Rwanda Governance Board Political Space and Empowerment of Civil Society Organisations in Rwanda Current situation of CSOs in Rwanda The Government of Rwanda considers civil society as an important feature of good governance, as it provides an important framework for citizens to voice and aggregate their needs, o ers a channel to convey them to government and is one of the key actors to hold public institutions accountable. Since 1994, the government supported the establishment and growth of civil society organisations and has been partnering with them in various programmes aimed at achieving sustainable development of the country. The number of civil society organisations in Rwanda has increased tremendously to 754 Religious Based Organisations, 574 local NGOs and 11 political parties, making a total of 1,339 CSOs. RGB’s role: High e ciency and greater space for CSOs When RGB was mandated in 2011, to register, empower and monitor CSOs and enhance civic participation, there was a backlog of many applications. To expedite the registration process, RGB spearheaded the enactment of law no. 04/2012 of 17/02/2012, governing the organisation and functioning of national NGOs which simpli ed the registration of CSOs. This is a clear manifestation that the government has the goodwill and provides political space for CSOs to ourish and operate. RGB established the Civil Society Development Barometer (CSDB) as a research tool to assess the role and impact of CSOs in Rwanda’s prosperity. The benchmark 2012 Civil Society Development barometer revealed that CSOs are generally regarded as e ective in empowering people and advancing social interests. However, the barometer indicates that some CSOs need to be strengthened in holding state and corporates accountable and meeting social needs. It also highlighted the need for capacity development support to CSOs on a long-term basis with a view to bridging capacity disparities and ensuring that most CSOs play an active role in sustainable development programmes. It is against this background that RGB in partnership with One UN-Rwanda launched a ve-year joint programme, with a total budget of US$8.6 million, aimed at strengthening CSOs for responsive and accountable governance in Rwanda. Interventions to empower and strengthen CSOs So far, 26 successful proposals out of 182 applicants received grants totaling a million dollars. This is the rst step of a broad range of activities to support national CSOs. In the near future, more emphasis will be focused on enhancing participation of CSOs in activities aimed at promoting accountable governance and e ectively meeting social needs of the ‘ Giving out grants today translates into Rwanda’s commitment to support the CSOs in strengthening their capacity to deliver and foster civic participation in order to improve the livelihoods of the people by engaging in productive economic activities.’ Prof. Anastase Shyaka, RGB CEO
CEP template 2012
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