The Network of National Platforms of NGOs of West and Central Africa (REPAOC) and its partner ACTED, together with the 3Zeros Global Alliance are launching the thematic writing contest.The United Nations Organisation has just adopted a new agenda for 2030, along with seventeen (17) goals seeking to contribute to the welfare and fulfilment of the peoples around the world. Out of these seventeen goals, three outstanding thrusts of the new global agenda have emerged and are nudging us all to work together to achieve “a world with zero poverty, zero exclusion and zero carbon.”
1- Zero poverty: because poverty is an intolerable waste of talent, and there is no fatality to poverty or its reproduction from generation to generation
2- Zero exclusion: because the vulnerability of marginalized populations can be reduced by promoting inclusive institutions, governance mechanisms, policies and actions
3- Zero carbon: because we want to pass on to our children an economy that respects natural imbalances, an ecologically sound development model and a global governance of the commons
REPAOC and ACTED seek to motivate and support civil society actors through this citizen writing contest which themes could be of interest for the regional institutions.
The two partners (ACTED & REPAOC) wish to re-engage CSOs and to pique a self-analysis of the dynamics through the organization of a writing contest that would culminate in an original positioning on one of the three topical themes to advance the democratic debate across the subregion.
How can civil society actors emerge and effectively partake in ongoing regional thematic and policy debates?
How can we effectively engage national, regional and international institutions that factor the new world order into their development finance strategies?Requirements:
You may choose one of these three themes (poverty, exclusion and carbon) to structure your analytical work. This analysis should pave avenues for the formulation of suggestions or recommendations but should not solely overemphasise the latter. Should any recommendation be made, it should be encapsulated in the conclusion of the paper and have a very strong and specific logical bond with the analysis produced.
Participant Profiles:
This contest welcomes applications from civil society actors in the broad sense (academic or citizenship papers):
– Academic contributions in French or English: this refers to papers written by a faculty member or researcher or by a student. Already-published papers will not be considered in this category. Academic papers should cover 10 to 15 pages (Times New Roman, 12) exclusive of the cover pages.
– Citizen contributions in French or English: the refers to papers written by a citizen, a Community-based Organization, an association, a local NGO out of the academic realm.
Type of papers expected:
Expected papers can be an advocacy paper, an analysis paper, an essay, a novel, a poem or citizen awareness comic strip.
Awards:
The top six (6) papers selected will be published in a journal.
The six (6) winners will be invited to present their papers and participate at least in one regional feedback meeting in the presence of partners, donors and development actors.Vetting the papers:
The members of the multidisciplinary jury shall consist of:
– Project promoters (REPAOC, ACTED)
– Representative of Academia
– Representative of technical and financial partners
– Representative of Convergences/3zero Alliance.Paper submission deadline:
Applications are due no later than 4th September 2017 at 6 pm (GMT).
Applications should be sent to the following address: 3zero@repaoc.org
