The participants of the Civil Society Organizations (CSO) Consultation Meeting on East
African Community (EAC) Vision Group, held on the 5th October in Dar es Salaam, mandated
the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) to host and facilitate further meetings on how the
issues of marginalization of the voices of the majority in the regionalization process
can be addressed. The overall goal will be to establish a Forum (EAC Vision Group) for
discussing an alternative and people-centered vision of regionalization in East Africa.
For strengthening women's participation in the political sphere, FES implemented several
trainings from February to May 2010. The main objective was to train potential women
candidates from different regions so as to encourage them to participate in the 2010
general elections in Tanzania.
The participation of several leading personalities added value to the trainings.
Out of the trainings two women could manage to get elected for the Parliament of Tanzania.
A roundtable on elections and democracy took place August 2010 in Dodoma in collaboration
with the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS). One of the objectives was to highlight major issues
related to enhancing access to justice and democratization processes in Tanzania and
furthermore to contribute to the reduction of political violence and conflicts. The
roundtable was planned for 500 people but due to the importance of the theme and the
presence of H.E. President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the event attracted about
700 active participants.
The role of political party youth leagues in democratization processes has been discussed
in Dar es Salaam, November 2010. FES in collaboration with Chama Cha Mapinduzi Youth League
organized a conference which brought together political party youth leagues from Eastern
Africa for discourses on inner-party decision making and the role of youth leagues in
democratisation of regional integration processes. The main objective was to provide a
platform for young activists to discuss challenges of and exchange ideas on visions on
democratisation processes in Eastern Africa. Altogether 13 different political party youth
leagues were represented. The hallmark of the conference was the ratification for the
constitution of the newly formed Eastern Africa Party Youth Leagues Forum which was
established to speak up for people centered and democratic regional integration processes.
Already in August 2010 a publication of FES Kenya based on research, workshops and
collaboration with country partners, summarized the role of political party youth leagues
in democratisation and regional integration in East Africa.
An EATUC (East African Trade Union Federation) strategy development Forum took place at the
end of September in Dar es Salaam. The forum was organized by EATUC and FES with the objective
to develop an EATUC regional strategy for the enhancement of good governance and democracy in
the EAC. Priority activities in 2011 will be the improvement of internal trade union's governance
and democracy as well as the strengthening of membership base.
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