Description
The Bureau of African Affairs' Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (AF/PDPA) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to organize a democracy practitioners’ conference and provide ongoing support to nongovernmental efforts to promote accountability and greater civic engagement in priority African countries scheduled to hold elections in 2022 and 2023. The program consists of two key components. The first is a two-day conference for 50-65 participants including mid-level journalists, civil society activists, and democracy practitioners from Sub-Saharan African countries with elections scheduled for 2022 or 2023. The conference, (ideally 5 from each participating country plus host count country participants) should be in person, if possible, in a country which has sufficient political space for robust participation of host country activists especially in discussing sensitive political challenges. If an in-person conference is not feasible, the grantee should consult closely with AF/PDPA about the possibility of organizing a virtual conference or series. The conference itself should feature a combination of U.S. and African experts who can exchange perspectives on best practices in meeting the challenges of democratization and developing strategies to promote accountability of political and governmental actors and deeper civic engagement by citizens throughout the electoral cycle including the post-electoral process. Specifically, the conference should offer a platform for American and African practitioners to provide training on best practices and strategic approaches, especially in working in difficult and highly charged political environments. American participants will share perspectives on American best practices on civic engagement and electoral best practice and will compliment African perspectives on the same subjects. Training can include a wide list of relevant issues facing countries moving toward democratic consolidation and facing democratic stagnation or backsliding. The training should focus on electoral issues and trends, including voter apathy, civic education and advocacy, election observation and monitoring, media reporting, identifying and combatting dis/misinformation, and best practices in messaging and monitoring social media. Participants will be required to create an action plan for their country. For the conference, the grantee must provide interpretation into English and French; and create a platform for participants to share experience, technical and strategic advice, and best practices throughout the conference and for the six months following. Recruitment and selection of conference participants will be the primary responsibility of the grantee and be done in consultation with AF/PDPA and, when possible, with embassies from participating countries. Ideal conference participants should have experience in key thematic areas. For journalists, this could include covering elections and their aftermath, media monitoring, identifying and/or countering disinformation, research and messaging, or use and monitoring of social media. For civil society activists, this should include participation in a formally registered civil society organization focused on any of the following: civic education, election observation or monitoring of the electoral process, human rights and for conflict specialists, or experience and ongoing engagement in community conflict mitigation and prevention activities. The second component is a small grant ($10,000-$15,000) program totaling $150,000. Following the conference, the grantee, in consultation with AF/PDPA, will solicit, select, and manage the small grants program for applicants’ formally registered civil society organizations, prioritizing participants from the conference engaged in activities advancing citizen political participation, enhancing electoral process transparency, and conducting activities focused on ways to improve the quality and transparency of the upcoming elections. Grants will be made in priority training and activities in thematic areas and countries depending on the electoral needs and gaps in each country prior to its elections. Potential small grants could include local trainings on enhancing the participation and transparency of elections, journalist trainings, recognizing and combatting disinformation, speaker sessions at American Space and other activities. AFPD/PA’s objectives are to strengthen civil society capacity to engage in advocacy and oversight before, during, and after the upcoming electoral process in select countries with upcoming elections; improve government transparency and integrity in local election processes; increase citizen participation in democratic processes; and address demand for democratic reform. AF/PDPA is therefore seeking proposals to bring together a committed cohort of engaged practitioners, provide training and a professional exchange opportunity focused on sharing best practices supplemented by a small grant program that will implement local activities during the entire cycle of the electoral process. Priority Region: Sub-Saharan African countries with elections scheduled for 2022 or 2023, including: Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Zimbabwe. While Kenya has elections scheduled for August and Angola has elections scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022, these dates could shift. If their elections happen before the conference, participants can share their observations and best practices.