Democratic Governance and CCHD
Governance, Legislative Strengthening, Political Education, Women and Politics
1.1 Governance
Democratic governance internationally has a functional role in all the sectors. Crucial factors to democratic governance are convictions and values held by the actors concerned, especially the political leaders.
CCHD’s Focus
CCHD focuses on provincial and district governments to build the culture of democratic governance by enabling institutions and stakeholders to create an environment conducive to the strengthening of good governance, with the support of civil society organizations. Following are the key areas which are addressed:
- How power is exercised?
- How decisions are made?
- And how competing interests, including the voices of poor, are accommodated?
1.2 Legislative Strengthening
Legislative strengthening is required to provide support to gradual institutionalization of the democratic process to enable legislatures and stakeholders to perform their roles more effectively.
CCHD’s Focus
Radical advances in improvement of legislative process requires advocacy and oversight, research and media interventions. Following are the key areas which are addressed:
- How legislative branch works?
- How the legislative branch could be more responsive to the critical social issues facing Pakistani society?
- And what advocacy and oversight tools are required to bring in peoples’ voice in the legislative process?
1.3 Political Education
Political education is another key area which enables formulation of new behaviour by reinforcing democratic values in the public and political culture. It is important that a society is informed about their political rights, particularly when political parties and regimes take politics as a mere exercise to get themselves elected.
CCHD’s Focus
CCHD advances voters education, peoples’ involvement in the decision making process, public accountability of the political actors, free and fair elections. Following are the key areas which are addressed:
- How democracy works?
- How transparent electoral process works?
- How political parties compete interest with each other and other power groups?
- And how marginalized groups voices can be mainstreamed in political agenda?
1.4 Women and Politics
Women constitute half of the population of the world. They give voice to the marginalize sectors of the society and address issues of peace, gender, justice, equity and development for all. Thereof their effective participation in the political arena of today’s world is required and appreciated.
CCHD’s Focus
Women’s political participation is needed to strengthen democracy, gender sensitive budgeting and legislation. Following are the key areas which are addressed:
- What are the new paradigms of politics?
- How and why women should take part in the political process?
- Why effective leadership is required and what are leadership skills?
- The AAAs, awareness, advocacy and action
CCHD’s Achievements
- Under the political education program from 2000 till today, CCHD imparted direct education to some 88,000 people on democracy, political empowerment, local government, election management, leadership skills, women’s rights, role of councilors, role of parliaments and parliamentarians, voters education, etc. which also resulted in activating local women to participate in mainstream politics. Around 300 women were elected as councilors after their capacity building on election management and leadership skills.
- Provided orientation to some 679 local government councilors particularly women on Devolution Plan 2000; salient features of Local Government Ordinance 2001; roles of councils & councilors; planning and budgeting; Monitoring Committees; Citizens Community Boards; monitoring and evaluation of development projects, etc.
- Provided orientation to some 2500 people on LFO, Political Parties Act 2002, Election Order 2002, politics and democracy, good governance, etc.
- Oriented some 1780 people on Local Government Ordinance 2001; election campaign management; leadership skills; communication skills; etc. Some 300 women oriented by CCHD got elected in local government elections as councilors.
- Trained some 200 local government councilors including 96 women councilors on Local Government Ordinance 2001; roles and responsibilities of councilors; leadership skills; communication skills; and Muslim Family Laws.
- Trained some 500 journalists on art of political reporting, journalistic skills, women’s role in politics, etc.
- At the time of introduction of Devolution Plan and Logical Framework Order in 2000, CCHD realizing the responsibility of civil society to play its role as an independent and unbiased catalyst of change organized extensive consultations with concerned groups. CCHD lobbied with political workers/activists/party office bearers and women political workers to review its various sections and proposed recommendations and suggestions concerning joint electorate, election rules, allocation of polling booths for women voters and graduation restriction as a candidate for national and provincial seats.
- CCHD also held national, provincial and regional level consultations on modalities of women representation in parliaments and senate with government ministers, parliamentarians, women political party office holders, potential women candidates of assemblies, political party workers and activists, women rights groups and civil society organizations. CCHD recommended that the government should also include women and minorities reserved seats in the Senate. Here the government favored this demand by allocation of reserved seats for women in senate and restoration of reserved seats for minorities. It is pertinent to note that women politicians stressed the allocation of these in the Senate.
- CCHD after the general elections worked in close collaboration with women parliamentarians of national and provincial assemblies, political leaders, councilors, and women activists for women friendly legislation to address women’s empowerment, Violence Against Women, Hadood Ordinance, Law of Inheritance, Muslim Family Laws, etc.