CSO Development Effectiveness

In 2008, civil society organizations (CSOs) throughout the world began a process to define principles and guidelines for their effectiveness as development actors in their own right. Canadian CSOs are connected to this global process through CCIC's participation in the facilitation group of this initiative. CCIC members are also carrying out their own work to explore methodologies and accountability frameworks to assess their development results and effectiveness. 

Some of CCIC's activities in relation to this process are described below.

Global Civil Society Forum in Busan, South Korea (November 2011)
Read the speech from AidWatch Canada's Brian Tomlinson.
From Accra to Busan: The road we've travelled

Canadian government and CSO positions and activities ahead of the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) (November 2011)

From Principles to Practice: Canadian CSOs as effective development actors

In the spring of 2011, CCIC held provincial meetings to stimulate organizational reflections on how CCIC and its members can situate and work with the Istanbul Principles and the Framework within the Canadian context – more specifically in relation to CCIC’s existing Code of Ethics and Operational Standards and the current political environment that frames Canadian CSO work on development effectiveness.

The outcomes from these provincial meetings led to a one day Forum on Implementing the Istanbul Principles with CCIC members and with staff from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), on May 26, 2011.

Click here for the dates, places and agenda of the meetings

Consultations on the Draft International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness
Following the first Global Assembly, the Open Forum has put forward a draft International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness for consultation with CSOs, donors and developing country governments.  The expectation is that those who organized consultations in 2010 would bring this Framework back to their constituencies for reflection on guidelines to implement the Istanbul Principles.  CCIC will convene some city meetings in the Spring of 2011 and will organize a national Forum associated with our Annual General Meeting at the end of May.  The outcomes of these processes will come together in a second Open Forum Global Assembly in mid-2011.  An International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness will be presented by the Open Forum and the CSO BetterAid Platform at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to be held in Busan, South Korea, at the end of November.

Click here to read the draft of the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness (PDF)

The Open Forum’s Istanbul Principles on CSO Development Effectiveness
The Global Assembly of the Open Forum approved the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness at its meeting in Istanbul, September 28 – 29, 2010.  Over the next year, CSOs involved in Open Forum country consultations around the world will be working to apply these principles in their development activities and in their relationships with donors and governments.

Click here to view the Istambul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness

Report of the First Global Assembly
The first Global Assembly for the Open Forum brought together 200 civil society and donor participants from more than 80 countries in Istanbul in September 2010.  The Assembly reviewed the outcomes of the country consultations and agreed on the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness.  The Assembly also launched a discussion on guidelines for CSOs, donors and governments to implement these principles in their practices, policies and laws.  This discussion will continue at the country and global level based on a Draft International Framework on CSO Development Effectiveness, which will be finalized at a second Global Assembly in 2011.

Click here to read the Report on the First Global Assembly (PDF)

Synthesis of the Open Forum Country Consultations 2010
The Open Forum’s first Global Assembly took place in Istanbul, September, 2010.  In the lead-up to this Assembly more than 60 country consultations took place around the world on appropriate principles that should guide CSOs as development actors and the enabling conditions for CSOs, donors and governments which will ensure that CSOs are effective development actors.  A comprehensive Synthesis of the Outcomes of these consultations was prepared for the Global Assembly.

Synthesis of Outcomes of National and Sectoral Consultations on CSO Development Effectiveness (September 2010)

Canadian Consultation on CSO Development Effectiveness

• Canadian Consultation for the Open Forum on CSO Development Effectiveness – March 2010
• Canadian Consultations for the Open Forum – November 2009
  
  

• An Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness:  A Progress Report (July 2008) (PDF 36 Kb)
• Report on the Exploratory Meeting on the Effectiveness of Civil Society Organisations(June 29-30, 2008) (PDF 129 Kb)

  

  
  Advisory Group on CSOs and Aid Effectiveness
  
  The Advisory Group on CSOs and Aid Effectiveness was created by the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness at the OECD Development Assistance Committee. The Advisory Group made recommendations to the Working Party for the Third High Level Forum that was held in Accra, Ghana, on September 2 to 4, 2008. The Canadian Council for International Co-operation, along with seven other CSO colleagues, was a member of the Advisory Group.

• Strengthening Civil Society's Roles and Voice: Reflections on CSO Engagement with the Accra Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness CCIC, CIVICUS and IBON Foundation (Philippines) has documented the CSO experience in organizing the September 2008 Accra High Level Forum and its impact on global CSOs. Currently available in English. (October 2009) (PDF 1 Mb)
• Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness: Exploration of Experience and Good Practice, Second Edition. A reference document prepared by Réal Lavergne and Jacqueline Wood for the Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness. (September 2009) (PDF 1.42 Mb)
• The Accra Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness:  A CCIC Participant Assessment of the Outcomes (September 2008) (PDF 74 Kb)
• Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness – Synthesis of Findings and Recommendations (August 2008) (PDF 775 Kb) (also available in Spanish – 820 Kb)

  Background information and documents relating to the Advisory Group's "International Forum: A Multistakeholder Dialogue on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness" can be found here.

  

  
  Determinants of Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness
  

• Working paper on Aid Effectiveness and Non-State Partnerships: Analytical Considerations, authored by Réal Lavergne (CIDA Policy Branch) and Jacqueline Wood (CIDA Canadian Partnership Branch) (December 2006) (PDF 314 Kb)
• Determinants of Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness – A CCIC Discussion Paper (November 2006) (PDF 267 Kb)
• Determinants of Civil Society Aid Effectiveness – Executive Summary (November 2006) (PDF 61 Kb)