The Dutch policy framework for civil society development: Dialogue and Dissent’

1 https://www.government.nl/documents/regulations/2014/05/13/policy-framework-dialogue-and-dissent

Focus on Civil Society Organisations

Civil society is the space between government, the market (businesses) and private life (family and friends), where citizens can organise themselves to pursue goals unrelated to personal or financial gain, which concern a wider group of people and are not necessarily taken care of by government. Civil societies are usually formed by countless different types of (networks of) civil society organisations (CSOs), from small to large, from professional to amateur, from formal to informal, and from democratic membership organisations to closed organisations without members

2 “Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) include non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations that have a presence in public life, expressing the interests and values of their members or others, based on ethical, cultural, political, scientific, religious or philanthropic considerations. A wide of array of organisations can be CSO: community groups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labor unions, indigenous groups, charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, professional associations, and foundations”. From: http://web.worldbank.org

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CSOs and development

The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has a long tradition of supporting CSOs operating in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LLMICs) for their developmental roles. The policy in this area is based on the principle that a diverse and pluralist civil society is crucial for sustainable and inclusive development. CSOs can contribute to this in various related ways:

• A social role – connecting and building trust. CSOs can contribute to building civil society. By bringing people together and fostering dialogue CSOs can help rebuild trust and promote reconciliation in countries torn apart by conflict.

• An economic role – poverty reduction and service delivery. CSOs can help combat extreme poverty by providing services. Support to poor communities may relate to agriculture, food security, health care (including sexual and reproductive health), water and/or education.

• A political role – lobbying, advocacy and checks and balances. A strong and active civil society is often seen as an important feature of democracy and a driver of good governance. CSOs enable citizens to defend their rights and interests, and monitor government and businesses. It provides marginalised groups a chance to have their voice heard when policy and legislation are drawn up, implemented and enforced.

Dialogue and Dissent as a shift in focus

Over the past years, CSOs in LLMICs have grown steadily stronger. Organisations which previously focused exclusively on providing services to the poor are increasingly making themselves heard, in their own country and internationally, to expose the problems they are addressing. The issues they raise, such as inequality, environmental problems and extreme poverty, are increasingly recognised as being interconnected and demand coherence between local and global policy agendas. This creates a growing need for a different type of cooperation between Northern and Southern CSOs, thereby redefining their complementary roles.

In light of these developments the MFA of the Netherlands has made a decision in the new civil society policy framework, Dialogue and Dissent, to shift the focus from poverty alleviation (economic role) to support aimed at tackling the root causes of poverty and inequality (political role), combined with a greater focus on the interconnectedness between issues in developing countries and in the Netherlands. Dialogue and Dissent envisages that Dutch development organisations will increasingly take on this new role, both in the Netherlands and abroad. On the one hand, they will concentrate on enhancing the lobbying and advocacy capacity of CSOs in LLMICs, helping them raise their voice to be heard by government, businesses and societal actors in their country. On the other hand, they are expected to ensure that their partners’ voice is heard more clearly in the Netherlands and in various regional and international forums.

The overall goal of Dialogue and Dissent is to strengthen the lobby and advocacy capacities of CSOs in LLMICs, enabling them to contribute to sustainable, inclusive development for all by fighting against poverty and injustice with their national and international partners, and through their local, national and international networks. The framework was implemented in 2016 and will run up to 2020. It has five main support instruments:

• Strategic Partnerships - 25 CSO consortia strengthen the lobby and advocacy capacity of CSOs in LLMICs. Subsequent lobby and advocacy activities focus on various themes including women’s rights, press freedom and the sustainable use of natural resources. This policy is unique as it spends € 1 billion euros exclusively on fostering the political role of CSOs, and because the MFA plays an active and strategic role as partner in helping achieve the jointly agreed objectives.

• The Accountability Fund (AF) – Through the AF, Dutch embassies can provide direct funding to CSOs in LLMICs. Embassies are often keenly aware of the political scope civil society organisations have in the country in question and the AF allows them to respond directly to existing needs. This approach recognises the increased importance of CSOs in these countries and their growing capacity to achieve results independently.

• Voice - Regular aid programmes often insufficiently reach those who are excluded because of disability, ethnic origin, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation or gender. Voice aims to reach and support advocacy organisations of these most marginalised and discriminated groups to enable them to effectively defend their interests.

• Leading from the South - Three Southern Regional Women’s Funds (Africa, Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean) and one worldwide Indigenous Women’s fund have been selected to finance women’s organisations, movements and networks in the South to strengthen their lobby and advocacy capacity on gender equality and women’s empowerment and on the SDG’s and more specifically SDG 5.

• Defending political space - In many countries it is becoming more and more difficult for CSOs to do their work due to restrictive legislation or even threats and intimidation. It is therefore essential that donors not only provide financial but also political support, to create an enabling environment for CSOs. In this regard, the MFA monitors political space through its embassies, takes part in various international networks like the Community of Democracies, and supports the international civil rights movement CIVICUS.

Science for development policy and -practice

Oldekop et all

3 Oldekop, Johan A.; Fontana, Lorenza B.; Grugel, Jean; Roughton, Nicole; Adu-Ampong, et all (2016). 100 key research questions for the post-2015 development agenda. Development Policy Review, 34(1) pp. 55-82.

highlight a critical need for a deeper reflection on paradigms underpinning international development practices, the long-debated reform of global institutions and the significance of contemporary economic and political scenarios for the development agenda.

They raise issues that require scrutiny of the theoretical assumptions of current development paradigms, and their underlying systems of beliefs and values. Asking such fundamental questions could lead to innovative problem framings and solutions. Addressing these will be critical for the

success of any credible, long-term strategies aiming to promote sustainable and socially just development.