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LHRC is part of a network of coalitions which share the same vision and vigor towards promotion and protection of human rights and good governance in Tanzania and the world as a whole.
The Centre has always been in the forefront to fight against gender-based violence while at the same time advocating for women empowerment and rights as an active member of FemAct and WiLDAF (Tanzania Chapter). Notably, LHRC coordinates the Tanzania Coalition against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), an alliance which calls for Zero tolerance against FGM inside and across the borders.
Southern African Legal Assistance Network (SALAN) is another key partner of LHRC currently coordinating its activities from Zambia with its members being from the Southern African countries.
LHRC is also a member of the Fédération Internationale des Droits de l’Homme (International Federation for Human Rights) and continues to support the FIDH”s efforts and denounce human rights violations and abuses around the globe.
Additionally, LHRC takes part in other activities organized by the Tanzania Gender Network Programme (TGNP), a platform where activists regularly meet to deliberate on human rights, democracy and development issues in Tanzania.
Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF)
Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) is a Pan-African non-governmental and non profit making organization that brings together organizations and individuals to promote a culture for the exercise and respect for women's rights in Africa. The network was established at a regional conference in February 1990 in Harare, Zimbabwe with its theme being "Women, Law and Development: Networking for Empowerment in Africa". WiLDAF was the by product of a year long process of organization and inquiry involving NGOs and governmental projects dedicated towards promotion and strengthening action-strategies. WiLDAF's overall goal is to promote the effective use of a variety of strategies including law by women in Africa for self, community, national, sub-regional and regional development. The WiLDAF Secretariat is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. www.hri.ca/partners/wildaf Top Feminist Activism (FemAct)
Tanzanian human rights activists particularly women/gender organizations built a coalition of like minded organizations known as Feminist Activism (FemAct) in its pursuit to implement the Beijing Platform of Action.
The organizations came together over certain issues to plan and chart out strategies. The coalition was formed in 1995 with about fifteen member organizations and its secretariat. Coalition building was seen as an effective way to implement the Platform of Action as well as to assign leading roles on specific issues to one coalition member organization.
FemAct has the following objectives: Facilitation of discussions on gender equality and equity; empowerment of women and social transformation at all levels of society. Identification and inclusion of other organizations is an on going process and currently, there are about twenty five member organizations. http://www.tgnp.co.tz/background_to_femact.htm Top The Citizen’s Coalition of a New Constitution
FEMACT members appointed LHRC to take a lead on constitutional reform in Tanzania. Before the appointment, LHRC’s Board requested the management to take the constitutional issue in the organization’s agenda during its ordinary meeting in December 1997, The move came as a result of the simmering constitutional debate which had begun in the early 90’s with few scholars and later on some NGOs picked the topic. In 1998 the government decided to embark on a white paper process which ended with a constitutional amendment, the 13th amendment of 2000 and 14th of 2005.
In June 1998, FEMACT members brainstormed as to what the NGOs could proactively do to influence the society and the Government on a new democratic constitution given the vast changes in the socioeconomic and socio political arenas in the country. The Centre was therefore mandated to spearhead this move. An Executive Committee of six people representing NGO members of FEMACT was formed. As coordinators, the Centre worked towards building a bigger constituency. The LHRC fund raised and convened Constitutional forums which were known as Convener’s meetings. A lot of work went into the preparation and organizing of the meetings, which were attended by stakeholders from all over the country and people from neighboring countries of Kenya and Uganda. Bahari One, held in October 26 – 28, 1998 formalized the coalition which was then named the Citizen’s Coalition for a New Constitution (CCNC) and not for NGOs only. Participants from faith based organizations, religious organization, NGOs and CBOs as well as trade unions took part in the meeting.
Top The NGOs Policy Forum
This is yet another network that LHRC got involved in and is still a member. The forum brings together NGOs whose pursuit is to work on policy related issues and specifically the local government reforms, the public expenditure review and the poverty reduction process. LHRC became a member in this network as part of its efforts towards policy advocating. This is a Forum where members discuss policy issues and plan. One of the first network initiative performed by this forum was the participation in the CG meeting 2002. After this very successful initiative the Forum became more formalized in that it had a National forum and decided to have a steering committee and monthly meetings of members. Members from outside Dar es Salaam were encouraged to participate. The forum became seriously involved in discussion and consultations during the enactment of the NGO legislation. Through the discussion an analysis of the bill was done and recommendations were made to members of parliament. LHRC was involved in all the process and had a big input in the legislative process with legal expertise. The CG meeting heard the voice from the civil societies and beyond and at long last the House passed the new NGO law with its recommendations. The forum continued to call for amendment of the NGO law in areas it felt was not conducive to the Tanzanian environment after the House passed the Bill. Notably, LHRC is part of the task force.
LHRC has gained understanding of big policy processes and the work done in the grass-root has been aligned with the local government reform process through its affiliates with the NPF. The center has managed to engage in the poverty reduction strategy Paper II and was able to relate this with its human rights work through NPF.
In a nutshell, the network has made it possible for LHRC to broaden its analysis to fit in a broad picture of policy issues.
www.policyforum-tz.org Top
Tanzania Natural Resource Forum
Tanzania Natural Resource Forum (TNRF) began as a small informal group in 2001 before it turned into the Tanzania Natural Resource Forum with its goal being to promote a new rights based approach and hence address critical natural resource management issues in Tanzania.
This approach holds that natural resource management challenges should not be simply approached as technical and often isolated 'conservation' issues. Instead, resource management needs to be achieved holistically taking into consideration the integrated management of different resource bases, such as forests, fisheries, wildlife and rangelands. Critically there is a great need to engage with the fundamentals upon which the management of natural resources is dependent - governance, democracy and livelihoods. These key factors are integral to the TNRF's promotion of a devolved rights-based approach necessary for achieving its vision of equitable, sustainable and transparent management of Tanzania's natural resources. www.tnrf.org Top Gender Land Task Force (GLTF)
The Gender Land Task Force is a coalition of Non Government Organizations, which was formed in March, 1997, to analyze the draft bill to amend land laws in the country and to work towards engendering of the land law reforms. The said Task Force is comprised of the Tanzania Women lawyers Association (TAWLA) which is also the coordinator. Others are Tanzania Gender Network Programme (TGNP), Tanzania Media Women Association (TAMWA), National Organization for Children and Human Relief (NOCHU), Women Advancement Transfer (WAT), Tanzania Home Genomic Association(TAHEA) and the Women Legal Aid Centre (WLAC). The above members of the coalition, which form the Task Force, are fully fledged NGOs and legally registered and working on various gender issues throughout the country. www.tawla.or.tz/reports/GENDER Top The Labor Laws Task Force (LRAT/LARAT) This is a network of NGOs which are interested in the subject. In February 2004, a team organizations from Tanzania who are members of the East African Human Rights Foundation, met in Entebbe Uganda in the inauguration of the Foundation. One of the issues which came out was the need for a strong advocacy team for the ratification, domestication and implementation of the ILO conventions. After the meeting the Tanzanian delegation formed itself a loose coalition named “LABOUR RIGHTS ADVOCACY TEAM” this team solicited funds, and conducted monthly meetings with its main agenda being to raise awareness and advocacy for the ratification, domestication and implementation of the ILO conventions. The LRAT, as well in November 2004 conducted a national workshop on ratification and domestication of ILO conventions. Again the workshop involved CSOs, Parliamentarians, trade unions, media, ILO and government officials. The workshop addressed intensively the role of each stakeholder in defining, defending and promoting principles laid down in the ILO conventions, but particularly putting weight on the eight core ILO conventions. NGOs participated fully in the Parliamentary Committee public hearings for the enactment of the new labor laws, joining hands with the labor movement in Tanzania advocating for good working conditions. Top The Coalition against Corruption
Came into operations to facilitate formation and strengthening of a Network of NGOs dealing with corruption. LHRC did a remarkable work thereof, officially applied and was accepted to Anti-Corruption Coalition of NGOs on 3rd March. The Center later on played host for a meeting on 17th March. Under its support, the network grew up in terms of scope and vision and later on changed its name into Civil Initiative against Corruption. The association meets monthly and has developed a booklet on corruption due to be published for the public.
The East African Human Rights Foundation (EAHRF) Top
Southern Africa Legal Assistance Network (SALAN)
The Southern African Legal Assistance Network (SALAN) was initiated in 1994. Since our inception we have provided support to our member organizations by sharing information, providing internships and exchanging skills and expertise. Our organization is funded by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation. As the sole network in Southern Africa that has a proven track record of ensuring access to justice, cultivating Human Rights and promoting a culture of good governance, we decided after a strategic planning conference held in Windhoek (1998) to embark upon a concerted regional effort to ensure that these deeply held principles are situated centrally in the reality of every Southern African society. www.salan.org Top East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defender Project/Network The East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project (EHAHRDP) seeks to strengthen the work of human rights defenders (HRDs) throughout the region by reducing their vulnerability to the risk of persecution and by enhancing their capacity to effectively defend human rights. www.defenddefenders.org Top International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH)
FIDH aims at obtaining effective improvements in the protection of victims of human rights abuses, prevention of human rights abuses and prosecution of those responsible of such abuses. FIDH’s mandate is to contribute to the respect of all rights defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. FIDH’s priorities are set by the triennial World Congress and the International Board (22 members) with the support of the International Secretariat (30 staff members). www.fidh.org Top SAHRiNGON SAHRiNGON, Tanzania Chapter was registered in 2004 as a private, voluntary, non-governmental and non-partisan networking organization established to ensure that the government implements its commitments under international human rights instruments and other national commitments for the realization of social development in the country. www.humanrighttz.org-sahringon Top Tanzania Association of NGOs (TANGO) The Tanzania Association of Non Governmental Organizations (TANGO) has been in existence since 1988. The organization started with an initial membership of 22 founder organizations. TANGO has over the year continued to attract new members each year. Hence, currently TANGO has a membership of total of 620 NGOs, most of which are regional and district networks, that have members in the regions of 50 plus. This makes the TANGO membership by proxy to be around 1500 NGOs. TANGO is said to be the largest and long-standing voluntary and self-organized national umbrella of Tanzanian NGOs.
TANGO has continued to pursue its initial goals of unifying the NGO sector and creating an enabling environment, by lobbying for a friendly NGO Act. www.tango.or.tz Back on top
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