Civil Society creates framework for engagement in JAST
Civil Society Organisations have created a framework for strategic engagement in the implementation of the Joint Assistance Strategy for Tanzania (JAST).
JAST was formulated in 2006 with the overall objective of contributing to sustainable development and poverty reduction in Tanzania, in line with the National Vision 2025 and the Zanzibar vision 2020 by consolidating and coordinating government efforts and development partners’ support under a single government-let framework. It helps in achieving the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (NSGRO/MKUKUTA) and the Zanzibar Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty (ZSGRP/MKUZA) as well as other national development and poverty reduction programmes.
While the government has put in place a draft framework for aligning the JAST processes to the MKUKUTA/ MKUZA, CSOs have taken proactive move in ensuring they fully participate in the JAST process by developing a framework for the dialogue.
In the process, the Foundation for Civil Society played an instrumental role in supporting establishment of a taskforce for the JAST dialogue structure and ensuring that it is able to convene, discuss, plan and come up with a completed proposed structure.
The taskforce was formed by selected eminent representatives from civil society sector in Tanzania under effective facilitation of Marie Shaba.
The taskforce has already released a draft report of the proposed JAST dialogue structure and is now being shared with some other CSOs representatives to enrich it before it is tabled to a larger audience of civil society for extended inputs.
Of particular interest to CSOs in the proposed JAST framework is that CSOs will have a strategic influence by creating sufficient opportunities for CSO’s consultation and feedback among themselves, gathering feedback from the grassroots as well as consultation with the government and development partners.
Therefore, the structure will certainly be used to generate information from different sources like studies, policy briefs, budget analysis, and budget support, thereafter provide constant feedback for more analysis and reflection.
Civil society organisations through their regional, district and thematic networks are expected to contribute in the regular collecting and providing information to CSOs feedback meetings on various aspects of JAST and MKUKUTA implementation status.
The taskforce proposes to have widened representation of CSOs in the proposed JAST dialogue structure, from the lower to the apex where the joint coordination group that comprises of government and development partners meet.
Also, the taskforce proposes to have dialogue with government before CSOs’ representatives sit in the National Coordination Groups meeting. That is a high level consultation whereby CSOs will have crucial discussions with government about the implementation of MKUKUTA/MKUZA and its underlying processes of harmonisation and alignment with JAST.
Definition of roles was also well articulated and took into account some of the key factors in all levels of engagement and consultations including activists, advocacy, legislative, executive, and broker role.
Foundation for Civil Society, the taskforce, and the CSOs in general rest assured that the established JAST dialogue structure will stimulate more development aids, enhance effective implementation of MKUKUTA/ MKUZA and catalyse for the prop-poor growth and development in line with the Tanzania development priorities.
Source: http://www.thefoundation.or.tz/foundation-news-view.php?newsID=360