Zambia: Increased Public Debate (IPD)

The Increased Public Debate program promotes public debate on issues essential to democratic reform, with the longer-term objective of strengthening pluralistic dialogue and citizen influence on public policy. Targeting Zambian media, membership organizations (unions and church-based NGOs), professional associations, and critical government departments, Pact has helped key advocacy CSOs earn a seat at the policy table on critical reform topics. Working largely through small grants, Pact trains these CSOs to conduct policy research, poll their members, analyze policy issues, develop positions, conduct media campaigns, lead sensitive public debates, build coalitions, and carry out all aspects of an effective advocacy campaign. Two additional activities have been incorporated into the program: Parliamentary Reform Phase II (PRP) and the Anti-Corruption Initiative (ACI). Under PRP II, Pact will facilitate the Zambian Parliament's implementation of the plan for reform that it devised in Phase I, while under the ACI Pact will oversee and coordinate the Parliament's anti-corruption activities.

Key results

• Media law reform. Pact's partner NGO, ZIMA, led lobbying and public debate that resulted in the parliament ending ten years of delay on enacting media reform and passing two laws that will give greater protection to the independence of the media and will create a new media regulatory body in line with that proposed by ZIMA and its constituents.
• Parliamentary reform. The Parliamentary Reforms and Modernization Committee (PRMC) recently passed a unanimous resolution to press for Constitutional amendments to establish the Parliamentary Service Commission and to amend the Standing Orders, which govern the running of the National Assembly and outline the powers of the Speaker and the Members of Parliament.
• Creation of a new anti-corruption body. Under the new Anti-Corruption Initative (ACI), Members of Parliament established a Zambia chapter of the African Parliamentary Network against Corruption (APNAC) and developed a local charter.
• First annual CSO-Parliament meeting. The first annual meeting between the National Assembly and civil society organizations (CSOs) brought together 21 chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees and 20 CSO representatives under the theme "Connecting Parliament to Civil Society Organizations."
• Pressure for openness and transparency in constitutional reform. National conventions hosted by the OASIS Forum, a Pact-supported Zambian advocacy consortium, generated public consensus and strong pressure on the government to amend the constitution via a constituent assembly, rather than a closed process.

For more information on the IPD program, click here.