UN Official Urges Stronger Civil Society Role in Malawi's Open Government Efforts
The UN Resident Coordinator's words set the stage for a comprehensive discussion on the state of open governance in Malawi.
LILONGWE, Malawi — In a call to action that set the tone for a pivotal symposium on open governance, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Malawi, Rebecca Adda-Dontoh, emphasized the critical need for enhanced collaboration between the government and civil society organizations (CSOs) in Malawi's pursuit of transparency and accountability, writes Winston Mwale.
"It's a collaborative relationship between government and civil society. It's not a rivalry," Adda-Dontoh stressed during her keynote address at the hybrid meeting held on September 24, 2024.
"The two have to collaborate actively to ensure that there is transparent, good, accountable governance, and it's a mutual responsibility."
The symposium, aimed at strengthening Malawi's participation in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) program, brought together a diverse array of stakeholders, including representatives from the OGP Secretariat, local CSOs, government officials, and international observers.
The event comes at a crucial juncture for Malawi, with the country's last submitted OGP Action Plan dating back to 2022, signalling a pressing need to reinvigorate its involvement in the global initiative.
Adda-Dontoh, drawing from her extensive experience in the government and civil society sectors, challenged CSOs to engage in critical self-reflection.
"Do they have the moral authority and credibility to hold government responsible effectively?" she questioned, emphasizing the importance of self-accountability within civil society.
This introspective approach, she argued, is essential for CSOs to maintain their legitimacy as watchdogs of good governance.
With Malawi's elections on the horizon, Adda-Dontoh highlighted the pivotal role CSOs must play in civic engagement.
"What role are they playing to ensure that they mobilize Malawians for citizens' engagement in governance, for citizens to register to vote, which is a sacred civic duty?" she asked, underscoring the responsibility of civil society in fostering democratic participation.
The UN Resident Coordinator's words set the stage for a comprehensive discussion on the state of open governance in Malawi.
Kgothatso Samela, representing the OGP Secretariat, provided a global perspective on the initiative's reach and impact.
"The Open Government Partnership has 76 countries and 116 local government actors who represent more than 2 billion people," Samela reported, illustrating the extensive network of which Malawi is a part.
Samela outlined the OGP's core mission of fostering cooperation between governments and civil society to enhance transparency and accountability.
She emphasized the pivotal role of civil society organizations in this process, stating, "The responsibility of civil society is quite significant. It's a shared role to co-create, but then also the long journey between co-creation and implementation."
Samela stressed the critical nature of early engagement in the OGP process.
"It's in the designing, it's in the setting of the agenda that the power of influence resides," she explained, highlighting the importance of civil society involvement from the outset of policy formulation.
The presentation also delved into the mechanics of OGP action plans, which are co-created by governments and civil society every two to four years.
These plans, Samela explained, contain concrete commitments to enhance government openness and accountability.
She introduced the Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM), a crucial component of the OGP framework that assesses the implementation of these commitments.
"The IRM is what monitors all the action plans to ensure that our government follows through on their commitments," Samela clarified.
Michael Kaiyatsa, Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation provided a local perspective on the challenges and progress in Malawi's OGP journey.
"It has been quite a challenge for CSOs to sit down with the government because of issues of trust," Kaiyatsa acknowledged.
However, he noted significant improvements in communication and information sharing between the two sectors.
Kaiyatsa outlined key priorities for civil society in the upcoming National Action Plan, including access to information, anti-corruption efforts, and natural resource management. He emphasized the need for more active CSO engagement in the plan's drafting process, noting limited participation in the preparation of the current plan.
Both Adda-Dontoh and Kaiyatsa addressed a significant obstacle in Malawi's OGP efforts: the lack of public awareness about the initiative.
Kaiyatsa attributed this to insufficient awareness activities, largely due to funding constraints.
"Without funding, it's becoming difficult to go in the community and sensitize Malawians," he explained, highlighting a key area for improvement in future efforts.
Despite these challenges, Adda-Dontoh remained optimistic about the state of collaboration in Malawi.
"Malawi is doing quite a good job. I've been to many countries where government and civil society are positively collaborating," she said, urging stakeholders to focus on commonalities rather than differences.
This positive outlook was echoed by other participants, who saw the symposium as a step towards more robust engagement between government and civil society.
The event also showcased the OGP's online resources, including a data dashboard that allows for the comparison of commitments across different countries and regions.
Attendees were encouraged to utilize these tools to inform their strategies and benchmark Malawi's progress against global standards.
The symposium's timing, coinciding with Malawi's preparations for its next National Action Plan, underscores the event's significance.
It marks a concerted effort to rejuvenate Malawi's involvement in the OGP and strengthen the role of civil society in shaping the country's governance landscape.
Looking ahead, the challenges are clear: building trust between government and civil society, securing adequate funding for awareness and implementation activities and ensuring broad public participation in the OGP process.
However, the spirit of collaboration and the shared commitment to open governance principles evident at the symposium provides a strong foundation for progress.
As Malawi moves forward in its OGP journey, the words of Adda-Dontoh serve as a guiding principle: "It's a mutual responsibility."
The success of Malawi's open government initiatives will depend on the continued engagement and cooperation of all stakeholders, from government officials to grassroots organizations and individual citizens.
With renewed focus and commitment, Malawi has the opportunity to become a model for open governance in the region, driving positive change through transparency, accountability, and civic participation.
The one-day symposium in Lilongwe was organised by a consortium of CSOs (CONGOMA, CHRR, NRJN and CSAT), with funding from OGP Global Secretariat, Country Support Unit.