Civil soCiety CruCial link in international Cooperation

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Civil soCiety, CruCial link in international Cooperation

the iCCo alliance outlines in this note its vision on civil society, thereby contributing to the discussion in the netherlands about the value and effectiveness of private development organizations for international cooperation.

the iCCo alliance was established in 2006 and consists of edukans, iCCo, kerk in actie, oikocredit, prisma, share people, yente and the Zeister Zendingsgenootschap. oikos is observer.

utreCht, June 2012text: Jonathan Huseman, Machteld ooijens and piet posthumaFinal editing: Jaap ’t Gildelayout: reprovinci, schoonhoven

iCCo allianCe per iCCo address:po Box 81903503 rD utrechtt 030 692 78 11info@icco.nlwww.icco.nlwww.icco-international.com

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Content

1. tHe (Counter)ForCe oF Civil soCiety

2. ConneCtions witH soCiety

3. tHe worlD CHanGes, DevelopMent Cooperation renews

4. tHe playinG FielD anD tHe players

5. CHanGe Has alreaDy starteD!

6. an appropriate response?

COLOPhOn

Member of the

Note to the reader

Obsolete terms We are fully aware that geographic areas in this note are indicated in antiquated terms. Used generic terms as the developing countries or the developed countries are outdated. The contradiction North and South is also no longer up to date. Traditional demarcation lines between poor and rich countries are rapidly fading. These have become caricatures of reality. Greece (rich?) is located in the North and Brazil (poor?) in the South. Contradictions within countries are sometimes greater than between countries. Each country finds itself in a specific phase or situation of wellbeing and development. Nonetheless, we cannot escape categorization. In this note we therefore write for convenience until there is a better conceptual framework available still about the North (the western, post-industrial countries) and the South (other countries).

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1. tHe (Counter) ForCe oF Civil soCiety

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Civil soCiety is an iMportant CountervailinG ForCe to tHe power ConCentration oF tHe state anD tHe Market.

tHe neeD For an inDepenDent anD CoMpleMentary role oF Civil soCiety orGaniZations is However aCCorDinG to our opinion ratHer inCreasinG tHen DeCreasinG.

2. ConneCtions witH soCiety

Compassion, justice and stewardship are the core values in the mission of the ICCO Alliance. The ICCO Alliance finds it intolerable and unacceptable that people live in extreme poverty. Economic and political relations determine the opportunities that people have to live a good life. However, people are also resilient and take responsibility for the situation they face.

Citizens and organizations established by citizens play a vital role in society. Together they form the so-called civil society, which occupies its own position between private domain, the state and the market. It consists of non-governmental organizations, trade unions, think tanks, churches, religious organizations, community organizations and social movements. They shape and voice the interests and values of different groups in society on the micro, meso and macro level.

The ICCO Alliance cooperates worldwide with civil society, governments and companies with whom we share our values and commit themselves to a world where people can live in well-being and dignity and justice is done to every man and woman. Crises, both the financial and economic crises, as the crises in the area of food, water, climate and energy underline the necessity of organized social involvement in establishing and developing a society.

Each civil society organization represents a crucial part of the social capital in society. Organizations contribute individually and collectively to social cohesion and to innovative solutions for social, economic and political problems. Civil society is an important force which counterbalances the power concentration of the state and the market. A cohesive society benefits from a politically independent civil society, which consists of organizations that derive their legitimacy from the same society.

Civil society is not homogeneous unity. Both progressive and conservative forces play their role. In our work and in this note we mainly focus on people and organizations that want to contribute to a fairer world without poverty.

The ICCO Alliance is part of the Dutch civil society. The Alliance was formed in 2006 and is a partnership of ICCO, Kerk in Actie, Edukans, Prisma1, Oikocredit, Share People, Yente and the Zeister Zendingsgenootschap.2 Jointly the members have vast experience in cooperating with social movements, development projects of churches and private organizations from civil society overseas, but also an increasingly with a vanguard of businesses and government organizations.

The ICCO Alliance has joined forces with like-minded organizations worldwide. Together we give a voice to the voiceless and stand up for disadvantaged groups. Members. Some membersof the Alliance are also strongly connected to social development processes in The Netherlands. ICCO, the namesake of the Alliance, unites Dutch citizens with citizens in other countries through its international organizational structure. Moreover, ICCO fosters links between governments, businesses and citizens. This international structure inspires the other Alliance partners.

The ICCO Alliance operates with its own funds and funding from the co-financing system (MFS) of the Dutch government, focusing on structural

poverty alleviation in developing countries. The ICCO Alliance contributes in an autonomous but complementary manner through the MFS to the development policy of the Dutch government.

In recent decades through the MFS (+MFP) civil society organizations and the Dutch government have become increasingly closer and at the same time there was a relative loosening of ties with civil society and our organizational constituencies. This is now increasingly seen as an undesirable development by both civil society organizations and by the government. This too tight relationship between state and civil society organizations, and the current tendency of government to modify existing relations unilaterally at an accelerated pace are not without risk. Organizations established by citizens for development cooperation are increasingly less recognized and acknowledged by the citizens themselves.

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1 14 members of Prisma have established the sister organization Co-Prisma. They participate in MFS through the ICCO Alliance.2 Additionally, there is a close cooperation with OIKOS, which is not a member, but an observer.

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The ownership of the organizations has often become multifaceted, distant and diffuse, partly due to increasingly operating in a governmental environment, leaving many organizations with their backs turned on society.3

The need for an independent and complementary role of civil society organizations is however, according to our opinion, rather increasing then decreasing. This is demonstrated by the inability of governments and the market to respond to the recent financial and economic crises. The need for

a joint approach of governments, market players and citizens and their civil society organizations to cope with the challenges of today is evident.

This situation is not only characteristic for development organizations . A plethora of other established Dutch civil society organizations have reached the point that their legitimacy should be reconfirmed. This relates to rootedness and constituency, the place those organizations occupy in the versatile moral landscape and their ability to mobilize people and funds.

3 This development can also be described using the partnership paradox, formulated by Willem Elbers, in which dominant management thinking has obstructed the mission, vision and values of development organizations (Elbers 2012: “The Partnership Paradox: Principles and Practices in North-South NGO Relations”. PhD thesis)

4 Alliance partner Share People connects social entrepreneurs from developing countries with European corporate professionals that want to play a positive role in strengthening economic initiatives in these countries.

3. tHe worlD CHanGes, DevelopMent Cooperation renews

Increasing globalization is on the one hand embraced by the established orders that have benefitted considerably from this process until now. On the other hand it offers opportunities for global citizens. The rise of social media and mobile communication accompanies and accelerates these developments, as could be seen in the development of the citizen movements which triggered the Arab Spring in 2011. Social media connect people and organizations in quick and new ways, broaden the access to knowledge, organize opinion formation and know how to rapidly mobilize people and funds. Free access to these media is then a valuable asset to fight for globally.

Existing institutions and organizations can of course be called slow in relation to these fast media and are often focused on self-preservation, what also might give cause to criticism on these institutions. At the same time there is a growing awareness that rapid mobilization alone is not sufficient and that in order to consolidate desired changes reliable, well-functioning and service-oriented organizations and institutions play an essential role. They can prevent that the old powers re-occupy the power gaps that may arise in times

of rapid social and political change, and help the new social movements to establish an institutional power base.

Finally, civil society organizations in developing countries have grown stronger over time. This creates new and challenging opportunities for cooperation in developing a new style.

The ICCO Alliance finds itself in the middle of these changes and finds itself supported by a strong global network of civil society organizations, based on years of experience; organizations with a positive vision and a strong confidence in the possibilities of a fairer society; organizations that effectively contribute to poverty alleviation and social improvements. And organizations believe in the power of cooperation, often also in new and challenging relationships.

poverty alleviation is no lonGer a Matter oF riCH, DevelopeD Countries tHat solve tHe proBleMs oF poor, unDerDevelopeD Countries.

The national and the international context in which the members of the ICCO Alliance operate, has changed significantly since the beginning of the international development cooperation. Traditional North-South relations have broken down. The economic emergence of Brazil, Russia, South Africa, India and China (BRICS) and other countries, coined by the Goldman Sachs investment bank as ‘NEXT 11’, change the international power relations.

Moreover, the power of transnational corporations is still growing, with annual budgets that are a multiple of the government budget of some countries. Governments and multilateral institutions find it hard to control them. The growing global power of the financial markets is apparent from the fear of the governments for the ‘rating’ of their solvency. New actors are increasingly in control of the global control panel.

The demography of poverty has also changed. Most poor people currently live in middle income countries, in so-called islands of poverty. Poverty alleviation is no longer a matter of rich, developed countries that solve the problems of poor, underdeveloped countries. Social exclusion, poverty and wealth occur in all societies. Problems such as climate change, the treasure hunt for resources, terrorism and crime and especially scarcity of water, food, energy and land are transboundary issues.

Another important development is that increasingly more citizens develop their own initiatives to express their commitment to international issues of social justice. Therefore they search for new initiatives, skeptical as they are about existing institutions. Companies doing business with corporate social responsibility are also new players that become active in the area of creating social value.4

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i Civil society organizations in the ‘south’

Civil organizations in the ‘South’ play a major role in constructing and strengthening just and resilient societies. Firstly, they fulfill an important

watchdog function with respect to their own governments and the market, both on national and local level. Human rights, accountability and budget monitoring are examples of important themes.

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Because of its position and setup the ICCO Alliance forms in many countries a unique link between Dutch, multinational and global governments, companies and civil society organizations, including churches. Of which we give the following overview .

4. tHe playinG FielD anD tHe players Secondly, civil society organizations provide public services, such as education or healthcare, which is actually the responsibility of the government. Except that they fill the gaps in government’s service delivery, there is a deep and permanent felt interest in society for these themes, voiced by these civil society organizations.

Moreover, civil society organizations can (and should) mobilize the government, citizens and companies in their own country for social change. The quality and strength of these organizations ensures that they are heard, as is apparent from the example regarding healthcare in Southern Sudan.

Thirdly, private organizations often play an important role in fragile states in enhancing the social cohesion. Furthermore, they form the foundation for restoring the trust between different parties by means of dialogue processes.

Local civil society organizations that are confronted with poverty and injustice often display an unparalleled resilience and are

capable of working time and again in ever new ways towards social and economic development, human rights and strengthening of society. What starts locally inspires people and organizations to duplicate and scale up these experiences for broader impact. Thus, renewal finds its way through a bottom-up approach in cooperation

relations with governments, companies and knowledge organizations.Southern civil society organizations are extremely capable of determining their own role and priorities. They know what is needed for the development of societies and for themselves. The role of the ICCO Alliance is often an additional and condition creating role. We finance, but increasingly we make contacts and connections (‘brokering’) worldwide and we facilitate partnerships, aimed at increasing the impact and stimulating innovation.

CrItICaLLy and COnStruCtIveLy wOrkIng On human rIghtSAn independent, impartial and professional

watchdog function on human rights has led to

confidence in supporters and opponents. The voice

of human rights organizations counts.

iCCo’s partner organization ‘association for

the Human rights’ (aproDeH) is one of the

most important NGOs in this field in Peru.

aproDeH is a member of the ‘national Human

rights Coordination’ (CnDDHH) and has good

international contacts, for example with the

‘inter-american Commission on Human rights’,

aproDeH and CnDDHH played a key role in

the truth Commission with the reconstruction

of the country in 2000.

aproDeH immediately comes into action if

the rights of individuals are being violated.

Furthermore, it works towards structural

strengthening of human rights in peru, such as

compensation for victims of the armed conflict

at the time of sendero luminoso. aproDeH

also supports indigenous communities

which are confronted with mining on their

territory. recently the nGo denounced the

criminalization of employees of civil society

organizations.

aproDeH has over the years coached many

human rights lawyers, trained judges and

magistrates, supported defenders of human

rights and has observed the development

of the democracy in the country critically

and constructively. thanks to its good name

and independent position, aproDeH is an

interlocutor of the government. the organization

derives its power from its professionalism, its

networks in society and its connections with the

government and businesses.

SuCCeSSfuL LObbyIng fOr traInIng Of heaLthCare PerSOnneLThanks to close contacts with the population, the

diocese of Wau has secured the training of healthcare

staff.

There is an enormous shortage of qualified

healthcare personnel in southern sudan. various

organizations there train so-called ‘community

health workers’ in rural areas. they give

information, provide basic medicines and form a

bridge function with the conventional healthcare

sector. these healthcare workers come from

the area itself and they are closely linked to the

population. unfortunately, the Ministry of public

Health of southern sudan has recently prohibited

training these ‘community health workers’. the

government has opted for training nurses and

physicians in order to reduce the shortage of

personnel in the healthcare sector. the admission

requirements for these courses are however too

high for many sudanese because they do not have

the proper training.

the diocese of wau, partner of four member

organizations of prisma, has not given up

the fight. Due to the great importance of the

‘community health workers’, the organization

has striven for continuing the training. thanks to

good contacts, the Ministry has agreed to this.

it was also agreed that the training is a stepping

stone to meet the qualifications for admission to

the school for nurses.

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inForMal, Mutual assistanCe witHin loCal CoMMunities is an iMportant soCial value.

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The power of the often invisible, , often informal, social connections that remain under the radar should not be underestimated. The first basis is often laid at this level for democratization processes. Informal, mutual assistance within local communities is an important social value. It is also here that mutual trust, the cement of a resilient society, takes shape. Women play a very important role here.

frOm vICtIm tO drIvIng fOrCe fOr reCOnStruCtIOnOrganizations of and for women work in the

Democratic Republic of Congo with confidence

on new perspectives after the war.

sarCaF is a coalition of 37 women’s

organizations in south kivu, Congo. During

the war, sarCaF helped victims of sexual

violence. although the war has ended,

sexual violence is still commonplace. the

victims are often excluded from their

communities and even from their families.

SARCAF fights with women against sexual

violence and stigmatization. additionally,

sarCaF stimulates female leadership

and supports economic activities, where

women organize themselves in producer

unions. this leads to more income and food

security and more appreciation within their

communities. women are becoming the

driving force behind the reconstruction of

their communities.

JOInIng fOrCeS fOr gOOd eduCatIOn In deveLOPIng COuntrIeS Good education for everybody benefits from good

cooperation and coordination between all parties

involved, both in developing countries as in The

Netherlands.

edukans is a member of the ‘Global Campaign for

education’ (GCe) –. GCe- the netherlands is a

strong network of organizations for development

cooperation and teachers’ unions that strive

for good education for everybody. GCe-the

netherlands focuses the attention mainly on

the Dutch support for education in developing

countries.

in 2011 GCe- the netherlands took the initiative

to organize a conference where more than one

hundred representatives of government, great and

small non-governmental organizations, schools

and universities, trade unions and businesses

tackle the educational agenda for 2015. GCe-

the netherlands wants to see whether different

organizations want to join forces. the conference

is a first step towards more and better cooperation

between the mentioned parties in a programmatic

approach, in communication and in lobbying.

The ICCO Alliance strengthens these ‘grass roots’ initiatives. Generally, faith-based organizations, including churches and other civil society organizations with which the ICCO Alliance cooperates are an indispensible link in the chain able to connect the most modest initiative to the national policy. The local civil society organizations are deeper embedded in the social fabric of a society than big institutional donors and governments. Moreover, they are more capable of signaling positive changes and innovations, but also negative tendencies.5

Civil society organizations in the South refer with growing emphasis to the responsibilities of the rich countries: effective poverty alleviation requires a change of the consumption and production patterns of the wealthier citizens and requires a coherent foreign policy, where the left hand does not take what the right hand gives. Development organizations in the North will become increasingly less necessary as donor; but more as equal partner with a specific objective in The Netherlands and Europe. Together with NGOs in the South they fight for a fair share of global public goods, breaking down barriers to development and defending human rights. This implies: making plans together, investing jointly in time and money and taking shared responsibility for successes and failures.

ii Development organizations in the north

Development organizations in the North also function as watchdog and/or critical partner with regard to governments, businesses and others that affect development processes. They follow for example critically government

procurement, fight corruption, hold governments and companies accountable for complying with human rights. They support organizations that, provide public services such as education or healthcare in particular in countries with a dysfunctional government.

Regardless of the functions of watchdog and service provider, the social involvement in global

issues such as climate change, human rights, sustainable fair trade and growing inequality within countries and in our own society is an important task. Poverty, injustice and exclusion are political issues that can be solved by human action. Courage is required for structural social change in order to break through the status quo

in power relations. Civil society organizations are capable of increasing the political pressure that is required for this purpose.

Civil society in the North has proven its ability to present original alternatives for solving social, economic and political problems and support those of partner organizations in the South. Civil society is capable of taking risks

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5 Alliance partner Zeister Zendingsgenootschap strongly focuses on the development work of these local civil society organizations and knows how to rouse the Dutch ecclesial societies’ interest in this work.

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and experimenting, even though it is not immediately clear how projects will turn out in the end. An example from the ICCO Alliance is the FairClimateFund established by ICCO and Kerk in Actie. This is a social enterprise which sets up climate projects with poor families in developing countries. The CO2 rights from these

projects are traded at a fair price according to the most reliable standards for climate projects. This means more income for families locally and a better health.

Civil society organizations involve inspired citizens and companies in international issues

such as climate change, human rights and sustainable fair trade and equal economic opportunities. Moreover, it is a reciprocal process of sharing and using ideas as inspiration. This improves global citizenship. Here also the vast international network and the good contacts with civil society organizations in developing countries put the ICCO Alliance in a good position to enhance global citizenship.

Furthermore, developing organizations such as the members of the ICCO Alliance and Oikos have a duty in The Netherlands and Europe

to give constructive and sometimes critical contributions to the policy and implementation of governments, international organizations and businesses, so that marginalized groups in developing countries benefit from it and are at least not harmed by it. Furthermore ICCO Alliance members, in particular Kerk in Actie,

CLImate Change: gLObaL PrObLem, LOCaL SOLutIOnS An experienced and respected local organization

in India embarks on trading emission rights to fight

poverty. ICCO and Kerk in Actie support this program

and connect parties in North and South to invest and

sell emission rights.

the partner organization ‘agricultural

Development and training society’ (aDats)

constructs 18.000 biogas installations for poor

families in the Chickballapur district in india. the

installations produce natural gas for every day

cooking. the families do not even pay a single

penny. the cow dung, which would otherwise

be disposed of, is now inserted in the installation

together with organic waste. the methane gas

gives three times as much heat as firewood. The

immediate profit is less CO2 emissions, reduced

fuel costs, healthier living conditions, less disposal

processing costs and an enormous timesaving.

an additional effect is an increase in employment

for the construction and the maintenance of

the installations. Households can sell Co2

credits from the Co2 savings. after repaying

the investment of the installation the remaining

revenue goes directly to the families.

iCCo and kerk in actie draw the attention in the

netherlands to climate change and the project

in india. individuals, churches and companies

can become climate-friendly by reducing their

energy consumption, by shifting to renewable

energy sources and by compensating the Co2

surplus by buying Co2 credits from for example

india. thanks to the network of iCCo and kerk

in actie in the south and their supporters in

the netherlands, partner organizations and

companies can contribute to the solution of two

global problems: global warming and poverty.

iii Government A good government serves society, to which it is accountable for its performance. A government creates conditions, contributes to an enabling environment, enforces legislation and guarantees basic facilities and human rights for citizens, companies, churches and civil society organizations. A strong civil society that offers both solutions as well as a countervailing power is a prerequisite for an effective government and resilient society. This applies worldwide. A good government keeps a strong, social and democratic society actively alive. A government which deliberately weakens civil society or undermines its playing field eventually will also weakens itself. .

The Dutch government spends part of its budget on development cooperation by Dutch private organizations. The so-called MFS is a unique system. The participating organizations contribute to the objectives of organizations in the South by ‘financing, engaging in critical dialogue, knowledge exchange, capacity development and promotion of contacts and networks’. The supported organizations in the South work on structural improvements in their own country. Through the MFS the Dutch government recognizes the importance of civil society organizations and non-governmental networks: of civil society in short .

MFS is under great pressure. It has become too much of a ‘one-size fits all’ model that tries to put organizations with very different objectives and structures into one system. More and more the organizations have started executing government policy as some type of subcontractors. Above we

have already elaborated what this means for the social position of these organizations. The government recognizes the importance of citizens that organize themselves, but demands in its role as financer increasingly more pliability, often at the expense of the responsibility and innovation of organizations. Moreover, an increasingly directive and regulating pressure hinders that innovation. A more flexible system is needed in order for the relation between government and civil society organizations to remain effective. As civil society organizations are developing in different directions (from humanitarian organization to social enterprise) this space for innovation is even more required.. In this way, the original objectives of the system that are still relevant can be met.

Reassessment also applies, as stated earlier, to the relation between civil society organizations and the government. During the innovations that make the system more in line with the reality of the 21th century, it is imperative to safeguard its founding spirit, namely : the recognition of the specific role that government and development organizations play in their dynamic, trust-based cooperation.

In the ICCO Alliance organizations work together which have different attitudes towards this challenge. Some members recognize the outlined issues firsthand, others like Kerk in Actie and Co-Prisma6 are especially characterized by a vivid relation with the communities from which they have emerged. Collectively, the members of the ICCO Alliance are thus capable of making their own contribution to the necessary discussion about the innovation of the system.

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tHe relation Between tHe DutCH GovernMent anD Civil soCiety BeneFits FroM equality anD Mutual reCoGnition tHat eaCH plays its own iMportant role.

CouraGe is requireD For struCtural soCial CHanGe in orDer to Break tHrouGH tHe status quo in power relations.

operate in national associations where poverty and exclusion in The Netherlands are also addressed. Therefore, the ICCO Alliance is well positioned to provide a suitable response to the new demography and geography of poverty. The relation between poverty and exclusion is increasingly established both here and there.

6 Co-Prisma is the sister organization of Prisma which unites the Prisma members that participate in MFS2 through the ICCO

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DevelopMent Cooperation sHoulD not operate in a vaCuuM, But sHoulD reaCH out towarDs otHer seCtors.

However, the new architecture for the system of development cooperation does not only address the relation between the government and civil society. It mainly concerns the new agenda for fair and sustainable development worldwide. A comprehensive, coherent global agenda based on new forms of international cooperation and a corresponding funding framework.

Civil society organizations in the South deserve special attention in this new system. A new system should offer participation to these organizations and give as little bureaucracy as possible. The precarious position in which local civil society organizations often find themselves should also be taken into account. The power of local organizations is to work towards sufficient participation of all citizens and broadening the democratic space. Governments often cannot (and do not want) to provide this space. There lies an important task for the local and international civil society. A strong social involvement is of major importance regarding sensitive issues as democratization, conflict transformation, human rights and extractive industries, where local organizations are often limited by their own government in their scope for action. International civil society organizations can more easily support this work than governments and embassies which have to take the allegations of foreign interference into account. Here the complementarity between Dutch civil society organizations and the Dutch government is apparent. The relation between the Dutch government and civil society benefits from equality and mutual recognition that each plays its own important role. Thereby cooperation remains desirable, but not always obvious. The government should accept the possible consequences of its desired autonomous role of civil society organizations, even if this implies a more critical treatment. The Dutch government can finance the Dutch civil society as long as there is no sub-contractor ship. The organizations then make the strategic consideration when cooperation is appropriate or not and accept that funding is not self-evident.

iv CompaniesIn addition to these changes in the relations of civil society organizations with the government, the relations between civil society organizations and companies are also evolving. While enterprises increasingly acknowledge the value of sustainability concepts including social aspects, civil society organizations discover the added value of the enterprises in development cooperation and anticipate well to this.

Due to this cooperation between companies and development organizations is growing with mutual respect for each other’s contribution in development processes. Companies are decisive, possess capital and focus on innovation. Civil society organizations know how to link these characteristics to social objectives, networks of creative organizations and innovative ‘grass-roots processes’. Thus, together they create social value. Cooperation with companies connects and also improves the relation between producers in the South and consumers in the North. Producers increasingly gain access to international markets and can scale up their revenue. Consumers get a larger supply of sustainably produced Fair trade products and can give a concrete interpretation to global citizenship.

Within the ICCO Alliance, mainly ICCO is active in the area of cooperation with companies that opt for corporate social responsibility and strengthening the social value of their activities. ICCO’s attitude is proactive, whereby it continues to critically observe possible negative effects of the company performance what most companies often appreciate. Thus, ICCO addresses human rights in value chains and helps companies where needed to safeguard the human rights situation in these chains. ICCO is actively involved in translating the Ruggie principles in the business practice and helps strengthening knowledge and awareness about the relation between human rights and businesses.

ICCO and Co-Prisma members opt for sustainable ‘inclusive value chains’ from the perspective and

the importance of small producers. ICCO focuses here on access to chains, fair trade conditions, sustainable production and improving quality, so that small producers can generate a better income. Support varies per situation. Support may imply enhancing the organization of small producers or strengthening the supportive institutional field such as strengthening microcredit organizations and other service providing organizations, often in cooperation with Oikocredit. Furthermore, ICCO offers guarantees, loans and participations and it experiments with new forms of strategic financing. ICCO works locally on strengthening the local markets and internationally on preserving different ‘value chains’ of international operating companies such as Albert Heijn and H&M.

In The Netherlands ICCO participates in networks as IDH (Sustainable Trade Initiative), BoP Innovation Center and AIM (Amsterdam Initiative against Malnutrition) linking with companies and establishing the relation between economic and social development.. Moreover, ICCO also invests in one on one relationships with entrepreneurs who see opportunities with entrepreneurs in developing countries. This takes shape in concepts as ‘Co-Creation’ or ‘Co-investment’, where new products or services are developed that solve a social problem.

ICCO has gained a lot of experience in the past twenty years in more than twenty countries in the area of fair economic development, resulting in the emergence of 42 partnerships with local and international companies. Yente, another ICCO Alliance member, works specifically on strengthening the position of female entrepreneurs who often play an important role for positive changes in their communities and their countries. Yente connects female entrepreneurs worldwide in innovative networks aimed at mutual strengthening.

Years of experience have strengthened the ICCO Alliance in the conviction that development cooperation should not operate in a vacuum, but should reach out towards other sectors. Different stakeholders, having different interests may come together to work on one shared goal. The improvement of human rights in economic processes and the development of models for sustainable production with respect for the environment are two important examples showing the importance of civil society for the businesses.

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mOre PerSPeCtIve fOr SmaLL PrOduCtSICCO connects local farmers, producers and buyers

in a sustainable chain in order to strengthen the

social and economic position of small producers.

ICCO unites stakeholders and develops new funding

models.

africa Juice is a Dutch company that produces

passion fruit juice for the Middle east and

Germany. it produces 50% on its own plantation

and another 50% is produced by local farmers.

Currently there are 500 farmers, but this number

should grow towards 1300 in 2015. africa Juice

also hopes to obtain the Fair trade certificate in

2012 in addition to a fair price.

iCCo has supported africa Juice in establishing

the farmer cooperative and the training program.

together, the members in the cooperative have

a stronger voice. For Africa Juice it is efficient

that it does not have to make agreements with

all farmers individually. in a cooperative, certain

things can proceed more efficient, such as water

transport and irrigation. Moreover, expenses are

saved which can be reinvested in the plantation.

iCCo believes that entrepreneurship is the

driving force behind the development of

countries and people. in order to battle poverty

among local farmers, they need access to markets

and a fair price for their products. therefore,

iCCo decided to invest in africa Juice. together

with the rabobank (50/50) iCCo gave a

contribution of 300.000usD to this program.

the iCCo plC ‘Fair & sustainable participations’

owns 5% of the shares of africa Juice on behalf of

the farmers, totaling a value of 505.000usD.

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A lot of poverty and injustice has been battled successfully by the members of the ICCO Alliance in the past five decades. However, over one billion people worldwide still live below the poverty line. The ICCO Alliance therefore continues unabated to fulfill its mission.

The ICCO Alliance innovates and updates within The Netherlands its position in the field between citizens, government and market and we are working in The Netherlands and internationally on innovative models of cooperation. We have renewed our approach methodologically and we have also focused our programs thematically in the belief that the results will improve.

The ICCO Alliance sees for itself two main pillars with added value:• -Inclusive economic development:

disadvantaged groups benefit from sustainable product chains.

• Strengthening excluded and disadvantaged groups in societies so that they can assert their rights.

Our strength lies in the interconnectedness of those two pillars. No (sustainable) agricultural industry can arise without fair land right deals. We shall enterprise even more than in the past with a social objective and involve businesses, governments and citizens in it. We opt methodologically for a programmatic approach with a system approach, where problems and challenges are addressed in their broad context

and cohesion, together with all stakeholders. This offers the best opportunity for broad-based sustainable social and economic improvements.

Consequently, the roles that the ICCO Alliance plays also change. The ICCO Alliance continues financing programs using various instruments that bring about social change, but more emphasis is put on other roles: • Innovating: developing new models, methods

and insights that lead to structural change in a society.

• Connecting: inviting civil society organizations, companies, knowledge institutes, governments, and national, regional and international organizations to work programmatically on a common goal. The ICCO Alliance helps local Southern organizations to give vulnerable people a voice, and to strengthen their position towards other parties.

• Strengthening the capacity of partner organizations in making common analyses and solutions as well as increasing quality, professionalism and sustainability.

These roles strengthen worldwide the power of civil society. Organizations in the South are brought into contact with other actors in developing processes. The ICCO Alliance also strengthens forums at the national and local level, where experiences are exchanged and civil society organizations join forces in their fight against poverty and injustice.

5. CHanGe Has alreaDy starteD!

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6. an appropriate response?

Members of the ICCO Alliance have always fully anticipated social developments in order to keep the international cooperation as effective as possible.

The profound reorganization and reorientation of ICCO in 2005 can serve as an example. Due to the increasing professionalism and experience of civil society in developing countries, more responsibility for developing processes is recognized for the developing countries themselves. The responsibility for ICCO’s policy lies thus in The Netherlands and in the regions where ICCO operates (‘co-responsibility’). The executive work is moved to offices in seven regions, staffed with regional personnel, as a result of which we can cooperate more easily with local organizations and are better informed about the regional context (decentralization). ICCO has established international and regional advisory councils for an independent voice that provide strategic advice on key regional developments and the envisaged policy choices.

The step of sharing responsibility and embarking on a genuine partnership is set in time. It is now important to firmly strengthen the ties again with our social base and work towards a further enhancement of our social legitimacy. The joint investment in developing countries with

businesses, governments and citizens worldwide is thereby the indicated instrument.

In the course of years, various ICCO Alliance members have become increasingly more involved in this process. In the region of Central and Eastern Africa a pilot is currently being developed in which the ICCO Regional Office develops itself increasingly into an office for all Alliance members that are active in the region. Furthermore, the Regional offices, the Regional Councils and the members of the ICCO Alliance and the personnel discussed in 2011 various scenarios for the future. The result was that the ICCO Alliance will be an ‘entrepreneurial innovator’ in 2020, in which it works in an entrepreneurial way together with other actors towards creative sustainable solutions.

This means that the ICCO Alliance will prepare itself the coming years for this scenario in various fields, including their own organizational culture and the nature of partnerships. The cooperation structure changes, so is the idea, in the near future into a cooperative. The owners of the cooperative will not only be Alliance members. The idea is to expand the cooperative with for example trade unions, banks, educational and knowledge institutes. The aim is also to welcome international organizations as a member. The cooperative brings the central ideas of the transformation

process – shared responsibility and participation, get closer to local knowledge, involve the most diverse parties – together in a network-like shape and broadens the commitment in international cooperation enormously.

Even more than an organizational structure, the cooperative is a way to connect civil society organizations, companies and knowledge institutions worldwide. The cooperation provides a new platform for social involvement and international cooperation. . This fits the global civil society that has currently emerged and looks beyond countries and sectors. The international cooperative network offers ideas, innovations, solutions and knowledge from other corners of the world. Opening up our own society for international forms of cooperation and ideas will really put an end to the old thinking in North-South relations.

This method shall strengthen the commitment of the ICCO Alliance in its own society and vice versa. The ICCO Alliance thereby confirms that people are closely linked worldwide and that global problems require a global approach that transcends the partial interests of countries, companies, citizens and civil society organizations. The social capital belongs to us all.

it is now iMportant to FirMly strenGtHen tHe ties aGain witH our soCial Base anD work towarDs a FurtHer enHanCeMent oF our soCial leGitiMaCy.

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partner to enterprisinG people

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