Many civil society organisations have rallied to create awareness on rights and have accessed rights on behalf of individuals and communities. The fact that individuals and communities can access rights is, in most instances, considered to be an adequate outcome of the development process. A more pertinent issue is whether or not those beneficiaries are able to realise those rights independently once suitable policy frameworks and structures have been put in place. This is an opportunity to explore partner practices that have resulted in broader access to rights for beneficiaries, and discuss the various challenges partners face when implementing a rights-based framework in resource limited settings.

 

Nkwane Cedile

Monday 26th October 10:30 – 12:30 Venue 5

Organising at a community level is often difficult without collaborative relationships with major social actors in that particular community. Community service forums provide a useful way of building collaboration and ensuring broad representation but they are difficult to set up and manage. How have organisations gone about setting up forums of this nature? What lessons can we draw from their experiences? What potential do structures like these have for advancing the development agenda?

 

Ann Strode

Tuesday 27th October 8:00 – 10:00 Venue 3

Development practitioners, particularly those located in communities, are often confronted with serious ethical dilemmas in the allocation of their resources, their commitments to beneficiaries and their individual sense of right and wrong. How do organisations and individuals respond to these challenges? How do organisations, in the face of seemingly impossible decisions, continue to act and function effectively?

 

Carol Bower

Tuesday 27th October 10:30 – 12:30 Venue 5

Engaging with policy can be intimidating. Many organisations lack the technical skills to engage fully in the process of policy development. Even if they are called upon to deliver against particular policy or are affected by policy provisions, most service delivery organisations do not feel able to contribute towards policy development. What then is the role for these organisations in policy formulation? How can their experience in delivering services better inform policy amendments and decision making? How can all organisations contribute to policy making?

 

Deborah Ewing

Tuesday 27th October 13:30 – 15:30 Venue 5

The current public debate around the decriminalisation of sex work is an important test of the South African rights framework. The debate crosses the complex territories of rights, morality, tradition, culture and sexuality. What are the current positions in the debate? How do the issues impact on the delivery of our programmes?