What Next for Mali?

Four priorities for better governance in Mali

Publication date: 5 February 2014
Author: Surendrini Wijeyaratne, Governance Coordinator, Oxfam Novib – Mali; Nicolas Vercken, Conflicts and Humanitarian advocacy officer, Oxfam France

The 2013 elections helped to restore constitutional order in Mali and marked the start of a period of hope for peace, stability and development. The challenge is now to respond to the Malian people's desire for improved governance.

This briefing note, based on the experiences of Oxfam and its Malian civil society partners, calls on the new government to ensure:

  • Equitable development across all regions of the country;
  • Increased citizen participation, in particular women's political participation;
  • Improved access to justice;
  • The promotion of national reconciliation.

It also calls on the UN mission and international donors to fund and protect this work, and to ensure that results are recorded in a transparent and accountable way.