Provision for Awareness raising and capacity building of civil society organizations and children on importance of monitoring social sector budgets as per the attached TOR

Description

Objectives of the assignment: Build foundational awareness of the link between public budgets and child outcomes by strengthening understanding of how public and social sector budgets function, how budget allocations and expenditures impact child well-being outcomes, and why monitoring them is important for realizing children’s rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Building on the foundation, strengthen budget literacy by developing practical knowledge and skills to read, interpret, and analyze budget information related to key social sectors such as health, education, nutrition, and child protection. Promote participatory monitoring by equipping CSOs and children with practical tools and approaches to actively track and monitor government allocations and expenditures, with a focus on enhancing transparency and accountability and informing them about the existing government institutional mechanisms/processes/platforms where CSOs and young people can engage in participatory monitoring. Enhance advocacy skills by enabling CSOs and children to use budget evidence to advocate for increased, equitable, and efficient investments in children in the nine provinces. To reinforce these efforts, strengthen engagement with accountability mechanisms and processes by supporting CSOs to participate in existing oversight platforms and accountability platforms (e.g., public consultations, parliamentary processes, social audits) to improve monitoring of social sector budgets. Encouraging meaningful participation of children and young people in budget discussions and accountability processes, ensuring their voices are reflected in public decision-making. Developing child-friendly local governance training materials: Designing practical, context-specific course materials for provincial and local authorities of the Government of Sri Lanka to strengthen their understanding and implementation of child-friendly governance, aligned with principles of participation, equity, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.