Task Team on CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment (Task Team)

#SDGAction43681

Description

The Task Team works on furthering effective CSO participation in development processes. It promotes and advances international commitments in this area focusing on the commitment to create a conducive environment for CSOs (CSO enabling environment) and the commitment on the effectiveness and accountability of CSOs themselves (CSO development effectiveness). The Task Team monitors and engages in the SDGs, focusing on SDGs 16 and 17, considering CSOs’ role in SDG implementation both individually and as part of the partnerships under SDG 17, as well as the existence of an independent and vibrant civil society, as a critical component of SDG 16.

Expected Impact

Participants of the Task Team work together towards advancing the role of CSOs in development in the context of commitments made at the High-Level Fora in Accra and Busan and reaffirmed at the 2016 and 2019 High Level Meetings of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation. The Task Team focuses on the commitments on the CSO enabling environment and CSO development effectiveness (CSO DE and EE). Its efforts to raise awareness on these commitments and further their implementation is targeted at three specific work areas: 1.Global Partnership for Effective Development cooperation (GPEDC); 2.Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); 3.Country-level engagement. In its current project period running from 2019 to March 2022, the Task Team has identified specific activities under each of above-mentioned areas of work to be implemented. For the first strategic objective, the Task Team works to influence the GPEDC and its adherents to advance full implementation of the CSO DE and EE commitments. Specific action areas are: influencing GPEDC processes and activities in relation to CSO DE and EE at global and country level, including in relation to the SDGs, as well as raising awareness and contributing to a common understanding of CSO DE and EE using the Task Team Guidance as a tool. For its second strategic objective, the Task Team supports implementation of Agenda 2030 to promote and advance the implementation of the CSO DE and EE commitments. Specific action areas are: emphasizing CSO engagement (and CSO DE and EE) as critical to implementation and monitoring of the SDGs, and as a component of SDG 16 and 17; monitoring SDG processes focusing on CSO engagement; promoting the need for an indicator measuring CSO engagement in the SDG processes and; carrying out a research study to identify factors that help and hinder the engagement of CSOs in the implementation of the SDGs. The Task Team’s third strategic objective is to support progress in CSO DE and EE at country level. The Task Team does this by implementing (virtual) multi-stakeholder workshops jointly with country level actors from Government, civil society, and the donor community. The workshops build on the Task Team’s Guidance and Good Practice as a basis to generate an understanding of the international commitments on CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment and what this means in practice for different development actors In parallel, efforts to digitalize its tools and materials are underway to reach a wider audience.

Capacity

Next to the Task Team’s awareness raising efforts on CSO development effectiveness and enabling environment at the global level, its main capacity building efforts are focused at the country level. In moving forward with country level engagement, the approach is to bring the Task Team’s decade worth of global fora work and messages to the local level, thus targeting local stakeholders directly. The main avenue towards doing so is through information sharing, rather than intervening in local structures, by raising awareness on the international CSO-related commitments in development, sharing good practices from around the world, and creating safe spaces for multi-stakeholder dialogue. The focus is on a 3-tiered approach: i) country workshops (in person or virtual), ii) translation of Task Team materials into languages other than English, and iii) development of an Online Interactive Guidance using the Task Team’s tools and materials.\\\\r\\\\nIn the workshops and the Interactive Guidance, participants’ capacity is built through knowledge sharing (explanation about the international commitments, where each part speaks to a particular element of the commitments), guidance and examples on key areas of good practice, and the relevance to advancing the 2030 Agenda. These initiatives also include more ‘active’ parts like a multi-stakeholder role play whereby participants seek to find common ground, showing that sometimes a different perspective may lead to a better outcome, as well as to foster reflections on the various aspects of what is needed to enable CSO engagement in development. In addition, break-out groups are formed to discuss guidance and good practice on CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment. In both the workshops and Online Interactive Guidance, participants are encouraged to generate recommendations for good practice in their country context, resulting in tailored guidance for effective engagement of CSOs in development processes.

Governed

The Task Team has around 30 active participants and strives for equal participation from its three stakeholder groups: donors, partner country governments and CSOs. As a convener, the Task Team brings together donors, partner country governments and CSOs to engage in open and inclusive dialogue to find common ground. As a knowledge broker, the Task Team raises awareness on international commitments on CSOs in development and offers guidance, evidence and practical tools for their implementation.\\\\r\\\\nThe Task Team has three co-chairs, one from each constituency. Each constituency is responsible for choosing their own chair for an initial term of three years which if agreed, can be renewed for a second three-year term. \\\\r\\\\nThe Task Team participants meet twice a year in order to evaluate accomplishments in the last period and to discuss future strategy. All Task Team participants, under the leadership of the Co-chairs, are responsible for making contributions to achieving the mandate and deciding on the long-term goals and overall strategy for the Task Team. Based on discussions during meetings, the Co-chairs take decision to implement policies that aim to move that Task Team toward its goals and agreed overall strategy. On key decisions between meetings, Co-chairs inform and consult their constituencies. \\\\r\\\\nThe Task Team has several Reference Groups that provide information and guidance on specific activities and/or strategic areas. A Reference Group is composed of a member from each Task Team constituency. \\\\r\\\\nThe Task Team is supported by a Secretariat which is hosted by the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS-EUR) in the Netherlands. From a formal and legal perspective, the Secretariat is governed by the ISS-EUR internal organization rules including financial and personnel policies. The role of the Secretariat is to support the Task Team and the Co-chairs in their decision-making process and stakeholder engagement, and to implement the TT strategy following the agreed operational aspects as agreed in the workplans.\\\\r\\\\nThe Task Team Secretariat, Task Team meetings and activities are funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). ISS-EUR is responsible for the financial and administrative management of Sida’s contribution to the TT.

Partners

SDGS & Targets

Goal 16

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

16.1

Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere

16.1.1

Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age

16.1.2

Conflict-related deaths per 100,000 population, by sex, age and cause

16.1.3

Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months

16.1.4

Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark

16.2

End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

16.2.1

Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month

16.2.2

Number of victims of human trafficking per 100,000 population, by sex, age and form of exploitation

16.2.3

Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18

16.3

Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all

16.3.1

Proportion of victims of (a) physical, (b) psychological and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms

16.3.2

Unsentenced detainees as a proportion of overall prison population

16.3.3

Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism

16.4

By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime

16.4.1

Total value of inward and outward illicit financial flows (in current United States dollars)

16.4.2

Proportion of seized, found or surrendered arms whose illicit origin or context has been traced or established by a competent authority in line with international instruments

16.5

Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms

16.5.1

Proportion of persons who had at least one contact with a public official and who paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials, during the previous 12 months

16.5.2

Proportion of businesses that had at least one contact with a public official and that paid a bribe to a public official, or were asked for a bribe by those public officials during the previous 12 months

16.6

Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

16.6.1

Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget, by sector (or by budget codes or similar)

16.6.2

Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services

16.7

Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

16.7.1

Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups

16.7.2

Proportion of population who believe decision-making is inclusive and responsive, by sex, age, disability and population group

16.8

Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance

16.8.1

Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations

16.9

By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration

16.9.1

Proportion of children under 5 years of age whose births have been registered with a civil authority, by age

16.10

Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements

16.10.1

Number of verified cases of killing, kidnapping, enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of journalists, associated media personnel, trade unionists and human rights advocates in the previous 12 months

16.10.2

Number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information

16.a

Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime

16.a.1

Existence of independent national human rights institutions in compliance with the Paris Principles

16.b

Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development

16.b.1

Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

Goal 17

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

17.1

Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

17.1.1

Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source

17.1.2

Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes

17.2

Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

17.2.1

Net official development assistance, total and to least developed countries, as a proportion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee donors’ gross national income (GNI)

17.3

Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

17.3.1

Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources

17.3.2

Volume of remittances (in United States dollars) as a proportion of total GDP

17.4

Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

17.4.1

Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services

17.5

Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

17.5.1

Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries

17.6

Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

17.6.1

Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

17.7

Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

17.7.1

Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies

17.8

Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

17.8.1

Proportion of individuals using the Internet

17.9

Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

17.9.1

Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries

17.10

Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

17.10.1

Worldwide weighted tariff-average

17.11

Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

17.11.1

Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports

17.12

Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

17.12.1

Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States

17.13

Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

17.13.1

Macroeconomic Dashboard

17.14

Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

17.14.1

Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development

17.15

Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development

17.15.1

Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation

17.16

Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

17.16.1

Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

17.17

Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships

17.17.1

Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure

17.18

By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

17.18.1

Statistical capacity indicators

17.18.2

Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics

17.18.3

Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding

17.19

By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

17.19.1

Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries

17.19.2

Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration

SDG 14 targets covered