October 2008

1. Strengthening Government- civil society dialogue for DevelopmentDóchas experiences and lessons learned in Ireland October 2008

2. Dóchas – a snapshot • Dóchas: a network of 39 Development NGDOs • With a collective turnover of circa €300m; • Representing 850,000 supporters and volunteers; • Network dates from 1974, as Irish Aid does • A collective platform for interaction with Irish Aid • Pressure Govt to dedicate sufficient resources to overseas aid • Separate Irish and EU platforms merged in 1993

3. Irish NGOs’ early efforts at ‘positioning for influence’ • From early days (’74), Voluntary Agencies Liaison Committee ‘sought to influence Government development policies: developing common positions and joint actions’ • Therefore, coordination of NGOs across a range of issues • From 1977, closer confederation sought to • Promote closer working relations • Help them ‘speak with a single voice’

4. Irish NGOs’ policy advocacy for Development – the early years • Issues addressed in the 1970s and ’80s: • Development education • Level of ODA funding & advocating line ministry • Criteria for programme countries • Voice for NGOs in Development matters • Enhancing, coordinating co-financing • NGO quality initiatives: evaluation; disaster response coordination • Media coverage of development issues • Contact with EC-NGO Liaison Committee

5. Dóchas policy advocacy – more recently • 1993, NGO sector decided it wanted • More member involvement • Higher profile, improved communication • More strategic approach to Irish Aid • 1999, Strengthening Dóchas • Strengthened representative role • New focus on relations with Irish Aid • Need for greater resources discussions with Irish Aid  Memorandum of Understanding 2002

6. Dóchas, Irish Aid and policy work • Explicit role in CS policy; implicit in W Paper (’06) • Unique Irish environment: history, public buy-in wide but ‘thin’, cross-party consensus, mission/charity model, country size and policy / political access • Dóchas-Irish Aid MOUs: 2002, 2006 • 2002: Stronger Dóchas capacity of mutual benefit to Irish Aid and NGOs: • Enable to become a more actively engaged and better resourced (strategic) partner of Irish Aid… • strengthen policy dialogue (secretariat & members) • Full-time director in 2002; full-time policy officer in 2004 coordination around influencing Irish EU Presidency

7. Key areas of Dóchas policy work • “Promoting policies to end global poverty” • Strengthening Ireland’s commitment to Development • EU Presidency, 0.7% campaign - Make Poverty History, tsunami response, enhanced information exchange, Development Forum • Now strategic and gap areas: aid quantity & quality, PCD, governance & corruption debates; supporting members on Irish Aid and EU policies; building ‘sector voice’ with public and renewing ‘political friends of Development’; facilitating NGO access to policy processes and decision-makers; facilitating, supporting members’ own policy advocacy

8. MoU elements: Dóchas & Irish Aid • From capacity building grant to forging partnership (mutual commitments / ‘no surprises’) • Building core capacity (director/ policy officer) • Financial support for extra, ad hoc consultancies • Feedback on work plan, annual reports • Formal annual review, frequent meetings • IA ‘observer’ relations with Dóchas board re. MOU • Joint external MOU evaluation • Formal Dóchas role in annual Devt. Policy Forum

9. Main ‘pros’ for Dóchas • Formal recognition of role and value of Civil Society, and of process to engage it • Better & earlier access to policy debates (Irish Aid policies, GAERC discussions) • Better organised and resourced for policy advocacy (secretariat & member levels) – good input on numerous policies & issues • Greater vibrancy, coherence, credibility, proactivity; more info, more strategic and informed NGO sector • Improved representativeness (‘sector voice’) • Informal relations stronger based on formal role recognition • Better international (EU) connectedness

10. Main ‘cons’ for Dóchas • Tensions between ‘partnership’ and ‘critical voice’… managing insider/outsider dynamic • Higher expectations & demands; wide range of issues… need for highly professional staff • Doing policy advocacy vs. supporting members (limited capacity) • 1 sectoral voice vs. valid civil society diversity • Over-reliance on Irish Aid funding (v. members, other donors) – and maybe over-emphasis on IA policies in Dóchas work • IA civil society unit internalises CS role; some other sections less so. Irish aid relocation from Dublin a problem. • Dangers of being instrumentalised, a centralising force and ‘excess power’ to one (even representative) organisation • Often reliant on personal rather than structured relations

11. Informal Irish Aid view of MOU • Diverse views, but overall positive. Mechanisms working. • Dóchas’ representativeness recognised & challenged • Simpler, better access to NGOs; & better policy coordination: useful, relevant, informed, credible • Some issues of ‘diplomacy’… lines of communication (strong personal relations vital) … and expectations • Improved information flow & policy input from NGOs (specific policies and ongoing processes, especially EU) • Some interactions better than others • Dóchas ‘getting more’ and ‘missing opportunities’? • Future focus away from inputs to outcomes & impact • ‘Political savvy’ – not just policy positions – important

12. Dóchas policy advocacy beyond Irish Aid • Other Departments also important, especially re. PCD • Foreign Affairs (home of Irish Aid) fairly accessible but rest of Government harder; members targeted/selective • fewer structured or informal relations; unknown even • less accessible and/or amenable to NGO messages • New Inter-Departmental Committee for Development • Occasional but ad hoc advocacy with parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee (Development Sub-Comm) and, less so, European Affairs • Cyclical contact with political parties, research staff • Need brand visibility to allow establish credentials – NGO ‘voice’ important in current strategic planning

13. Towards ways forward (1) • Irish White Paper 2006 - get Development and specific CS role into policy and/or legislation; then hold Government or line ministry to good practice… • Establish your strategic priorities - “what you have to say and your capacity to say it” … build NGO space & structures: trust, coherence (for example, “focus Dóchas” project) • Dialogue on strategic funding issues (eg multi annual funding) • Relationships count: build strategic ones with key players at different levels… mutual respect needed for structures to work • When “strategic dialogue”, when “structured consultation”, when “ad hoc discussion and information sharing”? • Informality works – for Ireland – but impact uncertain • Find your own way, according to your own priorities • Don’t do everything (badly); do a few things well … need M&E of your policy advocacy

14. Towards ways forward (2) • Think of a common advocacy campaign… “Focus on that which unites you, not what divides you” (eg, an Aid Watch report) • Build NGO capacity – no policy dialogue without the capacity to do it… introductions to decisions makers, politicians • Look for ‘a centre piece’ (a Policy Forum? ODA report, national aid watch report, PCD report) • Offer lots of different, small ways to build members’ involvement (not just one big conference, for example) • For networks, do just a little… encourage, enable, facilitate, mobilise members to do the rest… • Plan, act, reflect (& celebrate achievements!) • Don’t give up – it’s always a process: “successes without structures, frustrations even with”

15. Towards ways forward (3) • Build public support for Development – vital for political, and policy, leverage • Build your own funding support: practical & policy autonomy • Build political support – a cross-party caucus for Development… Information, understanding, relationships, trust, buy-in • Do your homework & build your policy arguments – but then ‘walk them in’ to key influencers… relevant, credible, timely • “people buy people not policy positions”… • bite-sized key messages not just dense policies • Meet officials most often, higher officials often - Ministers when it’s important and strategic… • Appreciate the context and political realities (what’s effective?) • Don’t expect to win every argument…