Strengthening Djibouti’s Civil Society: 30 Months of European Technical Assistance The European Commission, through its Delegation in Djibouti, has funded a support programme for Djibouti’s civil society (PASOC), under which Particip GmbH has entrusted ArkoConsulting with a 30-month technical assistance mission (December 2023 — June 2026) to structure and consolidate the country’s civil society organisations. Djibouti has over 5,000 officially registered organisations, yet only around twenty have been granted NGO status by presidential decree since 2015. The PASOC programme, funded by the EDF, aims to create a legal and institutional environment conducive to the emergence of credible, well-trained associations capable of contributing to democratic governance and inclusive civic culture. The technical assistance directly supports around twenty CSOs benefiting from European funding through three mechanisms: PASOC EDF grants (6 associations in 3 consortia), the AIMF project on citizen participation in local governance (9 associations), and thematic IEDDH lines. ArkoConsulting deploys a team of three experts: a mission leader (200 days, Category I, minimum 12 years’ experience), a finance and contracts expert (150 days, Category II, specialist in EDF procedures), and a legal framework expert (120 days, Category III, specialist in association law). Interventions include individualised coaching for CSOs, thematic training cycles (project management, monitoring and evaluation, communication, resource mobilisation, EU/EDF administrative and financial procedures), dissemination of association legal frameworks, strengthening inter-CSO dialogue, and positioning organisations as legitimate governance actors. Semi-annual reports document progress in activities and the evolving capacities of the supported organisations. The mission contributes to the structural strengthening of Djibouti’s civil society in a country where civic space is still being built.
