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Shifting Ground - Implications of international cooperation for civil society organisations in Latin America, 2000-2007

International and national dynamics in Latin America are reconfiguring the relationships between the main development actors. These dynamics are shifting the ground for civil society organisations and impacting on their ability to fulfil their role in fighting poverty and inequality and promoting democratisation.

CARE commissioned research in Bolivia, Brazil, Nicaragua and Peru in 2007 to explore how the international and national contexts are affecting the ability of civil society to influence public and aid policy (with particular reference to the policies and practices of the World Bank and IDB). The UK’s Department for International development (DFID) Regional Assistance Plan (RAP 2004-2007) was a specific focus of this research.

Based on these studies, CARE recommends that:

  • The increased emphasis donors and IFIs now place on supporting the state’s role in development should be accompanied by continued support for and recognition of CSOs’ role in fighting poverty, inequality and social exclusion.
  • Donors and IFIs should deliver on their commitment to promote ‘alignment’ and ‘country ownership’ of aid, respecting national processes, structures and sovereignty.
  • Donors and IFIs should strengthen and deepen their attempts to support ‘government ownership’ to include ‘citizen ownership’ by promoting (i) downward accountability of governments to their citizens and (ii) an independent and diverse civil society.
  • We recommend that donors, IFIs and INGOs respect and nurture CSOs’ diverse approaches to bring about political change, including those outside formal political processes, by providing strategic and flexible funding to research and other organisations committed to long-term social and political pro-poor change.
  • Donors and IFIs should create greater opportunities for CSOs to genuinely engage in and influence the overarching country strategies, policies and approaches of these institutions.


Specifically, CARE recommends that DFID:

  • Increases its current expenditure in Latin America to match the overall 11% across DFID at the very least.
  • Maintains a presence in each of the countries where it is funding work, prioritising the hiring of high-calibre staff who are perceived to have yielded the highest returns.
  • Bases its decision to continue with its strategy of contributing funds to the World Bank and the IDB on (i)demonstrable evidence that it is influencing these institutions and (ii)a thorough appraisal of the implications of this strategy for its relations with other key stakeholders in the region.
  • Improves its transparency and accountability by regularly communicating progress on the RAP and its objectives.


 
Main Document:
PDF PDF
Date:
2 November 2007
Authors:
Helen Collinson, Flávia Lessa de Barros, Peter Clarke, Federico Negrón, Mariano Valderrama, Eusebio Painemal, Cyntia Aldana, Waldo Mina and Fernando Carim Jorge
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