Certain political characteristics shared across partner countries in the region undermine further development towards such societies. These include legacies of discrimination and distrust, one party dominance and a lack of meaningful engagement between citizens and decision makers.

Central to the project of enhancing the quality of democracy in partner countries as well as consolidating democracy’s hold in the region is the growth of legislatures into robust institutions that are responsive, representative of the concerns of citizens, and able to hold the executive to account. 

The foundation believes that the facilitation of informal engagement between political actors, civil society and citizens, as well as support that seeks to deepen existing participation mechanisms are key to building a culture of responsive governance, political accountability and transparent decision making.

As such, the programme focuses on:

• Supporting (especially marginalized) citizen engagement and participation in democratic institutions  
• Facilitating informal engagement platforms between civil society, academia and decision makers 
• Promoting critical research and reflection about democratic establishments.

As gender equality is a central tenet of all HBF programmes, the Democracy programme works towards the vision of institutions which are not only representative, but also substantively responsive to issues of gender relations.

For more information, please contact Keren Ben-Zeev, Democracy Programme Manager: keren'at'boell.org.za