Citizen information and documentation center

Origins

Cidoc was initially created in 2003 by a group of civil society workers, to capitalize on lessons learned from their participation in several youth movements and civic initiatives over the years. It was officially recognized the Récépissé N° 2003-473/MATD/SG/DGLPAP/DOASOC du 9 septembre 2003 under Burkina Faso freedom of association Act. This initiative was joined by others in 2010 who share its vision and approach. Cidoc then became a common venture of citizens from and with diverse background. The vision and method of work were then revisited in 2011 with a view to including areas and principles agreed on by the members.

Vision and Mission

Our vision is that, when citizens are equipped with adequate skills and knowledge, their participation becomes more effective, and that public action should serve/address the legitimate needs of the people as a right.

Our mission is to support the development of sustainable capacities for effective and meaningful citizen’s engagement in the affairs of their communities. To this end, Cidoc strives to promote legitimate governance and enhance the right to participate in public affairs for the benefit of the community.

Objectives

-Support citizens to advance human rights and democracy at grassroots levels as the bedrock for peaceful and just societies;

-Promote democracy and the rule of law by strengthening the roles of the citizen in political processes;

-Strengthen citizens’ capacities for a meaningful engagement on public policies/issues

-Mitigate conflicts/tension and build trust for shared societies ;

-Serve as a public forum for dialogues and discussion on governance issues.

Guiding principles: In the conduct of its operations Cidoc is guided by the following:

-that when elections are successfully organized, they lead to strong institutions and high legitimacy of the resulting leaders/government;

-that every citizen has a potential to contribute to the nation’s development;

-that participation starts at the closest/lowest level, before it goes to the communal, national, regional and global level;

-that informed citizens contribute to strong national institutions;

-that a democratic, economic, legal governance is not valid if it does not address the legitimate aspirations of the people;

that "coexistence" goes beyond living together to describe societies in which diversity is embraced for its positive potential, equality is actively pursued, interdependence between different groups is recognized, and the use of force to address conflicts is increasingly obsolete.