Transcript Slide 1

A Primer on the
CSO Development Effectiveness Process
Some cornerstones What is the Open Forum?
• The Open Forum is a global CSO-driven multi-stakeholder
process
• Time frame: Launched in June 2008, it is expected to operate
until the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in late
2011
• Key objective is to define and promote the effectiveness of
the CSO sector in development, based on a shared framework
(principles, guidelines, mechanisms)
• National, regional, international and thematic consultations
will bring together CSOs to discuss development effectiveness,
including the proposed framework
• Political dialogue with non-CSO development stakeholders at
country, regional and international levels will be a key
component
Context I
• CSO have started many initiatives to define and promote
their effectiveness, but have not yet defined their
effectiveness collectively as a stakeholder group
• Need for CSOs to respond to the Paris Declaration on Aid
Effectiveness (Paris Declaration not considered applicable to
CSOs, as it does not reflect CSO priorities, roles and needs)
• CSOs have acknowledged that the changing aid architecture
provides challenges to their effectiveness (partnership,
accountability, transparency, impact, enabling environment
etc.)
Context II
In the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA), donors and governments commit to
provide an enabling environment in which CSOs can realise their full potential
as development actors (§ 20c) and they welcome the CSO proposal to
engage in a multi-stakeholder dialogue on CSO development effectiveness (§
20b).
– AAA is outcome document of the Accra High-Level Forum (HLF) which
was held in September 2008
– It sets out commitments to accelerate implementation of the Paris
Declaration up to 2010
– The AAA and the HLF, as opposed to the Paris Declaration and the Paris
HLF in 2005, saw strong civil society involvement:
• Adivsory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness (created in
January 2007, dissolved in October 2008)
• Parallel Process of the International CSO Steering Group (now called
Better Aid Coordinating Group)
What is CSO development effectiveness?
Development effectiveness is broader than aid
effectiveness:
– It is a tool to refocus the discussion from aid management issues
to the actual goals of development, such as the realisation of
human rights, social justice, decent work and gender equality.
– It is a broad goal and framework for measuring the performance
of governments and country achievements in assuring the human
rights of its people.
– It focuses on the impact of the actions of development actors,
including those financed by international aid, on improving the
lives of the poor and marginalised.
– It reflects that the role of international partners, including CSOs, is
to provide support to enable country actors, both governments
and the people, to achieve human rights goals.
What defines
CSO development effectiveness?
• Internal factors that are shaped by CSOs themselves:
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North-South CSO Partnerships
Internal governance and sound management
Monitoring and evaluation methodologies
Accountability mechanisms (also shaped by external factors)
Organisational capacities
Collective structures (coordination and exchange through platforms and networks)
• External factors that are shaped by governments and other
stakeholders and make up the enabling or disabling environment in
which CSOs operate:
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Overall regulatory and political framework
Effective enforcement of human rights standards
Funding for CSOs and regulations attached to it
Space for policy dialogue
Mechanisms to promote philanthropy
How to promote
CSO development effectiveness?
Promoting CSO development effectiveness is the
key objective of the Open Forum – two ways:
– Define and promote a framework for CSO
development effectiveness, including principles,
guidelines and mechanisms (internal dimension of CSO
development effectiveness)
– Engage in a political dialogue with donors,
governments and other stakeholders to build
understanding and to address the external dimension of
CSO development effectiveness (enabling environment)
A global framework
• Principles: Underlying values and qualities
– Example: Local ownership
• Guidelines: Recommendations on what sort of action should be
taken to attain a principle in a specifc context
– Example: To strengthen local ownership, Northern CSOs must
align their priorities with those of their Southern counterparts
• Mechanisms: Context-specific means to verify and demonstrate
compliance and accountability to agreed principles
– Example: Peer reviews within regional platforms to evaluate the
extent to which principles and guidelines are implemented
• Indicators: Signals to verify change
– Example: Northern NGO provide more funds through core
funding to their Southern counterparts
Political dialogue
• Objectives:
– to involve non-CSO stakeholders in the process
– to build strategic partnerships
– to proactively inform non-CSO stakeholders on the process
– to contribute to processes of creating enabling environments for
CSOs
• CSOs will propose guidelines for minimum enabling standards
that they deem necessary to improve the environment in which they
work
• Dialogue will take place at all levels: country, regional and international
• Political dialogue should culminate in full and equal participation of
CSOs in the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness where a
multi-stakeholder agreement on guidelines for minimum enabling
standards should be adopted
A global consultative process
2009
Start of the process
Regional preparatory workshops to initiate
and trigger process
Country-level and thematic consultations to define a CSO
development effectiveness framework
Political dialogue and outreach at all levels
2010
First Global Assembly
To build consensus on the CSO development
effectiveness framework
Country-level consultations to react to proposed CSO development
effectiveness framework and to discuss implementation
2011
Political dialogue and outreach at all levels
Second Global Assembly
Stock-taking and evaluation of the process; CSOs
mobilise for the 4th High-Level Forum
4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness
Not a Paris Declaration for CSOs
CSOs don’t have the ambition to define another Paris
Declaration – why?
– CSOs don’t have the resources to run a global
monitoring and evaluation mechanisms
– The CSO framework must rely on voluntary adherence
and context-sensitive implementation mechanisms – this
will be ensured by promoting the highest degree possible
of ownership and taking into account existing initiatives
– CSOs are too numerous and diverse (in terms of their
approaches, missions and expertise) to be subject to a
“one size fits all” approach
Who is behind the Open Forum?
• Global Facilitation Group
– 25 member organisations from all world regions
– Provides political leadership, representation and overall guidance for
the Open Forum
– Engages in political dialogue at the international level with the
Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (OECD DAC) and UN bodies and
institutions
– Two Co-Chairs represent the GFG
• Consortium of supporting organisations
– 6 CSOs, each one in charge of a specific world region
– In charge of outreach, communication, administration, fund raising
and technical assistance to implement consultation process and
political dialogue
Your participation is crucial!
How you can engage in the process:
Platform/network level:
• Reach out to your constituency and
launch internal discussions on the
principles guiding CSO development
effectiveness (tools are available on
www.cso-effectiveness.org)
• Contact and inform the
organisation in charge of your region
about your interest in the process.
Clarify with them your needs and the
level of (financial and other) support
that is available (visit www.csoeffectiveness.org for contact details)
Individual CSOs:
• Make sure your platform/network is involved in
the process
• Start discussions on CSO development
effectiveness with your colleagues and across
departments (policy, programming,
management)
All levels/everyone:
• Subsribe to our newsletter on
www.cso-effectiveness.org
• Contribute to our discussions on
www.cso-effectiveness.org
• Liaise with your colleagues and partner
organisations from around the world
More information
www.cso-effectiveness.org
[email protected]