Development and

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Development and

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The Roots of Democracy and Sustainable Development:

Europe's Engagement with Civil Society in External Relations

Development and

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Development and

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Timeline

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Structured Dialogue Final

Conference (Budapest)

19 May 2011

Commission adopts the new Communication

12 Sep. '12

Council adopts Conclusions on

the Communication

15 Oct.

Stakeholders consultation for the

Communication

March – May 2012

Agenda for Change Council

Conclusion adopted14 May 2012

Agenda for Change

Communication adopted

Oct. '11

Busan Partnership for Effective

Development Cooperation

Dec. '11

2011 2012

DEVCO

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Background to the Communication

CSOs recognised as development actors in their own right , but:

• A changing environment:

• Increasing number and diversity & more fluid forms of citizen action

• Rise of Internet & social media

• Limited dialogue with the state

• Shrinking space for CSOs & restrictive measures

• CSO internal challenges (governance, capacity & funding access)

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DEVCOThe Communication in a nutshell (i)

• Towards a more strategic engagement with CSOs in Developing,

Neighbourhood and Enlargement countries

• Facilitate constructive relations between states and CSOs

• Three priorities:

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1.Promoting a conducive environment for CSOs

2.Promoting meaningful and structured participation of CSOs in:

-Domestic policy making -EU programming cycle; -International processes and debates.

3.Increasing the capacity of local CSOs to perform their roles more effectively.

DEVCOThe Communication in a nutshell (ii)

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• Promoting an enabling

environment (1)

• Strong focus on the country level

and empowerment of local

actors (2-5)

• CSOs in regional and global

settings (6)

• Shaping EU support

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1. Promoting an enabling environment: a multi-stakeholder endeavour

• Peer pressure through diplomacy and political dialogue

• Strengthen efforts to monitor CSOs' enabling environment

• Promote CSO led monitoring initiatives

• Actions and measures in response to human rights violations

• Strengthen capacity of public authorities to work constructively with CSOs

Reporting, promoting reflection, increasing accountability of public authorities & CSOs

Ensuring independence, internal governance, accountability and representativeness

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DEVCO2. Inclusive policy making for better governance

• Dialogue schemes are country-, sector- and actor-specific

• Dialogue should happen at all levels

• Importance of multi-stakeholder dialogues

• CSOs to offer relevance, representativeness and expertise

• Dialogue schemes are country-, sector- and actor-specific

• Dialogue should happen at all levels

• Importance of multi-stakeholder dialogues

• CSOs to offer relevance, representativeness and expertise

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EU support:

• Focus on the quality by ensuring results-oriented, timely, predictable & transparent dialogue

• Invest in supporting structured and effective mechanisms for dialogue between CSOs and (local, regional, national) & public authorities

EU support:

• Focus on the quality by ensuring results-oriented, timely, predictable & transparent dialogue

• Invest in supporting structured and effective mechanisms for dialogue between CSOs and (local, regional, national) & public authorities

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DEVCO3. Domestic transparency & accountability

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DEVCO4. Social services: Partnerships for better quality

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The actors:

• Cooperatives, foundations, NGOs, …

• Increasingly active players in the economic realm

• Stimulate the local economy, monitoring policies, delivering support services, etc.

The actors:

• Cooperatives, foundations, NGOs, …

• Increasingly active players in the economic realm

• Stimulate the local economy, monitoring policies, delivering support services, etc.

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EU support:

• Initiatives combining social & economic ambitions

• Job creation and entrepreneurship

• Schemes to extend access to financial services

EU support:

• Initiatives combining social & economic ambitions

• Job creation and entrepreneurship

• Schemes to extend access to financial services

5. CSOs' work for inclusive & sustainable growth

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6. CSOs in global and regional settings

• Rise of activist movements and networks

• Emergence of a 'global civil society'

• Promoting multilateral norms and standards

• Monitoring international commitments (PCD, aid)

• Promote global citizenship & solidarity

• Rise of activist movements and networks

• Emergence of a 'global civil society'

• Promoting multilateral norms and standards

• Monitoring international commitments (PCD, aid)

• Promote global citizenship & solidarity

EU support:

• CSO participation in multilateral processes & arrangements

• Dialogue with European institutions Policy Forum

• Development Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR)

EU support:

• CSO participation in multilateral processes & arrangements

• Dialogue with European institutions Policy Forum

• Development Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR)

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Capacity development

• Reinforce capacity of local CSOs

• Long term, flexible and demand driven approach

• Partnerships with EU CSOs

EU Support: Towards a more strategic engagement with CSOs

Funding adapted to local needs

• Appropriate mix of flexible funding modalities

• Improving access for local CSOs

Coordinated EU action

• Better understanding of the CSO arena

• Better coordination between EU and Member States

• Roadmaps for engagement with CSOs

DEVCOCountry roadmaps (EU and Member States)

Strategic EU engagement with CSOs

More impact, consistency, predictability & visibility of EU actions

Efficiency gains: sharing knowledge/experiences and coordination

Smartly designed & building on existing mechanisms.

Linked to the EU cycle of external assistance

More complementarity between EU instruments and with MS support

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DEVCO15 October 2012 - European Council Conclusions!

• With the Council Conclusions we have now a shared EU and MS

policy…..

• The Council welcomes the Communication for a:

"renewed and more ambitious policy in support of civil society, with a

focus on CSOs from partner countries and an emphasis on CSOs’

engagement to strengthening democratic processes and accountability

systems and achieving better development outcomes".

• The Councils Conclusions put additional emphasis on:

o Rights-based approach to development

o CSOs and gender equality

o CSOs in contexts of fragility, crisis and post-conflict

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Take away messages – boosting EU engagement with civil society in partner countries

• New framework reflecting changed role of societies (Arab Spring) & new development

policy (Agenda for Change; Busan).

• Key role CSOs in democratic governance and development.

• Recognition of CSOs as actors in their own right.

• Focus on local CSOs in partner countries, recognising country specificities.

• Better EU coordination: development of country roadmaps with EU Member States.

• Support to role of CSOs in transparent & accountable governance & inclusive

economic development; lesser role in service delivery (in specific contexts).

• Specific attention to role of CSOs in fragile states (New Deal).

• Stronger engagement of CSOs in EU all stages of programming.

• Importance of CSO capacity development and internal governance.

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THANK YOU