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vulnerabilities of the country’s dependence on oil. The Angolan Government has taken steps to mitigate the impact of the crisis. The following measures were taken:
à Spending cuts, including the removal of fuel subsidies.
à Devaluation of the local currency against the U.S.
dollar by over 40% since 2014.
à Use of the international reserves to smooth the depreciation.
However, the social sector has been the most affected by the budgets cuts; in some cases, this was more than half of the previous budget in real terms. This sad reality has significantly contributed to aggravating the social conditions of poor and vulnerable families. It is believed that the economic and financial crisis has also caused Angola to regress in some of the sustainable development goals (SDG) indicators achieved in the last decade.
Following the elections, there have been improvements in the way public media has reported public affairs. Citizen’s exercise of fundamental freedoms have also improved, particularly those of association and assembly, except for the exclave of Cabinda, where the Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda (FLEC) still carries out sporadic military activities. Despite these developments, Angola is still characterised by a governance system with numerous deficits in dispensing human rights and justice to citizens, plagued with the absolute concentration of power in the president’s hands. Legal frameworks and institutions cannot promote and protect human rights, guarantee the rule of law, or guarantee access to justice for all citizens - particularly the most vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalised groups in society. Examples of such include the weak institutionalised response to the massive wave of refugees that entered the country towards the end of 2018, which fails to meet UN refugee rule and norms.
In the meantime, civil society organisations, particularly those that support and defend the rights of marginalised groups, continue to face declining funding, limiting their ability to engage and respond timely and effectively to the most current issues.
Strategic Intervention
Given the relevance of the electoral process, our democracy and governance programme focussed on ensuring inclusive political participation through the support of civil society organisations. This helped to conduct monitoring of voters registration and the media’s performance during elections, provide civic education for the elections, as well as voter observation to improve electoral performance and integrity.
From a human rights perspective, the focus was given to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations and citizens to promote and protect human rights by supporting the monitoring and reporting of human rights issues. The establishment of a response mechanism for human rights defenders and at-risk journalists, as well as education about human rights. In attempting to create a more effective justice system, steps were taken to strengthen the dialogue between members of the local government and members of the Parliament about the recognition and access to land rights for indigenous people in Angola and the drafting of Laws concerning the recognition of the land rights for the indigenous people.
As a country that depends heavily on mineral resources (oil-dependent), there has been a sharp decline in revenues, forcing the government to reduce what was already disproportionately low social spending. The visible deterioration of economic and social conditions are increasing political tensions.
OSISA engaged in capacity building and skills development of Angolan non-governmental organisations, conducted research studies to produce information, and established partnerships and networking as tools to address some of the challenging issues facing the country. Special attention was given to the promotion and support of women in the informal sector and engagement with communities affected by the impact of the extractive industry.
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OPEN SOCIETY INITIATIVE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA – 2017 REPORT