Engaging strategically with CSOs

EIDHR Seminar Brussels, 7 February 2012

DEVCO Unit D2 « Civil society, Local Authorities » Virginia Manzitti 1

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Table of Contents

CSOs in the Agenda for Change Revisiting our partnership: Recommendations from evaluations The Structured Dialogue:

Objective, participants, topics and follow-up

Bringing it at country level (the Structured Dialogue ‘menu’ at country level)

> Promoting CSO participation in national dialogue -What could Civil Society focus on to be more effective?

-What can the EU do to improve its support?

’Mini’ SD at country level -SD follow-up: The Lebanon experience -SD follow-up: The Uganda experience

From the country level to the global level – Policy work and support initiatives: The new policy framework Policy Forum on Development Communication on CSOs in development Other support initiatives (HQ)

Guidance, EAMR analysis and newsletter 2

The Agenda for Change

Building on the ‘Structured Dialogue’, the EU should strengthen its links with civil society organisations, social partners and local authorities, through regular dialogue and use of best practices. It should support the emergence of an organised

local civil society

able to act as a watchdog and partner in dialogue with national governments.

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•

Revisiting our partnership: Recommendations from evaluations

Championing space for CSOs in the policy and political dialogue with partner governments; • Enhance genuine CSO participation in the programming processes relating to EC cooperation; • • Make better use of the added value of different CSO actors such as trade unions and cooperatives; Seeking complementarity between Geographic and Thematic Instruments at country level; • Investing in understanding the civil society arena, for example through mappings; • Considering the a disparity in the approach between the ACP countries and Asia and Latin America, resulting from different institutional frameworks, developing capacity development strategies for CSOs in Asia and Latin America; • Improving selection and delivery modalities for support to CSOs.

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Structured Dialogue Objective

Increase the effectiveness of all stakeholders common understanding

on the main issues: by finding a • Added value, mandates of different actors; the specificity of European (or International) actors and their partnership with local actors; • How to reconcile the Aid Effectiveness principles with democratic ownership and CSOs and Local Authorities’ (LAs) right of initiative; • How to better support CSOs and LAs (aid delivery and selection modalities).

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Structured Dialogue Participants

Involved stakeholders:

• More than 700 organizations from 65 countries; • 51 EU Delegations; • Member States; • European Parliament.

The EC Headquarters (AIDCO/RELEX/DG DEV) and Delegations of the European Union The European Parliament

Focus on the Global South: Inclusion of CSOs and LAs from partner countries - high priority

Members States Civil Society and LA representatives (European-based platforms and Southern actors)

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Structured Dialogue topics and follow-up

       Promoting an enabling environment for CSOs and LAs.

Political multi-stakeholder dialogues.

Democratic ownership.

Partnerships and complementarity between actors (incl. North/South cooperation).

Territorial approaches to development and LAs and CSOs’ articulation at the local level.

CSOs’ internal governance and accountability.

EU aid delivery mechanisms.

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Bringing it at country level



Two ways:

• • The

implementation of the SD recommendations; Where relevant; initiation of ‘mini Structured Dialogue’ processes at country level

relevant).

(where 8

Structured Dialogue menu - country level

   Identify and map CSOs with a context sensitive perspective Promote a conducive environment CSO participation in (multi stakeholder) dialogues: • • • • Political dialogue with the Government Policy formulation Programme formulation and review Implementation and monitoring      CSO inclusion in budget and sector support Capacity development e.g. for advocacy/oversight; Focus on representative structures Open up to an appropriate mix of selection and funding mechanisms Improve EU donor coordination

……………….. towards a sort of “CSO country strategy”

(See note of 5 October 2011 by Director D to HoD on the role of Delegations in the follow up of the Structured Dialogue) 9

One example:

Promoting CSO participation in national dialogue

Through

national (political and policy) dialogue

, CSOs can: -hold other stakeholders accountable for and monitor their policy choices, implementation and outcomes. inform and articulate citizens’ priorities and empower marginalized groups. The Structured Dialogue proposed political multi-stakeholder dialogue as a good model.   What are best practices or lessons learnt of promoting results oriented multi-stakeholder dialogues?

What are your challenges in promoting CSO participation in national dialogue and what can headquarters do to support you?

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SD recommendations:

1.

What could Civil Society focus on to be more effective?

CSOs should act as legitimate and independent development actors, putting a human-rights based approach into practice in their own work.

2.

Accountability, transparency and integrity.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Be more responsive to its constituency (social base).

People empowerment with an emphasis on poor and marginalized groups.

Help citizens to monitor authorities’ commitments.

Equitable partnerships to improve local ownership: the identification of local needs relies primarily on local CSOs.

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‘Mini’ Structured Dialogues processes

Where relevant, country level “

mini” Structured Dialogues

organized: could be  Context tailored no « one size fits all » approach  Links and integration with existing dialogues  (Ideal) format: partner government, CSOs, LAs, delegations  « Facilitated » by EU delegation  Political and technical back-up by HQ  Link with MS, UN and other coordination 12

Follow-up of the SD at country level: the Lebanon experience

• Start in March 2012: Launching a

formal, pragmatic and regular consultation

with: 150 representatives (including of Local Municipalities and Unions of Municipalities), concerning the experiences, modalities and challenges of the EU cooperation.

•Three levels of discussion: – Analysis on the recommendations of the SD and the challenges in matter of local governance, territorial approach and of decentralised cooperation in Lebanon; – Sharing of information and experiences from LA projects funded by the EC; – How to better achieve results and sustainability of LA programmes/projects.

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•

Follow-up of the SD at country level: the Uganda experience

SD local initiative in Uganda in December 2012: Launching a

formal, strategic and longer-term SD at country level with clear roadmap.

Objectives of the Ugandan SD: i) Design and implement a

medium term plan.

ii) Support CSOs self empowerment towards a more influential role in policy discussions

within EU-Uganda relationships.

iii) Identify the

most suitable processes, including aid modalities, to fully engage with the CSOs.

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From the country level to the global level: Policy work and support initiatives at HQ

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The new policy framework

Agenda for Change

– Focus on governance, dialogue with all stakeholders – Refer and build on Structured Dialogue – Best practices among EU delegations – Support CSO as watchdog and in dialogue

Communication on Budget Support

– Focus on domestic accountability: parliaments, CSOs – Transparency / participatory and inclusive approach – GBS as Good Governance Contract

Busan Partnership Document

– Enabling environment – Democratic ownership of development policies and practices – CSOs as independent development actors 16

   

Policy Forum on Development

Announced by Commissioner Piebalgs in Budapest (May 2011) to be set up in 2012 Participation from EU and Partner countries’ CSO and LAs High-level (2 sessions annually) Coordinated by DEVCO with participation from other DGs, EP, Council/MS, EEAS, EESC, CoR.

Objectives: 

Ensure effective involvement of CSOs and LAs in EU development policies and programmes

• Connect and articulate country level with global level (HQ) policies and take stock from SD at country/regional levels • Provide a space to exchange views and collect opinions on global development policy issues • Provide a mechanism for ad hoc consultations linked to the launch of new programmes and initiatives and high level events 17

Communication on CSOs in development

 Considering the SD conclusions, the Agenda for Change and the Busan Partnership Document and the momentum of the design of the new multiannual financial framework for 2014-2020.

 Discussions with stakeholders and MS: March May 2012  Planned adoption: Fall 2012 18

Communication on CSOs in development

(draft proposal)

Vision: -Enabling environment -Democratic ownership -Policy dialogue CSOs’ roles – shifting focus from service delivery to governance -Local level CSOs-LAs articulation Strategy: -Internal governance and accountability -Capacity development -Partnerships Key questions: 

How to ensure a coordinated and strategic approach at country level?



What about North/South partnerships: what should be the specific roles of European CSOs? From implementation to capacity development?

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Other support initiatives (HQ)

 Guidance: • 2 seminars for civil society focal points on engaging strategically with CSOs: • EN: 22-25 May • FR: 26-29 June  Reporting: • EAMR analysis  Information sharing: • Newsletter: ‘Flash Info’ about civil society working in development • CISOCH 20

EAMR analysis

01 Jan 2011 – 30 Jun 2011

Formal consultations Ongoing projects promoting structured dialogue:

Total (97 countries)

739 889 Number of dialogues on sectoral policies: Informal meetings Participants to meetings Projects including CSOs in policy making 428 4,724 32,773 1,000 21

Newsletter

(EN/FR/ES)

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Overview focal points

Accessible via CISOCH/CIRCABC

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For more information

Consult the Civil Society Homepage

CiSocH

https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/mwikis/aidco/index.php/Main_Page 24