CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERSHIPS

Civil society organisations, as partners and development actors in their own right, are at the forefront of development efforts on the ground and vital partners in realising the SDGs. Yet, Global Partnership evidence confirms that the overall conditions affecting CSOs’ contributions to development have deteriorated over the past years. The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation's strategy and objective is to redress this trend and to improve the environment for CSOs to engage in and contribute to sustainable development and in leaving no-one behind.

MONITORING DATA TRENDS & KEY EVIDENCE

More systematic and meaningful consultations with development actors are needed by both partner country governments and development partners.

Results from the 2018 monitoring round indicated that the quality of government consultation with civil society organisations (CSOs) has declined and the legal and regulatory frameworks to facilitate CSO operations have weakened. CSOs in only 5% of partner countries report that their input is consistently reflected in national development policies. While development partners consult most with CSOs (in 95% cases), than other partner country stakeholders, in the preparation of their country strategies and programmes – CSOs report that these consultations are not systematic, which hinders their ability to provide quality input.

Results indicate that these engagement opportunities by both partner country governments and development partners could be more regular, predictable and involve a more diverse set of actors.

Figure 1: Partner Country Governments and Development Partners consult with a variety of stakeholders.

The enabling environment for civil society organisations is deteriorating.

CSOs report that there has been a decline in the legal and regulatory frameworks that provide protection for CSOs. Evidence from the 2018 monitoring round shows that CSOs in 27% of partner countries report that CSO expression is either extensively or fully controlled by government. Moreover, CSOs in 32% of partner countries report that those CSOs working with marginalised and at-risk populations experience harassment from public authorities.

CSOs do not consider development partners’ funding mechanisms to be predictable, transparent or accessible to a diversity of CSOs. Civil society in most countries (82%) report that funding received is primarily driven by the providers’ own interests and priorities.

Figure 2 Civil society organisations’ enabling environment is deteriorating.