The Courier

Activité commercial, Bamako 2007

© Afrique in visu - Baptiste de Ville d'Avray

Under former ACP-EU conventions, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were allocated funds under decentralised cooperation for project implementation but dialogue on EU policies towards ACP nations was not cemented into the agreements.

Under Cotonou, a broad range of non-state actors, north and south, are not only recipients of aid but consult with EU institutions on a full range of policies towards ACPs as an integral part of the partnership accord.

Article 6 of the Cotonou Convention embraces non-state actors, “in all its forms according to national characteristics”. They include the business sector, economic and social partners, trade unions, non-governmental development organisations, human rights groups, grass roots organisations, women’s associations, environmental groups, farmers’ organisations, indigenous peoples’ groups and religious organisations, research institutes, cultural bodies and the media.

The aim is to harness and build on the dynamics of civil society and improve ownership of development strategies, putting people in control of their own development.

Since its outset seven years ago, non-state actors have been keeping a close track on whether Cotonou has achieved what it set out to do in this field.

Florent Sebban of CONCORD, the European confederation of development and relief NGOs, which was set up in 2003 and gathers some 1,200 development and relief NGOs in Europe, is currently looking at how Cotonou’s commitments towards civil society are shaping up in practice. This is also under the microscope in the permanent Cotonou Monitoring Group, gathering a cross-section of its members.

Sebban applauds what Cotonou set out to do in terms of a greater say for NGOs and an increase in their project funding – 15% of the10th European Development Fund (EDF) (2008–2013) is allocated to civil society.

The litmus test

As far as the success of policy dialogue is concerned, the litmus test is the extent of EU institution-civil society consultation on the Country Strategy Documents (CSP), which also include the National or Regional Indicative Plans (NIP/RIP), the EU’s five-year policy planning and programming for individual ACP countries under the 10th EDF.

Even though non-state actor consultation with the EU may fall below expectations for Cotonou, its meetings with the Commission feeling more like sessions to exchange information rather than real dialogue, their increasing voice is being felt in many EU fora.

They are an active and diverse lobby in the European Parliament, its Committees, the Joint ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly and the annual European Development Days (EDD) event where non-state actors from the EU, in particular, have stands to inform the public about their activities and mount side events that stimulate open discussion on EU development policies.

NGOs from francophone West Africa have been especially vocal in the EU media over their fears that Economic Partnerships Agreement (EPAs) with the EU will mean cheaper food on their markets harming local farmers.

The influence of ACP NGOs on EU policy often depends on how well organized they are locally. Florent Sebban points out that, in Cameroon, NGOs have organised Les jeudis de Cotonou, (Cotonou Thursdays) which meet every Thursday just to discuss the convention.

And there is always a plethora of position papers by civil society on Cotonou at each ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly, especially on the EPAs.

The platform of ACP businesses, already established in 1998, bringing ACP and EU companies closer to embark on joint investment schemes is active in many fora, including the December 2007 meeting of African and EU Heads of State in Lisbon. An ACP-EU local government platform was also set up in 2001 by mayors and representatives of existing ACP local government associations to heighten the advocacy of local government in ACP-EU cooperation.