The overall aim of the project is to strengthen Civil Society Organisations’ (CSOs’) adaptive capacity to changes in regulations and operational requirements in the quest for an enabling environment. The project attempts to respond to changes in the CSOs operating environment in Zimbabwe, which is currently volatile, uncertain, complex, and dynamic. The new Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Amendment Bill [H.B.2, 2024] gazetted on the 1st of March 2024 is being used as a backdrop for tightening the sector’s regulation with various proposed changes on how CSOs are regulated in Zimbabwe. From our analysis of the Bill and other related instruments being introduced, the government seeks greater control over CSOs’ activities and discretionary powers over their operations. There is also increased issuance of circulars by lower tiers of the government (provinces and districts) demanding CSOs to submit several requirements and renewing Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs), failure of which will lead to an arbitrary stop of all activities. The lack of clear and coherent law or policy compelling CSOs to comply with such requests continues to be a cause for concern. The sector admittedly has some inherent operational gaps, especially in compliance with existing regulations and statutory requirements such as the PVO Act, Labour Act, ZIMRA, and NSSA. The project, therefore, aims to foster greater CSOs compliance and accountability as a defense mechanism to protect and safeguard civic space.
Firstly, the project seeks to support CSOs’ collective action to positively influence the development of new and, review of existing legal, policy, and operational instruments regulating CSOs in Zimbabwe in light of the shrinking civic space. Secondly, the project will strengthen CSOs’ institutional capacity to respond, adapt, and comply with emerging operational requirements in the quest for an enabling environment. This will be achieved through a four-pronged approach that combines: a) Coordination and Enabling Environment; b) Policy Dialogues, Engagements, and Advocacy; c) Capacity Strengthening and Enhancement; and d) Effective Communication. The action will foster strategic engagements with relevant stakeholders to advocate for progressive legal reforms that recognize and protect the rights and freedoms of CSOs leveraging on mapped spaces of influence. NANGO and CIASA have a comprehensive understanding of ongoing efforts by CSOs, key for greater collaboration with other CSOs during implementation. The proposed activities are a culmination of ideas solicited from diverse CSOs, stakeholders, and partners through the current project. The proposed approaches utilize the outputs and action agenda of the 2023 NGOs Directors Summer Retreat, especially potential solutions to the existing problems. Anticipated results from the project include improved compliance by CSOs due to increased access to information and regulators; mitigation of worst-case scenarios posed by the PVO Amendment Bill and any other regulatory instrument; strengthened CSOs voice and coordination on matters of civic space; enhanced movement building, collaboration, partnerships, and solidarity amongst Non-State Actors on issues of civic space; increased knowledge of regulatory frameworks and policies governing NGOs operations in Zimbabwe by CSOs; increased CSOs engagement with regulatory institutions for compliance and negotiations of regulatory requirements, and; ultimately enhancement of civic space in Zimbabwe through a CSOs enabling operating environment.
