Regional Reports - the European External Action Service

Despite the levels of participations/contributions and the capacity, the leaders of REST
express the available fund from donors is not commensurate with its implementation
potentials. That is, full-potential is not exploited. To address this gap, it has started exploring
possibilities of domestic resource mobilization. Moreover, it is learned that REST also faces
some challenges from the regional sector bureaus in the form of resistance/reluctance to
support and recognize some of the innovations (e.g. water harvesting). It is encouraging that
REST is aware of the importance and actually facilitating the regional NSA emergence and
networking process. This will be explained under section 5.
� Lobbying on behalf of constituency - the survey learned that leaders of regional
membership based associations are both strategically linked and involved in promoting
interest of their constituent members. Linkage to decision makers (executive and legislative
levels) is facilitated by the shared identity from the struggle period: for example: women who
are members of the regional council are as well senior members of the regional Women
Association. Likewise, leaders of the Women Association are ex-fighters who yield equal
accolade and ownership of the political achievements. Hence, the linkage between the two
remains live.
The previous mapping has noted the advocacy engagement of MBAs with respect to the
Family Law and the PRSP process. From the discussion with the leaders, during the last four
years the Associations were involved in the following key areas:
o The Women Association in collaboration with the Women Caucus of the regional
council challenged the gender imbalance in appointments of bureau heads, and this
resulted in appointment of more women in key positions (as deputy bureau heads),
o The Women Association submitted a petition challenging provisions in the draft
regional Family Law, which was accepted and incorporated in the final law endorsed
in 2007. Moreover, the Association has also challenged and managed to introduce
revisions in the administrative guideline for public works (food for work) which
happened to be discriminatory against women.
o In relation to land administration, the Youth Association is said to have lobbied the
regional council so that rural youth have the right to access and make use of plots
from public land (hilly area, waste-lands and forest foot-slopes) to sustain their
livelihoods.
o The Tigray Disabled Veteran's Association has persuaded the Mekele Municipality to
specifically reserve and allocate certain number of housing-plots for its members as
part of the annual lot allocation plan. With this arrangement in the current year (E.C)
100 plots are allocated and so far 7,400 members are said to have built their
residences. In addition to the land access, TDVA is also involved in lobbying for
mainstreaming special needs of members in public infrastructures (example the rump
in Mekele University).
On the other hand, leaders of the MBAs are members of vital regional decision making
committees, and this raises the appropriateness of the positioning or role and also the strategy
as to how the lobbying was done. For example, the MBAs of Farmers, Women and the Youth
are members of councils for the administration of judges and lawyers, and that of land
administration at different levels. Then, it can be said that the lobbying is done within the
committees, and the MBAs are equally responsible for the decisions and indecisions. It would
be an important intervention if these organizations are assisted to have a more articulated,
proactive and process oriented advocacy programmes for the future.
100