Kepa, a Finnish NGO Platform for development CSOs, and the Embassy of Finland in Tanzania organized a joint seminar on the 23rd of March called ”Joint action for creating enabling environment for civil society in Tanzania”. The aim of the seminar was to bring together different actors, civil society organizations, donor partners and representatives of governmental institutions in Tanzania to discuss on how together take action for enabling environment for civil society in Tanzania. This presentation summarizes the main points of the seminar discussion as well as the proposed solutions for shrinking civic space we collected from participants during the day. Also some additional information and links are added after the actual seminar. The content is divided into four parts 1) what is civil society space and current trends, 2) how the space is shrinking i.e. current challenges and hindering factors, 3) solutions for tackling the challenges and ways forward.

1. Seminar report:
Joint action for creating
enabling environment for
civil society in Tanzania
23.3.2016
Kirsi Koivuporras-Masuka

2. Introduction
● Kepa, a Finnish NGO
Platform for development
CSOs, and the Embassy of
Finland in Tanzania
organized a joint seminar on
the 23rd of March called
”Joint action for creating
enabling environment for civil
society in Tanzania”.

3. ● The aim of the seminar was to bring together different actors,
civil society organizations, donor partners and representatives
of governmental institutions in Tanzania to discuss on how
together act for enabling environment for civil society in
Tanzania.
● This presentation summarizes the main points of the seminar
discussion as well as the proposed solutions for shrinking civic
space we collected from participants during the day.
● Also some additional information and links are added after the
actual seminar.
● The content is divided into four parts 1) what is civil society
space and current trends, 2) how the space is shrinking i.e.
current challenges and hindering factors, 3) solutions for
tackling the challenges and ways forward.

4. What civil society space?
● Space for civil society or civic space can be defined as the public
sphere where debate and deliberation allows the negotiation of the
common interest and where civil society actors are carrying out the
different roles they have in society.
● Recently CSOs, especially human rights organizations, pro-democracy
and change seeking actors in many countries are facing increased
restrictions when trying to carry out their work = space for civil society
is shrinking or closing.
● In practice this means e.g. legal and administrative barriers for CSOs,
difficulties for getting funding e.g. governments make it more difficult to
CSOs to receive foreign funding, restrictions for public gatherings and
freedom of expression, intimidation, harassment and even violent
assaults on civil society actors.

5. Current trends of civic space
● According to CIVICUS 96 countries significantly violated civic space in 2014
and Tanzania was one of these countries (see the map below).
● In 2015, the number has grown to at least 101 countries. Rise from 9 to 16
countries on European continent; 31 African, 38 Asian countries. Alarming
is that most serious kind of violations are also in the rise.

6. Yellow card for civic space in
Tanzania
● Watch the video ”Space for Change”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylpVQsu1mdk

7. Challenges and hindering factors
● Legislation and regulations: Freedom to establish associations and
organizations exists as well as the freedom of assembly, but the
government has a legal right to de-register CSOs and limit assembly;
Recently Statistics and Cyber Crime Laws, Media Services Bill and Access
to Information Act.
● Pekka Hukka, the Ambassador of Finland: “After many years of
developments in Tanzania we can see some signs of concern. While the
legislation has always given the state the powers to interpret the acts, it
looks to me that new related legislation and its implementation is getting
less coherent.”
● Onesmo Olengurumwa from Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition
(THRDC): “The space of CSOs is closing at the very astonishing speed.
There is high level of CSOs control, marginalization, exclusion, repressive
laws and hostile relationship with state officials.”

8. ● Example: In 2014 and 2015 the THRDC's Protection desk received and
documented about 20 claims from CSOs of being suppressed or rather banned
by state actors.
● Example: Cyber Crime Law was used to raid the office of the CSO coalition
TACCEO doing election observing during the general elections 2015.
● Political and governmental environment:
● Harassment and threats against human rights defenders (14 cases in 2014
according to THRDC).
● Amani Mustafa from HakiMadini: Have been facing threats, office has been
raided, phones taken, accused of being ”anti-business, against the
government and being opposition” when defending the rights of small-scale
miners.

9. ● Many of the government lead process are still done in secrecy, without any
possibility for the CSOs to engage with. However in recent years there has
been improvement; the civil society actors have been invited to take part in
policy reforms e.g. the Constitution making process & Local Government
Reform Programme. However CSOs are normally engaged at a later stage
meaning that they mainly have a commenting role instead of being engaged
already from the planning phase.
● Accountability and transparency:
● Lack of access to information of decision making and public documents, e.g.
access to budget information, public policies and legislation as most of material
is classified as confidential or is difficult to access to.
● Even though the relationship between the government and the civil society has
been improved, there’s still lack of trust. Better dialogue and means for
meaningful engagement are required.

10. ● Challenges when it comes to freedom of expression and freedom of speech
(closing down newspapers, harassment of journalist, 11 cases in 2014
according to THRDC's report).
● Public attitudes, trust and participation:

11. ● Wide-range voluntary participation doesn’t exist even though the
socio-cultural environment would be favorable for this.
● Lack of trust for CSOs in communities to certain extent;
“external actors bringing interventions from top down.”

12. ● Resources:
● Tanzanian civil society faces challenges when it comes to resources
(dependency on external funding, in average over 40%, advocacy organization
and networks 85% to 90%; lack of capacities to develop means for fundraising
and increased self-financing).
● ODA channeled to CSOs is decreasing also in Tanzania. This is a challenge as
external funding is still important for many organizations.
● Public funding for civil society is very scarce and access to existing instruments
is limited. It is hard to find information on available government funding for civil
society.
● Internal challenges for civil society:
● Lack of joint effort and cooperation. Onesmo Olengurumwa: “CSOs have
proved to be much disorganized and proved to have no common stand and
unity.”
● Ismail Suleiman from National Council of NGOs (NACONGO): “Before we were
talking and pushing things together, now small NGOs and INGOs, umbrellas
and networks are moving to their own direction.”

14. Solutions and ways forward

16. Pekka Hukka: ”Vibrant civil
society plays important part in
democratic development, where
Tanzania has made considerable
strides in past years. Democracy
is an integral part of the global
development agenda. The
newly agreed SDGs are a clear
sign of this. Specifically the goal
number 16, about promoting
peaceful and inclusive societies
for sustainable development,
proving access to justice for all
and building effective,
accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels, clearly
states democracy's importance
in development. An enabling
environment for a vivid civil
society is a surely needed for
any country to implement
successfully this goal.”

17. ● Collected ideas from seminar participants and speakers:
● Enhancing civic education and raising awareness for civic space
● Using social media for disseminating information, and strenghtening
community medias (if and when there's barriers to get through with other
medias, e.g. airtime on TV)
● Figthing for law reforms and pushing for implementation of relevant laws e.g.
the Budget Act
● Networking with other CSOs, international cooperation and allies, forging
strong connections with partners
● Utilizing better available opportunities for policy influence and international
advocacy
● Strenghtening relationship with local and district level authorities
● Working with relevant parliamentary committees

18. ● Improving dialogue with the government, improving understanding of civil
society
● Pushing for a law to protect civil society, utilizing international protection
mechanisms, improving CSOs participation in legistlative discussions
● Keeping activities public and visible (to protect one self), increasing
engagement with general public
● Utilizing existing global initiatives e.g. Open Government and EITI
● Strenghtening civil society, building CSOs capacity, improving coordination
and cooperation
● Improving access to information, especially budget information, without
delays, increasing public documents to be available online

19. ● Ariadne Network has published a guidebook for challenging the
closing space for civil society targeting especially funders. This
practical starting point can be found here:
http://www.ariadne-network.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Ariadne_
ClosingSpaceReport-Final-Version.pdf
● CIVICUS is developing monitoring tools for civic space. Find out more
by reading the pilot report for Civic Space Monitor:
http://www.civicus.org/images/CivicSpaceMonitorPilot.pdf
Tips for further information