AAWAZ Voice & Accountability (V&A) Program
As its name insinuates, AAWAZ is a program that invokes people’s clamor for social justice, peace and vertical accountability. Its programming supports an empowered, mobilized and participatory-minded citizenry and creates robust and critical voice channels in the form of active civil society and other non-traditional voice channel actors.
The goal of AAWAZ is a stable, tolerant, inclusive, prosperous and democratic Pakistan which meets the basic needs of its people and achieves the MDGs. AAWAZ’s outcome is strengthening fragile democratic processes by making them stable, more inclusive and accountable with a view to enhancing citizens’ voice.
Over the years, the Pakistani State has been unable to allocate sufficient resources to meet the development and security needs of the majority of its citizens, especially women, young people, low status castes and religious and ethnic marginalized groups. Objectives of AAWAZ program are profoundly driven by credible assessment of the state of governance, economy and socio cultural context of Pakistan. The program undertakes to address manifest and deep rooted structural issues of our society. By and large, the program aims to increase and strengthen participation of women and excluded groups in political and social spheres. It promotes enhancing social cohesion and conflict resolution. Moreover, AAWAZ program strengthens citizens’ voices for access to social services especially education and health by demanding accountability and good governance.
As a result of the implementation of this program, violence against women will become less socially acceptable, incidences will drop, and women and other excluded groups will be better able to participate safely in politics and in public spaces at local levels and articulate demands on the issues that affect them. With effective oversight, communities will be better able to resolve disputes peacefully and work together for improved service delivery.
Funded by DFID and rolled out in May 2012, AAWAZ V&A is a 5-year long project to benefit roughly 9 million people in 45 districts of Punjab and KP provinces. The program is a joint venture of a consortium of an international and five (5) leading rights based national organizations. This gigantic effort is built on the long standing experience, skills and strengths of AAWAZ program’s consortium partners.