PUBLISHED: JULY 7, 2011

In June 2011, the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness met in Siem Reap, Cambodia to review and provide input on the draft International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness. This document has been developed from content generated at over 60 national consultations, as well as two Global Assemblies of the Open Forum. The final version, in addition to serving as a tool for civil society across the globe, will also serve as a key input from civil society to Busan and the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in December 2011.

The Open Forum describes itself as “a unique space for CSOs (Civil Society Organizations) worldwide to engage in a global and fully participatory process towards defining and introducing a framework of mutually shared development effectiveness principles.” Through the Open Forum, which will be operating from 2009 until the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011, CSOs are striving to build a consensus on commonly accepted principles to improve their development effectiveness and on minimum standards for enabling environment where CSOs can fully apply and strengthen their specific roles in development.

The Framework establishes, among other things, elements of an enabling environment for CSO development effectiveness, and what governments and donors can do to make effective development possible while working with CSOs. The basic elements of an enabling condition, as determined by consultations with CSOs, are:

• Fulfilling obligations to fundamental human rights that enable people to organize and participate in development;
• Recognizing CSOs as development actors in their own right;
• Structuring democratic policy dialogue and public policies to improve development effectiveness;
• Being accountable for transparent and consistent policies for development; and
• Creating enabling financing for CSO development effectiveness