Saly, Senegal: On December 4-5, the Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) and the Accountability Mechanism Secretariat met civil society organizations (CSOs) in West Africa for the first time to present the Accountability Mechanism and the new option of dispute resolution. Co-organized with the Independent Recourse Mechanism (IRM) of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the workshop “Accountability and Dispute Resolution: The Role of Civil Society” attracted over 30 representatives of CSOs from 16 Francophone countries in West, Central, and North Africa.
Opening the session, Orsolya Székely of the Accountability Mechanism stated that the purpose of the two-day workshop was to introduce the DRS, but also benefit from the expertise of the IRM and the participating CSOs: “We rely on strong relationships with communities to do our work effectively. It is really important that communities in Senegal and Francophone Africa know that we exist and have the information and tools they need to speak up when they have a complaint.”
The workshop began with an overview of the problem-solving functions of the IRM and the Accountability Mechanism, followed by an exploration of the theory and practice of conflict resolution and mediation processes. Participants were highly engaged, and raised questions about the independence of independent accountability mechanisms (IAMs), assessment of their performance, and how they might best access information about projects and case studies of successful mediations.
Participants also discussed the challenges of working with communities through mediation processes, including in relation to threats and reprisals. They were keen to learn about capacity building provided by IAMs in this regard. Realistic case scenarios were used as workshop exercises, offering our CSO participants from Francophone Africa the opportunity to simulate addressing challenges on the ground—including on engaging with communities and the practicalities of setting ground rules on confidentiality and safety, among other concerns. The workshop concluded with an open “roundtable” discussion. Participants raised a range of issues, including on co-financed projects and joint complaints to multiple IAMs.
A post-workshop survey indicated that all participants found the workshop to be relevant to their work, and that it helped them better comprehend the benefits and limits of conflict resolution tools. The sessions also improved their knowledge of the IAMs involved, and participants said they were more likely to recommend that potentially affected communities consider reaching out to them. Importantly, almost all respondents felt that the organizers had created an environment that allowed them to share their experiences and seek clarification.
We are grateful to the IRM for its stellar support in co-organizing the workshop in Senegal. We thank our CSO participants for their excellent engagement, and hope that this occasion may serve as a launching pad for sustained collaboration.
