Regional Reports - the European External Action Service

• Project study teams had also made discussions at various levels with
beneficiaries, implementing agencies and their employees, possible partners &
other relevant stakeholders
By these features the Government was willing to incorporate participation into the planning
process
Apart from the ideas obtained through various formal meetings and face to face discussions, an
attempt is also made to gather additional ideas by popularizing the planning process via
brochures, banners, news paper articles, posters and by organizing competitions and an
exhibition.
The review process aimed at aligning IDP with the PASDEP has given the opportunity to
strengthen and make more effective this process through different actions:
1. Strengthening the sector policy dialogue and joint planning process through the
establishment of a standing sectoral cooperation which acts through regular (weekly)
meetings and the identification of NSA’s capabilities and willingness for cooperation at
sector level. The process has shown overlapping and most of all lack of coverage from
some thematic areas. The ongoing process will be aimed at stimulating a larger
participation and establishing new partnership. The organisational capacity of the overall
IDP review machinery has to be strengthened and the action sharpened to maximise
NSA’s contribution and to give continuity to the pace of implementation;
2. Establishing a permanent forum of the stakeholders of the development process;
3. Establishing a permanent learning forum which brings together different categories of
GO/NGO actors;
4. promoting resourcefulness and disseminating information at the grassroots level, by
making the information available to CBOs;
5. Giving to NSA a stake in the monitoring process at the same level of Government
Bodies.
18. Engagement in Policy Dialogue.
The dialogue with the Government is based on:
• Consultation of the different categories of NSA when some decision affecting their sector
or interest is being made;
• The establishment of the IDP representative forum
• The creation of some permanent fora mostly initiated by the NSA.
The dialogue is quite effective in terms of coordination and planning to avoid duplication of
activities, although the recent sector dialogue has shown that the capabilities and interest of NSA
doesn’t cover completely the needs.
Yet it has to be said that it is rare that the dialogue involve the policy level.
19. Engagement in Political Dialogue
Engagement in political dialogue is not in the current agenda of the NSA, although the
opportunity offered by the planning exercise offer some room for an engagement if crafting the
rule of the game and shaping the quality of NSA participation in the policy making process.
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