CPDG attends ASIA SYNTHESIS WORKSHOP on Development Effectiveness

The participants of the workshop

Asia Synthesis Workshop

December 3-4, 2010

YMCA Hong Kong

Background and Rationale

Last year, November 2009, 44 participants representing 41 CSOs came together at the Asia-MENA regional preparatory workshop  for the regional launch  of the Open Forum process, which is aimed at (1) creating a globally agreed framework for CSO Development Effectiveness; (2) providing a learning space for CSOs to discuss addressing common issues and challenges; and (3) build an understanding with donors and governments on the enabling environment needs of CSOs.

The Asia-MENA regional preparatory workshop resulted in commitments from country representatives to hold their own national consultations. In a span of seven months prior to the 1^st Global Assembly, 16 countries in the region and 60 around the world have finished their consultations.

Through these consultations, the Open Forum provided not only a learning space for CSOs to discuss common issues but more importantly, to commit towards stronger cooperation and advocacy. The Open Forum was successful in coming up with a draft global framework for CSO development effectiveness, including an endorsement of the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness,  and a strategy for political engagement in the run-up to the High Level Four in Busan, South Korea. The challenge is now in bringing this back to local CSOs for validation and greater ownership, and also to donors and governments for endorsement. The greater challenge, however, lies in the fact that the multi-stakeholder dialogues were not very well received by donors and governments and thus were unable to build understanding among donors and governments on matters concerning the enabling environment for CSOs. On top of these is the overall question of how CSOs can move forward to influence the 4^th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, to shift the discourse from the technicalities of aid effectiveness to the more important issue of development effectiveness.

Post 1^st Global Assembly, the work and focus of the Open Forum now will be on facing these challenges.

Workshop Objectives

The Asia Regional Synthesis Workshop will attempt to synthesize the outcomes of the country consultations as well as to address the abovementioned challenges and is being organized specifically to:

1.      synthesize the country results and share experiences about the country consultations and Global Assembly;

2.      reflect on the Istanbul Principles and the OF political strategy and discuss how CSOs may better apply it in their respective contexts, as well as advocate to get donors and governments to recognize and commit to these;

3.      come up with country and regional plans on how to achieve an understanding among CSOs, donors, governments and other actors at various levels on matters relating to an enabling environment for CSOs; and

4.      discuss concrete steps in sustaining and moving things forward all the way to the 4^th High Level Forum and beyond.

Rosalinda Tablang, CPDG Executive Director shares Philippine CSOs experience

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SYNTHESIS WORKSHOP:

1. The participants representing different countries attended the Asia Regional Synthesis Workshop affirmed the Istanbul Principles that were unanimously approved by the more than 200 CSO representatives who attended the Global Assembly of the Open Forum on CSO Development Effectiveness.  The body gave the Istanbul Principles “8 bagsak” and pledge to:

a.       bring the Principles back to the local CSOs for their endorsement and ownership

b.      work together to promote and create awareness on these Principles at the country and regional level as well as enrich the guidelines, mechanisms and indicators that will give life and meaning to these principles;

c.       plan on how to get donors, government and regional bodies’ endorsement of these Principles

2. The workshop participants mapped down country plans and common plan of actions (for regional impact) in the lead up to the High Level Forum IV and beyond.

·         Coordinated action (country/joint press statement against the deportation of 6 Filipino activists who attended the CSO parallel action against the G20 Summit.

·         Asia Regional Open Forum Activity in May 2011 (in time with the ADB 55^th Annual Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam)