Regional CSOs To Meet On Development Effectiveness

Regional CSOs To Meet On Development Effectiveness


Suva, Fiji Islands (1 May, 2010) Representatives of Pacific Island Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) will meet in the Tongan capital, Nuku’alofa next week to discuss development effectiveness in terms of common principles guiding Pacific CSOs as development actors and the challenges they face in applying development effectiveness principles to reforming peer relationships.

The regional consultation, which will be held from 5-7 May, 2010, follows on from a recent national consultation held in Suva, Fiji. The Fiji consultation with was one of about 70 country-level consultations around the world being held over the next several months as part of a global process to examine the future of international aid.

The Tonga meeting is being organised by the Pacific Islands Association of Non Government Organisations (PIANGO) and is funded by Interaction and the Commonwealth Foundation. PIANGO, as the regional NGO coordinating body, has been given the role to lead the Global Open Forum process and the Fiji National Consultation and upcoming Tonga Regional Consultation form part of this process.

The Tonga meeting will also evaluate PIANGO’s current Strategic Plan which expires at the end of 2010 and will enable the organisation to prepare for the next strategic planning period 2011-2014. The revised Strategic Plan will be presented for endorsement at the next PIANGO Council meeting in July/August 2011.

The meeting also hopes to outline the Pacific Islands CSO contribution on development effectiveness for the global Open Forum process; identify areas to strengthen the development practices of Pacific Island CSOs and how donors and Pacific Governments can be best support CSOs as development actors in their own right and identify common principles and guidelines for CSO development effectiveness based on the lessons learned from current and past development practices.

PIANGO Chairperson Drew Havea said that the Global Forum process was part of a discussion on aid effectiveness which had taken place since 2005.

“The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has convened three high-level meetings in Rome, Paris and Accra to discuss aid effectiveness in the context of donor harmonisation,” Mr Havea explained.

“The 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness is a five-year plan to reform the aid process. The role of CSOs was extremely minimal at the Paris meeting and CSOs were not part of discussions. Following this, CSOs formed an advisory committee to mobilise at high-level and as a result, ensured their voices were heard at the Accra meeting which resulted in the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) recognising the important role of CSOs in development,” he said.

The next, and 4th, High Level Global Forum, to review implemen¬tation of the Paris Declaration and determine the shape of commitments moving forward, is anticipated for late 2011 in Seoul, South Korea.

ENDS

© Scoop Media