Mid-Term Review of the AGIR Programme - Sida

1 I N T R O D U C T I O N
ited number of qualified intermediary organisations within the following four clusters
of support:
i) Participation, social and legal accountability, including monitoring of respect
for human rights;
ii) Social accountability in management of natural resources and community
land rights;
iii) Transparency, financial and political accountability; and,
iv) Promotion of access to information.” 10
Emerging out of the dialogue surrounding the production of the document “Guidelines:
The Swedish Embassy’s Support to Mozambican Civil Society Organisations”
(2009), three INGO intermediaries were initially identified that had ongoing programmes
in the thematic areas that coincided with the Embassy’s cooperation strategy.
Each of these three key actors, or ‘intermediaries’ – Oxfam Novib (International
Non-Governmental Organisation, Dutch), IBIS (International Non-Governmental
Organisation, Danish) and Diakonia – was approached in mid-2009, with a fourth
INGO, SCC (International Non-Governmental Organisation, Swedish Cooperative
Center), added in 2011. 11 Each was encouraged to submit proposals in line with the
thematic focus areas and “support modalities outlined in the guidelines.”
A central facet of AGIR is that while each intermediary works within what is considered
a ‘sub-component’ of the overall programme, ‘strong joint features’ are shared.
The commonalities shared by the intermediaries include:
i) The establishment of a division of labour between the three organisations,
between and within the thematic “clusters”;
ii) The development of a joint programme results framework as well as the definition
of joint capacity development activities;
iii) A joint MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) that regulates the interaction
between the three partners; and
iv) Definitions on how to coordinate work around the Paris agenda and to
strengthen linkages between each others’ CSO partners.” 12
10 The Swedish Embassy’s Support to Mozambican Civil Society Organisations, p.7; 2009.
11 The Swedish Cooperative Center – SCC began its participation in AGIR in 2011, one year later than
the three original intermediaries. The initial agreement listed the intermediaries of Diakonia, IBIS, Oxfam
(while SCC was not in mentioned in the initial programme proposal, the area within which it works was
mentioned as an area that was to be added – Social Accountability in Natural Resource Management).
According to discussions with SCC staff, its late entry into the AGIR programme was due to the requirede
criteria that AGIR CSO partners should have a national perspective, whereas SCC has worked
primarily from a local perspective with partners.
12 Strengthening Civil Society – Enhancing Democratic Governance, p.5, 2010. Sida.
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