Virtual Multi-stakeholder Workshop Bangladesh

June 2021

The first successful virtual multi-stakeholder workshop on ‘Effective Engagement of CSOs in Development’ took place in Bangladesh on 17 June 2021. The session was attended by 55 participants across government, civil society and development partners in Bangladesh. The workshop was part of the Task Team’s 3-phased approach at country level and organized under the umbrella of Action Area 2.4 on Civil Society Partnerships of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC), of which Bangladesh is currently a Co-chair.

The workshop was co-organized by the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance in Bangladesh, the COAST Foundation, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Dhaka. During the workshop, participants reflected on the CSO enabling environment and CSO development effectiveness in Bangladesh, and identified issues in need of further exploration such as coordination, inclusion, and enhancing shared learning.

The promotion of the workshop within Bangladesh resulted in 43 additional enrollments in the Task Team’s Online Interactive Guidance, of whom 30 participants have completed the course. During the closing session, participants posed for a group picture and gave a ‘thumbs-up’ to demonstrate their commitments to carry forward these discussions in Phase III, in which we hope to organize a physical workshop in Bangladesh.

Online Guidance now available in French & Spanish!

May 2021

The Online Interactive Guidance on “Effective Engagement of Civil Society in Development” is now also available in French & Spanish via the open online course provider Coursera. The Online Guidance is designed to build awareness on the need to engage civil society organizations in development processes. It consists of five modules that each play a part in creating an environment in which CSOs can meaningfully and effectively contribute to implementation and monitoring of international development processes. Each module starts with an animated video introducing the topic and is followed by good practice examples; insights from the field in the form of video interviews; in-depth readings; and an online activity.

• Participación eficaz de la sociedad civil en el desarrollo
• L’engagement efficace de la société civile dans le développement

OECD Civil Society Days & TT Meeting | 27 May – 4 June 2021

May 2021

The OECD DAC Civil Society Days 2021 will be held from 27 May – 4 June and will be dedicated to the back-to-back meetings of the Task Team, DAC community of practice on civil society and International Donor Group, as well as the annual DAC-CSO Reference Group meeting. The Task Team will be participating in one of the sessions of the technical workshop ‘Towards building forward better together: finding solutions to enable civil society’ on Thursday 2 June 2021. More information can be found here.

The dates for the Spring edition of the bi-annual Task Team Meeting have been set for Monday 31 May & Tuesday 1 June 2021.  The meetings will take place in a virtual format.

Research on a SDG Indicator on CSO Engagement

May 2021

A study to research the possibility of influencing anew SDG indicator measuring the inclusion and participation of CSOs in the development process (achievement of the SDGs) be commissioned by the Task Team.

The next opportunity to propose new indicators or changes to existing indicators to the Inter-Agency Expert Group on the SDGs (IAEG-SDG) will be in 2024, for decisions by 2025. By 2024, the formulation of an indicator, including methodology, data, and testing should be developed so it can be considered for approval. This research is a direct contribution to this process. More information about the research questions and timeline of the study can be found under activities.

6 May: GPEDC Action Area 2.4 Webinar

April 2021

The webinar “Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue in a Digital Time: Strengthening CSOs’ Enabling Environment” hosted by members of the Global Partnership (GPEDC) Action Area 2.4 will take place on Thursday May 6 from 7:30 – 8:50am EST. Please register for the webinar here!

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional in-person dialogues have either been greatly limited or completely replaced by digital dialogues. But what is the effect of digitalisation on the experience and effectiveness of multi-stakeholder dialogues? Do digital dialogues evolve into digital partnerships? Is there anything CSOs need to do differently to engage effectively and transparently in online dialogues? Are digital multi-stakeholder dialogues able to be meaningful, that is, institutionalised, accessible and inclusive? More information can be found here.

Now LIVE! TT Online Guidance

February 2021

The day you have all been waiting for is finally here! The Task Team’s Online Interactive Guidance on “Effective Engagement of Civil Society in Development is now LIVE on the open online course provider Coursera.

The Online Interactive Guidance is designed to build awareness on the need to engage civil society organizations in development processes. Explore the 5 interactive modules including animated videos and good practice examples from across the globe. Are you a true champion of effective development cooperation? Test your knowledge of meaningful engagement of and with civil society in development in the online activities. The rest you will have to discover for your yourself.

• Go to https://coursera.org/learn/effective-engagement-of-civil-society-in-development
• Select enroll for free
• Select sign up, enter your details & click join for free
• You will receive an automated email from Coursera with instructions on how to access the Online Guidance

If you encounter any issues with your enrollment, please contact the Task Team Secretariat: Lieneke Paalman (paalman@iss.nl).