Civil Society as a Development Partner: Lessons learned and ways forward for donor engagement

An 'effective state' is one that is not only capable of delivering services to its citizens, but also in remaining accountable and responsive to them. It has long been recognised that citizens have been essential in building institutions, in demanding fairer rules of the game and in ensuring that the State continues to deliver. A focus on effective bureaucracies therefore challenges donors to also take stock of how they might better work with civil society in delivering that goal. This is especially important in light of the Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness, including a shift to budget support, donor harmonisation, alignment with host government priorities and mutual accountability. What challenges and opportunities does this shift provide for the way donors do business with civil society?

This roundtable brought together practitioners working to strengthen civic engagement in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Discussants tabled and compared alternative instruments for support to civic engagement with the state and drawing on the models presented, a number of lessons essential to the design and delivery of civil society support were identified.