Civil society organizations

Thematic areas

• Democratic governance
• Poverty reduction
• Crisis prevention and recovery
• Energy and Environment
• HIV/AIDS

Democratic Governance

A strong civil society enables people, especially vulnerable groups, to influence public policies at national and local levels. In UNDP’s Democratic Governance Practice, engagement with civil society organizations focuses on creating political space for civil society organizations, ensuring legitimate engagement in key policy processes. UNDP partners with civil society organizations that support work in areas under UNDP’s seven priority democratic governance areas. Many of these organizations are involved in advocating for the strengthening of policies and practices that promote democracy.

Areas in which UNDP’s Democratic Governance Practice collaborates with civil society organizations include:

-provision of e-support to strengthen the civil society sector;
-promotion of citizens’ rights and people’s involvement in democratic processes;
-enhancement of women’s participation in politics; and
-fostering of political dialogue and development in transition states.

For more information on UNDP's democratic governance practice click here.

Poverty reduction

UNDP has long recognized the significant contributions of civil society organizations (CSO) to poverty reduction. CSOs – alongside other partners of UNDP such as governments and the private sector - are critical actors in efforts to achieve the MDGs and enhance the living standards of all people. Poverty reduction strategies must reach and include those who have been most marginalized from the benefits of society's development. The role of CSOs in articulating, advocating and, in many instances, boldly addressing these issues is widely recognized. UNDP works with CSOs in recognition of the differentiated impacts of development on vulnerable populations and to ensure that they have a voice in key policy processes that affect their lives.

Areas in which UNDP collaborates with civil society organizations in this domain include:

• Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) - These reviews anticipate the impact of specific policy reforms on poverty reduction and social progress. More than 80 PSIAs have been conducted worldwide. For example, countries may examine policy modifications such as subsidy reforms, civil service retrenchment, tax increases, and exchange rates shifts to determine their consequences on vulnerable constituents. In most cases, however, they are sector-specific and appraise areas such as utilities, trade, and agriculture. For instance, Civil Society Engagement in PSIA Processes (February 2007) includes three country case studies from Uganda, Armenia and Bolivia.

• Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers - They are programmes to promote growth and reduce poverty. One of the key missions of UNDP in the PRSP process is fostering broad-based CSO participation to transform government ownership into national ownership. In some countries like Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Ethiopia and Mali, UNDP has made major contributions to the civil society participation and consultation process. CSOs have also proposed constructive critiques of the PRS process. Some of these perspectives and recommendations can be found in the CSO Perspectives on Poverty Reduction Strategies:A Resource Sheet (2005).
  
  
• Participatory Monitoring Mechanisms - Oversight of public expenditures and service delivery can influence policy at national levels. UNDP works to improve State/citizen interaction, reinforcing participatory monitoring mechanisms such as pro-poor budget exercises and public expenditure reviews.
  
  
• Multi-Stakeholder Policy Dialogue - UNDP also facilitates CSO involvement in pro-poor policy reform, trade, aid, and the debt debate.
  
  

For more information on UNDP's poverty reduction focus area click here.

Crisis prevention and recovery

The Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) and the Civil Society Organizations Division in the Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships (BRSP) have established a pilot programme to support CSOs in post-conflict countries (2003-2005) in its efforts to contribute to the re-establishment of civilian institutions and promote civil society participation in the political transition process.

Under the programme, UNDP country offices selected CSOs to receive small grants that enabled them to carry out specialized initiatives. The experiences of three countries covered in the pilot phase for one year will inform future work.

Case studies:

• Experiences from the Field:UNDP-CSO Partnerships for Conflict Prevention
• Making Progress in Community-Level Peace and Confidence Building: Experiences from Liberia
• Colombia: Small grants, big impact

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)

This is a global programme coordinated by the European Center for Conflict Prevention (Utrecht, Netherlands), aimed at strengthening CSO networks identifying and implementing mechanisms for greater interaction between United Nations, governments and civil society in the field of conflict prevention and peace-building. GPPAC convened for the first time in July 2005, when 1000 participants from civil society and non-governmental organisations, governments, regional organisations, UN agencies, and academia, came together to explore the role of civil society in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Read more...

For more information on UNDP's crisis prevention and recovery practice click here.

Energy and Environment

Civil society organizations are important partners in UNDP’s Environment and Energy activities, both nationally and internationally. In projects funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in particular, CSOs are key actors in formulating policy and in the design and implementation of projects, and as such have been indispensable to the success of these initiatives. The publication, Partners for Change: Experiences from UNDP's Work with CSOs through the GEF demonstrates how civil society – when given the opportunity – can make critical contributions to the achievement of project objectives and is a valuable partner in integrating project goals within the broader development context. Engagement of civil society strengthens local ownership as communities become custodians of their own resources and sustain the process initiated by UNDP projects. The pace of development is usually much faster and more sustainable when local knowledge is used to tailor projects to community needs.

The GEF Small Grants Programme, implemented by UNDP on behalf of the GEF partnership, channels grants of up to $50,000 directly to CBOs and NGOs in recognition of the key role they play as a resource and constituency for environment and development concerns. The programme aims to deliver global benefits in the GEF Focal Areas of biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, protection of international waters, prevention of land degradation and elimination of persistent organic pollutants through community-based approaches. For example, in Asia an SGP climate change project supported a CSO to provide an improved power supply to the inhabitants of a remote village in India using a micro hydro system, while another project in Thailand uses solar water pumps to pump drinking water from wells, providing a source of safe water for the community while reducing GHG emissions. In Latin America the SGP is supporting a community-based women’s organisation in the Dominican Republic to conserve biodiversity by developing a tourism venture as an alternative source of income for their community.

Through the ‘Equator Initiative’, UNDP is working to raise the profile and learn from the experiences of grassroots efforts to reduce poverty through the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. A partnership bringing together the United Nations, civil society, business, governments and communities, the Equator Initiative works to help build the capacity and bring national and international attention to outstanding local poverty reduction/conservation efforts. The biannual Equator Prize is awarded to five such projects, while ongoing community and local-global dialogues, learning exchanges and meetings - the ‘Equator Dialogues’ - gather and synthesize lessons from local conservation and poverty reduction practices to inform policy and scale up successful initiatives. Examples of some of the award-winning CSOs can be found here.

UNDP’s new Community Water Initiative is working to expand access to safe water supply and sanitation for the poor (MDG Targets 10 and 11) by providing small grants directly to CBOs and NGOs in remote rural areas. The CWI, implemented by the SGP at the country level, also contributes to learning and disseminating best practices in community involvement, especially by women, in decision making and management of water resources. For example, in Africa the CWI is supporting community-based projects including a school sanitation and income-generation project for women in Mauritania, the rehabilitation of a gravity water supply scheme in Tanzania and the protection and capping of natural springs in Kenya.

Additional examples of UNDP’s work with CSOs in the Environment and Energy field can be found in the following key publications:

• Community Action to Conserve Biodiversity
• Expanding Access to Modern Energy Services
• Partners for Change: Experiences from UNDP's Work with CSOs through the GEF
• Factsheet: Community Water Initiative
• Responding to Climate Change, Generating Community Benefits
• Community Action to Address Climate Change
• A Community Dialogue for Meeting the Millennium Development Goals
• How to Make Poverty History: The central role of local organizations in meeting the MDGs (IIED with UNDP)

View all UNDP publications on Environment and Energy and CSOs.
For more information on UNDP's Environment and Energy practice click here.

HIV/AIDS

Strengthening Partnership between Government and Civil Society

UNDP’s HIV/AIDS Practice develops the capacity of civil society entities to participate in the design, implementation and evaluation of AIDS responses. In addition, it works with countries to address the human resource capacity challenges generated by the epidemic. UNDP supports countries to implement decentralized programmes that strengthen the interface between civil society, communities, parliaments and local governance systems to improve participation and service delivery. By engaging with various stakeholders and creating safe spaces for debate and discussion, UNDP helps countries establish the structures and mechanisms that can be used to enhance transparency in terms of decision making, responsibilities and accountability.

• Red Ribbon Award : The Red Ribbon Award is an inaugural award, which will be presented every two years, designed to honor and celebrate outstanding community leadership and action that has helped curtail the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS. This award is a joint effort of the Leadership and Community Programme Committees of the International AIDS Conference, supported by UNDP on behalf of the UNAIDS family.

For more information on UNDP's HIV/AIDS practice area click here