Information You Can Use:
A Bi-monthly Service for the UN and Civil Society
Volume II, Issue 4, July-August 2005

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.
It is divided into four sections:

• In the Press – snapshots of how NGOs and civil society are being portrayed by the media and news outlets around the world;
• Trends and Debates –this features academic and scholarly discourse on the role and significance of NGOs and civil society in the contemporary world;
• CSOs and the Multilateral System – position papers, statements and other documents delivered by civil society and NGOs at multilateral and international meetings and events. It also carries documentation relating to NGOs and civil society emanating from the multilateral system.
• CSO Research – featuring analysis and research originating from civil society and NGOs.

These articles offer a snapshot of how NGOs and civil society are being portrayed and profiled in the press around the world.

Where the Money Is
Newsweek International – September 2005
By Rana Foroohar

With operating expenditures of US $1.6 trillion, NGOs are becoming big business, and are beginning to be managed according to corporate-governance codes. The NGO world is going through a shakeout, merging, streamlining and moving into specialty niches that make the best use of its specific strengths. While scandals have brought the accountability issue to the fore, NGOs are adjusting very rapidly, which suggests that NGO business is set to get even bigger. (read)

African Civil Society and the African Union: Time for Self-Organizing?
Pambazuka News – 16 June 2005
Rotimi Sankore and Chidi Odinkalu

As a result of the AU’s decision not to facilitate a civil society meeting before the African Union Heads of State Summit, many question the potential effectiveness of the Summit in the absence of civil society. The authors of this article call on civil society actors and organizations to take action and give suggestions as how the meetings could be carried out, independent of the AU. (read)

Rights Group Says Egypt NGO Law Hampers Democracy
Arab Times (Kuwait) – 30 July 2005

In its new report titled "Margins of Repression", Human Rights Watch expressed doubt as to whether Egypt would become a functioning democracy as long as its NGOs are subject to state supervision. This report details several instances of State interference in the registration and functioning of NGOs in Egypt. (read)

Corruption Control: Role of Civil Society
The Rising Nepal – 27 July 2005
Pranav Bhattarai

While civil society has played a role in preventing and monitoring corruption in Asian countries like India, it has not been so proactive in Nepal. This article recommends that the role of civil society in Nepal needs to be bolstered with the creation and implementation of anti-corruption strategies. (read)

NGOs Ponder the Way Toward a More Democratic Existence
Daily Star (Lebanon) – 9 June 2005
Nada Bakri

Civil society networks and organizations in Lebanon met to discuss ways to improve democratic practices within their institutions. Assessments by participants at the conference revealed that their shortcomings were not just the result of their own doing, but were tied to the quality of governance and democracy within Lebanese society. (read)

NGOs Hope First Date Wasn't Just a One-Night Stand
IPS News – 24 June 2005
Mithre J. Sandrasagra

As the General Assembly Interactive Hearings with NGOs, civil society and the private sector drew to a close, several participants expressed hope that the event would not be isolated, but rather move to a more formal institutionalized way of interaction between civil society and governments. (read)

Civil Society Can Be a Powerful Force for Change
Mail & Guardian Online – 20 June 2005
Yasmin Sooka

South Africa’s once powerful and influential NGO sector has seen its power wane in the past five years with re-alignment of government priorities. According to the author of this article, the fault line rests not only on the government, but on NGOs who have squandered opportunities to band together to facilitate communication between the poor and the government, while loosing their independent voice by growing too dependent on their donors. (read)

Civil Society and Taking Power
Minivan News (The Maldives) – 28 July 2005
Editorial team

Although the Maldivian government’s recent move toward a multiparty system is encouraging, this article suggests that a democratic system of governance cannot exist unless civil society is allowed to flourish. Despite the government’s recent statement declaring its commitment to encouraging a vibrant civil society, it has meddled in the affairs of at least two humanitarian organizations. There is hope however that the recent licensure of the Minivan newspaper reflects some efforts in the allowance of a legitimized social forum. (read)

Sierra Leone : Civil Society Criticises "Vague" Government Plan for Post-War Reform
Reuters Alertnet (Sierra Leone) – 13 July 2005

The Sierra Leonean government’s recently published proposals for implementing recommendations of the country’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) were met with some skepticism on the part of civil society groups as no timeline for implementation of recommendations has been set. (read)

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.

General Assembly Informal Interactive Hearings
UN Headquarters -- 23-24 June 2005

On 23-24 June, over 230 NGO, civil society and private sector representatives took part in the General Assembly’s first-ever informal interactive hearings. UN-NGLS has collected the NGO, civil society and private sector statements delivered during the proceedings, as well as the President of the General Assembly’s Official Summary of the hearings. (read)

Global Conference on the Prevention of Armed Conflict: Global Action Agenda
Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) – 19 -21 July 2005

The Global Action Agenda was presented to UN officials at the Global Conference on 19 July at UN Headquarters in New York. Mr Annan, in his keynote address, expressed "profound appreciation" in accepting GAA, and said he was "heartened by the engagement and commitment that have gone into it", noting that "the regional conferences over the past three years, culminating in this global conference, served to implement a major recommendation" of his 2001 Report on the Prevention of Armed Conflict. (read)

Experiences from the Field: UNDP—CSO Partnerships for Conflict Prevention
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) -- July 2005
UNDP’s Civil Society Organization (CSO) Division’s Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships (BRSP) and the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) have produced a joint publication showcasing six case studies documenting partnerships between UNDP and CSOs in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. These experiences provide an overview of wide-ranging partnerships with civil society at the national, regional and global levels. (read)

Toward “Larger Freedom”
Stanley Foundation – 17-22 June

This conference, focusing on the current renewal process in the United Nations, opened just days before the General Assembly was to meet for formal consultations on the Draft Outcome Document of GA President Jean Ping. President Ping himself was present as were most of his facilitators. The discussions in Vitznau (Switzerland) addressed the following subjects: Prospects for UN Renewal, Human Rights Council, Terrorism, Development, Secretariat and Management Reform, Disarmament and Nonproliferation, and Responsibility to Protect. (read)

Community Commons Declaration: A Dialogue on Community Approaches to the MDGs
Community Commons – 16-18 June 2005
The following Declaration outlines the key outputs from the Community Commons event organized at Fordham University (New York) in June 2005. The document captures the essence of the deliberations and perspectives of participating communities with respect to fundamental questions of development and community engagement. (read)

WSIS Process: Civil Society on Internet Governance

1-) WSIS Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus Response to the WGIG Report

The WSIS Civil Society Internet Governance Caucus states in this Declaration that the Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) achieved the mandate set for it by the WSIS Geneva Declaration of Principles and Plan of Action, and recommends that the multi-stakeholder approach as explored by WGIG will become a reference model for future WSIS discussions. (read)

2-) Internet Governance – A Review in the Context of the WSIS Process
Instituto del Tercer Mundo (ITeM)
Carlos A. Afonso

This document provides information on the current Internet governance transition processes, discussing some of the approaches being submitted to public discussion, and reviews the final report of the WGIG. It also presents a review of the perspectives on Internet governance from the point of view of civil society organizations who have been involved in the corresponding discussions both within and outside the WGIG. (read)

This section draws on the scholarly/academic discourse on the significance of NGOs and civil society in both international and national political landscapes.

Land Laws for the People, by the People: A New Approach in Burkina Faso
ID 21 Society & Economy – August 2005
Joost Nelen, Nata Traoré, Moumouni Ouattara

Local village authorities and farmer organizations in the pastoral zone of Samorogouan, Burkina Faso have formulated a new set of management rules to improve tenure security. These rules are the result of local actors taking action after noticing that the National Laws do little to prevent or decrease conflict and disagreement over land access and ownership Whilst the ratification of the new land rules represents a significant achievement, the process remains fragile. (read)

Regulation and Accountability: The New Wave
The Non-Profit Quarterly -- May 2005

This publication serves to inform nonprofits of the proposed shifts in the US federal regulatory environment for public charities. Analyses are presented along with several possible avenues for action. It suggests that some action needs to be taken at the organizational governance level while additionally, in order to support advocacy, some should be taken at the national legislative level as well. (read)

Myth of Civil Society: Social Capital and Democratic Consolidation in Spain and Brazil
Latin American Politics and Society – Summer 2005
Elisabeth Hilbink

In his new book, “Myth of Civil Society”, Omar Encarnacian agrees that social capital is key in establishing a sustainable democracy, but contends that Civil Society is neither necessary nor sufficient to bring one into being. As evidence of this contention he examines two extreme cases, Brazil and Spain, and develops a strong argument for social capital being a product of leadership and institution building by political elites. (read)

Civil Society in Vietnam: Moving from the Margins to the Mainstream
CIVICUS – July 2005
Gita Sabharwal and Than Thi Thien Huong

This paper presents an overview of civil society in Vietnam, including the interaction of different elements of CSOs and the legal framework in which they operate. It also examines the numerous ways in which donors engage with civil society and illustrates the need to develop a shared strategy. (read)

NGOs at the World Trade Organization: The ‘Democratic Dimension’
Economic and Political Weekly – 2005
Jayati Srivastava

This article discusses the role of NGOs at the WTO and particularly their democratic potential at ministerial conferences. It argues that the WTO’s method of alleviating democratic deficit largely by involving NGOs is mostly ineffective because NGOs themselves are not democratizing and southern NGOs and grassroot organizations are often left out. It also notes that NGOs themselves have important issues to address in the areas of autonomy, transparency and accountability. (read)

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.

Unkept Promises: What the Numbers Say about Poverty and Gender
Social Watch – August 2005

This ‘Advance’ Social Watch Report provides an analysis of national and international data to determine if countries are on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The findings suggest that unless substantial changes are put in place soon, the targets set for the year 2015 will not be achieved. (read)

Understanding Global Trade and Human Rights
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) – July 2005

In preparation for the upcoming Hong Kong Ministerial in December 2005, this report is intended for all of whom are striving to reconcile the gap between human rights and trade. This report identifies the WTO agreements that most affect human rights and institutional procedures through which human rights advocate can lobby for human rights-conscious trade policies. (read)

The Role of NGO Self-Regulation in Increasing Stakeholder Accountability
One World Trust – July 2005
Robert Lloyd
This paper examines the use of voluntary codes of conduct and certification schemes as a way of strengthening NGO accountability. NGOs are moving away from traditional approaches to accountability to a so-called stakeholder approach by transferring the right to accountability from exclusively those that have authority over an organization to actors that have been affected by the organization’s policies, which is producing self-regulatory initiatives. (read)

Implementing International Small Arms Control: Some Lessons from Eurasia, Latin America and West Africa
International Alert – 2005
Michael von Tanjen Page, William Godnick and Janani Vivekananda
This report outlines the key comparative learning points that were gained as a result of International Alert’s Monitoring the Implementation of Small Arms Controls (MISAC) project. The project examined the process of implementation of regional and international SALW control measures in Eurasia, Latin America and West Africa. (read)

No Relief: Surveying the Effects of Gun Violence on Humanitarian and Development Personnel
Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue – June 2005
Cate Buchanan and Robert Muggah
According to the findings of a new study by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Small Arms Survey, armed ‘civilians’ pose a greater risk than insurgents or other combatants to humanitarian and development workers. The findings of the survey indicate that armed civilians – including criminals and petty thieves – routinely cause security incidents and operation suspensions, preventing access to people in need of assistance. (read)

A Guide to Independent Forest Monitoring
Global Witness – July 2005
This Guide to Independent Forest Monitoring aims to clarify and promote the concept of IFM, acknowledging that by dealing with politically sensitive issues of governance there will always be differences of opinion. As well as a conceptual introduction, it provides a practical handbook covering both design and implementation of IFM. (read)

Global Democracy: Civil Society Visions and Strategies (GO5)
Montreal International Forum (FIM) – August 2005
In light of the shifting trends in global governance, what are civil society's proposals to build a more democratically governed world? What visions and strategies can civil society, diverse in its interests but potentially united in its actions, propose as means of attaining global democracy? Read the complete report of the Global Democracy 2005 conference which examined some of these pressing questions. (read)