Who does what
An ACP Civil Society Forum on track for political recognition
Community-based organisations from the ACP group of countries staged their first forum in 2001. Dr Natallie Corrie-Kordas, the ACP Secretariat expert in charge of Humanitarian Affairs and Civil Society, recalls that “the event signalled the genesis of a dynamic process where, for the first time, representatives of civil society organisations from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific recognised the importance of developing a common understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in the Cotonou Agreement. This resulted in the sustained resolve to secure increased levels of participation in the process of the implementation of a wide range of development activities.”
Dr Natallie Corrie-Kordas, Expert in Humanitarian Affairs & Civil Society
Since then, the ACP Group of States and its Secretariat have set about ensuring that all projects and programmes include special provisions for civil society organisations to become fully involved in the 9th EDF-sponsored projects.
The main priority of civil society organisations was the challenge to become organised then strengthen the required structures, in order to become more involved in projects financed as part of the ACP-EU cooperation. To facilitate this process, and at the initiative of the ACP Group and its Secretariat, a joint ACP-EU Eligibility Criteria for non-state actors was defined and politically endorsed in December 2002. These criteria, inter alia, encouraged civil society organisations to be fully transparent, to manage their activities in a responsible and accountable manner and, in particular, to cater to the specific development needs of the local population. To assist in understanding the ‘rules’, the ACP Secretariat published a User’s guide for non-state actors, which set out in detail the rules for non-government players (e.g. community-based organisations), and the conditions in place to ensure their effective participation in all activities related to the Cotonou Agreement.
At the second forum in 2006, community-based organisations made it clear that they were keen to participate in policy dialogue as well in EDF projects and programmes. The ACP Declaration and Plan of Action made specific reference to the ACP-EU facilities (energy, water and natural disaster), the global effort to combat AIDS, the consultative processes of the EPA negotiations, the development of cultural industries, and so on. The immediate challenge which remains, therefore, lies in its ongoing efforts to become a legal and politically recognised entity, and to create a holistic all-ACP Civil Society Forum.
“ACP civil society now must become recognised as a political entity both within its constituency as well as vis à vis key government players”, stresses ACP’s Dr Natallie Corrie-Kordas, who remains optimistic in her analysis. “This should not be too daunting a task because the 9th EDF development programmes underway show that ACP States have already paved the way to ensure that special provisions are in place to encourage a more involved and participatory role of community-based structures that are well organised within the ACP States”, she adds. The answer to this call for a more organised structure of an all-ACP civil society will be forthcoming during the next meeting of the forum, scheduled for 2008.
