Participatory Governance
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,” which includes the rights of freedom of association, opinion, expression, assembly and movement[1]. Overall, Rwanda has made substantial progress since 1994 in reforming government structures, ensuring security, promoting peace and strengthening the justice system. Despite progress, significant challenges remain including; limited participation of youth in decision making processes, limited consultation of youth and children in the design of laws and policies, poor access to essential services, corruption, effective civic participation and freedom of expression. AJPRODHO’s Participatory Governance program seeks to create an enabling environment for youth and children to learn, to grow and to contribute towards national development through effective participation and influence of local and national level in order to effectively address youth needs. The ultimate goal is to work collectively with other institutions, youth, children and policy makers to bring effective and equitable delivery of services to youth, children and citizens in general. Also, the Participatory Governance program seeks to reinforce the rule of law through the design of appropriate policy, legal and regulatory frameworks as well as to strengthen local and national governance institutions which are responsive to youth needs and challenges.
Goal: To contribute towards active youth and children participation in decision-making processes.
Specific Objectives:
- To Increase dialogue and debate on governance issues among youth and children;
- To develop and share information resources to promote awareness and knowledge on good governance and public policy in Rwanda with specific focus on youth and children.
- To foster youth participation in public policy and service delivery monitoring at district and national level;
- To promote collaborative efforts to improve governance, particularly on policies affecting youth and vulnerable groups in Rwanda.