A Primer on the CSO Development Effectiveness Process

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• A Primer on the CSO Development Effectiveness
  Process

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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

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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.)

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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)

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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.

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What definesCSO development effectiveness?

• Internal factors that are shaped by CSOs
  themselves
• 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
• 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

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How to promoteCSO 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)

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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

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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

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A global consultative process
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Not a Paris Declaration for CSOs

• CSOs dont have the ambition to define another
  Paris Declaration why?
• CSOs dont 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

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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

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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.cso-effectiveness.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
onwww.cso-effectiveness.org Contribute to our
discussions onwww.cso-effectiveness.org Liaise
with your colleagues and partner organisations
from around the world
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More information

• www.cso-effectiveness.org
• cso-eff_at_concordeurope.org