Workshop 24th of November: local governance in fragile states

Strengthening civic action, local government or both?

On the 24th of November, HIVOS, PSO, ICCO and IDS organize a workshop on participatory governance in fragile states. Jon Gaventa (IDS) will introduce key issues and then it’s over to the participants. So if you have insights to share or issues for discussion, this is an opportunity not to be missed.

Citizen participation can be conducive to building inclusive democratic systems and legitimate institutions. However, in order for participation to be meaningful certain conditions need to be in place. These conditions are usually absent in fragile settings.
What are strategies for strengthening citizen engagement in local governance in situations where there is limited space, where political institutions are fragile and where social relations suffered from insecurity, authoritarian regimes or violent conflict?

This workshop will focus on the challenges and opportunities for participatory governance in post-conflict settings. Prof. John Gaventa(IDS) will introduce key issues in an opening lecture and comment on the discussions during the day. Marjoke Oosterom will produce a background paper for the conference, based on the initial findings of her PHD research, which is facilitated by ICCO and HIVOS. You can read more about her research here.

Sign up: The maximum number of participants is limited to 30 and participants are therefore kindly requested to register as soon as possible. Please register at aanmelding@pso.nl before the 17th of November with “Local governance in fragile settings” in the title. Registration is free. Please note that the workshop will be in English.