The Management Centre and the NGO Support Centre are implementing the project ENGAGE “Civic Engagement for Reconciliation” with the overall aim to strengthen the capacity of Civil Society to provide a vehicle for citizens to play a role in the reconciliation process. In essence the ENGAGE project will strengthen the role played by Civil Society in the reconciliation process by;

*increasing the number of policy positions led by Civil Society Organizations and Civil Society Networks ,
*increasing the number of partnerships, networks and informal collaborations supporting the reconciliation process,
*increasing the number of joint thematic initiatives created to demonstrate a common approach to island-wide issues.

Cypriot Civil Society has been a part of the reconciliation process throughout the communities over many years, and the potential of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to contribute to the peace process is undeniable.

Building on the lessons learned from the successful Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Programme (CCSSP) supported by UNDP-ACT between the years 2006 and 2008, the ENGAGE project will allow CSOs to further encourage citizens’ participation in reconciliation initiatives and will help open up new opportunities for reconciliation, peace building and the promotion of a culture of active civic participation.

Furthermore, the programme will serve as a channel between civil society and those involved in the peace process. The aim will be to keep the negotiating parties informed of the contributions and suggestions of civil society on relevant issues. ENGAGE will thus ensure that the voices of the citizens are heard and considered through a constructive dialogue.

Project Outputs
The main outcome of the project is “Capacity of Civil Society strengthened to provide a vehicle for citizens to play a role in the reconciliation process”. Indicators of this outcome will be:
Increased number of consultations between CSO’s and decision makers regarding settlement and post-settlement policies and strategies
Improvement in the CSI index regarding CSO influence on decission-making and policy-making.
The output and the aforementioned indicators will be the eventual result of the following outputs:

Output 1: Capacity of CS enhanced to establish itself as a sustainable sector and a force for renconciliation in Cypriot Society
Output 2:  Public Awareness Campaign designed and delivered on the role of Civil Society
Output 3:  Followup study/assesment on the state of Cypriot Civil Society
Output 4:  Monitoring and Evaluation programme developed

Project Objectives
The ENGAGE Programme will develop a strong partnership strategy building on the people to people contacts and formal and informal networks with leading members of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, who have demonstrated considerable success in strengthening Cypriot Civil Society in the past , and who are active advocates of the reconciliation process.

The programme will also encourage new actors to participate in the process of reconciliation, and therefore will employ new approaches to encourage citizens who have not previously been involved in dialogue to become engaged and debate at the inter-communal level.

Most importantly, the Engage Project will build on the past successes of the Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening project and will also draw on the expertise of international experts in the field of reconciliation and peace building projects.

Engage project is delivering various numbers of open trainings, technical assistance and advocacy for the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and platforms or networks formed by CSO’s. In addition to this there will be small funding opportunities for the CSO’s and networks to be used in their activities in line with the objectives of the Engage project.

With ENGAGE project, Civil Society Organizations, Civil Society Networks and other civil society initiatives can develop projects or activities and apply for the small grant which contributes peace process and reconciliation and besides creation of new networks.

The ‘ENGAGE- Do Your Part for Peace’ project is supported by the United Nations Development Program – Action for Cooperation and Trust (UNDP-ACT) and also by the United States International Development Agency (USAID).

For More Information:
Contact Münise Alibeyoğlu at the Management Centre, malibeyoglu@mc-med.eu or Marilena Kyprianou at the NGO Support Centre, marilena@ngo-sc.org

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