“In the midst of grave dangers and attacks in our rights, our resolve to serve the marginalized sectors of the society will not wither away but will only grow stronger in time.”
That was the united statement of the 24 national and regional organizations who participated in the recent nationwide thematic consultation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in situations of conflict held in General Santos City last April 1-2.
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| The participants of the consultation with Adele Poskitt of CIVICUS |
Organized by KARAPATAN (alliance for the advancement of people’s rights), Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG), Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) and the international organization World Alliance for Citizen Participation (CIVICUS), the said thematic consultation was conducted to provide venue for CSOs to put forward their best practices, struggles and challenges as development actors working in the midst of conflict situations.
The two-day consultation was also aimed at facilitating Philippine CSOs to identify and push for a common set of recommendations to governments and donors on minimum conditions for an enabling environment that are necessary for CSOs to work effectively in situations of conflict. It was part of an international consultation which started in 2009 and will be finished this year bringing together a unified civil society voice to the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, South Korea in November 2011.
The participants, composed mainly of human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and grassroots development workers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao unanimously stated that they have been living by the values and principles of CSO development effectiveness long before the Istanbul Principles of CSO development effectiveness were formulated in September 2010.
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| The participants in one of the consultation's workshops |
The Istanbul Principles of CSO Development Effectiveness is a set of eight principles CSOs live by as development actors in their own right which were agreed upon by 170 CSOs from 82 countries in the 1st Open Forum on CSO Development Effectiveness Global Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey in September 2010. These principles guide the work and practices of CSOs in both peaceful and conflict situations in different areas of work from grassroots to policy advocacy and in humanitarian emergencies to long-term development.
The eight principles are: 1. Respect and promote human rights and social justice 2. Embody gender equality and equity while promoting women and girls’ rights 3. Focus on people’s empowerment, democratic ownership and participation 4. Promote environmental sustainability 5. Practice transparency and accountability 6. Pursue equitable partnerships and solidarity 7. Create and share knowledge and commit to mutual learning and 8. Commit to realizing positive sustainable change.
The consultation participants emphasized that Philippine CSOs endeavour for genuine development for the people and the communities they work with. They perform various tasks as social services providers, campaigners and advocates, educators and trainers, etc – all these we do to build the capacities of people and communities towards empowerment and development. They also strongly registered that their mandates that come from their constituencies have made them uphold, assert and defend human rights and social justice even to the point of risking their own lives.
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| Teresa Quinawayan shared the 'Morong 43' experience |
Amidst the decades-long armed conflict in the country, living the roles played by CSOs is not easy. Yes, most CSOs and their members who work in raising the people’s awareness and understanding on why they are poor, empowering them to assert their rights and building their capacities to improved their lives have experienced being harassed, arrested and detained, witch hunted and tagged as being either NPA or MILF members or supporters. Many still fell victim to extra-judicial killings and enforced disappearance.
The participants unanimously stated they have always been accountable and transparent to their constituency where their legitimacy emanates first and foremost. With this, the participants urged major development stakeholders, especially government and donors to do the same.
In the two-day consultation, the participants came up with recommendations for donors, governments and among themselves to achieve an enabling environment for them to practice development work more effectively.
For the donors, the participants recommend that systems and policies of CSOs that are already in place must be respected instead of imposing new systems and mechanisms. They also recommend for donors to channel their aids to CSOs that are working genuinely with and amongst the marginalized sectors of the society.
Furthermore, the participants urged the government to genuinely recognize CSOs as development actors and stop repressions and attacks against their rights. They also called for the government to respect and endorse the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness.
In conclusion, the participants reaffirmed and asserted their most basic guiding principle in working for genuine development and sustainable change: to serve the people.
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