Civil Society Organizations: accountability Problems

1. Civil Society Organizations: accountability Problems Nguyen Manh Cuong,Phd Date: 8/10/2007

2. Content of my presentation • Review of the major issues of the first national workshop • Why accountability problems of CSOs in Vietnam • Theoretical framework • Accountability problems of CSOs in Vietnam • Recommedations

3. Background • 2/October:”Civil Society Organisations & Aid Effectiveness Workshop “ • Critics of Hanoi Core Statement and Paris Declaration as well as the roles of CSOs indicates: • Low awareness of the HCS and PD • The roles of CSOs (350 associations and ten thousands NGOs) in the monitoring and evaluating the AID unclear (institutional and reality); potential of CSOs have been recognized: delivery of public services; creative and efficient models for development, supporting the government policies and projects. • Weak financial and human resource capacity • Donors are not well coordinated => no mechanism to fund CSOs in Vietnam • Different perspectives among government and CSOs on the roles of CSOs in development=> more participation and dialogue. => more participation of CSOs, reforming the legal framework for participation of CSOS, more information as well as improving the capacity and accountability of CSOs=> accountability problems of CSOs in Vietnam.

4. Why accountability problems of CSOs in Vietnam? • Since 1986, the emergence of CSOs: voluntary and independent and non-profit features: delivery of public services and participating in policy making process: (350 national associations, 10.000 NGOs) • 200 million USD for local NGOs per annum=> accountability to donors or the grassroots? • Government funding to mass organizations: accountability to the state, citizens? • in 2010, 80% of public services will be delivered by non-state sector? the accountability problems become more important. • Legal framework: constraining the accountability of CSOs who are more involved in lobby and advocacy activities. • Governance of CSOs is weak: financial transparence is unclear under the partriaky system.

5. Conceptual framework • Accountability: responsible of CSOs for their actions to the relevant stakeholders • Short-term accountability (how to use resource and its immediate impacts on related people and organizations) versus strategic accountability. • Strategic accountability: long-term impacts on the wider environment. • They maintain their short-term accountability to satisfy the immediate interests of donors, they can ignore their declared goals, missions and philosophies as well as the beneficiary • Lack of check and balance, good governance towards CSOs can induce them to abuse their resources or use them inefficiently => corruption cases

6. Downward accountability • Accountable "downwards" to their partners, beneficiaries, staff and supporters; • "upwards“ Accountable to their trustees, donors and host governments. • Conflict: CSOs satisfy the requirements of donors, while ignoring the interest of the beneficiary as well as local government

7. Diagram of accountability Upward accountability Downward accountability

8. Accountability problems of CSOs • Competing demands of multiple stakeholders have negative effects on strategic accountability: donors-driven (independent CSOs) and Government-driven (Union of Farmers, Trade Union, Youth Union). • Ambiguous institutional framework can create its accountability problems of CSOs: ICSOs provide little online information about their activities; Donors have not been able to monitor and control effectively their funding due to corruption or simply accounting negligence • lacking transparency is also the cause of accountability problems of CSOs. Information on the financial transparency of CSOs in Vietnam about their financial accounts public, is not available

9. Accountability problems of CSOs in Vietnam • Short-term accountability is the cost to strategic accountability. Most of CSOs in Vietnam are not able to ensure strategic accountability: weak financial and human resource=> short-termism. • CSOs have low accountability in policy and institutional influence: weak institutional framework and weak research capacity. • the weak governance structure of CSOs is the major constraint on even short-term functional accountability: family-based organizations=> no public check and balance.

10. ICSOs face accountability problems • Finance highly corruptive state-owned organizations=> easy money=> high corruption index. • Informal relations with CSOs=> non-transparency=> no participation of CSOs. • Competition with NGOs for the funding. • No coordination among donors for VCSOs development

11. Recommendations • Improving the transparency of CSOs and ICSOs. • Technical assistance to better governance of CSOs: check and balance system. • Financial resources for sustainability of CSOs. • Institutional reform to ensure the independent and self-responsibility of CSOs: not donors-driven or government-driven; • Legal framework for CSOs in policy making process: strategic accountability • ICSOs should support the increasing roles of VCSOs, not competition or informal relationship with key VCSOs. • Coordination among donors for VCSOs’ development

12. Address: • Nguyen manh Cuong, Phd • Tel: 0904468329 • manhcuongiss@gmail.com • Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations • 53 Nguyen Du Hanoi Vietnam