Non Governmental Organisation (NGO)

The main partner in this area of activities is the Botswana Council for Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) as the umbrella Organisation for all NGO in Botswana. The mission of BOCONGO is to assist in establishing an enabling environment for the NGO-Sector as well as to provide a platform for networking, advocacy, lobbying, and capacity building, and the mobilising of resources for the self-sustainability of the NGO sector.

FES co-operation aims at enhancing the involvement of BOCONGO in the policy making process of the country. FES assists BOCONGO in developing common positions on issues such as the need for "private and corporate social investment", as well as in developing strategies to enhance their lobbying capacity. A new format called “Civil Society Forum” was initiated in 2006 to give a platform for political information and discussion on matters of concern for civil society. Debates on issues such as the budget, involvement of NGO in tourism or the proposed Security Bill have enhanced the visibility of BOCONGO in the political arena. Parliamentarians and Government officials begin to acknowledge BOCONGO as a relevant partner in the development of policy.

Since 2001, FES is supporting BOCONGO in the organisation of a bi-annual “NGO-Week”. The NGO-Week 2007 in Francistown focussed on the Global Call to Action Against Poverty and the 2009 NGO week was focusing regional integration issues.

In 2008 FES supported a sequence of activities on “Stand up for Solidarity with Zimbabwe”, organised by the Botswana Civil Solidarity Society Coalition for Zimbabwe (BOCISSCOZ). With workshops, press conferences, radio talks and marches, a high visibility was achieved. In petition handed to the Botswana's Foreign Affairs Minister, the UN-Delegation and the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security, the positions of the civil society were highlighted.

Cooperation of FES with BOCONGO focuses not only on national issues only, but also on issues in the regional and international context. Workshops have been organised on matters of "NSA Involvement in the Cotonou Process", "Civil Society and NEPAD", “Civil Society and the APRM”, and many more. In 2008, a "National Civil Society Forum" was organised to prepare Botswana for participation at the "4th Regional SADC Civil Society Forum."

Depending on the specific subject other NGO-Partners get involved, such as the human-rights organisation Ditshwanelo or the Botswana Chapter of Transparency International.