Niger: Empowering Women in Policy and Security Dialogue

Left: International Women’s Day Panel. Niamey, Niger, March 2023

Right: Na Shiga SHAWARA! (I am committed!) Video

Since 2019, FSVC, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has been implementing the “Sahel Human Voice in Governance Activity” (SHIGA) in Niger. In this program, FSVC supports public-private dialogue and collaboration on the implementation of policies related to Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

To do so, FSVC is building the capacity of 36 civil society organizations (CSOs) focused on women’s issues via its Civil Society Incubators located in Niamey, Diffa and Tillabery. FSVC provides training, coaching and funding to these CSOs to empower them to effectively and constructively advocate for women’s representation and inclusion in public decision-making.

FSVC is also building spaces for engagement between government institutions and female civil society activists to engage on policy issues. On International Women’s Day, for example, FSVC helped organize a large roundtable to raise awareness of the Nigerien National Action Plan (NAP), which focuses on WPS, and to discuss its implementation. FSVC also launched a video in multiple languages to raise public awareness of the NAP. Furthermore, in April, FSVC partnered with the Ministry for the Promotion of Women and Protection of Children to train CSOs in women’s leadership. FSVC will next engage with university students on the role of women in policymaking via conferences, debates and celebrations.

FSVC’s program provides critical platforms for public dialogue on the representation of vulnerable Nigerien citizens in policy, including women, persons with disabilities and rural communities.

For over 20 years, FSVC has been providing high-impact technical assistance to strengthen Albania‘s financial sector. In recent years, Albania has become more vulnerable to radicalization and terrorism financing (TF). FSVC is working with an array of public and private institutions to develop an effective anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) framework.

As a part of this work, FSVC developed guidelines for the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) so that they can train reporting entities and provide them practical recommendations to strengthen compliance. Over the past year, the FIU has trained 500 representatives of reporting entities and has conducted 107 examinations of such entities, using FSVC’s guidelines.

FSVC also trained local non-profit organizations (NPOs) in how to better detect, prevent and report suspicious activity to prevent the misuse of NPOs for TF. The participating NPOs represented a diverse range of organizations, including those dedicated to disbursing small grants, providing poverty relief services and conducting advocacy.

FSVC is committed to continuing this vital work to safeguard the integrity of the Albanian financial sector.

FSVC has been assisting the Supreme Audit Institution (SAI) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to strengthen fiscal transparency and oversight in Algeria, with support from the U.S. Department of State.

FSVC organized two study tours for the SAI and the MoF in Albany, NY, and Washington, D.C., to gain first-hand exposure on how budget oversight is performed in the United States. The participants met with key government agencies, including the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and New York State’s Office of the Comptroller, as well as with CSOs. The meetings focused on how to produce independent budget forecasts, communicate effectively with media, and engage citizens on budget matters.

These study tours laid the foundations for a groundbreaking roundtable between the MoF and CSOs in Algeria which took place in March, thanks to FSVC’s support.

Last month, FSVC President and CEO J. Andrew Spindler visited Banjul, The Gambia, to deliver a presentation at the Community of African Banking Supervisors’ (CABS) Annual Meeting and Conference, which was co-organized by the Association of African Central Banks (AACB) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Mr. Spindler gave an overview of FSVC’s work and mission, and presented on macroeconomic challenges in Africa and globally, touching upon the U.S. banking crisis and its potential impact on emerging market countries. While in Banjul, he and FSVC Regional Director Mourad Baly also met with U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia Sharon Cromer to discuss FSVC’s work.