Gender-inclusive citizenship and participatory governance

KIT works with civil society organizations, and within state and administrative processes, to enhance participation and representation of marginalized groups and improve institutional responsiveness to citizens.

Approach

In order to make government more responsive to citizens and build citizen capacity to demand fair and accountable government, KIT works with civil society organizations, and within state and administrative processes, to enhance participation and representation of marginalized groups and improve institutional responsiveness and fulfillment of their obligations to their citizens.

KIT’s work builds upon a rights framework and focuses on political participation, access to justice, economic rights and social rights.

Focal points

  • Collaborating in action research to investigate and secure women’s rights
  • Strengthening civil society capacity in creating ‘voice’ and building institutional accountability and responsiveness
  • Assisting civil society to work within state processes, public policy forums and public service delivery institutions to secure accountability for equal representation of women and men as well as pro-poor and gender equitable policies and services
  • Sharing of experiences and developing capacity through research, training and publishing

Example

Gender, Citizenship and Governance programme in South Asia and Southern Africa
KIT built partnerships with 16 civil society organizations in South Asia and Southern Africa to undertake action research on key issues of gender equality and public policy, institutional access and responsiveness.  The project:

  • enhanced poor women’s political participation by raising the issue of affirmative action and by making use of existing affirmative action programmes designed to include women in electoral politics; 
  • built institutional accountability and responsiveness to poor women’s interests in public health services delivery, decentralization and local government institutions, national machineries and national planning processes; 
  • resulted in the claiming of new entitlements through involvement in law reform processes, constitutional reviews, peace building initiatives and national debates on trafficking. 
  • resulted in a book reflecting upon the experience Creating Voice and Carving Space: Redefining governance from a gender perspective

Projects


Publications


Team members


Contact

Maitrayee Mukhopadhyay

Tags

gender | governance | citizenship |


Royal Tropical Institute