his welcome address expressed the willingness of the NYA to support the National Youth Parliament initiative “… assure you of the commitment of the National Youth Authority to a well-established National Youth Parliament that will stand the test of time.” he said.
Ebenezer Djietror – Head of Table Office, Parliament of Ghana, speaking on behalf of the Acting Clerk to the Parliament of Ghana endorsed the concept of a national youth parliament and pledged the support of Parliament to same
“Permit me to indicate that: the Leadership of Parliament, the Speaker of Parliament, Parliamentary Service, the Clark and the Staff are all in support of the programme and we pledge not just our moral support but our technical support and any other support that we can lend to help build our youth...”
Speaking at the event, Teiko Sabah, Acting Programmes and Policy Director of STAR Ghana Foundation, shared the rationale behind the Foundation’s support to the Programme by indicating that:
“STAR Ghana’s interest in all aspects of the youth is based on our (STAR Ghana) approach of ensuring that gender equality and social inclusion is at the heart of our work. We believe that social exclusion as a multi-faceted reality is based on an interplay of force fields, and that by consciously and strategically addressing the roots of social exclusion, our nation Ghana will achieve its developmental aims, including greater gender equality for all Ghanaians."
Teiko further indicated that the conference was the beginning of a new phase of creating synergies, relationships, linkages among all stakeholder who have implemented the youth parliament or student parliament concept in one way or the other. She urged participants to participate fully and contribute to the attainment of the objectives of the event.
“What was the underlying rationale for our individual initiatives? How did we implement it? What lessons we have learned and how do we take the process forward in a beyond aid context? “ She quizzed.
Hon. Joseph Osei Owusu – First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, in his keynote address urged participants at the conference to as part of their considerations, deliberate on how to provide alternatives to the election of the leadership of the youth parliament and pledged the support of the speaker and the entire Parliament to the Youth parliament initiative. In concluding, he commended STAR Ghana Foundation, the National Youth Authority and other collaborating partners for championing the event:
“I cannot end my address without thanking the NYA, the STAR Ghana Foundation and other resource persons, organizers of this conference and all other collaborators who have contributed in diverse ways to make this maiden conference of youth parliaments possible.”
In the March 2019, STAR Ghana Foundation grant partners namely: The National Youth Authority and Youth Empowerment for Life (YEFL) among others paid a working visit to the leadership of Parliament and key Committees of the house in support of Affirmative Action - Right to Information and the passage of the requisite Legislative Instrument to back the National Youth Authority Act. Another key request to Parliament by the visiting youth parliamentarians was the need for Parliament to support the youth through mentorship to establish a national Youth Parliament.
The Youth parliament concept is an initiative by the National Youth Authority (NYA) to provide a single formalized youth structure at the district, regional and national levels for the youth to deliberate on matters of importance to youth development and hold duty bearers accountable.
STAR Ghana Foundation Opens Call for Proposals - Election 2020
Introduction
STAR Ghana Foundation is a national centre for active citizenship and philanthropy. It works to strengthen civil society and enable citizens to engage with the state to ensure accountable, transparent and responsive governance at all levels of governance. STAR Ghana Foundation builds on the successful STAR-Ghana programme, a multi-donor funded (DFID, EU and DANIDA) voice and accountability support initiative established in 2010.
With funding from DFID and the European Union, STAR Ghana Foundation is seeking to support a range of citizens’ actions and initiatives towards achieving credible, peaceful and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections in 2020 and a smooth transition subsequently.
The Foundation is consequently issuing a Call for Proposals from interested and eligible organisations, including NGOs, CSO coalitions and alliances, citizen groups, media organisations and coalitions, faith-based organisations, academic institutions, private sector/business associations and community-based organisations to achieve these objectives.
The Elections 2020 Call and Key issues
The Overall Aim of the Elections 2020 Call is: to increase the effectiveness of citizens’ actions for credible, peaceful and inclusive presidential and parliamentary elections. The focus will be on supporting joined up citizens’ actions, at all levels of governance, including innovative alliances and collaborations between different sections of civil society to achieve traction and results across the elections value chain.
Expected Outputs:
Citizens mobilised at local and national levels and engaging effectively with relevant stakeholders towards addressing the issues of vigilantism and other election-related conflicts;
Increased responsiveness of Election Management Bodies (EMBs) to the issues, needs and concerns of excluded social groups (, particularly persons with disability, women, young people and hard-to-reach communities) around their effective participation in all stages of the elections ‘value chain’.
Increased capacity of citizens’ groups to influence political parties and presidential and parliamentary candidates around issues of inclusive and sustainable development.
Key Issues to note
Proposals should focus on any one, or combination, of the three issues indicated below.
- Proposals seeking to address any issues outside of these three will be rejected.
- Addressing vigilantism and election-related conflicts
- Inclusion and active participation of GESI-groups in all stages of the elections (value-chain)
- Influencing manifestos at constituency and national levels, including debates.
- Proposals focusing on issues a. and c. above must in addition demonstrate how issues of gender and social inclusion will be mainstreamed;
- The Call is particularly targeted at formal or informal alliances or coalitions of civil society organisations (CSOs) including innovative alliances involving NGOs, media organisations, private sector associations, academia and faith-based organisations. Individual organisations are eligible to apply but they must demonstrate how they will collaborate with other actors to achieve the objectives of their proposals.
- Collaboration or engagement with relevant state actors is important to achieving the objectives of this Call. Applicants will therefore be required to be explicit about which state actors or agencies they will be engaging with and how this will be done.
Call Components
The call has been split into two components. Strategic component and Local Partnership Component. The strategic component will focus on national and regional level actions around the three key issues indicated above and post-election issues. Projects shall have a maximum duration of 16 months and grant fund support not exceeding GHC 450,000. The Local partnership component on the other hand, will support actions/projects at community and district levels around the three key issues indicated above. Projects shall have a maximum duration of 16 months and grant fund support not exceeding GHC 250,000.
Eligible Organisations
The call is open to all registered CSOs, including private sector/business associations, CSO networks/coalitions, faith-based organisations, media coalitions/organisations and community-based organisations (CBOs). Political parties and CSOs linked to political parties are ineligible.
Local Component
- Registered CSOs, including CBOs, working at the community or district level;
- Registered private sector associations and other interest groups, including farmer-based organisations, local business associations, youth associations and faith-based organisations;
- Formal or informal CSO coalitions and networks. Informal coalitions/networks must be led by a registered CSO;
Strategic Component
- Registered CSOs, including research and advocacy organisations working at national and regional levels;
- Registered private sector/business associations working at national and regional levels;
- Formal and informal CSO coalitions and networks, including faith-based organisations and other interest groups. Informal networks must be led by a registered organisation.
- Registered Media organisations and networks;
- Academic institutions.
Principles
Grants will primarily be awarded to coalitions/networks and alliances. Applications must clearly demonstrate the following:
- How the project provides value for money
- Relevant track record of the coalition/network, or the lead organisation in the case of an informal alliance, particularly around citizen mobilisation for advocacy and/or elections programming.
- Evidence of partnerships or other collaborations or engagements with relevant state actors to implement the proposed project
- Innovation
- How gender and social inclusion issues will be mainstreamed and addressed in the project
Application Process
Download Application form and other relevant documents here to prepare your application.
Visit the STAR Ghana Foundation Online Application Portal to complete the Online Application Form with relevant information from the downloaded (filled) application form, and upload other supporting documents.
Application Deadline
The deadline for receipt of applications is at 11.59pm on Friday, 30th August 2019. No applications will be considered after this date. We expect to complete assessments and award grants by the end of September 2019.
Additional information
Interested organisations are invited to information sessions to be held as follows:
- Southern Sector - Accra (W.E.B. Dubois, East Cantonments): Wednesday, 14th August 2019, 10am – 12 noon
- Northern Sector - Tamale (GILLBT Training Centre, Kanvilli): Wednesday, 14th August 2019, 10am – 12 noon
Contact us
Telephone: 0302774488
Email: info@star-ghana.org or visit our website: www.star-ghana.org
Contact us from Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm
Leadership of Parliament to engage Citizens with support from STAR Ghana Foundation
The Leadership of the Parliament of Ghana, with support from STAR Ghana Foundation has scheduled a Public Forum on the theme: ‘Broadening citizens’ engagement in participatory democracy - The Role of Parliament’. The Forum is scheduled for Thursday 1ST August 2019 and will be held at the D.F. Annan Auditorium within the premises of Parliament at 2pm.
The forum will be hosted by the Leadership (Majority and Minority Leaders) of Parliament and is expected to give citizens an opportunity to directly interact with the Leadership of the House. The purpose is to provide information on the role and performance of the Legislature and invite feedback from the public to enable Parliament respond adequately to citizens’ concerns.
Under the Parliament/STAR-Ghana Collaboration, an open Parliament is anticipated where Parliamentarians at all levels would engage citizens, media and various stakeholders more constructively. It is expected that citizens will be informed of the mandate of the Parliament of Ghana and share their feedback with Parliament to enhance an Open Parliament system in Ghana.
