Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness

Last updated

The Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness was the medium for a process led by civil society organizations (CSOs) between 2008 and 2012, to agree common principles and guidelines on CSO development effectiveness and bring the collective vision of organized people's groups into international development policy and practice. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Origins

The Open Forum was established as a temporary part of the "effectiveness movement" on international aid and development cooperation that started in the early 2000s. At first, discussions on aid effectiveness had mostly been led by aid donors and partner governments. But the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness (2005), which was agreed at the second of four High Level Forums on Aid Effectiveness, recognised that CSOs played a significant role in aid effectiveness; CSOs were represented at its signing ceremony. CSOs were then mobilised to play a greater part at the 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held at Accra in 2008. This mobilisation partly arose from consultative meetings of an Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness (AG-CS) that had been formed by the OECD's Development Assistance Committee. [4] Open Forum was born at a three-day meeting of over 70 CSOs in Paris in June 2008. Its purpose was to take forward a global process towards agreeing a CSO-suitable effectiveness framework, and arriving at a common CSO negotiating position in time for the fourth High Level Conference in 2011. [5] [6] [7] It received funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through CONCORD, a European NGO confederation. [8]

Worldwide consultations

To achieve its objective, Open Forum facilitated numerous national, regional, global and thematic consultations with CSOs around the world regarding standards to guide their work. [1] [9]

Istanbul Principles

The eight Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness are part of the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness. They came out of the Open Forum consultations as the guiding values for the development work of CSOs. The Istanbul Principles were endorsed at the Global Assembly of the Open Forum Istanbul, Turkey (September 2010) and include: [1] [9] [10]

  1. Respect and promote human rights and social justice;
  2. Embody gender equality and equity while promoting women and girls' rights;
  3. Focus on people's empowerment, democratic ownership and participation;
  4. Promote environmental sustainability;
  5. Practice transparency and accountability;
  6. Pursue equitable partnerships and solidarity;
  7. Create and share knowledge and commit to mutual learning;
  8. Commit to realizing positive sustainable change

The International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness

The ultimate agreement coming out of the Open Forum consultations was titled (the Siem Reap CSO Consensus on) the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness. It is a collective statement by CSOs from different countries and regions on the common standards guiding their development work. The International Framework is notable in that it consolidates inputs of a multitude of civil society actors from across the world in one statement. It was finalized at the Open Forum Global Assembly in Siem Reap, Cambodia (June 2011). [1] [10] [11]

The International Framework has three main substantive sections. The first (Section II) is a statement and explanation of the Istanbul Principles. The second (Section III) details how CSOs should seek to become accountable. The third (Section IV) is on the enabling conditions that CSOs need in order to be effective in development cooperation. [12]

Impact on 2011 Busan outcome document

The work of the Open Partnership bore fruit at the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Busan, Republic of Korea, 2011). This was the first time that civil society officially took part in negotiations on aid effectiveness on an equal basis with partner governments and donors. [11] [1] The outcome agreement of HLF4 – the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation – included an article (number 22) on CSOs. In this article, the signatories recognised the role of CSOs and the standards set out in the Istanbul Principles and the International Framework, and they vowed to "implement fully our respective commitments to enable CSOs to exercise their roles as independent development actors". [13] [14] However, some saw the reference to "our respective commitments" as falling short of the guarantee requested by CSOs. [15]

In conjunction with HLF4, the Istanbul Principles received recognition from individual development stakeholders including the United States [16] and the European Union. [17]

Last stages

In 2012 the Open Forum produced its final outputs: toolkits for advocacy and implementation of the International Framework, image icons for the Istanbul Principles, a practitioner guide, a wiki platform, and a storytelling (documentation) site. The Open Forum project was wound up. Continuing consultations with CSOs, and its sister organisation, BetterAid, resulted in the formation of a new entity to carry forward the global affairs of CSOs: the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotonou Agreement</span> 2000 EU economic and legal treaty with African, Caribbean and Pacific states

The Cotonou Agreement is a treaty between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States. It was signed in June 2000 in Cotonou, Benin's largest city, by 78 ACP countries and the then fifteen Member States of the European Union. It entered into force in 2003 and was subsequently revised in 2005 and 2010.

Aid effectiveness is the degree of success or failure of international aid. Concern with aid effectiveness might be at a high level of generality, or it might be more detailed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet Governance Forum</span>

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a multistakeholder governance group for policy dialogue on issues of Internet governance. It brings together all stakeholders in the Internet governance debate, whether they represent governments, the private sector or civil society, including the technical and academic community, on an equal basis and through an open and inclusive process. The establishment of the IGF was formally announced by the United Nations Secretary-General in July 2006. It was first convened in October–November 2006 and has held an annual meeting since then.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Development Assistance Committee</span> OECD committee

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) is a forum to discuss issues surrounding aid, development and poverty reduction in developing countries. It describes itself as being the "venue and voice" of the world's major donor countries.

The first Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF), a restructured format for the Consultative Group (CG) meeting, was held in Phnom Penh on June 19–20, 2007. The CDCF was chaired by the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) with the World Bank as the Lead Donor Facilitator. The theme for 2007 was "Progress in Implementing the National Strategic Development Plan 2006-2010".

The International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) is a global campaign to create transparency in the records of how aid money is spent. The initiative hopes to thereby ensure that aid money reaches its intended recipients. The ultimate goal is to improve standards of living worldwide and globally reduce poverty. The IATI also publishes a standard to be used by organizations, allowing different datasets to be combined and shared.

Publish What You Fund is a global campaign for aid transparency– more and better information about aid.

UHC2030, formerly known as the International Health Partnership (IHP+), is a global platform which brings together multiple stakeholders to take action to advance progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) by mobilizing political commitment, demanding and tracking accountability, and promoting collective action for health systems. The global platform is co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the World Bank and the OECD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Busan Exhibition and Convention Center</span> Building in Busan, South Korea

Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (Korean: 부산전시컨벤션센터), commonly known as BEXCO (벡스코), is a convention and exhibition center located in Centum City, Haeundae-gu, Busan, South Korea. It features over 46,500 m2 of exhibition space and 53 meeting rooms. In June 2012, BEXCO completed its expansion to add a 4,002-seat auditorium and a new exhibition center.

LDC Watch is an alliance of organizations based in Least Developed Countries and other related organizations. Based in Belgium, it coordinates activities in the fields of trade, debt, foreign investment, human rights, governance and conflict resolution. LDC Watch undertakes lobbying, networking and advocacy with LDC governments and development agencies. Its aim is to implement a programme of action formulated at a UN Conference in Brussels in 2001, with the participation of civil society.

The International Centre for Policy Studies (ICPS) is an independent NGO, founded in 1994 which aims to promote public policy concepts and practice and apply them to influential policy research that affects both the public and private sectors in Ukraine.

The United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service is a programme of the United Nations mandated to promote and develop constructive relations between the United Nations and civil society organizations. UN-NGLS operates autonomously across the United Nations system and with civil society constituencies and social movements on cross-cutting and emerging issues on the UN agenda. For example, UN-NGLS currently focuses on the UN General Assembly preparatory process for negotiations of a global compact on migration, and high-level events organized by the President of the UN General Assembly. UN-NGLS advises civil society organizations on opportunities to engage with the UN and facilitates their participation in various UN processes and events. UN-NGLS has offices at UN headquarters in New York and is part of the United Nations Department of Global Communications.

The Korea Human Rights Foundation (KHRF) was established in 1999 by prominent human rights experts, activists, lawyers, and academics following the commemorative events of the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the KHRF strives to promote solidarity for empowerment in the realm of human rights in Korea.

Multistakeholder governance is a practice of governance that employs bringing multiple stakeholders together to participate in dialogue, decision making, and implementation of responses to jointly perceived problems. The principle behind such a structure is that if enough input is provided by multiple types of actors involved in a question, the eventual consensual decision gains more legitimacy, and can be more effectively implemented than a traditional state-based response. While the evolution of multistakeholder governance is occurring principally at the international level, public-private partnerships (PPPs) are domestic analogues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-2015 Development Agenda</span>

The Post-2015 Development Agenda was a process from 2012 to 2015 led by the United Nations to define the future global development framework that would succeed the Millennium Development Goals. The new framework, starting from 2016 is called Sustainable Development Goals.

The g7+, established in 2010, is an intergovernmental voluntary organisation bringing together countries that are either facing active conflict or have recent experience of conflict and fragility. It has 20 member countries from Asia, the Pacific, Africa and the Caribbean with a combined population of 260 million.

Fiscal transparency refers to the publication of information on how governments raise, spend, and manage public resources. More specifically, it means publication of high quality information on how governments raise taxes, borrow, spend, invest, and manage public assets and liabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wahidullah Waissi</span> Afghan diplomat

Wahidullah Waissi is a career Afghan diplomat. He is now serving as the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the Commonwealth of Australia, New Zealand and Republic of Fiji. He worked as Director-General for Economic Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan from 2012 to 2016 overseeing regional economic cooperation and multilateral development partnerships, chaired economic diplomacy committee, coordinated Regional Economic Cooperation Conference for Afghanistan process and projects and served as a Focal Point for economic Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) of the Heart of Asia Istanbul Process.

Four high level forums on aid effectiveness were held between 2003 and 2011 as part of a "continuous effort towards modernising, deepening and broadening development co-operation and the delivery of aid" coordinated through the OECD. They took place at Rome (2003), Paris (2005), Accra (2008) and Busan (2011).

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC), formed in 2012, is an association of governments and organisations that seeks to improve practices of international development. It has a unique position due to the breadth and stature of its participants.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Civil Society". 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  2. ↑ Tomlinson, Brian (2012). CSOs on the road from Accra to Busan : CSO initiatives to strengthen development effectiveness : documenting the experiences of the CSO BetterAid platform and the open forum on CSO development effectiveness (PDF). [Ottawa]. pp. 18–24. ISBN   978-971-9941-18-7. OCLC   855977657 . Retrieved 2021-05-21.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ↑ "What is the Open Forum?". Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  4. ↑ Civil society and aid effectiveness : findings, recommendations and good practice. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Paris: OECD. 2009. ISBN   978-92-64-05643-5. OCLC   506071260.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. ↑ "Exploratory meeting on the effectiveness of civil society organisations: Meeting report" (PDF). Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  6. ↑ OECD Development Cooperation Directorate. "The High Level Fora on Aid Effectiveness: A history". Retrieved on 19 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "History of the process". Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness. Archived from the original on 2012-11-22. Retrieved 2021-05-21.
  8. ↑ Christie, Angela (December 2012). "Evaluation of the BetterAid and Open Forum Programmes" (PDF). SIDA. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  9. 1 2 Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. " The Open Forum For CSO Development Effectiveness and the Istanbul Principles", 29 November 2010. Retrieved on 20 August 2012
  10. 1 2 European Commission. “Consultation on Civil Society Organisations in Development - Glossary”, March 2012, p. 7. Retrieved on 20 August 2012.
  11. 1 2 Loy, Irwin. “Civil Society Unifies Position Ahead of Aid Summit”, Inter Press Service News Agency, Bangkok, 5 July 2011. Retrieved on 20 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "the Siem Reap CSO Consensus on) the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness" (PDF). Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  13. ↑ 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. " Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation", 1 December 2011, p. 6. Retrieved on 20 August 2012.
  14. ↑ 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. " The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation ", Retrieved on 20 August 2012.
  15. ↑ Hayman, Rachel (February 2012). "The Busan Partnership: implications for civil society" (PDF). INTRAC. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
  16. ↑ Clinton, Hillary. “From Aid to Investment -- Successes, Challenges and the Way Forward”, Transcript of remarks delivered at the Opening Session of the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness on November 30, 2011 in Busan, South Korea, published by The Huffington Post. Retrieved on 20 August 2012.
  17. ↑ European Commission. “HLF4 Busan”, Civil Society Helpdesk. Retrieved on 20 August 2012.
  18. ↑ "New beginnings for CSO Development Effectiveness! Open Forum Final Newsletter" (PDF). Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness. September–December 2012. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2021-05-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.