Capacity Strengthening Program (CSP)

What We Do

As part of our effort to strengthen the capacity of local organizations to advocate on behalf of children within their own communities, we have developed partnerships with local organizations in five countries where the MRM is being implemented (Afghanistan, Burma/Myanmar, Colombia, DRC and Nepal). Our support to these organizations provides an opportunity for us to put policy into practice and to respond to the needs and expectations of victims on the ground.

Strengthening partners’ monitoring and reporting capacity: Watchlist provides technical support to partners to strengthen their ability to systematically collect and verify information and to accurately report on violations occurring in their area. Our work with them includes not only training and coaching on monitoring and reporting methodology, but also on the child protection guidelines and codes of conduct that are crucial to ensuring respect for the privacy and rights of victims. With this support, all of our partners have been able to actively contribute to the MRM process at the country level. In addition to this, we organize partners’ visits to New York, in the framework of our global advocacy action, to give them the opportunity to actively engage with decision makers and to better represent the communities with which they work.

Strengthening partner’s organizational capacity: Watchlist also seeks to strengthen partners’ capacities in terms of management and planning, so that they can grow stronger and more sustainable. This support includes financial assistance, advice and mentoring, and facilitation of contacts with local donors.

 

Why We Do It

Watchlist believes that civil society networks within communities affected by armed conflict play a vital role in the protection of children, as they are able to act as first hand witnesses and responders to child rights violations. They have an in-depth understanding of the conflict. They are also present on the ground (including in places inaccessible to the UN), and always will be there, thereby ensuring a sustained monitoring of violations. By strengthening the link between these networks and UN actors responsible for the MRM, Watchlist ensures that decision-makers have access to the highest quality information and latest developments, directly from the field, and thus strengthens the effectiveness of the MRM itself.

With our unique perspective as a bridge between local actors and international policy makers, we are also better able to find and present practical solutions to the protection of children in conflict zones, to those same decision makers.