Plan citizenship and governance strategy by Plan Nederland

Citizenship & Governance Programme Strategy 2013-2017 Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Executive summary Introduction Purpose of strategy Concepts and terminology Plan‟s approach Guiding principles for good practice

7. Conceptual framework 8. Strategic objectives and priority actions 9. Monitoring, evaluation and learning 10. Resource mobilisation 11. Links to annexes

1. Executive Summary Goal: Empowered, engaged, and respected young women and men, and responsive, accountable, and transparent public decision-making processes at all levels Purpose of strategy This programme strategy (2013-2017) relates to the impact area „the right to participate as citizens‟. The strategy has three main functions: 1. Strategic direction: This strategy sets the overall global direction of our programming. Programmes relating to the „right to participate as citizens‟ impact area, or that integrate governance programming within other sector areas, must be aligned with this strategy. 2. Technical support and learning: This strategy identifies specific areas where Plan will develop expertise and take on a leadership role. The aim is to develop a high-quality body of work on citizenship and governance within the strategy time period, and use this as a basis for expanding the work in the organisation in future. 3. Plan‟s accountability: This strategy establishes a set of indicators and milestones which Plan staff, at all levels of the organisation, will be held accountable for meeting. Strategic objectives These strategic objectives describe how Plan will work towards achieving our goal through programmes, research and external influencing. They outline specific areas where we will develop expertise and expect to take on a leadership role. Strategic objective 1: Support public decision-making mechanisms to be transparent, accountable and responsive to all children and youth. Strategic objective 2: Support young women and young men1 to engage effectively in public accountability mechanisms. Strategic objective 3: Facilitate collective action by child and youth-led organisations and groups to claim their rights. Strategic objective 4: Facilitate the implementation of citizenship and governance programmes that support inclusion of excluded and marginalised young citizens. Strategic objective 5: Contribute to global knowledge, good practice and policy debates by publishing research and policy positions on our work on public accountability with children and youth. Implementation, and Monitoring and Evaluation A Global Advisor, working with a global technical network across all of Plan, will lead implementation of this strategy. Plan will monitor this strategy in order to assess overall implementation and whether it has enabled the organisation to deliver high quality citizenship and governance programmes. The monitoring activities will focus on the implementation of the strategy, not the outcomes of specific programmes. This will be done at regional, country and project level. The objective is not to set a target for a certain number of projects, but to focus on improving quality. TThroughout

this strategy the use of „young women and young men‟ also refers to boys and girls. 1

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Indicator 1: Proportion of existing citizenship and governance projects that meet a number of specific quality criteria2 Indicator 2: Number of citizenship and governance projects by region (Including projects in other

sectors and impact areas which include governance work)

Indicator 3: Number of CSPs, PULTPs, Regional strategies, and National Office frameworks that include initiatives relating to the strategic objectives and priority actions set out in this document.

Implementation milestones 1) Global technical network established and operating effectively (2013) 2) Guidance note on monitoring and evaluation of citizenship and governance programmes (2013) 3) Guidance notes relating to each strategic objective (2013-2014) 4) One case study of good practice for each region for each strategic objective (annually) 5) Good practice principles revised, through building on lessons from internal and external experience (linking to the mid-term review) (every two years)

2. Introduction Governments are responsible for realising many basic rights, such as providing education, ensuring protection from violence and creating opportunities to influence public decisions. But what do you think about the performance of your public authorities? How active is your community in questioning the actions of your leaders? A survey of Kenyan citizens found that over 70 per cent rated their local authority as performing fairly badly or very badly in measures of transparency, accountability and participation. However, 73 per cent also reported that citizens should be more active in questioning the actions of leaders (Afrobarometer 2008). Similarly, in Latin America, a regional survey (Latinobarómetro 2011) found that 67 per cent of citizens have little or no trust in the local government or municipality, and 62 per cent believe that citizens are not aware of their obligations and duties. What about young citizens? How can young women and men, particularly from excluded and marginalised groups, be more actively engaged in questioning their public authorities? What do we need to do to ensure that children and youth have the capacity to advocate for their rights, and that their opinions, particularly young women‟s voices, are responded to? This citizenship and governance strategy aims to tackle these issues of accountability and the lack of voice, in particular of children and youth, in their school, community, local and national government. This strategy is about promoting the citizenship of girls, boys, young women and young men so they can engage in collective action to hold public officials to account for their rights and trigger positive changes as emerging leaders in their community and society. Children and youth are key users of public services and yet their feedback on the quality of these services and delivery of their rights is seldom heard. Why does this matter? The drive for decentralisation in many countries is opening up opportunities for citizen participation in the local governance of services. In the case of education, schools and education officials that are more accountable to the users of education services tend to perform better (Chaudhury et al. 2006; Hanushek and Woessmann 2007). Furthermore, countries with more effective local authorities and stronger accountability tend to have better learning outcomes (Woessmann 2003). The World Bank (2011) states that „the root cause of low-quality and inequitable public services, not only in education, is the weak “accountability” of service providers to both their supervisors and citizens‟. For many young women and men living in poverty their only routine interaction with the state may be at the delivery point of services, in their school or health clinic. Inclusive and accountable governance of services therefore matters in order to engage children and youth with their government in a productive and meaningful way. The rise of the new „bottom billion‟ of poor women and men who now live in middle income countries (Sumner, 2010), highlights that the driver of inequitable services is not primarily lack of resources, but weak governance. This challenges the way Plan thinks about how to help citizens access their rights, for 2

These will be defined in early 2013, based on the guiding principles and conceptual framework outlined in this strategy. 2

instance in relation to child protection, water and sanitation, disaster risk management, and health care in the countries where Plan works. Improving governance and strengthening the voice of civil society (particularly young women and men) in holding their governments to account, is important for achieving Plan‟s objectives across all of its eight impact areas. It is also a fundamental aspect of our Child Centred Community Development (CCCD) approach, which emphasises the importance of active citizens developing the skills and confidence to hold government to account. The Arab uprisings in 2011-2012 have demonstrated the role citizen pressure, and youth and civil society mobilisation, can play in opening up new spaces for public participation and bringing about political and social change. At the same time, the global economic downturn is leading to significant global youth unemployment, restricted opportunities for a generation, and lack of confidence among young people about political processes. This changing global context demonstrates the vital need to recognise the economic and social constraints facing young women and men. We need to understand how this shapes their stake in society, their relationship with those in power, and their ability to sustain their civic mobilisation and demands for better governance. The expanding „youth bulge‟ in Africa and the rising and persistent inequality in Asia and Latin America respectively, in addition to growing youth unemployment, highlight the increasing urgency of this issue. The challenges in progressing a number of MDGs have highlighted the importance of tackling weak accountability for quality services. These are the issues we want this citizenship and governance strategy to help people tackle. An inclusive child and youth citizenship and governance approach has never seemed more important and relevant for Plan. This strategy sets the overall global direction of our programming. This strategy will support the organisation to implement coherent and high quality programmes that are based on a robust understanding of what we – and others – know works. This strategy specifically builds on what Plan is good at, but also where we have the potential to be leaders. Focusing our programming and improving quality will enable the organisation to learn from others, showcase this good practice and shape international debates and practice. This strategy is forward-looking and ambitious, but also achievable. It will enable the organisation to make a real difference to improving governance and promoting active citizenship of all children and youth with whom we work.

3. Purpose of strategy This programme strategy relates to the impact area „the right to participate as citizens‟. The programme guide states that each of the eight impact areas should have a programme strategy, which guides the direction and implementation of the impact area. The strategy has three main functions: 1) Strategic direction This strategy sets the overall global direction of our programming and provides guidance for all staff in Country, National, and Regional Offices. It establishes how Plan can make the maximum contribution to efforts to strengthen citizenship and good governance in the countries where we work, based on our expertise, values and resources. Programmes that relate to the „right to participate as citizens‟ impact area, or integrate governance programming within other impact or sector areas, must be aligned with this strategy. In addition, Country and Regional Offices that are interested in increasing their programming in this area will be supported to do so. While this strategy is not exhaustive and Country Offices must retain flexibility to respond to their local context, it outlines the overall organisational direction at a global level. This will enable the organisation to articulate a clear direction in its programming and develop a common understanding of how we implement high quality citizenship and governance programmes.

2) Technical support and learning This strategy identifies specific areas were we will develop expertise and take on a leadership role. The aim is to develop a high-quality body of work on citizenship and governance within the strategy time period, and use this as a basis for expanding the work in the organisation in future. Global technical support and learning will therefore focus around the strategic objectives and priority actions, ensuring the organisation adopts a coherent approach to programming aligned with good practice. 3)

Plan‟s accountability

This strategy establishes a set of indicators and milestones which Plan Offices and staff, at all levels of the organisation, will be held accountable for meeting. These indicators will enable Plan to assess whether this strategy has enabled the organisation to design and deliver high quality citizenship and governance programmes. The milestones will enable Plan to review how effectively the strategy has enabled the organisation to learn from its citizenship and governance programmes and develop specific expertise.

4. Concepts and terminology This section outlines how Plan understands key terms and concepts in relation to its citizenship and governance programming. This is not an exhaustive list and Country and Regional Offices might also include other key concepts in their work. Child A person below the age of 18. Child and youth participation Activities in which girls, boys, young women and young men express their views and are involved, in an informed and willing way, in shaping decisions that affect them. Article 12 and 13 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) assert that all children (regardless of their gender, abilities, ethnicity and social background) are entitled to obtain information, express their views on all matters of concern to them and to have those views taken into account, in line with their evolving capacities. Child and youth-led organisation or group An organisation (or group) that is managed, led, and often initiated by children or youth. Children and youth control the organisation in terms of its decision-making and organisational management. Adults may – but do not have to – play a facilitating role, as advisers, trainers, mentors or fundraisers to young people, who are the decision-makers in the organisation. Citizenship The citizens of a community or country have rights and responsibilities in relation to the way things are run in that community or country. Citizenship rights are what individuals can expect and demand from the state and include civil, political, social and economic human rights. Active citizenship involves individuals or groups taking action to ensure those rights are upheld. Civil society Civil society is the arena, outside of the family and the state, where citizens freely associate to achieve the fulfilment of their rights and the rights of others. Civil society includes many different forms of organisation, including child and youth groups, girls‟ rights organisations, charities and local and international nongovernmental organisations, and community or faith-based organisations. It can also include professional associations, trade unions, self-help groups, social movements, business associations, academic institutions, coalitions, interest groups and the media. Collective action When people or groups organise themselves, mobilise resources and work together to solve common problems and advocate for their rights (Civicus, 2011). In relation to collective action of child and youth 4

organisations and groups, it links to Article 15, the Freedom of Association, of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Governance Governance is the way a community or country is run3. It refers to the processes by which governments and public officials exercise power and make decisions as well as the relationship between citizens, civil society and the state. Effective governance is where state-citizen relationships are transparent, accountable and responsive to the needs of all citizens. Transparency refers to the openness and sharing of public information in forms that are accessible and comprehensible to citizens. Accountability is where a public official has an obligation to explain and justify his/her actions to citizens who have the right and the opportunity to ask questions of the public official. Responsiveness relates to the extent to which these public officials listen, meet and respond to the needs and concerns of all citizens. Public accountability mechanisms Officially recognised public processes for review, consultation and feedback by which citizens can hold government officials, civil servants and service providers at different levels to account. These can include school management committees, local government planning forums and gender budget reviews. Public officials Public officials are government officials at all levels, civil servants, legislators, and service providers, including teachers and health workers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and traditional and community leaders if they are thought to have a decision-making role in governance. Social accountability Informal feedback and monitoring processes, initiated by citizens to hold public officials to account. Citizens participate in activities to assess public services, government policies and budgets and develop joint action plans with the relevant public and community officials to resolve problems and/or make improvements. These citizen-driven processes complement and support formal mechanisms of accountability such as local elections and legal procedures. Social accountability mechanisms can include scorecards, participatory budgeting and information, community and technology (ICT) monitoring tools4. Youth A person between the ages of 15 and 24. In some countries different age ranges are applicable.

5. Planâ&#x20AC;&#x;s approach Planâ&#x20AC;&#x;s approach We will work locally, nationally and internationally to establish quality citizenship and governance programming and influence the debates, policies and laws which shape citizenship and public accountability. Plan will address the social, cultural, political, and institutional causes of citizenship and governance problems and challenges. We will undertake robust risk and local context analysis in order to facilitate safe and empowering interventions with girls, boys, young women and young men. Citizenship and governance programming can be particularly important within fragile and conflict-affected states. Even though such states can be dysfunctional, there is still potential for programming at the local level, underpinned by risk, political and conflict sensitivity analysis. Citizenship and governance programming is also relevant in disaster contexts, and Plan has a body of experience in this area. Plan will prioritise working with excluded and marginalised girls, boys, young women and young men. Plan works with youth, in addition to children, in recognition that supporting the participation of youth in decision-making processes prepares them as future leaders of their community and society. This is key to Governance can also refer how to a corporation or organisation is run. For citizenship and governance programming we refer to the governance of a country or community. 4 ICT monitoring tools can include data visualisation, crowd-sourcing, mobile phones and social media. 3

achieving Plan‟s vision of supporting children to reach their full potential. As children learn their rights and participate meaningfully, they grow to become youth leaders and then adult leaders. We will pay particular attention to gender equality, power issues, and the causes and consequences of discrimination and exclusion (on the basis of ethnicity, caste, disability, or socio-economic status, for example). In line with the recommendations from Plan‟s Strategic Review on Inclusion (2012), we will tackle exclusion through targeted interventions as part of our citizenship and governance programming as well as responding to social exclusion and gender analysis in all our work. In line with Plan‟s Strategy on Gender Equality (2012) we will aim to promote gender equality and girls‟ empowerment within our programming. Gender equality and women and girls‟ political participation are important components of inclusive governance and citizenship. Active citizenship and inclusive and accountable governance is an important end in itself. However, citizenship and governance programming is also a means to achieve results in other impact areas and support the realisation of children‟s rights. Strengthening citizenship, and accountability and responsiveness of service providers and public officials, can help deliver changes in other impact areas.

Child-Centred Community Development (CCCD) and how it underpins citizenship and governance programming CCCD is Plan‟s overarching approach to citizenship and governance programming for children and youth. CCCD, Plan‟s rights-based approach, is about empowering children, youth and communities to engage in collective action from community to national level to hold government and other duty bearers to account for their rights. The approach acknowledges the political dimension of development and seeks to address power relations and the structural causes of poverty and the non-realisation of rights. It involves facilitating the strengthening of systems and structures to enable governments to fulfil their role and the obligations to which they have committed under international human rights law. The expected outcomes in terms of changes in policy, political will, public attitudes and systemic changes in service delivery, require looking at root causes of child rights violations and child poverty (Plan Programme Guide 2010). CCCD recognises that power, politics, exclusion and related social, cultural, economic and policy processes are key factors that cause and sustain gender inequality and child poverty. Discussing poverty in the context of child rights invariably moves the discussion into a political arena. Both the formal politics of a town, province, country or region, and informal politics of families, schools and neighbourhoods, profoundly affect girls‟ and boys‟ ability to realise their rights (Plan Programme Guide 2010). Governance and citizenship are therefore a critical foundation for our CCCD approach. They are also crucial for sustainability, scaling up, and supporting Plan to implement some key strategies of CCCD; holding state actors accountable, strengthening the capacity of civil society, and undertaking advocacy. Plan never makes any formal commitment or affiliation to a specific political party: we support all efforts to realise rights for children.

The Right of the Child to participate The programme impact area „right to participate as citizens‟ takes its starting point in Article 12 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The right to participate is one of the four general principles of the Convention, required for the effective realisation of other rights, as well as being a free-standing right of the child. Participation also relates to other articles in the CRC including expression of thoughts and ideas (Articles 13 and 14), gathering, dissemination and access to information (Articles 13 and 17), organisation of children (Article 15) and right to participation for children with disabilities (Article 23). Participation in decision-making is crucial for active citizenship and inclusive and accountable governance. Meaningful child and youth participation is a process where girls and boys, young women and young men can analyse problems, express their concerns, their voices are heard and they are able to influence decisions in ways that enable their demands and concerns to be included (Plan UK Governance Learning Guide, 2012). Child and youth participation in governance and accountability processes is a crucial way of exercising citizenship and advocating for their rights.

Partnership and collaboration Working in partnership is one of the major strategies of our CCCD approach. Plan‟s role is to facilitate change in communities by supporting children, families, communities and civil society to bring about change and hold public officials at all levels to account (Plan Programme Guide, 2010). Plan as an organisation will therefore play a facilitating role in communities and seek to work through and with civil society in delivering this strategy. We will actively seek to partner with, and strengthen, civil society organisations, in particular child and youth organisations. Strengthening civil society is crucial for citizen-led development. Plan will work with organisations that are committed to our good practice principles on citizenship and governance programming and also committed to gender equality, in line with Plan‟s Policy on Gender Equality (2011). Plan is committed to addressing the structural causes of child poverty and recognises that the root causes lie beyond the level of communities (Plan Programme Guide 2010). While Plan‟s work is anchored in the communities, we recognise that to achieve major lasting impacts, we must link our work at the community level to the district, the national and the international arenas. Working in partnership, and collaborating with others is a key way of extending our influence and reach, and is crucial for this strategy to succeed. It is important we recognise that there are many actors working in this area, and we must collaborate with a wide range of partners to achieve our desired changes. We will also collaborate with, and influence, public officials and public bodies. We will support national and international efforts to improve governance, and collaborate with, and influence, donors, national governments and international organisations. Given Plan‟s long-term presence in particular geographical areas, our work with local government will be a particular strength. In order to build our evidence base and knowledge we will collaborate with local and international research bodies and think tanks.

6. Guiding principles for good practice5 These 10 guiding principles for good practice summarise key lessons from Plan‟s citizenship and governance programming and good practice externally. They are underpinned by general principles of good programming that relate to all Plan‟s work, most importantly that participation of children is guided by Plan International‟s Child Protection Policy and Standards (2009). These principles were developed by Plan and were used to guide the conceptual framework and to develop the strategic objectives and priority actions. In future, they will be used to guide quality citizenship and governance programming. 10 guiding principles for good practice 1. Work collaboratively with both citizens and public officials: It is important to combine approaches that work with young women and young men, with corresponding support for increasing the capacity of public officials to respond. It is vital to work with public officials and children and youth in the same intervention, to build collaborative platforms to discuss and respond to key problems. This is a more effective means of building consensus and encouraging behaviour change than working with one side alone. Example of good practice: Plan El Salvador‟s Youth Governance project This project supported the development of youth community development organisations (ADESQUITOS) in order to support advocacy for improved child protection at municipal level. Plan first conducted advocacy in support of legislation of ADESCOs (adult forums at municipal level), and then moved on to advocate for youth-only structures. The ADESQUITOS conducted successful advocacy for municipal child protection policies and provided recommendations for a new Municipal Child Rights Code and a new Child and Adolescent Rights law that were accepted. The youth conducted joint situation analysis with adults and worked together to develop these municipal These are based on lessons from three key reviews conducted in 2012. They include a short internal review of Plan‟s citizenship and governance programming from 2008-2012, a review of external evidence of good practice and a consultation with children and youth in five Plan countries about their experiences of Plan‟s citizenship and governance programmes. 5

polices. These policies were approved in a large number of municipalities, and a significant number also allocated budgetary resources to support policy implementation. Successful collaboration and joint analysis between youth and adults were key factors in the successful advocacy. Plan also worked with a network of „child-friendly‟ mayors. Although ADESQUITOS were supported as parallel youth-only structures, there are examples of youth graduating into the adult-only ADESCOS and Municipal Councils.

2. Build capacity and willingness of public officials to engage and respond to feedback from young citizens: Understanding the incentives of public officials to respond to all young women and young men is critical for effective programing. Programmes are more effective when there is willingness from public officials to improve accountability and they are open to feedback from young citizens. Social accountability approaches that start to influence the attitudes of public officials and improve their acceptance of young people‟s right to access information, give feedback, and discuss public accountability have worked well. 3. Go beyond awareness-raising to strengthen access and use of public information: Effective programmes support young women and young men to understand, collect, analyse and use information (on rights, quality of services, political processes, policies and budgets) in order to influence public officials. „Access to Information‟ approaches (such as scorecards) can amplify and aggregate the voice of young women and young men and give them evidence to feedback their concerns in decision-making processes and develop as leaders. However, it is important to recognise the evolving capacities of children, and the power imbalance among citizens, particularly the lack of voice of girls and excluded groups. They will need special support to ensure their meaningful participation, and different strategies may be required to strengthen the capacity of young women. Example of good practice: Plan Kenya UWAZI project This project builds on earlier work on Youth Employment and Empowerment that created a network of youth groups that registered as a community-based organisation. UWAZI works with 4 youth groups to analyse the effectiveness of budgets decentralised to local government level (devolved funds). This project aims to enhance information literacy of youth, so that they have a good understanding of political and budget processes and how the funding schemes work. The youth use this information to carry out a social audit to assess the transparency and accountability of these schemes. The project facilitates interaction between youth and public officials, with a longer term goal of ensuring there is a youth representative on all devolved fund committees, to give young people a voice in how local government funds are used. Young people have been central in the design of the project which included an emphasis on the group‟s internal governance and self-auditing.

4. Support bottom-up advocacy and links to national level: Advocacy that is informed by priorities identified by children and youth and their communities at the local level rather than Plan-led advocacy is likely to be more sustainable and have greater ownership. Child and youth–led analysis and bottomup approaches to advocacy are more likely to strengthen collective action and leadership skills among children and youth than initiatives driven by Plan. This should be coupled with a clear strategy from Plan about how it will amplify these local concerns to higher levels (at district, national or international level). Example of good practice: Plan Bangladesh Child Parliaments project Plan‟s support to Bangladesh‟s Child Parliament has developed since 2005. It originally focused at the district level. Plan now supports children and youth to understand the roles of public authorities at different levels. Children identify issues they feel are important, and are supported with training on research and data analysis. The project recognised that underlying processes leading up to the annual meeting of the child parliament were more important than the „event‟. The focus now is on National Children‟s Task Forces at district level and building stronger coalitions of children‟s organisations within/across districts and linking up with national advocacy groups. In order to ensure follow-up back at the district level, the project is aiming to institutionalise a child-led reporting mechanism and on-going collection of evidence and monitoring for the CRC alternative report.

5. Work with existing child or youth-led organisations and groups: Support existing or self-organised groups and organisations, rather than setting up new ones or working only with groups organised by 8

Plan. New groups, specially created by Plan, often do not survive independently after Plan withdraws support. It is important to enable the groups and organisations to strengthen their own internal democracy and self-organisation and to reflect on issues of representation, consultation, power and gender issues. Support organisations and groups to organise, network, and influence key decisionmakers, while creating linkages with adult society. Example of good practice: Plan Malawi‟s Youth Governance project This project supported youth groups to engage in policy, planning and budgeting particularly with regard to livelihood services. The capacity of public officials to engage with youth was enhanced through awareness interventions and after observing young people‟s contribution in different governance structures. Service delivery staff were also given space to air scepticism and concerns during the process. The project aimed to formalise youth groups and some became registered community-based organisations securing funding from outside Plan. The project actively promoted and supported youth networks, which continue to meet independently of Plan. The project established two seats for youth (1 male and 1 female) on the Youth Enterprise Development Boards (a microfinance institution which approves the dispersal of funds to youth groups) and a government decision to abolish the National Youth Council was reversed after intense lobbying by the youth.

6. Work at multiple levels and build alliances: Effective programmes build alliances and work across a variety of levels: local, district and national (and sometimes international). Public decisions are often made at different levels, by different actors, so successful approaches link child and youth organisations with adult governance structures (supporting youth employment committees to meet formally with district budget officials and the National Ministry of Youth for example). 7. Understand risk and the local context of citizenship and governance initiatives: The impact of citizenship and governance initiatives varies by context. Understanding the local and national political and cultural context at the design stage of a project provides an important reality check to whether interventions could work. The „do no harm‟ principle needs to guide programming. This means assessing the risks children and youth may face when engaging in citizenship and governance work and supporting young women and young men to understand risks they may wish to take. This is particularly important in governance work, which can sometimes be viewed as confrontational. It is important to understand informal and formal political processes at different levels, and how to identify opportunities and risks within these processes. This is especially relevant in fragile and conflict-affected environments. 8. Use a combination of strategies: Effective programmes use a combination of strategies and approaches simultaneously (for example social accountability initiatives which involve strengthening access to information, government capacity building, and budget analysis). Adopt multiple strategies that work with a variety of stakeholders, at different levels, that aim to improve awareness and access to information, change attitudes, strengthen public accountability mechanisms, and build relationships and interactions between young women and young men and public officials. 9. Analyse barriers to meaningful involvement of excluded and marginalised children and youth in decision-making processes: It is vital to understand how gender, other forms of exclusion (race, caste, disability) and power dynamics at family, local and national level, shape girls‟, boys‟, young women and young men‟s ability to influence decision-making processes. It is important to understand the nature of decision-making spaces that exist or we create, in order to recognise who is excluded and included from such platforms and the role gender plays in shaping the engagement of children and youth. 10. Have a project-specific clear theory of change: Changes in citizenship and governance are complex and dynamic. Developing effective programmes requires a strong analysis of how change happens and how Plan‟s work contributes to strengthening accountability. It is necessary to make explicit how initiatives or projects, within a given context, are expected to achieve certain changes. Developing a „theory of change‟ for each project improves programming by encouraging project staff to explicitly state the rationale and intended outcomes of child and youth participation in governance processes so they can better understand the difference programmes make. A „theory of change‟ also provides a 9

strong foundation for monitoring, evaluation and intentional learning. Theories of change often evolve as a programme is implemented: they should not be seen as set in stone. For more information see Annex 1: Internal and External good practice background documents.

7. Conceptual framework The conceptual framework6 for this citizenship and governance strategy builds on Plan‟s CCCD approach and guides the organisation in putting CCCD into practice within Plan‟s citizenship and governance programmes. This conceptual framework was informed by lessons about Plan‟s experience to date and the guiding principles of good practice (outlined in section 6). It is an overarching, programme-wide conceptual framework, which outlines our goal and the five key changes needed to achieve this goal (shown in Figure 1). There are multiple different „routes‟ to delivering change, and the process is not linear. However, in line with good internal and external practice, an effective programme will need to address many of these changes together. No hierarchy exists between these five types of change: each is inter-connected with the others and numerous links and feedback loops exist. For example, strengthened access to information and public transparency will support collective action among children and youth and also enable more effective public accountability mechanisms.

Figure 1: Conceptual framework

1. Our Goal for Citizenship and Governance Programming:

Empowered, engaged and respected young women and men, and responsive, accountable and transparent public decision-making processes at all levels

The goal, key changes and pre-conditions outlined below are based on a „theory of change‟ model developed at the global reference group meeting in June 2012. [Please refer to section 4 for lists of key terms and concepts] 10 6

Thereby contributing to… Plan‟s Vision of “a world in which all children realise their full potential in societies that respect people‟s rights and dignity”.

2. Key changes needed to achieve our goal We believe, in order to achieve our goal, we must influence changes among rights-holders and dutybearers, primarily public officials, children and youth and civil society, over the five interconnected dimensions (as outlined in Figure 1). These changes are explained in the text below. In order to achieve results in these five areas, and as a precondition for success, Plan will need to bring about a number of important intermediate changes. How Plan will do this is outlined in the following section on strategic objectives and priority actions (section 8). The „pre-conditions for success‟ outline what Plan‟s programming needs to focus on in order to contribute to its desired long-term changes. Although the key changes relate to children and youth, it is important to consider the evolving capacities of children, particularly younger children, in relation to citizenship and governance interventions.

Effective public accountability mechanisms: Public accountability mechanisms at different levels (e.g. school management committees, district health forums, national budget review committees) must support the participation of children and youth, as key users of services, in the governance of public services and in policy design and implementation. It is crucial that processes exist to support the continuing consultation of children and youth and greater responsiveness of public officials.

Preconditions for success7: For this to happen, public officials must be willing to accept constructive criticism from children and youth and recognise the rights of young citizens to access information and give assertive feedback. Public officials must therefore be supported to manage consultation and accountability processes and to develop the capacity to be transparent, consultative and responsive to questioning from young citizens. In addition, civil society and community members must understand the importance of developing young people‟s leadership skills and the value of young citizen feedback, and support their involvement in public accountability mechanisms. Children and youth must be supported to develop the capacity, knowledge and leadership skills to engage with public officials and accountability mechanisms. They should be supported to engage in accountability work in a non-confrontational way and to manage potential conflict from public officials. Plan should also lead by example and be open and transparent towards children, youth and communities in its programming.

Information literacy of children and youth and public transparency: For children and youth (and their organisations and groups) to engage collectively as active citizens and participate in public accountability mechanisms, they must be „information literate‟. Information literacy requires that young people access, analyse and use age-appropriate, child-friendly, public information (related to the CRC, CEDAW, their rights, quality of public services, policies, budgets and decision-making and political processes) to facilitate their evidence-based advocacy.

Preconditions for success: For this to happen, public officials and national legislation must support children and youth to access and use public information and promote freedom of information, open data and public transparency at different levels, with the media actively reporting on child rights, information and transparency issues. Public officials must have the capacity, willingness and incentives to support transparent processes, collect data and make information accessible. Children and youth must be willing and supported to understand the importance of public transparency, their right to access information, and be supported to interpret and engage with public information to assert this right. Young people need to be supported to develop strong analytical, leadership and the critical thinking skills needed to effectively analyse and use public information for evidence-based advocacy.

Pre-conditions for success are some of the assumptions that shape our programming. By making these assumptions explicit, it highlights the tangible changes we believe must take place in order to achieve the changes listed above. They outline the intermediate steps (or changes) between a programme‟s outputs and outcomes. 11 7

Collective action among girls, boys and youth-led organisations and groups: Supporting child and youth-led groups and organisations is crucial for enhancing the sustainability of young people‟s actions, and strengthening the voices of young women and men as leaders, in civil society. For child and youth organisations to play an important role in civil society in advocating for their rights, the organisations and groups must have the capacity and information to engage and advocate in governance processes and structures. They need to be encouraged to self-organise and engage in public and online forums that enable them to network, and shape collective actions to claim their rights and influence change. It is crucial that policies and mechanisms for child and youth organisations and groups‟ participation in accountability processes are implemented and function effectively.

Preconditions for success: In order for this to happen, child and youth groups and organisations must be aware of their rights and the role of decision-makers and accountability mechanisms. They must be supported to develop their leadership, problem-solving, networking and advocacy skills. This will enable them to network and link to district or national platforms, and advocate as leaders in their community and in public decision-making. Child and youth groups and organisations should be supported to develop democratic structures and reflect on issues of inclusion and representation within their groups. Community members and adult civil society organisations must therefore be supported to develop the awareness and capacity to support child and youth collective action.

Democratic spaces and dialogue: For children and youth (and their organisations and groups) to engage meaningfully in public accountability mechanisms outlined above, relationships between children, youth and those in power, must be based on openness, inclusion and accountability. Supporting the sustainability of these relationships requires challenging attitudes, negative social norms and power relations. This will also enable better inclusion of groups that are currently excluded and marginalised, outlined below.

Preconditions for success: For these relationships to develop, inclusive and collaborative spaces must exist and be strengthened which promote dialogue, networking and interaction between children and youth and multiple stakeholders at different levels. There must also be platforms at different levels for young citizens to hold public officials accountable and for collective action, negotiation and problem solving between children, youth, community leaders and public officials to take place. It is important to conduct risk analysis to assess potential negative outcomes for young people. This could include the possibility of reprisals when children and youth challenge those with more power, whether at school, community or government level. Young people must be supported to reflect on issues of direct representation and the risks they may wish to take.

Excluded and marginalised young women and men are included in decision-making processes: Policies and legislation should be implemented to ensure that excluded and marginalised children and youth are included in the public accountability mechanisms outlined above. Tackling the root causes of discrimination and exclusion of marginalised young people (such as disabled children) requires Plan to carry out both exclusion and power analysis. Tailored interventions are needed to target discriminatory practices in decision-making processes and support marginalised young women and men (and their organisations and groups) to engage meaningfully in accountability mechanisms.

Preconditions for success: For this to happen public officials, adults, civil society, and children and youth must recognise the importance of – and the current obstacles to – the meaningful participation of excluded and marginalised groups in decision-making processes. In addition, they must reflect on inclusion within their own organisations. Excluded and marginalised children and youth must be supported to build their confidence, capacity and influencing skills to engage in governance processes and be leaders in their community. Public officials and community leaders must acknowledge their responsibility to address the barriers that exclude marginalised children and youth from public accountability processes, and understand that inclusion matters not only for effective governance and active citizenship, but also is an obligation of the state in accordance with international human rights standards. For more information see Annex 3: Conceptual Framework background documents 12

8. Strategic objectives and priority actions These strategic objectives describe how Plan will work towards achieving the changes and goal outlined above (in section 7), through programmes, research and external influencing. They outline organisational objectives in relation to what Plan wants to achieve. The priority actions describe how Plan will implement quality citizenship and governance programmes and embed good practice principles, working in partnership as appropriate. They also outline specific areas where we will develop expertise and expect to take on a leadership role, and areas where we want to focus our efforts and learning, based on Plan‟s distinct competencies. While Country Offices must retain flexibility to respond to the local context this strategy outlines the overall organisational direction at a global level. This will enable the organisation to focus technical support and deliver high quality citizenship and governance programmes. Criteria for selecting strategic objectives The following criteria were used to make decisions about the strategic objectives and priority actions.

Strategic objectives and priority actions must…      

Be based on Plan‟s distinct competencies, expertise, and resources Be based on, and underpinned by, Plan‟s CCCD approach and values Outline Plan‟s value added and contribution to local, national and international efforts Be informed by evidence on good practice Be forward-looking, achievable and ambitious Be applicable in many, but not necessarily all, countries and contexts

Plan‟s distinct competencies Due to Plan‟s strong long-term relationships and expertise at community and district level, Plan can make a valuable contribution to local government accountability initiatives which link effectively to the national level. This is where we can take a leadership role and focus on delivering quality programming. In addition, we recognise that local government is often both a service provider and an advocate at national level for effective policies and adequate resources to implement these policies. Local government is therefore a potential ally in advocating for increased investment in local services that affect children and youth. Plan can make an important contribution to international efforts by supporting children and youth to engage directly in decision-making processes and governance of services (i.e. monitoring and feeding back concerns about education, disaster response or child protection mechanisms or policies for example). Due to our experience with children and youth, Plan has a valuable contribution to make by supporting the development and strengthening of a „young‟ civil society through engaging with child and youth-led organisations and groups and the role they play in the community and in governance processes.

Strategic objectives for Plan

Priority actions for Plan

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1:

1.1 Strengthen the capacity and willingness among public officials to be more open, accountable and responsive to feedback from children and youth.

Support public decisionmaking mechanisms to be transparent, accountable and responsive to all children and youth.

1.2 Support public officials, primarily at community and district levels, to strengthen public accountability mechanisms, specifically mechanisms for service delivery monitoring and young citizen feedback into policy, planning and budgeting.

1.3 Support dialogue, negotiation and collaboration between civil society and public officials, and children and youth to enhance service delivery.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2: Support young women and young men to engage effectively in public accountability mechanisms.

2.1 Develop expertise in supporting children and youth to engage with social accountability approaches, particularly at the local government level, specifically community scorecards, participatory budgeting and ICT monitoring tools.

2.2 Support high quality child and youth-led advocacy at all levels on issues that are relevant to them, such as access to public information and transparency, service quality improvements and CRC monitoring.

2.3 Develop expertise in supporting children and youth to access, analyse and use public information at community, district and national levels.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3: Facilitate collective action by child and youth-led organisations and groups to claim their rights.

3.1 Support the organisational development of child and youth-led organisations and groups to enable them to be more effective, inclusive and democratic.

3.2 Support child and youth-led organisations and groups to access, analyse and use information on their rights by strengthening their leadership, networking and influencing skills.

3.3 Strengthen expertise in supporting adult CSOs to improve their awareness and capacity to support child and youth collective action and to facilitate linkages between adult and child and youth-led organisations and groups.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4: Facilitate the implementation of citizenship and governance programmes that support inclusion of marginalised and excluded young citizens.

4.1 Support targeted interventions, with partners as appropriate, which tackle the causes and consequences of exclusion of vulnerable and marginalised girls, boys, young women and young men from public accountability mechanisms.

4.2 Develop, modify and support the use of guidance on political and power analysis, social exclusion analysis and problem-intervention analysis tailored for citizenship and governance programming, linking to Planâ&#x20AC;&#x;s Gender and Child Rights Analysis tool.

4.3 Develop a body of evidence on the impact that targeted interventions within programmes for excluded and marginalised girls, boys, young women and young men have on the results of citizenship and governance work.

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5: Contribute to global knowledge, good practice and policy debates by publishing research and policy positions on our work on public accountability with children and youth.

5.1 Support high quality research on the other strategic objectives identified in this strategy, which contributes to practical evidence-based decision-making by policy makers and improves practice.

5.2 Contribute to policy debates with the most influential actors working in the field of citizenship and governance, at national and international levels, in particular relating to the preceding strategic objectives.

5.3 Develop credible methods of monitoring and evaluating citizenship and governance work that drive good practice on the ground and provide management oversight.

9. Monitoring, evaluation and learning Purpose of monitoring and evaluation The purpose of monitoring and evaluating this strategy is to support Plan to assess the overall implementation of the strategy and whether it has enabled the organisation to deliver high quality citizenship and governance programmes. The monitoring and evaluation activities focus on the implementation of the strategy, not the outcomes of specific programmes. This will be done at regional, country and project level. Further monitoring and evaluation guidance will be developed to accompany this strategy. The focus of the strategy, and therefore the M&E, is on improving quality, rather than significantly increasing the quantity of citizenship and governance projects. Reporting progress A Global Advisor, working with a global technical network across all of plan, will lead implementation of this strategy. The technical network will support learning, sharing and improved knowledge of good practice in this programme area. It will also help review the strategy, for instance by monitoring the indicators and milestones. A short annual global update of Plan‟s overall global progress in implementing the strategy will be developed by the Global Advisor, based on input from Country Offices, Regional Offices and National Organisations, as well as global monitoring of indicators. A mid-term review of Plan‟s 2013-2017 Strategy on Citizenship and Governance will be conducted after two and a half years. Indicators The following indicators will be used to assess global progress in implementing the strategy in order to improve our citizenship and governance programming. The objective is not to set targets for a certain number of projects. The aim is to develop a high-quality body of work on citizenship and governance within the strategy time period, and use this as a basis for expanding the work in the organisation in future.

Indicator 1: Proportion of existing citizenship and governance projects that meet a number of specific quality criteria.

[A 1-page guidance tool will accompany the strategy. It will be developed in early 2013. It will set out, in practical terms, key criteria for quality citizenship and governance programmes. These will be based on the guiding principles and conceptual framework outlined in this strategy. This information will be collected through Plan‟s existing global monitoring systems. It will enable us to assess the extent to which technical support and sharing lessons about good practice has improved the quality of programming]. Indicator 2: Number of citizenship and governance projects by region This can include projects in other sectors and impact areas that include citizenship and governance work. [This will enable us to track over time the level of programming that takes place. While there is no numerical target and the focus of the strategy is on the quality of projects and not quantity, it is useful to have this information to inform indicator 1]. This information will be collected through Plan‟s existing global monitoring systems, such as the Country Programme Progress Reviews (CPPR) and country and regional level Monitoring, Evaluation and Research processes (MER). Support will be provided to ensure Plan‟s systems adequately collect data relevant to citizenship and governance programming. This will enable us to track over time the amount of programming take place]. Indicator 3: Number of Country Strategic Plans, Programme Unit Long Term Plans, Regional Strategies, National Organisation strategies/frameworks that include initiatives relating to the strategic objectives and priority actions set out in this document. 15

[This will enable us to assess over time whether Planâ&#x20AC;&#x;s citizenship and governance programming has moved in a coherent direction in line with the strategy. While there is no numerical target and the focus of the strategy is on quality of projects and not quantity, it will enable us to review what types of initiatives are taking place. A simple framework will be developed in 2013 to review projects against the strategic objectives and priority actions]. Implementation milestones The implementation milestones outline the next steps for rolling out the strategy. Monitoring these milestones will enable Plan to assess whether the organisation is providing the technical support necessary to achieve the strategic objectives. Country and Regional Offices will be supported to develop their own citizenship and governance implementation plans in relation to this strategy. Plan will also work with Regional Offices to discuss implementation of this strategy, in order to coordinate with existing regional and global strategies and initiatives, such as the Plan Academy. 1. Global technical network established and operating effectively (2013)

[The network will meet every 2 years to review global progress against the strategy. The network will also meet virtually on a bi-annual basis to exchange learning and contribute to strategy milestones] 2. Guidance note on monitoring and evaluation of citizenship and governance programmes (2013)

[This guidance note will provide staff with practical guidance and tools to monitor the changes that result from citizenship and governance projects and programmes. It will support staff in learning from good practice and external lessons on monitoring and evaluating citizenship and governance work]. 3.

Guidance notes relating to each strategic objective (2013-2014)

[These guidance notes and practice tools will support staff in designing and implementing projects in relation to the strategic objectives and priority actions. The guidance notes will be the basis for technical support, accompaniment and sharing and learning in the technical network]. 4. 1 case study of good practice programme interventions developed for each region for each strategic objective (1-4). (annual basis)

[These case studies will support Plan in implementing good practice and provide an opportunity to share and learn from programme experience. We will aim to generate significant interest around these case studies within Plan and externally. These case studies will be reviewed through the technical network]. 5. Good practice principles revised, through building on lessons from internal and external experience (linking to the mid-term review) (every two years)

[Improving and reviewing the good practice principles will enable Plan to keep the focus on learning].

10. Resource mobilisation This section provides a short overview of the resources that may be available to Plan for citizenship and governance work. It is uncertain whether spending on governance will be maintained, as overall aid budgets decline, linked to the global economic downturn. However, it may increase as an element of spend within basic service delivery programmes (Wildig, 2011). Donors such as DFID, USAID, EC, CIDA and SIDA, for example, are currently supporting governance programming. Governance is increasingly being framed by donors as a cross-cutting issue within the context of service delivery, in particular for interventions that demonstrate tangible results. 16

 This is an opportunity for Plan, as it seeks to increase its focus on strengthening public accountability

mechanisms, specifically mechanisms for service delivery monitoring and young citizen feedback into policy, planning and budgeting.

There is also recent evidence of decreased funding to local civil society organisations (Civicus, 2012). But more joint bilateral donor civil society and accountability funding mechanisms are emerging (Wildig, 2011). The rationale is that general budget support needs to be coupled with a greater focus on domestic accountability in order to address issues such as corruption.  These in-country funds can provide sizeable resources for citizenship and governance programming

and provide a key opportunity for Plan Country Offices

 There is an increased preference from donors for supporting local non-government organisations

(Wildig, 2011). Plan may need to work more consistently with, and through, local civil society organisations.  In recognition of growing joint bilateral donor funding mechanisms, Plan National Organisations may need to also work more collaboratively to access funds. For more information see Annex 4: Resource mobilisation background documents

11. Links to Annexes All items in the Annex can be found at the link below https://communities.planapps.org/tec/team003/globalstrategy/Project%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx

Annex 1: Internal and external good practice background documents  Helen Gallagher, (2012), A review of good practice in Plan‟s citizenship and governance programming.  Plan, (2012), A Review of child and youth consultation findings: Plan‟s citizenship and governance

programming

 Rachel Alvarez-Reyes (2012), Looking outside Plan: A review of external good practice – Citizenship

and Governance Programming

 Plan, (2012), Summary of external context: for Global Strategy Meeting (June 2012) Annex 2: Theory of Change  Theory of Change – taken from Global Strategy Meeting (June 2012) Annex 3: Conceptual framework background documents  Conceptual framework consultation document – produced for Global Reference Group consultation (April 2012)  Collated feedback from Global Reference Group on draft conceptual framework (May 2012)  6 x Briefing notes and collated feedback from Global Reference Group (May 2012)  Plan, (2012), A Review of child and youth consultation findings: Plan‟s citizenship and governance

programming

 Global Strategy Meeting – meeting report (12-15 June 2012). Annex 4: Resource mobilisation background documents  Plan, (2012), Summary of external context: for Global Strategy Meeting (June 2012)  Zoe Wildig, (2011), Governance resource mobilisation opportunities: A report for Plan UK. Annex 5: Strategy process  Overview of how the strategy was developed (including list of reference group members)  TOR for Global Reference Group Annex 6: References  References used in strategy document 17