Letuka Chafotsa
THE European Union (EU) yesterday launched a roadmap for engagement with Lesotho’s civil society for the period 2014 to 2017.
The blueprint seeks to promote civil society activity in Lesotho within the framework of democratic governance during the period in question, and also “facilitate and enhance its role in the broadest possible sense”.
Speaking at the launch, the Head of Delegation of the EU to Lesotho, Ambassador Hans Duynhouwer said the overall objective of the roadmap is to make life better for Basotho, through the enhancement of the country’s civil society.
“The roadmap for engagement with civil society was developed based on the realisation of the growing importance of this community in today’s world.
“There is recognition that people’s initiatives, and decentralised ways of operation, can contribute in a meaningful way, to addressing urgent development challenges for communities, hence this roadmap,” Ambassador Duynhouwer said.
“The other motive for the roadmap is that civil society needs a conducive environment to be effective. A less-conducive environment is a restrictive factor, and with this roadmap, we hope to engage this constraint and ensure the smooth-operation of local civil society.”
Ambassador Duynhouwer also said the other reason for the roadmap was recognition that the capacity of civil society must go hand-in- hand with its growing role in the community.
In her address, the EU Project Manager in Governance, Mariam Homayoun said the launch of the roadmap marked the EU’s “contribution to the empowerment and deepening of the role of active society” in Lesotho.
“The initiative started last year, and today, it marks the engagement the EU and the Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (LCN),” Ms Homayoun said.
“We are happy that the LCN is leading civil society not only in Maseru but also in all the other districts of Lesotho because we now have their views in the roadmap, and hope it will help develop Lesotho as a whole.”
The LCN representative, Mamathule Makhotla, on her part, said as the umbrella of Lesotho’s civil society, his organization appreciated the EU initiative.
“We appreciate the relationship we have with the EU; all these initiatives are valuable to our community and it really shows how committed the EU is to the development of Lesotho and the enhanced livelihoods of our Basotho nation,” Ms Makhotla said.
“However, as much as the roadmap is for civil society, it has the paramount importance of facilitating development in our country.”
