5 Other Activities 2004

1 Meetings in the provinces

Aims: to popularise the memorandum adopted by CSOs during the recent workshop and involve NGOs in the constitution-making process at provincial level.

2 Involvement of the population through the media

Aims: to popularise constitutional issues and generate a national debate.

3 Meeting with political parties

Aims: to sensitise political parties to the challenges of the Constitution and gather input from the parties not represented in national institutions such as Parliament.

4 Setting up a framework of collaboration among parliamentarians

EISA is asisting in the formation of a framework of collaboration between Parliamentarians representing civil society, and civil society itself, with a view to discussing civil society's views and concerns about the Constitution. Civil society should then be able to rely upon the support of its representatives in Parliament and their ability to lobby their colleagues from our Composantes and Entités.

5 Elections

In anticipation of the focus of the second phase of the EISA-DRC programme, which will place special emphasis on election preparation, EISA has provided support to selected organisations in the DRC, especially the CEI, in the area of election observation. EISA has used the unique opportunity offered by the general elections in Botswana, Namibia and Mozambique to deploy Congolese observers with a view to familiarising them with an actual electoral process. It will also be a training opportunity because most, if not all, IEC members have no previous electoral experience.

6 Other Interventions

EISA has organised, in consultation with other institutions, activities aimed at reaching out to religious groups. These groups have shown a keen interest in the current political process and are admittedly strong enough (90% of the Congolese population is Christian) to influence the constitutional process.