CIDA and CSOs in Effective Development

Nicole GESNOT

Canadian delegation to the OECD

May 14, 2008 - Brussels

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OverviewPart 1: Civil Society and Development: The Canadian perspective

Part 2: CIDA’s Three Tracks Approach on CSOs and Development

Partnership Renewal: rationale, process and results to Date

(2005)

Advisory Group on CSOs and Aid Effectiveness: Mandate

and Expected Outcomes (Since 2006)

A CIDA Discussion paper on Civil Society and Development

(Expert Group since 2007 and on-going)

Part 3: Next Steps and other Challenges

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CIDA and CSOs in DevelopmentCIDA: a long history of collaboration and support to Canadian

CSOs in development in LDCs (+40 years)

CIDA’s Canadian partners: NGOs, Volunteer cooperation

agencies, Colleges universities and other training institutions,

private sector organizations, etc.

800+ partners from across Canada with active agreements

achieving concrete results

Through its main funding mechanisms, CIDA disburses

between 20-25% of its ODA to CSOs. The Canadian

Partnership Branch alone disbursed $260 million in Official

Development Assistance in 2006-2007, roughly 10% of CIDA’s

Aid Budget Disbursement.

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Track 1: Partnership Programming Renewal Process

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Partnership Renewal: Progress To date

Improved Efficiencies

Strengthened Accountability

Improved Relationships with Canadian Partners

Policy Leadership

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Track 2: Advisory Group on CSOs and Aid Effectiveness

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OECD’s Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness

Membership: Multi-stakeholders

Criticism from CSOs that Paris Declaration was donor-driven; CSO feeling excluded from the Aid Effectiveness Agenda

Created by the WP-EFF (donors and recipient countries) in January 2007

In practice not just “advisory” – building understanding and consensus

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The AG’s Mandate - Two dimensions

SPACE for CSO advocacy (as foreseen in the Paris Declaration) - about holding donors and governments to account for aid effectiveness and development policy

CSO AID EFFECTIVENESS – how to ensure that the contribution of CSOs to development reaches is full effectiveness potential

Not just about Official Development Assistance

Shared interest / shared responsibility

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Advisory Group’s Expected outcomes

Three outcomes:

Recognition and voice

Applying and enriching the international aid effectiveness agenda

Lessons of good practice relating to CSOs as aid donors, recipients and partners

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Actions to date Analytical work and knowledge sharing underway (All AG documents in extranet website: http://web.acdi-cida.gc.ca/cs

Extensive consultation process

National (15-20 countries already, 20 more in the wings)

Regional (6 to date, one in the wings)

International Forum (Feb. 3-6)

Work on good practice (directly and through parallel initiatives) on-going / template for case studies

For Accra: Synthesis Report with recommendations, Good Practice Paper and Case Book

Accra and beyond

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Track 3: CIDA Discussion Paper on CSOs and Development

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About the Discussion Paper

Felt need for an official CIDA policy statement on Civil Society & Development

3 interrelated prongs:

Canadian Partnership

Direct support to Southern CSOs

Strengthening CSOs

A results-based perspective

Encourage open dialogue, synergies with AG process

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Key Principles

Draw on the Paris Declaration, but from a Civil Society perspective and add as required

Recognition of “agency” role of CS and specificity of CS

Local Ownership and Alignment

Balancing short-term and long-term

More comprehensive approaches

Managing for results and accountability

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Policy IssuesCSOs as a CIDA priority

A Multi-Prong Approach

Partnership Programming through Canadian CSOs including Canadian engagement

Direct support to LDC CSOs

Strengthening Civil Society

Enhanced coordination and harmonization vs responsive funds

Country and sector concentration (a differentiated response?)

Dialogue and learning

Accountable and Results-Based programming