General

This 40-month Project aims to expand space for Vietnamese civil society to engage in policy processes through capacity building forseven multi-stakeholder coalitions and advocacy for improvements in laws and policies relating to cross-cutting issues that are critical to an enabling environment for civil society. Through various capacity building activities, the seven coalitions will have improved knowledge, skills, mutual value and cooperation on fundamental human rights, role of civil society in development, policy making process, advocacy and organizational improvement. They will deploy their improved capacity in collaboratively advocating for improving policies on freedom of association, rights to access to information and freedom of assembly, which will also further improve their capacity in claiming and practicing civil rights. The Project builds on and links to the results and experience of Oxfam in supporting civil society-led advocacy coalitions, which include participation of supportive government agencies, media, academic experts, and the private sector since 2013 under the Coalition Support Program. The co-applicants to this Project coordinate four such coalitions: the Coalition on Agriculture and Farmer#s Welfare, Forest Land Coalition, Mining Coalition, and the Clean Water Coalition.Three other civil society-led coalitions/ networks # the Budget Transparency Coalition, People#s Action for Health Equity, and the M.net migrant workers# rights network # will participate in capacity development activities of the Action as beneficiary groups. The Overall Objective of the Project is to contribute to increased space for Vietnamese civil society to engage in policy processes. This overall objective will be realized through a combination of policy advocacy, public education, and alliance building around three cross-cutting civic rights affecting civil society space: access to information, freedom of association, and freedom of assembly. These are basic conditions of an enabling environment for civil society participation in public life. The Action seizes opportunities in the National Assembly#s legislative agenda to raise awareness and seek to influence policy discussions surrounding the Law on Access to Information (passed in April 2016, entering into force in July 2018), proposed Law on Associations (to be considered by the NA in November 2016) and Law on Demonstrations (also known as Peaceful Assembly, to be considered in 2017), plus sub-law decrees and guiding circulars for each of theselaws. The Project has two Specific Objectives as follows: 11. Vietnamese civil society has increased capacity to influence policy decisions and implementation that affect their lives. 2. Policy processes on cross-cutting issues relating to civil societyspace are influenced by coalition members# policy recommendations. And four results as follows: Result 1: Annual plans for capacity development, cross-cutting research and advocacy among 7 multi-stakeholder coalitions are developed. Result 1 will deliver: # A political economy analysis of policy opportunities relating to Access to Information, Association, and Assembly, updated in Years 2 and 3 # Detailed schedules for capacity development and advocacy activities in Years 2 and 3 # Seven annuallyupdated advocacy strategies and plans of the seven coalitions Result 2: Coalition members have improved knowledge, skills, and mutual cooperation on cross-learning topics critical to increasing civil society space. Result 2 will make changes as follows: #560 cumulative participants in capacity development activities (50% female) # 7 coalitions complete bi-annual Qualitative Assessment Scorecards to monitor their progress # 4 coalitions have improved capacity in advocacy, campaigning, negotiation andcommunication skills, and research as assessed through a partner capacity tool. Result 3: At least 2 advocacy campaigns on cross-cutting laws and policiesrelating to rights to association, information and assembly are conducted by Oxfam and the coalitionpartners. Specifically, the Project will produce the following changes: # 6 sets of recommendations on laws and sub-laws on access to information, association and assembly are produced and signed by Oxfam and coalition members and sent to relevant policy making bodies. # 500 state officials arereached by the coalitions# joint advocacy on access to information, association and assembly # At least 250 print, online, and broadcast media products about coalition-led advocacy over the period of the Action. Result 4: An assessment on the progress of changingcivil society space in 2015#2018 is completed. Specific deliverables: # A published civil society space assessment (2000 copies in Vietnamese, 500 in English) # Assessment available online # Atleast 5 media articles about the assessment results # An academic journal article describing the findings # Findings presented at 3-5 workshops and conferences, organized by Oxfam as well as other international development partners. People and Nature Reconciliation (PanNature) is a Vietnamese NGO based in Hanoi. PanNature is coordinating organisation of the Mining Coalition. Other members of the coalition include environmental NGOs, research institutions, Vietnam Chamber of Commerceand Industry (VCCI) and government agencies responsible for mining licenses and inspection. PanNature and Mining coalition will contribute advocacy for rights to access information and business transparency and accountability

General

This one-year bridge project seeks to extend the current phase of programme work on decent housing and climate change with CAFOD partners MDF and APOIO, continuing work on programmatic priority areas, incorporating a renewed focus on land tenure and use advocacy and dissemination of the pilot project on sustainable housing and urbanisation developed in 2015. This project will also incorporate lessons and recommendations from the 2013-2015 EU project external evaluation and findings, consolidating existing results in the current political and economic context and developing new areas of work to guide the next urban programme priorities from 2017 onwards. Using their past experience, participatory approaches and successful methodology of popular education, community organisation, women's participation and advocacy work, local partners APOIO and MDF will seek to influence the implementation and coordination of housing, climate change other and pro-poor urban policies. In spite of being one of the most affluent regions in Brazil, São Paulo has seen an increase in pockets of poverty and extreme poverty in the last decade, with many of the region's poorest citizens, around 30% of the population, living in favelas, informal occupations and precarious housing. The dynamic of land valorisation in the region is forcing the poorest population to live in degraded areas far away from jobs, basic services or in watershed areas and areas of environmental risk, vulnerable to flashfloods, landslides and climate impacts, aggravating existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities. The recent water supply crisis faced by São Paulo has impacted disproportionately on the poorest population, who are suffering ongoing water rationing, and higher costs of water and energy bills. Since 2011, São Paulo has seen a growth of 264% in urban occupations as a result of a housing deficit of 230,000 homes and the hike in land and rent prices which make housing unaffordable to the poor. 56% of the population living in these informal settlements lack access to water and sanitation services, which are restricted in areas that have no formal land titles. This project will tackle three inter-related problems to guarantee more effective social inclusion and urbanization: a) the lack of implementation of legal frameworks for land tenure regularization in the cities informal settlements and favelas, to reduce violent evictions, and improve land security and access to public services, such as water, sanitation and housing; b) The need for housing and social inclusion urban policies to take into account environmental factors and climate change adaptation and vice versa; c) building the awareness and capacity of women and men in the favelas, informal settlements and occupations and the housing movement leaders to know their rights and influence the above policies.