CSO Week and CSO Excellence Award 2019 on Progress through partnership: Collaboration as a driver for Development in Tanzania

Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s) in Tanzania engage in a weeklong CSO multi-stakeholder conference, named CSO Week every year. The event is aimed at bringing together key Civil Society members and their respective organisations to effectively engage in in-depth discussions on their work, share experiences, and see how CSOs can strategically collaborate within the sector, with citizens, Government, donors, and private sector. Over 15 CSOs led by Foundation for Civil Society have organised CSO Week, including Policy Forum, Wajibu Institute, Twaweza, Save the Children, United Nations Association of Tanzania (UNA), Legal Services Facility (LSF), Care International, Msichana Initiative, Shirikisho la Vyama vya Watu wenye Ulemavu Tanzania (Shivyawata), Tanzania Association of NGOs (TANGO), HakiElimu, HakiRasilimali, Tanganyika Law Society (TLS), CBM and the Accountability in Tanzania programme (AcTII). The occasion was a very important platform for comprehensive engagement between CSOs and the Government. The 2019 CSO Week theme was “Progress Through Partnerships: Collaboration as a Driver for Development”. This theme places greater emphasis on partnership. For Tanzania to achieve its development vision and attain a level of growth envisioned in the Sustainable Development goals, multi-stakeholder collaboration holds the key.  In ensuring that we build the CSOs sector in the country, during CSO Week members were able to celebrate, recognise and honour achievements and contributions made by various institutions or individuals that have influenced development policy and practice in Tanzania. In a broader perspective, the CSO Week created and deepen a sustainable model for growth fuelled by civil society’s effective engagement in efforts to achieve Tanzania’s development vision.