West Africa Civil Society Institute and Bond UK have published the new roadmap.
Leading international aid bodies have published a roadmap aimed at fostering better partnerships between the UK Government’s Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and global civil society organisations.
The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and Bond UK developed the report through a global engagement exercise funded by FCDO.
The roadmap draws on insights from civil society leaders across a range of countries and regions and the executive summary of the roadmap is now publicly available.
In summer 2023, the FCDO, commissioned WACSI with support from Bond, to organise a series of workshops with civil society groups to explore what a progressive and equitable civil society and civic space programme run by the FCDO, could look like.
WACSI and Bond consulted with civil society across a range of countries and regions, including the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.
This project produced a roadmap to support the FCDO and international civil society organisations to foster more equitable partnerships, placing an emphasis on shifting power dynamics, strengthening local leadership, and fostering trust-based partnerships.
Nana Asantewa Afadzinu, executive director of WACSI, said: “As the tide turns in international development, civil society in the countries of focus have bared their hearts and openly shared what needs to be addressed, championing their communities' voices and advocating for inclusive, locally-driven solutions.
“This series of engagements presents a unique opportunity for FCDO to improve the future of its engagement with civil society actors across the globe."
Based on the engagements, WACSI and Bond have developed several recommendations that can help move donor and partner relationships toward being more impactful and enable FCDO to be a key player in advancing sustainable development and equitable partnerships.
These include investing time and resource in building relationships with civil society organisations (CSOs) in lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) – and requiring UK CSOs to report on their commitments to becoming more equitable partners, while providing funding and support for UK CSOs to transition towards more equitable practices.
FCDO has also been urged to promote a trust-based approach to funding, addressing the inherent power imbalances between funders, CSOs and the communities they serve.
They said flexible funding should become standard practice, enabling organisations and projects to readily adapt to changing circumstances.
Designing funding models to support a shift in power – ringfence funding that goes directly to LMIC CSOs.
Zoe Abrahamson, head of sector transformation at Bond, said: “Donors, including the FCDO, have a real opportunity here to make how they partner with and fund civil society organisations much more progressive.
“We would encourage them to take on board the recommendations that have come directly from civil society to help ensure funding for civil society promotes equitable partnerships and supports communities in lower- and middle-income countries to lead.”
