Civicus consortium programme 2019-2023

The final evaluation indicates that CHARM has been eective in achieving its objectives and intended results through the individual and collaborative interventions of the partners for its core target audiences of HRDs and journalists. CHARM has been able to reach 3,399 people in total across 47 countries including: 324 youth activists, 1483 HRDs, 903 journalists, 534 local CSOs, 101 grant recipients, and 54 media educators. CHARM has the biggest reach in Uganda (9.8%), Kenya (8.9%), and South Africa (7.1%) and 30 of the countries only reached ve or fewer participants. Of the CHARM members, CIVICUS reached the greatest number of people through the work (1,497) whereas Magamba reached the fewest (96). The evaluation states that CHARM has made substantial gains in achieving all of its short-term outcomes. While they have achieved increased access to support and resources that help stakeholders to improve the quality and sustainability of their work in the short-term through CHARM sponsored funding, the extent of the realization of this outcome was severely limited by the pandemic and the longer-term sustainability of the improved resourcing is tenuous. A core contribution of CHARM has been to strengthen the advocacy capacity including safety and security of partner organizations and Human Rights Defenders /HRDs/. CHARM was able to leverage access to and proactively engage in regional and international forums/bodies/events especially with AU human rights mechanisms and sustain the capacities of CSO and grassroots networks to continue engaging in the United Nations Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review /UPR/ processes in Rwanda and Benin towards localizing the implementation of the UPR recommendations. CHARM also made substantial progress in improving recognition and protection of human rights and civic and media freedoms as evidenced by the many public actions that led to the release of detained HRDs and journalist, creation of space through the diplomatic dialogues with foreign missions and expansion / diversication of networks that ght and defend for civic and media freedoms. A specic added value of CHARM was demonstrated through, for example, the creation of spaces where journalists, bloggers, media practitioners, and artist activists engaged in the annual Jamfest and other conferences that strengthen investigative journalism in Africa. One of the areas where CHARM has been most eective has been its contribution to promoting the inclusive participation of women and indigenous persons in local governance and budgeting processes. Female journalist participation in networks and peer learnings and women HRDs engagement in advocacy opened up opportunities for women to actively amplify their voices and take part in inuencing human rights mechanisms and policies. CHARMs support to building / sustaining impactful coalitions with both media entities and civil society have resulted in the creation of a UPR coalition/network in Rwanda and creation / strengthening of fact checking organisations across Africa.

The overall objective of the program is to strengthen the effectiveness and building the resilience (ability to adapt and transform in order to continue their work) of journalists and other media practitioners and social media producers, human rights defenders and civil society activists and their organisations in relevant countries, which, in a longer-term perspective, will lead towards more democratic and free societies.  The overall objective is elaborated through four specific objectives that are designed in a well-integrated manner in terms of thematic area synchronization and stakeholder participation and coordination: 1. Strengthened advocacy actions that support an enabling environment that promotes human rights and civic and media freedoms2. Counter-narratives and improved public support for a free and vibrant civil society and media3. Coalition-building that encourages coordination and joint action, and provides solidarity in the face of attacks and threats4. Enhanced access to resources that strengthen the ability of civil society and the media to withstand civic space restrictions and achieve their objectives Civicus suggests sequencing of results in three phases; short-term, medium and long-term. This program is expected to generalte short-term outcomes (2019-2022) - target stakeholders (i.e. journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists and organisations in target countries) will have: 1. Improved understanding of their rights and are more enabled to demand/exercise their rights than before;2. Increased direct engagement with decision-makers and institutions at all levels with a view to protecting human rights and democratic and media freedoms; 3. Increased engagement amongst themselves and with other relevant actors (constituencies) that is evidenced through learning, exchange and collective/solidarity actions; and4. Increased access to support and resources that help them to improve the quality and sustainability of their work. Subsequently, Civicus envisages medium (4-5 years) and long-term (beyond 5 years) outcomes as necessary prerequisites to achieve the overall objective of the program; Accordingly, results on medium term include: 1. Improved recognition and protection of human rights and civic and media freedoms in target countries, 2. Increased number of instances of people acting collectively to drive social transformation at all levels; 3. Improved capacity of target stakeholders to sustain their work and deliver on their mandates Long term results include:1. Reduced restrictions on civic space, CSOs and media; 2. Enhanced trust in media/civil society as critical sources of information and champions of accountability; 3. Improved resilience of journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists (i.e. better equipped to withstand restrictions and challenge actions that undermine human rights and democratic values) in the target countries.