Public Independent Conciliator Enlightens Civil Society Organizations On Rights-Based Advocacy, Good Governance Principle

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the North-West Region have received training from the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator to help them engage duty-bearers, influence policy, and mobilize citizens effectively.

The capacity strengthening workshop on Rights-Based Advocacy for Civil Society Organizations of the North-West Region took place on 14 November 2025, at the auditorium of the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator in Bamenda.

Civil Society stakeholders are essential in promoting human rights, democratic governance, and inclusive development. In the North-West Region of Cameroon, grassroots CSOs are often the most trusted voices for vulnerable populations and the first responders to community needs.

However, the Public Independent Conciliator believes that many of them lack structured training in rights-based advocacy — limiting their ability to engage duty-bearers.

This workshop, organized by the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator (PIC), strengthened the advocacy capacities of 50 grassroots CSOs, enabling them to speak confidently and strategically for citizens’ rights in local governance and development processes.

The training sought to:

– Build participants’ understanding of rights-based advocacy principles and legal frameworks,
– Strengthen the capacities of 50 CSOs in Rights-Based Advocacy Skills to enable them engage regional and local authorities and oversight institutions to influence local policy decisions on behalf of citizens;
– Enhance collaboration between CSOs & the Office of the PIC to jointly monitor regional and council functioning;
– Improve the monitoring techniques of CSOs to enable them track governance performance and report issues;
– Empower CSOs to hold authorities accountable through evidence-based advocacy,
– Equip participants with practical tools for citizen mobilization, policy dialogue, complaint handling and for implementing community-driven oversight; and
– Nurture collaboration between CSOs and the PIC for inclusive governance and administrative justice in regional and local authorities of the North-West Region.

In order to meet the objective of the training, the workshop had presentations that centered on:

1. Understanding Rights-Based Advocacy – Human rights principles and legal frameworks supporting rights-based advocacy.

2. Collaborating with the Office of the PIC for Governance Monitoring PIC’s mandate, complaint mechanisms, and mediation processes.

3. Techniques for Monitoring & Reporting on the functioning of Regional/Council Services: Data collection and treatment for governance oversight.

4. Strengthening Stakeholder Engagement & Public Awareness, Building partnerships with government institutions and other local partners.

The workshop had case study modules, role play exercises and practical group work done by participants to better understand the Rights-Based Advocacy approach to promote good governance principles in municipalities, councils.

It is expected that, after the training;

– Citizens’ awareness will increase on human rights instruments and complaint mechanisms available to citizens; and
– A monitoring framework and an advocacy action plan will be developed by participating organizations.