On June 6, 2024, the first session of the Coordinating Council of the district of Mandimba, in the province of Niassa, took place, organized by the MASC Foundation in partnership with the district government, within the scope of the Pro-Cívico and Human Rights project. The event was attended by 70 people, including 42 men, 28 women and one person with a disability.
The session was chaired by the Administrator of the Mandimba district and was attended by the entire district government team, as well as the president of the municipal council and his entire council team. Several civil society organizations that operate in the district were also present, such as CESC, CCS Progresso, Malaria Consórcio, Moz Rural, as well as community-based organizations, the district platform and the forum of civil society organizations.
The main objective of the session was to promote the modernization of civic spaces and mechanisms for the active involvement of civil society in decision-making at different levels of governance. During the session, the different action plans proposed for the year 2024 were presented and analyzed, innovations in governance processes in the most challenging sectors were discussed and the main local challenges of youth participation in drafting laws and defining their priorities were identified. Furthermore, the MASC Foundation’s activity plan was shared with the different local actors, aiming to prepare the ground for the inclusion of target groups in decision-making spaces.
The session was essential to bring civil society closer to the government, being mainly marked by presentations from civil society organizations, with the exception of the speech by the President of the Municipal Council. This event strengthened relations between the government and civil society, demonstrating an openness to continued cooperation.
