[{"bbox": [146, 146, 1080, 683], "category": "Table", "text": "<table><tr><td>Risks related to people and the organisation</td><td>Civil society fragmentation and lack of technical expertise and capacity to provide adequate oversight and demand for accountability and transparency</td><td>Medium</td><td>Medium</td><td>A significant part of this Action may be implemented through CSOs that will be identified through a Call for Proposals. Continuous capacity development and technical support shall be provided to CSOs. Further, efforts will be made to pair local and international organisations to deliver jointly, as well as to strengthen M&E systems.</td></tr><tr><td>Risks related to people and the organisation</td><td>Challenging political economy, resistance to change by those benefiting from the current system, and weak enforcement of rules and regulations could jeopardise/slow down reform efforts</td><td>Medium</td><td>Medium</td><td>Develop joint policy dialogue for reforms and provide related technical support to key public agencies. Regular political economy analysis in areas of most likely resistance, e.g. electoral reform. Promote greater engagement from key non-state actors, in particular CSOs and the wider citizenry.</td></tr></table>"}, {"bbox": [157, 685, 316, 708], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**Lessons Learnt:**"}, {"bbox": [157, 710, 1073, 949], "category": "Text", "text": "After two decades of support to governance in Malawi, a key lesson from all EU programmes, is that success is tied to the level of political will for Government to deliver in the area. Extensive consultations have to be made prior to the development of an Action, to agree on areas of engagement, on shared responsibilities and to have a clear sustainability plan. There is also need to frequently assess, review and determine each beneficiary institution's capacity and motivation to deliver. The current Government has demonstrated willingness and support towards improving democratic governance and shown commitment towards sustainability of existing initiatives. Crucially, high level political will has been displayed ensuring that the key institutions of MEC and NRB operate independently, are well staffed and given the room to operate."}, {"bbox": [157, 961, 1073, 1147], "category": "Text", "text": "Through EU engagement in the democratic governance sector, it is clear that there is a need to ensure an adequate balance in delivering from both a demand and supply side. There is concern that after many years of progress, the CSO landscape appears to become increasingly fragmented with lesser capacity and ability to deliver on its role. This creates significant challenges for the country's democracy. CSOs play a significant role in mobilising citizen participation, holding government to account and providing overall demand for good governance. CSOs and other relevant non-state actors, need to be strengthened and supported to collectively deliver on their mandate."}, {"bbox": [157, 1159, 1016, 1266], "category": "Text", "text": "Lastly, drawing on experiences of the existing elections and NRIS basket funds, enhanced coordination, collaboration and cooperation amongst DPs presents significant wins. This harmonised approach allows for collective reasoning, efficient use of resources and presents a united stance and positive engagement for reform."}, {"bbox": [146, 1336, 458, 1366], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 3.5 The Intervention Logic"}, {"bbox": [157, 1380, 1073, 1540], "category": "Text", "text": "The overall objective of this Action is to contribute to strengthening democratic governance and the social contract in Malawi. The Action aims to address a declining state of satisfaction with democracy, which is affected by but also further reinforces limited citizen awareness, interest, understanding and participation in public activities and an ineffective accountability and transparency mechanism that would enable effective public service delivery. The underlying intervention logic for the Action is to address these challenges through the following intertwined enablers:"}, {"bbox": [195, 1552, 1073, 1606], "category": "List-item", "text": "1) To strengthen efficiency and effectiveness of civil registration services, while safeguarding human rights and data privacy;"}, {"bbox": [965, 1680, 1080, 1704], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 11 of 26"}]