Development for Peace Education (DPE) and the Institute for Democracy and Dialogue and International (IDDI) organized and facilitated a dialogue aimed at revitalizing civil society’s role in Lesotho’s national reform process, strengthening democratic governance, and promoting active citizenship in Lesotho. This activity took place on the 24th April 2026 at the Transformation Resource Centre Hall, Maseru. The meeting commenced with the powerful welcoming remarks from DPE Coordinator, Valentine Mosoeu, and an introduction on how DPE is closely connected to the National Reforms process, as the initiator and active role player.
The dialogue was primarily aimed at critically reflecting on the origins of the National Reforms process by identifying the gap and the impact caused by the silence of civil society in the country, especially on this crucial issue of Reforms. The activity was used to revive civil society’s lost voice in the National Reforms process and to highlight the damage this silence is causing to the entire nation. It is believed that after the activity, civil society‘s voice will become a vital force in awakening the role players of the National Reforms process.
This issue was reiterated by Ms. Kholu Tsumane from the Campaign for Education. She highlighted that the National Reforms Authority (NRA) is a long-time initiative by civil society organizations, dating back to 1991, which was carried out in 1995, resulting in the production of a Plenary 1 report. This Plenary report stated that the constitution should be reformed. Later in 2018, the civil society organizations invited Mr. Cyril Ramaphosa from South Africa, where different community-based organizations, CSOs, marginalized groups, and political parties were invited to table their concerns. This is where the Leaders Forum was produced, where every citizen should be included. She further indicated that reforms should be an ongoing process.
