Roles of civil society organizations

Traditionally, CSOs have been mainly involved with providing charity services. But with the decrease in the role of the Welfare State, their role expanded to provide lacking services in various fields and to a wider scope of beneficiaries. This development was brought about by the change in the role of the State and the structural adjustment policies pushed by the main International financial institutions. Later on, an due to the deterioration of socil economic life conditions, the role of CSOs can has development gradually to be defined by three main pilars: (1) service provision (2) capacity building and raising awareness, (3) advocacy and lobbying.

Service providers are involved in various fields of development, which could include traditional services such as shelter provision for the elderly and orphans and in some fewer cases for the poor, as well as basic poverty alleviation activities, services in health, education, income generation, vocational training, rural development, and other fields.

Moreover, CSOs implement capacity building and awareness raising campaigns. Therefore, CSOs conduct training programs and actively elaborate methods of information dissemination. Accordingly, CSOs mainly aim at enhancing participation of various social groups in the different developmental programs that affects their lives, based on a clearer understanding of their needs, priorities, and opportunities available to them.

Furthermore, CSOs role in advocacy and lobbying complements its other two roles. Starting since the early nineties, the involvement of CSOs in advocacy campaigns has been increasing. This role was elaborated in quest of social justice through partnerships with international organizations such as the United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, which were involved in structural adjustment reforms in the developing countries.

Yet, the main challenge currently facing the role of Arab CSOs is its ability and capacity to be organized in social movements seeking for national policies and programs change. Advocacy and lobbying campaigns are essential for facing today’s socio-economic challenges, including the implications of neo-liberal policies and the social and economic impact of trade agreements for developing countries, the impact of debts, in addition to tckeling the issues related to poverty eradication and gender inequality. Therefore, engaging in networks could significantly improve the impact of CSOs’ work on advocacy and lobbying. “CSOs pointed to the importance of the networks that grew out of hemispheric activity in alleviating the isolation felt by many groups and in sharing the experiences of their counterparts in other countries. ‘Engaging at the multilateral level enhances our knowledge about issues,’ was the way one women’s organization put it. Working at the multilateral level has encouraged CSOs to forge alliances and consequently improve their own analysis and impact” . In addition, policy-makers are often more welcoming for perspectives and opinions that are backed by a group of CSOs, that represent a wider and diverse constituency, rather than one organization. This would help CSOs get a seat on the table in the process of policy-making.

In this regards, Arab CSOs are facing the following challenges:

 CSOs are more service providers than advocacy groups. They are in some cases involved in the implementation processes of national policies and programs, but are not partners in the design and set-up stages and evaluation processes. Thus, there is a mounting need to address the ability of CSOs to have an affective role in advocacy and to consider the level of awareness among CSOs of the mechanisms available for them to enhance their participation in policy-making.

 There is a need to assert partnership in identifying local needs and setting clear, comprehensive, and relevant national policies is essential. CSOs would enhance their role in this regards by building national coalitions in various sectors, thus elaborating visions and strategies, increasing their resources and strengthening their support group. In this regards, it should be stressed that the elaboration of the local agenda is a prerequisite for addressing regional interests and agendas of international institutions.

 CSOs ought to preserve consistency in participation and involvement with various processes of development and globalization.

 Within the mounting challenges, there is a need that part of the involved CSOs concentrate on raising awareness among other CSOs of the impact and challenges brought about by these new trends.

 There is a need for proper access to information related to regional and international engagements of national governments.

 CSOs need to enhance transparency and accountability, as well as internal proper management and administrative measures from which they can acquire their legitimacy, representation, and accountability.

 Proper legal frameworks that assure freedom of associations are primary concern that presents preconditions for proper involvement of CSOs in relation to regional and international blocks. Thus, there is a need to concentrate on advocating for proper legislative mechanisms for CSOs involvement.

 There is a need to enhance the involvement of CSOs from developing countries. It is worth noting that involved civil society groups are overwhelmingly based in, and representative of, developed countries. For example, of the 1,550 NGOs registered with the United Nations, only 251 are based in developing countries. ”

General insight into networking (how it contributes to strengthening the positions of CSOs)

Networking between CSOs, including non-governmental organizations, represents a major means for exchange of information and knowledge about needs, priorities, resources, solutions, and best-practices. It also represents a means to strengthen the position of CSOs through finding common grounds in their missions, unifying positions, and thus reinforcing their advocacy and lobbying campaigns.

Moreover, networking contributes to enhancing democratic practices and developmental roles of CSOs. It supports these organizations in their quest for independency from the government and the private sector.

The objectives of networking among CSOs include:

- Progressing from a service provision role to a more development and social change oriented role
- Highlighting the common grounds between member organizations and its affiliations.
- Elaborating a common and clear understanding of development
- Elaborating a renewed comprehensive vision for the role of CSOs
- Finding a proper legal framework for CSOs’ work and role
- Complementing the role of the government while securing an independent position
- Enhancing coordination and avoiding duplication
- Developing skills, building capacities, and enhancing training
- Building civil society, through finding spaces that are based on strong collaboration, common aims, clear perspective and vision, comprehensive approach towards development, and a core role for CSOs in society

Moreover, networking takes on a significant dimension given that the role of CSOs is no more limited to charity and relief aid; however they are increasingly working as a main partner in the process of development. In this regards, networking can contribute to:

- Limiting competition between CSOs, and enhancing coordination and group work
- Enhancing the understanding of mechanisms for coordination and collaboration in the decision-making process among CSOs and in various fields
- Working together to face the economic, political, social, and cultural challenges
- Implementing an objective and comprehensive evaluation of programs and activities
- Empowering CSOs to participate in a process of capacity building and raising awareness
- Identifying a strong, independent, and effective role for the civil society sector through dialogue and group coordination
- Strengthening the negotiations position with decision-makers on various levels
- Organizing advocacy and lobbying campaigns in fields of socio-economic policies
- Achieving a better management of human and financial resources

In principle, networking is looked upon as effective mechanisms and frameworks for coordination. This is achieved through renewing the means and tools for exchange of information and experiences through periodical meetings that the network usually organizes as part of its mandate and as a step towards supporting and developing frameworks for coordination that can prosper within the context of the network. Accordingly, members of a network elaborate their common vision. They also indicate their mission, which is based on the long-term objectives that they aim at achieving through their networking efforts, in addition to the specific short-term objectives that could lead them towards achieving their mission.

Values and principles of networking

Networking is based on principles of Human rights principles, respect of diversity, democratic practices, rule of law, participation, sustainable development, and social justice, while considering the importance and necessity of respecting the independence of each member of the network.

- Democracy: implies that the relationship between CSOs and governments should be based on democracy and rule of law, which enables CSOs to achieve their objectives in a society that respects the freedom of association and protects the independence of these organizations.

- Participation: which is based on the right of CSOs to take part in the national decision-making process and the whole developmental process, in addition to the right to participate in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating various development programs

- Diversity: based on the need to preserve the various roles of CSOs in service provision, raising awareness, and participation in economic, social, education programs, as well as strengthening local communities in the process of defending the rights of marginalized and dispossessed groups in order to strengthen and support the infrastructure for a strong civil society.

- Independence: based on the importance that CSOs have the ability to identify their programs based on the needs and priorities of the local community. In this regards, any conditionality that is associated with funding and may affect these priorities ought to be considered as a threat to developmental work and independence of civil society’s mission.

- Monitoring and evaluation: represents a major factor in the role of CSOs and which networking can significantly contribute to. It includes critical review of the objectives, strategies, and performance of a network. In addition, it looks upon the contribution of a network’s programs to the promotion of development policies, democracy, transparency, volunteerism, as well as the institutionalization of participation and evaluation in the internal management procedures of the network.

- Respect of gender equality: networking is effective means for promoting and enhancing the role of women in social development and change. Networks can contribute to changing the stereotype of women, promoting women’s economic, social, and political rights, and fighting all kinds of discrimination against women. This ought to be reflected in the programs, objectives, and mechanisms adopted by all the members of the network that work on gender equity.

About the Arab NGO Network for Development; strategies and programs

The Arab NGO Network for Development is a relatively new initiative in the Region, where networks are still rare structures among CSOs. ANND bases its strategies on the above-listed values and principles of networking that it believes present the added value that networks can contribute to civil society and its mission.

ANND sets its strategies given the context and dynamics on both the regional and international levels. In this regards, ANND sees that there are several external obstacles as well as opportunities presented by this context. Opportunities can be detected in the enhanced mobilization of civil society both regionally and internationally, thus presenting more space for coalition-building and coordination, such as is the case of the World Social Forum and the Euro-Mediterranean Civil Forum. Moreover, there has been an increasing attention towards the Arab region in general, specifically concerning issues of democracy and reforms, human rights including the rights of women, the participation of civil society, and solidarity campaigns especially with Iraq and Palestine. Yet, there are also several dimensions in the region that do represent serious obstacles for progress, including the instability due to the numerous conflicts including the occupation in Iraq, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and various internal conflicts in several Arab countries. In addition, many Arab countries impose restrictions on freedom of association and on the participation of civil society which is a major hindrance for the progress of civil society’s activity.

Accordingly, ANND have set advocacy as its main strategies, and sees that its contribution to Arab CSOs could be through coalition building, providing resources and research, enhancing communication and exchange between CSOs, as well as capacity building of its member CSOs. In addition, given the increasing importance of following the economic, social, and cultural changes resulting from trade liberation and open market policies in the world today, there is more significance for the participation and follow-up of international and regional forums and conferences that are organized in this regards. Through its efforts in networking and coordination, ANND enables CSOs and strengthen their capacities to take part in these processes, and to lead and be creative in this regards. Here it is worth noting, that being involved in national, regional, and international networks does not affect the independency of these organizations, however it contributes to the process of exchanging experiences, and developing vision, mission, and understanding of opportunities and challenges.

In this context, ANND works on three main programs ; democracy and human rights, development, and globalization and trade. ANND believes that these three issues are highly interlinked and are at the top of the priority agenda of the Arab Region, as well as many other regions in the world.

There has been an increase of the debates and dynamics in the context of governance and democratization in the Arab region. Development is the main concern of ANND whereby it concentrates its efforts on the Millennium Development Goals Campaign, thus serving as a regional coordinator of the global campaign. ANND also actively participate in the arab caucus and works on mobilization of Arab CSOs for the World Summit on Information Society, which is going to be organized in Tunisia in November 2005. Moreover, given the mounting tensions and problematic areas in the Arab countries and the effects of the global events and dynamics on the Region, the international interest in the regional processes is continuously increasing. In this regards, several initiatives for reforms and democratization have been introduced, both foreign and Arab. ANND follows these processes and developments through working on two main axes within the development program; (1) working towards establishing a human rights watchdog center the follows the implementation of the five main international conventions on human rights: Political and civil Rights, Economic, social, and cultural rights, Rights of the child, Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, Elimination of all forms of torture, and Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination (2) enhancing a civil society/ governmental dialogue on reforms and democratization in the Arab region. However, ANND believes these issues cannot be de-linked from the processes of integration into regional and international trade agreements and blocks. Accordingly, ANND works on following the socio-economic impacts of the World Trade Organization, the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, and other agreements such as the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), and the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the Aghadir agreement or the Mediterranean Arab Free Trade Area (MAFTA).
On parallel, Starting 2004, ANND have adopted an overall approach that aims at mobilizing and strengthening youths’ participation and involvement in various campaigns and processes of civil society in the Arab region, such as the processes of the social forums, that of the World Summit on Information Society, the Euro-Mediterranean platform, and others. ANND works on expanding its outreach to youth organizations in the Arab region, supporting national coordination and exchange, and enhancing the networking and exchange on the regional levels. ANND holds annual solidarity activities with both the Palestinian and Iraqi peoples based on the conviction that these two cases are the priority in the Arab region and have direct impacts into all other processes in the Region.