On May 22, 2016, municipal elections will take place. Convinced of the relevance of CSOs playing a vital role in the electoral process, Solidar Suisse organized a workshop around the theme: Participation, concertation, advocacy and citizen interpellation for more inclusive governance within communities from March 26 to 29, 2016 in Loumbila.
The workshop brought together local authorities and CSOs from the Oubritenga, Ganzourgou and Kourwéogo regions.
The aim of the workshop was to better equip CSOs to play their role in civil society, so that the population can participate fully in the issues and challenges facing their respective communes in the forthcoming municipal elections, according to Daniel Da Hien, the workshop facilitator.
For Ms. Béré Célestine, Head of the Democracy and Participation Division at Solidar Suisse in Burkina, the expectations were that participants would understand the need to create synergies between CSOs working in the same locality, to enable them to be better equipped to lobby future local elected representatives together.
As for the participants, they appreciated the workshop. Mr. Ouédraogo Mahamadi, relay coordinator at the Tind Yalgré Association in Boussé, believes that this is an opportunity for existing CSOs in the Central Plateau to get to know each other and unite. According to him, this union will help CSOs defend their interests and make representations to the government.
Mr. Ouédraogo concludes that through this workshop he will be able to acquire knowledge related to the life of CSOs, and he in turn will be able to give back to the grassroots population.
