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Civil Society Observer
is a bi-monthly package of documentation of various kinds from all political
persuasions to keep you informed of developments related to NGOs and civil
society.
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The
views reflected in this publication are those of the authors and not those
of the United Nations
Non-Governmental Liaison Service or the UN system. See UN Link -- http://www.un.org/terms.htm#disclaimer |
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These articles offer a snapshot of how NGOs and civil society are being portrayed and profiled in the press around the world.
People's Budget
Campaign calls for Increase in Housing and Land Reform Budgets: Business
Day, Johannesburg, 17 February 2004: Greater budgetary allocations are
needed to accelerate land reform and housing provision, both of which
have lagged behind demand, proposes the People's Budget Campaign in South
Africa. NGO's File Civil
Lawsuit Against Government's pro-IMF Policies: Jakarta Post, 6 February
2004: Three non-governmental organizations file a lawsuit in Indonesia
over an economic policy package with IMF monitoring. Activists Challenge
New U.S. AIDS Plan charging that it leaves many question unanswered,
including the use of generic drugs, funding levels for the Global Fund,
and how U.S. efforts will be coordinated with other national and global
programs. |
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Statements and
positions from NGOs and civil society are featured here to demonstrate
how these actors relate to the UN system and use multilateral fora to
advance the issues they champion. Also featured is documentation on civil
society and NGOs emanating from the multilateral system. Conference on Disarmament
Enhances Engagement of Civil Society in its Work: 12 February 2004.
The new decision concerning civil society entitles non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) to make written material available to the members of the Conference
outside the Council Chamber twice per annual session. ECOSOC Decides
on NGO Participation in Commission on Sustainable Development: 6 February
2004. Adopting a draft decision, the Economic and Social Council decided,
on an exceptional basis, that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
other major groups accredited to the World Summit on Sustainable Development
could participate in the first two-year implementation cycle of the Commission
on Sustainable Development. IMF Independent
Evaluation Office (IEO) Meets with CSO Representatives: On 8 January
2004, senior IEO Staff met with representatives from CSOs to discuss the
IEO work program for the IMF's financial year beginning May 1 and progress
with the evaluation of the PRSP and PRGF initiatives. World Bank Explores
Strategies for Improving Engagement with CSO's: Between 28 October
2003 and 13 February 2004, the World Bank made available for public comment
a draft paper, entitled "Issues and Options for Improving Engagement
Between the World Bank and Civil Society Organizations". NGO Major Group
Discussion Paper on Water, Sanitation and Human Settlements This paper
was written based on contributions from the wider NGO community, in response
to a call for information sent out by the NGO Major Group Focal Points.
Drafts of this paper have been widely circulated for review. UNCTAD XI - CSO
Hearings were held on 23 February, providing an opportunity for dialogue
between Member States and civil society representatives on issues relating
to the four sub-themes of UNCTAD XI, to be held in Brazil in June 2004,
including development strategies in a globalizing world economy; building
productive capacity and international competitiveness; assuming development
gains from the international trading system and trade negotiations; partnerships
for development. Statements from the February hearings, as well as the
16 January hearings, are available online. |
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This section draws on the scholarly/academic discourse on the significance of NGOs and civil society in both international and national political landscapes.
Civil Societies
and Peacebuilding - The New Fifth Estate? The author traces how and
why, in the context of global conflict, new orders of NGO's have evolved
into significant political actors and have increasingly made their presence
felt at the local, national and international level. Mutual Misgivings:
Civil Society Inclusion in the Americas: Published as part of a larger
research project exploring the evolving relationship between civil society
organizations and the multilateral system, this paper presents a series
of case studies that examines civil society participation in three multilateral
processes and organizations in the Americas: the Organization of American
States (OAS), Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), and the Summit of
the Americas. It seeks to understand the why, what, who and how of government
engagement with CSOs and to raise issues for further debate and consideration.
Americans On Globalization,
Trade, And Farm Subsidies: A follow-up survey released by the Program
for International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in January 2004 explores American
attitudes towards globalization, free trade, farm subsidies, labor, human
rights and environmental standards. Get the details at: Do NGO's have a
problem of legitimacy? Authored by the Swiss Coalition of Development
Organizations, this paper problematizes the issue of NGO accountability
by contextualizing it within a broader debate of what the authors call
a "democracy deficit" in international politics. The paper concludes
that while setting legal guidelines for the governance and management
of NGO's may be acceptable, guidelines that attempt to prescribe the "legitimate"
political behavior of NGOs are problematic and unacceptable, with the
potential of reinforcing rather than mitigating "democracy deficits"
where they exist. Handbook of Non-Profit
Institutions in the System of National Accounts: Prepared by the John
Hopkins University in cooperation with the United Nations Statistics Division,
the Handbook calls for national statistical agencies to bring together
data on nonprofit institutions in a satellite account and to put a value
on the volunteer effort that these organizations often generate. Using
the new reporting tools outlined, countries can better define the size,
scope and activities of their nonprofit sector. |
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Advocacy is a feature often associated with NGOs and civil society, but many also have the capacity to produce compelling and valuable research, which underpins their advocacy work. This section carries examples of recent civil society and NGO research.
From OAU to AU
and NEPAD: Strategies for African Women: Excerpt from a Report on
a Regional Strategy Meeting on Women's political participation and gender
mainstreaming in the African Union and its Specialized Mechanisms. Risky Development:
Export Concentration, Foreign Investment and Policy Conditionality (World
Vision): Risky Development uses data from 84 developing countries from
1981 to 2000 to examine the links between trade, growth and poverty. The
report concludes that a country's development strategy should not be externally
imposed, but rather should be based on a careful appraisal of its capacities
and the costs, benefits and risks of different strategies. Teach a Child:
Transform a Nation: Investing in universal primary education is one
of the best ways for poor nations to boost economic growth, their citizens'
health and other indicators of developments, says a new report released
by the Basic Education Coalition, a group of 16 private US development
and relief agencies. The Future of Multilateralism
after Monterrey and Johannesburg (FES): The key ingredients for a
strengthened and democratized multilateral system have been sketched out
in numerous reform reports, expert bodies, NGO demands, and official resolutions
adopted by governments in New York, Monterrey and Johannesburg argues
a paper published by Friedrick Ebert Stiftung (FES). However, the realization
of this vision depends on the initiative of individual governments to
overcome, in the framework of coalitions, political blockades at the global
level, without losing sight of the need to strengthen the hand of the
UN and its General Assembly as the center of multilateral cooperation.
The Pros and Cons
of Private Provision of Water and Electricity Service (Citizen's Network
on Essential Services): This booklet seeks to describe the main rationales
for using the private sector to deliver water, sanitation and electricity
services, and attempts to evaluate them in theory and practice. It also
identifies policy trends and the major policy instruments used by multilateral
organizations to promote private provision in these sectors. It concludes
with recommendations for assessing the feasibility of private provision.
The Policy Roots
of Economic Crisis, Poverty and Inequality: The SAPRI Report: The
findings of a multi-year participatory investigation undertaken by the
Structural Adjustment Participatory Review International Network (SAPRIN)
has recently been published by ZED Books. The book is the result of a
unique five year collaboration between citizens groups, developing country
governments and the World Bank, and explores the consequences of adjustment
for manufacturing, food security, social development, poverty and inequality.
To view an extract from the book click here: http://www.un-ngls.org/cso/SAPRIN_Conclusion.doc |
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