Mali Peacebuilding, Stabilization and Reconciliation Quarterly Report 1 FY2022

The program aims to promote peacebuilding, stabilization, and reconciliation in Mali, with a focus on community resilience to violence and conflict, inclusive governance, and youth empowerment. Community resilience to violence and conflict is a key objective of the program. In Quarter 1 of Year 4, Mali PSR identified 160 additional Early Warning Early Response (EWER) focal points, bringing the total number to 209, including 64 women. The program also received USAID approval to develop a grant for the Center for National Early Warning (CNAP) to support its coordination of the community-based early warning and response system. To support communities in building their resilience to violence and conflicts, Mali PSR designed data collection tools to document best practices in conflict management and mitigation (CMM) and a methodology to help communities identify and address grievances. The program also organized dialogues between local officials and community representatives, conducted training on participatory governance for commune council members, and trained civil society organizations to oversee public action in eight communes. Inclusive governance and civic engagement are also key objectives of the program. During the reporting period, Mali PSR focused on facilitating citizens' access to useful information and ensuring their participation in decision-making to enhance inclusive governance. The program organized dialogues between local officials and community representatives, conducted training on participatory governance for commune council members, and trained civil society organizations to oversee public action in eight communes. Mali PSR also assisted the communes in compiling information needed to draft their 2022 annual plan and budget, drawn from their 2021–2025 Plan de Developpement Economique Social et Culturel (PDESC). The program tracked the formal adoption of PDESCs by commune councils and requested a convening of the donors supporting local development to understand the interventions that are currently being funded to avoid duplication. Empowering youth and building their resilience to violent extremism is another key objective of the program. During the quarter, Mali PSR established its youth livelihood grants program, which provides youth with limited formal education and who successfully complete a leadership training and entrepreneurship course(s) with an opportunity to apply for seed funding to start an income-generating business. The program also supported a mapping of economic assets to identify income-generating activities crucial to meeting the economic and development needs in six communes. Mali PSR partnered with Zabbaan Institute, an agri-business firm, to train 49 people in five communes on entrepreneurship, form cooperatives, and draft business plans, which the program will fund through grants to ensure the operationalization of their activities. The program also explored a partnership with the Agence National Pour l’Emploi (ANPE or the National Employment Agency) to train 70 young people in leadership in Quarter 2. To provide all stakeholders with a clear roadmap regarding this program component, Mali PSR developed a youth strategy, which details the distinct stages of the program. The program's activities and outcomes are being monitored and evaluated through a midterm evaluation using a citizen survey methodology to assess program outcomes through feedback and insights from program stakeholders. Preliminary findings from the survey indicate that program efforts are achieving desired outcomes, including increased civic engagement and confidence in local authorities among program participants.