THE STRUCTURE OF EACSOF WITHIN THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE EAC THE APPROPRIATE WAY OF STRENGTHENING THE CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN THE EAC REGIONAL INTEGRATION PROCESS 4 th ANNUAL CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS’CONFERENCE SNOWCREST HOTEL ARUSHA, TANZANIA APRIL

EAC Inter-governmental (?) organisation

EAC GOAL The improvement of the standard of living of the population through: increased competitiveness, value-added production, trade and investment, and effectively mobilised social capital

EAC Ownership The People of East Africa, individually and jointly The Partner States The Market

OWNERSHIP TYPE & STRUCTURE Trinity Voluntary participation

DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES State: infrastructure (policy, legal, regulatory and institutional) Market: goods and services Civil society – social capital (citizenship, neighbourliness, social networks and civic participation)

AUTHORITY The Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC Article 5(d-e), (g) Article 6 Article 7(1), and Article 127, 129 Traditional role of civil society in East Africa

EACSOF PURPOSE Mobilize popular participation Strengthen the voice of the people in the EAC hierarchy Ensure adherence to Articles 3(b), 5, 6 and 7 Equity, equality, justice and humanity; and Strengthen the chain between the civil society and the market and the state.

EACSOF Participation Redefine self – mandate, ownership, and legal capacity Restructure and strengthen self Seek full mandate of the people Resource base Visibility- local, national, regional and international Informed and evidence based Approach

FRAMEWORK Immediate: MOU with Partner States and Community Harmonization of policy, legal and institutional framework Cultivation political will and determination Long-Term: Permanent institution EAC –CS Treaty Institution strengthening and capacity building Knowledge base development

Over and out