Bi-annual Task Team Meeting November 2020

November 2020

On 23 and 24 November 2020, the Task Team organized its 24^th bi-annual meeting. Due to the COVID-19 developments the meeting took place virtually and connected more than 40 participants from over 5 continents. The focus of day 1 was on sharing updates about how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their work, discussing civil society engagement in their home countries, which was followed by a session on the preliminary findings of the Task Team Mid-Term Review.

On the second day the TT Secretariat presented a sneak preview of the Online Interactive Guidance on CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment scheduled to be launched early in 2021. The GPEDC Joint Support Team provided a general update on the 2020-2022 Work Programme and the monitoring reform, focused on action area 2.4 on civil society partnerships, in which the Task Team is an active contributor. Finally, there was a discussion on the findings of the Task Team Studies on CSO participation in the SDGs processes which have implications for the Task Team’s strategy and way of working.

Task Team Guidance, Abstract & Brochure available in French & Spanish!

November 2020

We proud to announce that the Task Team Guidance and Good Practice, Abstract Guidance & Brochure are now available in Spanish and French! These three documents encapsulate the core of the Task Team’s work and activities and are intended to contribute to a broader understanding of the commitments on the CSO enabling environment and CSO development effectiveness. The French and Spanish version of the materials will allow for wider outreach and dissemination of these international commitments, which are key to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The translated materials have been published on our website under resources.

The Online Interactive Guidance (coming in 2021)

October 2020

2020 marks the Decade of Action remaining to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The scale and ambition of the SDGs call for global synergies and joint action in the form of multi-stakeholder partnerships, inclusive of civil society, as advocated by the Task Team. Simultaneously, if we are to reach more people and achieve greater complementarity of action by 2030, digital forms of communication, tools, and knowledge products are needed. This is only accelerated by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. As such, the Task Team aims to broaden its dissemination and awareness raising initiatives by translating its knowledge and evidence into accessible online products. These products will be presented in the form of an Online Interactive Guidance on CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment. This Online Interactive Guidance is informed by the Task Team’s Guidance and Good Practice, including the practical four-part framework. The Online Guidance will include animated videos, in-depth readings, good practice examples, insights from the field, and practical online activities. We hope to launch this Online Interactive Guidance in early 2021, so be sure to watch this space!

Task Team Side Event 2020 HLPF

July 2020

On Thursday 16 July, the Task Team organized a virtual side event on the margins of the 2020 UN High-Level Political Forum titled “Delivering on SDG 17: Going Further, Together”. The side event was co-hosted by the Government of Ireland, as Co-chair of the Task Team, with contributions from the UN, Kenya, Canada, the OECD and the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE). The session welcomed more than 80 participants covering many corners of the globe, comprising of representatives from government, civil society, and academia. The side event focused on the crucial role civil society organizations (CSOs) must play in the implementation of SDG 17 (multi-stakeholder partnerships), and with that, all SDGs. The press statement highlights the key outcomes of the session as well as opportunities for partnering to advance this issue. For the full recording of the session, please visit the Task Team’s YouTube channel.

Research Studies – CSO participation in the SDGs

July 2020

An independent research study commissioned by the Task Team, focusing on identifying factors in a country’s environment that help and hinder CSO participation in SDG-related processes, has now been published.

The study was undertaken by the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), under the leadership of the principle researchers Professors Kees Biekart and Alan Fowler. The report synthesizes evidence from 21 case studies in six countries, selected because of differences in their freedom or ‘space’ available for CSOs. The countries are: Costa Rica, Ghana, Hungary, Lao PDR, Nepal & Tanzania.

The research design applied an ‘SDG’ lens as the empirical way to find out about CSO experiences when facing different degrees of constraint. Please click here for the key messages, summary of findings and full synthesis report.

Side-event ‘Delivering on SDG 17: Going Further, Together’

June 2020

The Task Team is co-hosting a virtual side event with The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland on Thursday 16 July (11:00am – 12:30pm EDT/ 5:00 – 6:30pm CEST) on the margins of the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF 2020): “Delivering on SDG 17: Going Further, Together”. 

For more information on the side-event and registration, please click here.