Aid Effectiveness the role and voice of CSOs

Aid Effectiveness: the role and voice of CSOs and applicability of the Paris Declaration Antonio Tujan Jr. Reality of Aid Network

Role of CSOs Role and responsibility of csos as development actors n The role of civil society as a pillar of good governance n Its role in providing effective delivery of development programs and operations n Its role in the social empowerment of particular groups and the realization of human rights. Social transformation As donors, as channels of assistance and as grassroots actors; as watchdogs

Who are CSOs? n n all non-market and non-state organizations and structures in which people organize to pursue shared objectives and ideals Social solidarity as fundamental character of CSOs whether defined in various parameters, dimensions, concerns or divisions n n n Obvious in sectoral, thematic, issue-oriented, development csos Addresses desired values of social responsibility, humanitarianism, volunteerism Different dimensions of social solidarity How to look at bringos, mongos, bongos, rongos This should not be the basis to recognize or classify CSOs

Who are CSOs? n General categories of CSOs Membership based CSOs n Cause oriented CSOs n n Various forms and objectives n Service oriented CSOs n What defines service? n Who are targets and beneficiaries?

Who are CSOs? Commonly held CSOs as essential feature of democracy as expression of people’s organized action in the public sphere or civil society as space n Solidarity implies diversity and multiplicity, expression of diversity of peoples and their concerns; n n not just tolerated but promoted and defended; coherence in csos as either paternalistic, orwellian or plain uninformed

CSOs and democracy n n n Civil society as social space for citizen participation essential in the functioning of democracy Civil society as one of key pillars (executive, legislature, judiciary and media) Solidarity comingle with governance in public space – this essential feature of democracy as citizens/people act in the public interest as expression of solidarity as an essential interactor with governance, in the process honing and creating healthy governance mechanisms and practices n Criticism of csos vs govt as self appointed – does not understand democratic governance and essential role csos play in operationalizing democracy

Role of CSOs in empowerment Perspective from developing countries where democracy is not assumed – role of csos such as people’s movements and social movements in building democracy and realizing human rights; and honing governance through interaction n Address exclusion - social empowerment of particular classes of society, such as the poor and dispossessed, women, ethnic groups, or other groups n

Role of CSOs in delivery of services and development programs n n CSOs commonly recognized as auxiliary providers of services But their role as pillar of democracy and social empowerment and fundamental responsibility in social solidarity is the reason why CSOs actually have a distinct role in implementation of development programs and in development advocacy as a whole Varied roles and values principally in promotion of human rights and empowered development in development policy advocacy and in the actual implementation of development projects Role in monitoring and ensuring accountability to the people by government and donors in ODA and specific projects and programs

CSOs as part of aid architecture 1. Important donors on their own right n n Quantity -Some foundations emerging as influential development actors Quality – rights based approaches to development 2. Important channels of development aid 3. Key contributions in development assistance process n n n Monitoring and accountability Policy dialogue Grassroots participation

Recognition and Voice n Legitimacy, regulation and promotion of CSOs Representativeness/representation? n Democratic legitimacy n n Direct membership legitimacy n Constituency n Mechanisms for voluntary accreditation n Official legitimacy n Legal framework n Regulatory mechanisms

Recognition and Voice n Accountability Mechanisms of accountability n Levels of accountability n n Organizational accountability n Accountability to Direct constituency n Social accountability (ex media) n Legal and official accountability mechanisms n Managing accountability

Recognition and Voice National mechanisms for engagement and recognition n International mechanisms for engagement and recognition n

Recognizing the Voice of CSOs Engagement at the UN processes n Engagement with donors in the north n Engagement at the OECD – DAC level n Policy dialogue at country level relatively sporadic and severely limited (budget support mechanisms) n

Recognizing the Voice of CSOs n How ready are donors? Awareness uneven esp at country n Preparedness to engage with csos at country n n Policy, structure, capacity Absence of enabling framework to put csos on the table n Foreign policy constrains on more controversial aspects of development process and discourse n Foreign policy directions on aid - agile n Selectivity and objective - Indonesia wb n

Recognizing the Voice of CSOs Are countries ready? 1 awareness of Paris Declaration and afx 3 fears and concerns 2 leadership and political will to implement PD and to accept and promote role and voice of CSOs 1 2 3 3 4 5 Engagement Transparency Availability of processed information Selectivity Political space? Conflict situations and impact on public space – competing governance

Are CSOs ready Southern CSOs perspectives to the issue of development n Awareness of PD and aid effectiveness n Different capacities and readiness for advocacy on aid effectiveness n Different stresses and approaches in their role in development n HR and effective aid – but Awareness and commitment to rights based approaches n

Crucial to ODA reform n n Aid fx, or development fx, not simply technocratic reform on aid management When discussed, csos cynical at first realize that at issue of ODA reform that encompasses they key concerns such as debt bondage and debt cancellation, conditionality, tied aid and so on. It also presents a future path to ODA reform – if as many have observed that - Development cooperation and aid relationships essentially politics of power – aid fx is reshaping power dynamics of aid towards democratization Politics of conditionality or politics of dialogue promoting shared values of democratic development and human rights that should be the foundation of development cooperation?

CSOs and the Paris Declaration CSO position on the Paris Declaration enunciated in statement and message to the Paris HLF II n CSOs position on applying Paris Declaration and deepening the aid effectiveness agenda n Applicability of the Paris Declaration on CSOs and enriching the international aid effectiveness agenda n

Applicability of Paris Declaration on CSOs Two frameworks of application 1. 2. Looking at parallels in PD principles and distinguishing between watchdog and service delivery or channel of ODA Understanding fundamental distinction of CSOs as development actors and distinguishing between interrogating parallels in applicability of PD principles on CSOs, from the implications or indirect applicability of PD on CSOs role and behavior in the aid architecture

Distinct development roles CSOs role both as service delivery and watchdog premised on social solidarity; other actors (NCSOs, governments and donors relate to CSOs conscious of this solidarity) n Governments role in development premised on governance (Donors, CSOs relate to government conscious of its role and responsibility in governance) n

Applicability of PD principles Applicability and commitments are premised on governance as the nature of the role of government in development and the framework for development cooperation – thus ownership, harmonization, alignment, etc. n Commitments to promote the role of democratic institutions to support development and governance – whether CSOs, parliaments, Media and private sector n

Applicability of PD principles n “indirect” applicability of Paris Declaration for CSOs – as auxiliary actors (whether as watchdog or participants in development programs or in service delivery in support of country programs) in the process and context of implementing PD commitments n Ownership – participation in designing development strategies and plans; concept of country democratic ownership

Applicability of PD principles Alignment – recognition of csos (and parliament and media) as institutions for distinct role and separate support while shifting to direct budget support n Harmonization – in donor harmonization mechanisms such as SWAps and PBAs, defining distinct role and separate budget for CSOs n Mutual Accountability – designing specific accountability mechanisms at various levels n Managing for results – promoting cso roles in monitoring and providing better access to information; csos as independent sources for n

Applicability of PD principles n “direct” applicability of aid effectiveness principles on CSOs have to be reinterpreted based on the particular character and role of CSOs – independent citizen bodies premised on social solidarity engaged with governance n Ownership – legitimacy principally owned by constituency; official legitimacy as a social role; independence from whom? (government, political parties); independence in what? (programs, policies); ownership in international solidarity relations

Applicability of PD principles Alignment – alignment premised on governance in donor-country relationship versus alignment premised on empowered action of the poor/their representative in relating to CSOs; aligning to cso decisions; core funding and program/project funding n Harmonization – in what way should CSOs harmonize? (orwellian coherence and unification versus democratic diversity) state or donor interference in managing harmonization/unity; use of donor or state-dictated platforms; national coordination; international networking n

Applicability of PD principles Managing for development results – how to apply in programs and services premised on empowerment and realization of human rights n Mutual accountability – accountability mechanisms dictated by donor standards that create undue difficulties or inappropriate for csos – marginalize small csos, create administrative pressures n

problems As independent actors, premised on solidarity (versus sovereignty and governance) problems in aid effectiveness are more complex and difficult n Selectivity n Aid dependency n Donor dictation, conditionality n Interference n Agency - shaping the cso according to donor wishes n