Roundtable 5: Donor and Government Enabling Environment

ChairHubert de Milly, OECD DAC

Lead Speakers- Wamupu Akapelwa, Government of Zambia

- Tomas Brundin, Swedish Ministry for Foreign AffairsSteering committee

-Jacqueline Wood, CIDA

Proposed commitments by partner governments

• Reforming the existing legislative framework (or introduce one if necessary) to make it more enhancing for an independent civil society (recognizing role, voice, activity…, facilitating registration, right to receive funds…)

• Establish mechanisms (places, arenas) for ongoing multi-

stakeholder dialogue to deal with specific development issues and policies, and resolve problems

• Government contribution for CSOs in order to enable

better performance (Reservation: with contribution goes control, and we don’t want to controls civil society).

Proposed commitments by donors• Draft a common overarching goal for donors vis à vis civil society,:

– Tentative goal: Strengthen a vibrant, democratic and diverse civil society in partner countries.

– Efforts to reach it : policy dialogue with CS and partner governments, communication• Balance capacity building efforts between governments and civil society.• Apply “good donorship” in support of civil society:

– Core support– Long term commitment, build on what exists– Common funding modalities– Flexibility/responsiveness– Appropriate contracting and procedures, single reporting

• Encourage Northern CSOs to be responsive to local demands and relate to partner countries development strategies.

Other points mentioned:• Focus on south-south learning. • Allocate resources for impact evaluations (especially participatory/rigorous). • Direct access for CSOs to donors vs intermediary bodies (cf. Sierra Leone case study)

Proposed commitments by Southern CSOs:

• Operate within existing regulatory framework and establish CSO code of conduct for increased accountability and transparency.

• Have constant contact with local constituency

through information sharing and consultation. • Develop self monitoring and evaluation

mechanisms.

Proposed commitments by Northern CSOs:

Multi stake holders proposed commitments:

• Ease access to information for CSOs (but CSOs are also sources of information, especially qualitative information, innovation, research…)

• Acknowledge the political but non-partisan dimension of

civil society development efforts. CSOs as change agents. • Acknowledge the legitimacy of CSO own specific goals,

beyond governments and donors priorities (but not in contradiction with them).

• All stakeholders should commit to abide by a common law :

HUMILITY.