ODI Civil Society Partnership Programme Collaborators Workshop 16th-18th November 2005

ODI's seven year Civil Society Partnership Programme (CSPP) aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to use research-based evidence to promote pro-poor development policy. The emphasis of the work over the first 18 months was to learn more about how CSOs use research-based evidence, explore the niche and demand for this sort of programme, identify potential collaborators in the South, initiate a small number of pilot projects, and improve ODI's internal knowledge management and communication systems. Work so far has identified a clear niche and demand for the programme from southern organisations.

This workshop brought together 17 participants from Think Tanks (TTs), Policy Research Institutes (PRIs) and Non Government Organisations (NGOs) in Asia, Africa and Latin America with whom the programme has worked so far to review progress and develop plans for the next phase (April 06 to March 08).

The key conclusions were that:

• There is a growing demand for research-based-evidence to inform development policy processes;
  
• The impact of research-based evidence can be enhanced through better communication, networking and engagement with policy makers and strategic alliances with international actors etc;
  
• Although TTs, PRIs, and some NGOs already have some capacity, skills and products to do this, there is a need for more, especially long term support, and there are few programmes offering this;
  
• The lessons and issues identified by the programme so far and that the outcome areas and activities suggested for Phase 2 (as described in the Issues and Options for Phase 2 paper) were largely on-track;
  
• Phase 2 should emphasise making existing knowledge accessible and practically useful through synthesis, developing 'how to' guidelines, horizontal learning and action research,
  
• In particular, ODI should facilitate the establishment of a southern network or community of practice of TTs, PRIs, and NGOs already involved in using research-based evidence who can support each other and others through training, exchange visits, and sharing of information etc;
  
• While some of the existing global projects should continue, others should emerge though dialogue within this community; and
  
• The community of practice could help the programme extend its reach into non-Anglophone regions by translating information materials and training of trainers etc.

Specific recommendations for activities in Phase 2 included:

• New research should focus on understanding how to better link research to policy implementation and what prevents policy makers from taking on board CSO research findings.
  
• Extension of the programme into Francophone Africa through a regional workshop and mapping process;
  
• Consultation with partners to identify and develop new collaborative regional and global projects on e.g. Debt, Trade, Internal Migration, Reform of Aid system, The Economics of Emergencies etc focusing on key regional and global events;
  
• Public affairs work to support these projects including e.g. regional workshops for senior researchers and policy makers on regional policy issues, breakfast meetings for top policy makers and engagement with regional bodies e.g. the East Africa Community Civil Society Programme on policy issues, ECOWAS, African Commission on Human Rights etc
  
• Capacity-development: through South-South, South-North and North-South staff exchanges, regional materials development and training of trainers workshops and follow-up national workshops;
  
• Promotion of South-South collaboration through sharing and dissemination of materials and databases, institutional exchange and support with fundraising;
  
• Improved information availability through CD Roms, policy briefs, policy meetings and an easily accessible website;
  
• Provision of financial support for capacity and programme development, help to identify develop donor consortia for long-term funding;

Further steps in the preparation of plans for Phase 2 will include meetings and seminars with DFD and other UK-based organisations involved in similar work, electronic discussions with other organisations involved in similar work in other parts of the world, and a final electronic discussion with people who have been involved in the project so far, including the participants of this workshop. The aim is to have the final programme prepared and funded by the end of March 2006.

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