Process and Bangladesh national process on Open Forum on CSO Development Effectiveness

1. Process and Bangladesh national process on Open Forum on CSO Development Effectiveness For all related information visit: www.equitybd.org

2. Methodology Criteria based selection Criteria based selection (i) active, (ii) critical, (iii) no faith based organization, (iv) balance in (a) foreign and local funding, (b) man and women leaders (c), representation of all the districts especial emphasize to hill districts, (b) inclusion of farmers and labor organization, (e) especial emphasize to adivasis. Well and pre information on whole process, open and web based availability of all materials. Communication with all dimensions of CSOs, continuous communication with 43 CSO leaders, final turn out of 10 as resource persons. Total 84 CSO representatives mostly CEO of CSO organization has turned up for three days workshops. www.equitybd.org

3. Methodology Participatory methodology integrated with Participatory methodology integrated with (i) introduction and expectation, (ii) key note, international and national experience presentation, (iii) question and answer for clarity, (iv) group work, presentation and synthesis. This is to get out put on suggestions on (i) CSO principles, (ii) Ways to get credibility and challenges, (iii) Partnership principles and challenges and (iv) Enabling environment. Objectives are to get multi stakeholder opinion, especially of government, political leadership, media, donor and INGOs. www.equitybd.org

4. What should be CSO principles, external and internal factors effecting CSO effectiveness What should be the CSO Development Effectiveness Principles • CSO should maintain ethics, honesty, and values and with utmost level of Transparency and accountability • CSO should do activism with inclusiveness and participatory in every stages • CSO should give full access of information on its governance / organization to all • CSO should do “Self Criticism” all the time. • CSO should be political, but must be non partisan and should not engaged in electoral politics, if a NGO leaders want to engage in electoral politics s/he should be resigned from organization 3 – 5 years before. • CSO should be non profit and non racial, must have specific vision, mission and values. • CSO should work to build a democratic and a pluralist society, and for implementation of human rights and other UN covenants. • CSO should work for national interest and sustainable and positive changes. www.equitybd.org

5. What should be CSO principles, external and internal factors effecting CSO effectiveness External and Internal Factors in Affecting CSO Development Effectiveness / Challenges. Internal factors • If organization does not maintain democratic process within the organization then it affects its development effectiveness. • If the organization leader has the lack of commitment to the issue and to the democratic process then it has also effect on development effectiveness... • Family relation among the staff and the board members hinder the highest level of CSO development effectiveness. • Market driven attitude of the organization also hinder the CSO development effectiveness. • Patron client relationship with the CSO and the community also has influence the development effectiveness. • Personal interest of the organization leaders also has impact on CSO development effectiveness. • Lack of transparency and rule based financial management has impact of CSO development effectiveness. • Insecurity in long term funding and sustainability has impact in the CSOs development effectiveness. www.equitybd.org

6. What should be CSO principles, external and internal factors effecting CSO effectiveness External and Internal Factors in Affecting CSO Development Effectiveness / Challenges. External factors • Consultant dependency of both funder and recipient hamper SO development effectiveness. • Donor / funder imposed their approach, mind set and conditionality, some time which has create problem in CSOs original nature. If the donor agency does not have transparency and accountability then it has impact on its funded CSOs own effectiveness. • Lack of positive and facilitating attitude from political leaders and bureaucrats. • Intervention in management from vested interest group from political leaders, bureaucrats. • Lack confidence from the people / community has impact on CSO development effectiveness. • Culture of projects gaining through bidding / tender process has impact on CSO development effectiveness. • Religious fundamentalism has impact on CSO development effectiveness www.equitybd.org

7. Building credibility : How and what are the challenges How CSO can do it • Chief executive him self / herself have to be fair, accountable to the board, and transprerent. He must disclose his annual income and expenditure. • Maintaining full transparency, accountability and participation in all level of work to all types of stakeholders including community. • Maintaining full democracy i.e., transparency and participation in all level of organization. • Engaging public representatives, political leaders and media personalities in the work. • Activities and organization should be open for social auditing, keeping space so that community and external stakeholders are able to monitor and participate in the activities and organization. www.equitybd.org

8. Building credibility : How and what are the challenges How CSO can do it • Maintain a citizen charter open on the organizational services, which should also be open for social auditing. • Maintain a life style which is commeasuring to the vision, mission and values of the organization. • At least once in a year, place budget and accounts in front of beneficiaries. • Full compliance on RTI, open / free flow of information, keeping no/little exemption. • Maintaining attitude that, CSO has been formed as because of commitment to the people, not due to the fact that as it is due to getting funding from donors. • Maintain transparency and accountability to the staff and beneficiaries of the organization. www.equitybd.org

9. Building credibility : How and what are the challenges Challenges in building credibility • Imposition of illegal transactions. • Some time administrative compliance create problems • Politically partisan relationship. • Acceptable and authentic audit report. • Worries from the intervention from political leadership. • Bureaucratic tangles in fund release. • Donors treat CSO as fund recipient not as development partner. • Lack of courage to be full transparent, accountable and participatory. • Media has to work as helping hand to develop a CSO sector accountable, transparent and participatory, as need of this sector is some how a indispensable in Bangladeshi society. • Lack of loyal and committed staff www.equitybd.org

10. What should be partnership principles, while partnering with different nature of organizations. www.equitybd.org

11. What should be partnership principles, while partnering with different nature of organizations. www.equitybd.org

12. Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats of CSOs in Bangladesh and What should be considered for enabling environment. Strength • CSO work with marginalized portion of population in society. • CSO has integrated Right Based Approach (RBA) in their work. • Succeeded and capable to mobilize different level population even different level of stakeholders, especially political leaders from both position and opposition. • Bangladeshi CSO has high credibility in international level; they have strong international linkages to project national problems. • Availability of politically committed and disciplined professionals as a human resource. CSO also has countrywide established institutional infrastructure. • Capable to organize community, poor families, local level organizations. • Collection and dissemination of indigenous knowledge and practice. • Written rule based institutions. www.equitybd.org

13. Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats of CSOs in Bangladesh and What should be considered for enabling environment. Opportunity • CSO can play a great role in respect of law, policy. • Mobilizing people for good work • Mobilization of human resources • Mobilizing policy option to build a self reliant nation • Limitation of political parties to accommodate voices from marginalizes section of population.. www.equitybd.org

14. Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats of CSOs in Bangladesh and What should be considered for enabling environment. Threats • Bureaucratic domination • Donor dominance • Difference of opinion with political parties. • Bureaucratic tangles in fund release. • Wide spread and rampant corruption • Fundamentalism and militancy • Aggressive attitude of big NGO / CSOs www.equitybd.org

15. Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threats of CSOs in Bangladesh and What should be considered for enabling environment. Suggestion in creating enabling environment • Equal relationship in partnership and networking • Facilitating attitude from NGO Affairs Bureau • Capacity building of local level CSOs. • There should be common minimum position and unity among all CSOs. www.equitybd.org

16. Thank you www.equitybd.org