UNDP AND Civil Society Organizations

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UNDP ANDCivil Society Organizations
JPO Training - Hanoi, June 2004
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Civil Society Organizations
A working definition

• Civil society constitutes a third sector,
  existing alongside and interacting with the
  state and market.
• CSOs comprise the full range of formal and
  informal organizations within civil society
  NGOs, CBOs, indigenous peoples organizations,
  trade unions, social movements, etc.

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Changing context

CSO Profile

• Enormous growth in number, diversity and
  influence of CSOs.
• Greater influence in shaping local/global
  agendas.
• Growing mobilization through global assemblies
  such as World Social Forum.
• Increasing resources channelled through CSOs.

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Why should UNDP engage with Civil Society?

• People and their associations are the building
  blocks of social justice
• State cannot fulfill all tasks for pro-poor
  growth and human development
• Pro-poor growth and improved governance must
  ultimately come from within the country
• Success of UNDP is dependent on multi-party trust
• Human rights perspective acknowledges UNDPs role
  as duty bearer Obligation can only be fulfilled
  by interacting with civic actors

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UNDP as preferred partner

• Human development
• People-centred approach similar to CSOs.
• Potential source of alternative policy choices.
• Capacity development
• Direct support and grant resources.
• Facilitate engagement with other sectors of
  society.
• Disseminator of knowledge and best practice in
  the region and globally.

• Access to government
• Ability to create space/platform for CSO
  perspectives.
• Trusted impartial partner
• Long history of engagement with CSOs.
• Comparative advantage in building multi-party
  trust.

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CSOs as strategic partner

• 1) National ownership and democratic governance
• Requires active participation of citizens and
  their organizations.
• 2) Outreach and proximity
• To people living in poverty and insecurity.
  Ability to articulate the needs of the vulnerable
  and excluded.

• 3) Legitimacy and credibility
• Watchdog on governments and public institutions.
• 4) Ability to mobilize citizens and spark
  development
• debate
• Essential to advancing MDGs, human rights and
  human
• development goals.

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Entry points for UNDP-CSO partnership

• Leverage relatively trusted relations of UNDP
  with
• governments to create political space for CSO
  
• influence on policy and decision-making.

• Initiate multi-stakeholder partnership among
  governments,
• CSOs and donors for sustainable development
  and peace.

• Support and develop the capacity of CSOs to
• articulate demands and defend rights of
  people living
• in poverty and crisis.

• Recognize differentiated impact of development on
  vulnerable populations, particularly indigenous
  peoples, and make their voices heard in policy
  processes.

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Entry points for UNDP-CSO partnership

• Work with civil society to realize the rights
  and obligations as mandated in international
  human rights norms and standards. Support the
  societal watchdog functions of CSOs in defending
  and monitoring the commitments of UN conferences
  and human rights.

• Jointly identify campaign issues and mobilize
  a broad constituency using and advocating greater
  access to information technology

• Facilitate traditional and horizontal linakges
  between CSOs that are critical to determining the
  quality of relationships between communities and
  groups.

• Create an enabling legal and regulatory
  environment for a vibrant civil society and
  ensure the inclusion of civil society in key
  legislative processes.

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Challenges

• Internal
• Bridging the policy-practice divide.
• Weak organizational culture resistance to
  opening UN-led processes to CSO inputs.
• The need to maintain relations with governments
  while engaging with CSOs.
• Tendency to turn to NGOs only for service
  provision and not policy advice.

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Challenges

• External
• Identifying suitable CSO partners in country.
• Issues of representation, accountability and
  legitimacy.
• At global level, critical CSO perceptions of the
  UN and UN system organizations.

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Internal mechanisms

• CSO Advisory Committee to the Administrator
• Composition 14 CSO leaders
• Unique forum for dialogue on policy directions of
  UNDP
• Unedited policy and strategic guidance to senior
  management.
• Mutually agreed agenda
• poverty
• inclusive globalization
• conflict prevention and peace building, human
  rights
• UNDP engagement with private sector
• Recommendations and influence on
• Policies on engagement with CSOs, indigenous
  peoples, private sector
• Processes for principled engagement with the
  private sector, especially involvement with MNCs
• Human Development Reports
• Country-level programmes in conflict prev.
  recovery

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Internal mechanisms (2)

• Resident Representatives CSO
• Champions Initiative (October,2003 launch)
• Pioneer mechanisms to build trust and
  accountability.
• Build coalitions for partnership and dialogue.
• Create visibility and profile for CSO
  partnerships.
• Global CSO Advisors Team
• Dedicated virtual discussion group of focal
  points and SURF advisors.
• Stimulates exchange of information, partners,
  strategies and support.

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Internal mechanisms (3)

• Regional and national CSO advisory committees
• National CSO advisory committees
• CSO Advisory committees in all thematic areas
• Regional CSO networks
• Civil Society Advisory Group in the ECIS region
• 24 members UNDP CSO focal points and CSO
  experts.
• Encourage civic engagement in national planning
  processes.
• Develop guidance notes on poverty, governance and
  gender.

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Operational engagement
Support for

• NGO Execution
• Procedures outline rules and regulations by which
  an NGO executes a UNDP-supported project.
• Latest revisions address bottlenecks and
  bureaucratic terms and conditions on financial
  management, reporting to UNDP, and government
  clearance of projects in crisis and post conflict
  situations.
• Small grant programmes
• UNDP and NGOs jointly establish strategy.
• Steering committee largely composed of NGOs.
• Lead to local partnerships with strong
  stakeholder participation.
• Visible vehicle for tangible results and
  innovative best practice.
• Excellent resource mobilization.

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Resources for partnership

• Programmatic
• BDP Thematic Trust Funds poverty, governance,
  HIV/AIDS, gender. Strategic services that relate
  directly to CSO engagement.
• Small Grants Programmes GEF/SGP, LIFE, provide
  grants up to 50,000 to NGOs/CBOs.
• Millennium Trust Fund For MDG reporting,
  advocacy and activities

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CSO Division role in BRSP

• Policy guidance
• Set of policies
• Engagement with CSOs (2001).
• Engagement with Indigenous Peoples (2001).
• Public Information and Disclosure Policy
  (1997-currently being revised).
• Sourcebook on Building Partnerships with CSOs
  (2002).
• Documentation support
• Best practice reports on UNDP-CSO engagement.
• Collect CSO perspectives on MDGs.

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UNDP CSO Partnership

• Not only do you (civil society organizations)
  bring to life the concept of We the peoples in
  whose name the Charter was written you bring to
  us the promise that people power can make the
  Charter work for all the worlds peoples in the
  twenty-first century.
• Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General
• Our partnerships with civil society organizations
  are going to be as important as our partnerships
  with governments in shaping the future of
  development.
• Mark Malloch Brown, UNDP Administrator

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Broad Areas of Engagement

Engagement with civil society in key national
planning processes (PRSPs, MDGRs, CCA/UNDAF)
Small grant mechanisms to promote policy-level
partnerships (e.g., BCPR/BRSP Global Initative)
High-level internal initiatives with civil
society(e.g., CSO Advisory Committee, RR/RC
Champions Initiative, National CSO Advisory
Committees, Civil Society Advisory Group in the
ECIS Region) Engaging NGOs and community
organizations in sustainable development,
conflict prevention and recovery, and HIV/AIDS
(Equator Initiative, community dialogue spaces,
Community Based Initiatives) Policy dialogue
with and programmes for indigenous peoples
(e.g.Asia Regional Initiative, OHCHR/UNDP HURIST
pilot programmes)    

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Changing context

United Nations/UNDP

• New UN institutions with civil society focus
• Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (established
  2002)
• Secretary-Generals High Level Panel to review
  UN-Civil Society Relations. (Report to be
  released in June and given to SG)
• WSSD at Johannesburg UNDP reclaimed leadership
  role in community development (Equator
  Initiative, Community Kraal) and capacity
  development.
• UN Millennium Development Goals UNDP mandate of
• campaign manager and score keeper of MDGs.
• Brahimi Report on UN Peacekeeping UNDP lead role
  in bridging gap between relief and development
  and addressing root causes of conflict.

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New Programme Initiatives (1)

• BRSP-BCPR Partnership
• Global Initiative for capacity development of
  CSOs in post conflict countries

• Pilot Small Grants Programme being launched in 3
  countries in June, 2004 to build capacity of
  CSOs, promote civil society participation in the
  political transition processes, encourage
  partnerships with UNDP COs and stimulate local
  actions for conflict prevention and peace
  building. (300,000 dollars)

• Global network with international NGOs being
  developed

• UN Global Conference in 2005 (New York) on the
  role of CSOs in conflict prevention organized by
  the European Centre for Conflict Prevention based
  in Netherlands. ECCP developing CSO regional
  action plans.

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New Programme Initiatives (2)

• Regional Initiative on Strengthening Policy
  Dialogue on Indigenous, Highland and Tribal
  Peoples Rights and Development (RBAP programme)
  2 million dollar project launched in September
  2003. Participating countries Cambodia,
  Philippines, Thailand and VietNam
• Human Rights Strengthening Programme HURIST with
  OHCHR . Indigenous peoples component developed
  in 2002. Pilot projects in Ecuador (March, 2004)
  , Kenya (June, 2004)

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New Programme Initiatives

• Community-Based Initiative
• A CBI working group has been set up to promote
  deeper interaction between UNDP and community
  organizations to realize the MDGs.
• Supported by Capacity 2015, CSO Division, Energy
  and Environment Group, Equator Initiative, GEF
  Small Grants Programme, LIFE, SURFs, and regional
  bureaux.
• Goal is to learn from community action to advance
  the MDGs.
• Planned regional workshops in 2004 to engage
  communities in the MDGs and further South-South
  cooperation.

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CBI Localizing MDGs

• Regional workshop Learning from Community Action
  to Realize the MDGs Biodiversity and HIV/AIDS
  (Kenya July 2003) with Equator Initiative, BDP,
  Africa Bureau, country offices. 100 reps of
  communities, CBOs, IPOs, and Local government to
  share experiences and innovative practices and
  forge partnerships in the areas of food security,
  land and water management, biodiversity and
  HIV/AIDS.
• Learning Exchange Agreements Facility Output
  of workshop 50,000 earmarked for community
  exchanges sharing knowledge, practices and
  skills between community participants
• Demand from other regions for workshops Next
  ones to be held in Asia and the Caribbean