34160 Issues and Options for Improving Engagement Between the World Bank and Civil Society Organizations External Affairs, Communications and United Nations Affairs Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network Operations Policy and Country Services Network The World Bank March 2005 Issues and Options for Improving Engagement Between the World Bank and Civil Society Organizations External Affairs, Communications and United Nations Affairs Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network Operations Policy and Country Services Network The World Bank March 2005 ©2005 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA This material may be copied, translated, and disseminated as long as no profit is derived therefrom. Civil Society Team The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Mail Stop: MC3-309 Washington, D.C. 20433 USA Phone: (202) 473-1840 Fax: (202) 522-7131 E-mail: civilsociety@worldbank.org Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms v Acknowledgments vii Executive Summary ix 1. Introduction 1 2. New Players, New Scenarios: Defining Broader Engagement with Civil Society 3 3. Rationale and Policy Framework Governing the Bank's Engagement with CSOs 5 4. A Framework For Engagement: Expansions And Constraints 10 5. Rising Influence of CSOs in International Development: Changing the Engagement Landscape 18 6. Civil Society Protests and Advocacy Campaigns: Who, What, Why? 23 7. Issues and Options for Achieving More Effective Bank-CSO Engagement 29 8. Conclusion 37 References 39 Annex A 45 iii Abbreviations and Acronyms ARDE Annual Review of Development Effectiveness CAS Country Assistance Strategy CBO Community-based Organization CDD Community-Driven Development CDF Comprehensive Development Framework CFP Concessional Finance and Global Partnerships Vice Presidency C-GAP Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation CSO Civil Society Organization DEC Development Economics Department ESSD Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development Network EXT External Affairs, Communications and United Nations Affairs Vice Presidency FY Fiscal Year GAVI Global Alliance for Vaccines GEF Global Environment Facility HDN Human Development Network HIPC Heavily Indebted Poor Country IDA International Development Association IDB Inter-American Development Bank IDF Institutional Development Fund IFCB International Forum for Capacity Building IFIs International Financial Institutions IMF International Monetary Fund LCR Latin America and the Caribbean LEG Legal Department MAI Multilateral Agreement on Investment MAP Multi-Country AIDS Program MDG Millennium Development Goals MDJ Monterrey/Doha/Johannesburg NGO Non-governmental Organization OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OED Operations Evaluation Department OP/BP Operational Policy/Business Procedure OPCS Operations Policy and Country Services Network OVP Operational Vice Presidents PAD Project Appraisal Document PIC Public Information Center PREM Poverty Reduction and Economic Management PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper PVO Private Voluntary Organization v QAG Quality Assurance Group SAPRI Structural Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative SDV Social Development Department UN United Nations WBI World Bank Institute WSF World Social Forum WSSD World Summit on Sustainable Development WTO World Trade Organization vi Acknowledgments T his paper was prepared by the External Affairs, va, Steen Jorgensen, John Underwood, Katherine Communications and United Nations Vice Marshall, Paul Mitchell, John Mitchell, Stephen Presidency (EXTVP), the Environmentally and Commins, and Veena Siddharth for their comments Socially Sustainable Development Network (ESSD- and guidance. Iris David, Joaquin Lopez and Karoli- VP) Vice Presidency, and the Operations Policy and na Ordon also provided invaluable support. Country Services Network (OPCS) Vice Presidency This paper also benefited from public comments of the World Bank. The drafting team was led by sought between October 2003 and February 2004 via Carolyn Reynolds Mandell and included William an electronic discussion as well as a videoconference Reuben, Jeff Thindwa, John Garrison, Cynthia and face-to-face discussions with civil society repre- Gears, and Carmen Monico. Drafts of this paper sentatives in Argentina, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, were reviewed by Bank senior management and an Mozambique, West Bank and Gaza, and Washing- array of staff across the Bank Group, as well as the ton, D.C. We would like to thank those who partici- Board of Executive Directors, and the paper was pated in these discussions and provided feedback. A revised in response to their comments. Members of matrix of comments provided by civil society repre- the Bank-wide Civil Society Group and Civil Society sentatives on this paper is attached in Annex A. This Country Staff provided extensive feedback. The team paper and annexes can be downloaded from the would like to thank in particular James Adams, Ian Bank's website for civil society engagement at Goldin, Ian Johnson, Mats Karlsson, Vinay Bharga- http://www.worldbank.org/civilsociety. vii Executive Summary T he purpose of this paper is to assess the World The Bank today is taking deliberate steps to Bank's recent relations with civil society engage a wider, and more complex, spectrum of organizations (CSOs), and to propose organizations and constituencies within global, options for promoting more effective civic engage- national and local civil society. The Bank recog- ment in Bank-supported activities and managing nizes the differing situations between countries as associated risks in the future. well as the different environments--legal, institu- tional, political and social--that shape the opportu- This paper analyzes the Bank's extensive experi- nities for civic engagement. To frame the discussion, ence over the past few years in engaging CSOs in this paper provides a definition of CSOs as not-for- a broad range of development operations and in profit, non-governmental institutions, covering a policy dialogue at the local, national and transna- wide range of organizations from development tional levels. The Bank's member governments re- NGOs and think tanks to trade unions, foundations, main the institution's owners, clients and decision faith-based organizations, disabled persons organi- makers, and its ultimate accountability is to these zations, community-based organizations, media shareholders. Yet they have supported the expan- (independent and non-profit), and business associ- sion of Bank-CSO engagement from the early 1980s ations. The paper then scans the authorizing frame- to today in recognition of the benefits for develop- work for Bank-CSO relations and some of the im- ment effectiveness and poverty reduction. During plications of changes that have occurred inside and Mr. Wolfensohn's tenure as Bank President from outside the Bank since the 1998 review entitled The 1995 to the present, the Bank has placed a high pri- Bank's Relations with NGOs: Issues and Directions, ority on strengthening engagement with CSOs, in- which discussed the evolution of Bank-civil society cluding appointing staff in most of the Bank's coun- relations from 1981­1998. try offices to facilitate these relations. Civic engagement is now an integral piece of the Bank's The Bank's engagement with CSOs can be strategy to strengthen the investment climate and grouped into three categories of activity: facilita- promote empowerment in developing countries, tion, dialogue and consultation, and partnership. As and is part of the Bank's business model. The im- a facilitator, the Bank supports civic engagement in portance of such an empowerment and participato- countries that are designing Poverty Reduction ry approach to development has been reflected in Strategies, and in implementing and monitoring an Bank operational policies and staff guidelines, re- array of Bank-financed projects, ranging from cent IDA Replenishment reports, and the 2000 and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention to microcredit 2004 World Development Reports, and it under- schemes. Through dialogue and consultation, the pins the Comprehensive Development Framework Bank directly engages CSOs and seeks their views on (CDF) and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper issues of mutual interest, such as the Bank's opera- (PRSP) approaches. The Bank regards constructive tional policies and Country Assistance Strategies engagement with CSOs as an important factor in (CAS). Executive Directors on the Bank's Board meet supporting the global development agenda laid out regularly with CSOs, as do Bank management and in the recent summits in Monterrey, Doha, and Jo- staff. And in the category of partnerships, the Bank is hannesburg, and in supporting developing coun- working with CSOs on joint initiatives in biodiversi- tries' efforts to achieve the Millennium Develop- ty, health, education, youth development and nu- ment Goals (MDGs). merous other areas. Many Bank legal agreements with governments contain grant-making compo- nents, such as Social Funds and AIDS programs, ix through which resources are channeled to CSOs to opinion leaders increasingly rely on CSOs for infor- implement social service programs. The Bank also mation, sectoral expertise and/or policy advice. manages an array of grant mechanisms and donor- supported trust funds that provide direct support for As the influence of CSOs continues to grow, they CSO-initiated projects. are also attracting greater public scrutiny, prompt- ing calls for greater accountability. Some govern- While the overall trend has been one of broaden- ment authorities, notably parliamentarians in devel- ing and deepening engagement of CSOs in the oping countries, have begun to question who CSOs Bank's work, approaches to engagement vary represent and how much weight should be given to widely, and some significant constraints exist. their views vis-ŕ-vis the views of elected officials and Some member governments and Bank staff remain other stakeholders. There has been growing interest cautious about CSO engagement, which can be at- from within the civil society sector, as well as from tributed to many factors, including concerns about governments and donors, in the use by CSOs of the roles, representation and accountability of codes of conduct, accreditation programs and forms CSOs. Other institutional constraints to effective of benchmarking that encourage the common pur- civic engagement include: a lack of reliable and/or suit of good practice in performance, accountability easily accessible data to monitor and evaluate the and transparency in their management and opera- Bank's engagement with CSOs; insufficient guid- tions. At the same time, many governments and in- ance to staff on good practices and procedures to ternational agencies have taken steps to adapt to this follow when engaging with CSOs; disclosure and changing civil society and governance landscape, in transparency issues; weak incentives for Bank staff some cases including civil society representatives in to engage CSOs; and funding and procurement lim- national delegations or policy setting bodies. This in itations. Cost-benefit considerations are of particu- turn has led to calls for the Bank to review its own lar concern for the Bank, as it aims to improve the norms and mechanisms for engagement; to further cost effectiveness of its operations and to reduce the mainstream participation in Bank-supported re- costs for developing country clients of doing busi- search and analysis, policy dialogue and operations; ness with the Bank. Likewise, some CSOs are wary of and to encourage member governments to open engaging with the Bank because they find it cum- space for civic engagement in development policy bersome to do so, or they do not believe it will yield making and programming. much benefit. Bank management has acknowledged the need to address many of these internal and ex- The changes in civil society also have prompted ternal concerns. an evolution in the styles of CSO engagement with the Bank and other multilateral institutions in re- An important consideration for the Bank and its cent years. On one hand, unprecedented numbers member governments is that the dramatic expan- of CSOs are involved in implementing Bank-sup- sion in the size, scope and capacity of CSOs ported projects, as contractors or as grant recipients. around the globe since the early 1990s has already On the other hand, CSOs have organized extensive had a major impact on global development, and protests and advocacy campaigns targeting Bank and that impact is likely to grow in the future. These other international meetings, which have been changes have been aided by the process of global- viewed by some as evidence of a crisis in CSO confi- ization and the expansion of democratic gover- dence in multilateral institutions. These protests nance, access to telecommunications, market trans- warrant measured analysis. Some have been rooted formations, and economic integration. CSOs have in growing public concerns about globalization and become significant players in global development fi- persistent social and economic inequities, and in op- nance, are increasingly influencing the shape of position to governments' structural adjustment and global and national public policy, and have become economic reforms. Others have been aimed directly important channels for delivery of social services at Bank policy and lending decisions, or dissatisfac- and implementation of both publicly and privately tion with the process or outcomes of Bank-support- financed development programs. The growing focus ed consultations. Even when the responsibility for among policy makers and citizens on the need for the decision or process in question rests with an in- good governance and greater transparency has also dividual government, CSOs often believe that target- opened new doors for CSOs as players in the devel- ing the Bank, with its political and financial clout opment business, and parliamentarians, media and and international media scrutiny, is more likely to x get attention and force change than targeting the As CSOs become more influential actors in public government involved. There was an overall shift to- policy and in development efforts, the Bank's ward more peaceful engagement in the wake of the business case for engaging CSOs grows stronger, violence which occurred in 2000 and 2001 at the in- as a key component of an effective institutional ternational meetings in Prague, Quebec, and Genoa, strategy for poverty reduction. Civic engagement, and particularly after the September 11, 2001 terror- including the integration of poor people's voices ist attacks, but experience shows that some groups and citizen participation into public policy, is an remain committed to using obstructive tactics or important means for the improvement of service de- even violence. With these more militant groups, livery schemes and accelerating progress toward the there is little basis for the Bank to expect that con- MDGs, as outlined in the World Development Re- structive relations are possible or desirable. Howev- port 2004: Making Services Work for Poor People. As an er, the evolution of the World Social Forum (WSF) inter-governmental institution, the Bank's challenge and other civil society forums suggest that even some is to promote civic engagement that helps member of the more radical social movements may be ma- governments exercise their leadership role to pro- turing, recognizing the need to move beyond using mote sustainable development and achieve the protest as an advocacy tool and engaging policy MDGs in a cost-effective, participatory, equitable makers in serious debate about policy alternatives. and accountable manner. Recent Bank/IMF Annual and Spring Meetings, The analysis in this paper points to four main is- where substantive dialogue has occurred as well sues and challenges for the Bank as it seeks to as protests, demonstrate the complex relations achieve more constructive and effective engage- that often exist between CSOs and the Bank. It is ment with CSOs in the future: important for the Bank and its member govern- ments to recognize that many CSOs feel it is appro- ISSUE 1: priate to play dual roles as critics and allies. Critical Promoting best practices for advocacy and peaceful protest have played impor- civic engagement tant roles in the past in promoting effective reform and policy changes, such as the adoption of ex- The Bank's mainstreaming of civic engagement has panded debt relief, environmental and social safe- led to a wide variety of approaches and practices, guard policies, information disclosure and the In- some more effective than others. This variety can re- spection Panel. Today, CSOs are appealing to the sult in dissatisfaction among Bank staff, member Bank to tackle a new generation of development governments and CSOs in terms of the quality and challenges, such as ensuring debt sustainability af- outcome of the engagement. The solution lies in ter debt relief has been provided, thorough applica- finding better ways of promoting and sharing good tion of safeguards, protection of human rights, and practices across the Bank, and also in soliciting reg- increasing the voice and participation of develop- ular feedback from member governments and CSOs ing country governments and their citizens in glob- on the strengths and weaknesses of the Bank's en- al decision-making processes. Many of these issues gagement practices. are at the heart of the evolving relationship among the Bank, its member governments, CSOs, and the ISSUE 2: private sector, and relate to difficult questions of Closing the gap between country ownership, sovereignty, and political pow- expectations, policy and practice er. The Bank and its member governments should seize the opportunity to strengthen relations with The gap between the Bank's messages and corre- CSOs which may represent constituencies sympa- sponding expectations, policies and practices sug- thetic to the protesters' messages, yet which opt for gests a number of constraints to effective Bank-CSO constructive engagement rather than confrontation. engagement. Taking further steps to close this gap Particular emphasis should be on building relations can help to promote more constructive and effective with groups which empower poor people and have relations in the future. the analytical skills, operational capacity, and/or networks to contribute to the global effort to reach the MDGs. xi ISSUE 3: · Conduct a review of Bank funds available for civ- Adapting to changes in global and il society engagement in operations and policy national civil society dialogue, and explore possible realignment or re- structuring. Significant changes in global and national civil soci- ety have occurred over the last several years, which · Review the Bank's procurement framework with warrant adjustments in the ways the Bank engages a view toward facilitating collaboration with with CSOs institutionally. CSOs. · Institute an integrated learning program for Bank staff and member governments on how to engage ISSUE 4: CSOs more effectively, as well as capacity-build- Achieving greater Bank-wide ing for CSOs on how to work effectively with the coherence and accountability Bank and its member governments. The decentralized responsibility in the Bank for en- · Hold regular meetings of senior management, gaging CSOs is a major challenge that poses both and periodically with the Board, to review Bank- opportunities and risks. This calls for reviewing the civil society relations. management and staffing arrangements and im- · Develop and issue new guidelines for Bank staff proving the mechanisms to achieve greater Bank- on the institution's approach, best practices, and wide coherence, coordination and accountability. a framework for engagement with CSOs. To address these issues, 10 priority actions are · Emphasize the importance of civil society en- proposed: gagement in the guidance to Bank staff on the preparation of the CAS as well as in CAS moni- · Establish new global mechanisms for Bank-CSO toring and evaluation. engagement to help promote mutual under- standing and cooperation. · Develop tools for analytical mapping of civil so- ciety to assist Bank country and task teams in de- · Establish a Bank-wide advisory service/focal termining the relevant CSOs to engage on a given point for consultations and an institutional issue, project or strategy. framework for consultation management and feedback. A number of other options for improving the · Pilot a new Bank-wide monitoring and evalua- Bank's engagement with CSOs require further dis- tion system for civic engagement. cussion among Bank management, member govern- ments and CSOs, and are outlined in Section 7 of this paper. xii 1 Introduction 1. The purpose of this paper is to assess the as promoting partnerships and stakeholder World Bank's (hereafter the Bank)1 recent re- participation have become part of the Bank's lations with civil society organizations business model. (CSOs), and to propose options for promot- ing more effective civic engagement in Bank- 3. Civic engagement has increased substantially supported activities and managing associated during the last few years in Bank-supported risks in the future. This paper was initially investment and programmatic lending oper- drafted by the Bank's Civil Society Team (CST) ations, as well as in the design, implementa- anchor2 as a follow-up to an October 2001 tion and monitoring of national poverty re- meeting of Bank Vice Presidents, at which time duction strategies. This is evident in the it was agreed that recent internal and external expanded use of social accountability6 and par- developments warranted a strategic review of ticipatory techniques for budget allocation and the status of the Bank's relations with CSOs. service delivery, the growing incidence of CSO participation in the design and monitoring of 2. Strengthening Bank-CSO relations is impor- Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), and tant to various Bank sector strategies, in sup- the emergence of operational innovations and port of implementing the institutional Strate- partnerships with CSOs, examples of which are gic Framework and the global development referred to later in this paper. This paper is agenda set forth in the Millennium Develop- meant to complement other documents which ment Goals (MDGs) and international sum- provide much more detailed discussions of mits in Monterrey, Doha, and Johannesburg.3 Bank-CSO engagement in specific regional, This paper serves as a follow-up to the 1998 pa- country, or issue-based contexts.7 This paper per The Bank's Relations with NGOs: Issues and focuses on various cross-country issues, in Directions, which reviewed the history of Bank- recognition that as CSOs become more con- civil society relations from 1981­1998 and nected around the globe, the way in which is- some of the lessons learned during that peri- sues and relations are managed at the local lev- od.4 Since the Bank's Board of Directors adopt- el often affects relations at the global or ed the first operational directive on working institutional levels, and vice-versa. The authors with NGOs in 1981, the Bank has come to rec- also have consulted many recent external ognize the development effectiveness and risk reviews on global civil society trends and Bank- management benefits of engaging CSOs, and CSO relations.8 has steadily expanded this engagement both in operations and in policy dialogue. This trend 4. It can be argued that the Bank is now in its has been supported over the years by the cre- third generation of engaging CSOs in poverty ation in the early 1980s of the Bank-NGO reduction and development efforts. During Committee and the NGO/CSO anchor team at the first generation, from the early 1980s to ear- Bank headquarters, and since 1995 by a Bank- ly 1990s, the Bank was focused on opening its wide Civil Society Group (CSG) comprising doors to CSOs, and learning how to promote civil society and external affairs specialists who participation. The second generation, from are located across the institution in various about 1992 to 1999, focused on expanding and headquarters departments and in most country mainstreaming participation in Bank opera- offices.5 Today, nearly all operational staff tions and policy dialogue. Although the main- spend some time on civil society engagement, streaming and learning process continues, since 1 late 1999 the Bank has entered a new phase in some of the reasons for CSOs' expanding influ- which external and internal changes are forcing ence on global and national public policy, the its relations with CSOs to expand and evolve. At nature of recent high-profile protests and cam- the same time, there has arisen a new set of chal- paigns against the Bank, and some of the views lenges to Bank-wide coordination and coher- and concerns voiced by CSOs which regularly ence that is examined in this paper. engage with the Bank. Finally, the paper lays out four sets of issues and ten priority actions, 5. Because Bank-CSO relations are inherently with the objective of improving the effective- dynamic, the issues and actions put forward ness of future civic engagement by the Bank in this paper warrant ongoing review by Bank and increasing its impact on poverty reduction. management, member governments and in- The paper also suggests a number of other op- terested CSOs. This paper is intended to pro- tions which could be taken to address these mote discussion of next steps. To frame the dis- issues, but on which further discussion and cussion, the paper begins with a working consensus-building may be required. These definition of CSOs, briefly reviews the ration- proposals should be seen neither as a panacea, ale and authorizing framework for engaging nor as comprehensive, but as steps which the CSOs in policy dialogue and operations, and Bank, its member governments and CSOs alike describes the different types of Bank interac- can support to help improve the overall quali- tions with CSOs. The paper then examines ty of engagement. Notes 1. In this paper, the term World Bank and the recommendations herein refer to the International Bank for Reconstruc- tion and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), but not to the other institutions which comprise the World Bank Group (International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes). 2. The Bank's core Civil Society Team (CST) currently comprises 7 full-time professional staff from the External Affairs (EXT), Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development (ESSD) and Operations Policy and Country Services Network (OPCS) vice presidencies at Bank headquarters. The CST serves as an institutional focal point for Bank-civil society relations, replacing what was formerly called the NGO and Civil Society Unit. 3. See the World Bank's Strategic Directions for External Affairs: Facing Challenges, Defining New Opportunities (World Bank 2001f), and Empowering People by Transforming Institutions: An Implementation Plan for Social Development in Bank Oper- ations (World Bank 2005a). 4. The Bank's Relations with NGOs: Issues and Directions (World Bank 1998b), presented to the Board in August 1998, is a key reference document on Bank-civil society relations. It summarizes the history of Bank-NGO relations and the sub- stantial progress made over nearly two decades, and key issues going forward. 5. The Bank-wide Civil Society Group (CSG) is an informal grouping of approximately 120 staff located in more than 70 country offices and across various departments in Bank headquarters in Washington. This includes focal points which have been designated for outreach to specific constituencies, e.g. trade unions, faiths, foundations, children and youth, and disabilities. It should be noted however that most of these staff are not full-time dedicated to civil society engage- ment; they have operational or other responsibilities in their respective units. 6. Social accountability is an approach towards building accountability which relies on civic engagement, i.e., in which it is ordinary citizens and/or CSOs who participate directly or indirectly in exacting accountability from public insti- tutions. Social accountability mechanisms are hence demand-driven and operate from the bottom up. See paragraph 23 for more discussion on this topic. 7. For example, see World Bank-Civil Society Engagement: Review of Fiscal Years 2002­2004 (World Bank 2005c); Empower- ing the Poor and Promoting Accountability in LCR: A Regional Framework and Strategy for Engaging Civil Society FY02­FY04 (World Bank 2002m), the upcoming LCR strategy document on Inclusive Governance, and Civic Engagement to Improve Development Effectiveness in Europe and the Central Asia Region: The Role of the World Bank (World Bank 2003a). 8. See attached bibliography for a complete list of Bank and other documents consulted in preparation of this paper. This paper is based on numerous discussions held from approximately 2000­present with Bank staff, Managers and Exec- utive Directors, including meetings of the Bank's civil society and external affairs staffs, and discussions with key con- tacts in global civil society. Key reference documents include the 1998 OED study on Nongovernmental Organizations in World Bank-Supported Projects (World Bank 1998a), The Bank's Relations with NGOs (World Bank 1998b), the World Bank-Civil Society Collaboration Fiscal Years 2000/2001 Progress Report (World Bank 2001g), and the EXT booklet Work- ing Together: World Bank-Civil Society Relations (World Bank 2003i). 2 2 New Players, New Scenarios: Defining Broader Engagement with Civil Society 6. The Bank uses the term civil society organiza- perspectives. While an individual CSO may be tions or CSOs to refer to the wide array of non- classified as local, national or transnational, it governmental and not-for-profit organizations may operate at more than one of these levels si- which have a presence in public life, express- multaneously. Some CSOs may be involved ing the interests and values of their members strictly in service delivery, some in capacity- or others, based on ethical, cultural, scientif- building, and others only in policy advocacy or ic, religious or philanthropic considerations. research, but increasingly groups are involved This definition of civil society, which has gained in more than one of these activities at the same currency in recent years in academic and inter- time. Some examples of CSOs that transcend national development circles, refers to the geographical and functional divides include sphere outside the family, the state and the mar- well-known international networks and move- ket. It excludes for-profit businesses, although ments such as CARE, Caritas, CIVICUS, Oxfam, professional associations or business federa- Transparency International, Via Campesina and tions may be included.9 There has been a delib- the World Council of Churches. CSOs also form erate shift away in the last few years from use of alliances and coalitions with one another at lo- the term NGO, which refers more narrowly to cal, national, and/or transnational levels, both professional, intermediary and non-profit or- formal and informal. These alliances may shift ganizations which advocate and/or provide depending on a specific task, issue or political services in the areas of economic and social de- context. For example, religious and women's velopment, human rights, welfare and emer- groups, which may coordinate to provide food gency relief. The Bank traditionally has focused and schooling to needy populations in a hu- on NGOs in its operations and dialogue, given manitarian crisis, may split over the issue of their prominent role in development activities. providing access to family planning services. Today, however, there is general acceptance that Another example is that environmental and the Bank must, and has begun to, reach out agrarian reform groups, which are often allies more broadly to CSOs, including not just on empowering rural communities, may clash NGOs but also trade unions, community-based over the issue of access to land in protected ar- organizations, social movements, faith-based eas. In addition, CSOs vary widely with respect institutions, disabled persons organizations, to their philosophical and ideological orienta- charitable organizations, media10, research cen- tions, which may be influenced by faith, histor- ters, foundations, student organizations, pro- ical commitment to public service, politics, the fessional associations and many others. Civil nature of their membership, or by their individ- society has been described by one expert as the ual leaders. This helps to explain the very lively arena in which people come together to pursue and rapidly changing debate within global civil interests they hold in common--not for profit society on almost every facet of CSO organiza- or for the exercise of political power, but be- tion, structure, and practice, including their di- cause they care enough about something to take verse views on whether, or how, to engage with collective action in the public arena.11 the Bank. 7. Classification of CSOs is often difficult, given 8. It is also important to recognize that differ- the heterogeneity of institutional interests, ent levels of capacity, access to power, infor- organizational dynamics and philosophical mation and economic resources can be 3 found among CSOs, particularly contrasting tional CSOs and partly financed by the inter- large global or national CSOs with commu- national organization. nity-based organizations. CSOs located in Northern countries or even some in capital 9. The diversity and complexity of global civil cities of developing countries may have multi- society pose challenges to effective engage- million dollar budgets and be invited regular- ment with governments and international or- ly to meet with national and global policy ganizations. In his February 2003 Presidential makers, whereas CSOs in grassroots commu- Lecture at the Bank, Dr. Kumi Naidoo, Secre- nities in Southern countries working on behalf tary-General and CEO of CIVICUS, noted that of poor people generally have less access and this diversity is an asset, but it also "throws up fewer resources available to them. These obsta- fundamental questions about whose voices are cles may prevent them from participating as heard and in which venues, how resources are effectively in policy debates as their counter- accessed and distributed, and who is speaking parts in the capitals. CSOs in developing and for whom."12 Navigating these relationships re- transition countries more generally are often quires more targeted stakeholder analysis and constrained by the lack of appropriate policy, participatory approaches, and is an important legal and regulatory frameworks for civic en- reason why over time the Bank has decentral- gagement, limited internet access, and/or by ized much of its relationship management with restrictions on free press or forums for public CSOs to the country level. However, the in- debate in their countries. In some cases, local creasing transnational networking of CSOs also CSOs may rely on their allies in richer coun- requires consistent strategic engagement at the tries to advocate on their behalf. In other cas- global level. These challenges are discussed fur- es, local CSOs are actually branches of interna- ther in Sections 5 and 6 of this paper. Notes 9. Note: There is no universally accepted definition of the term civil society, which can be traced to Thomas Hobbes and the Scottish philosopher Adam Ferguson. What is important is not that everyone agrees who is "in" and who is "out" in some abstract sense, but to have a working definition to guide the Bank's decision making. In this definition, "non- governmental" and "not-for-profit" are key indicators; "for-profit" business or the "private sector" is treated as sepa- rate. For further discussion, see The Bank's Relations with NGOs: Issues and Directions (World Bank 1998b). See also The World Bank, Consultations with Civil Society: A Sourcebook (World Bank 2001a). 10. It is acknowledged that "media" comprise both for-profit publishing and broadcasting corporations and conglomer- ates, Internet service providers, public radio and television, and not-for-profit entities. Some media are also state- owned or state-controlled. It is not surprising, therefore, that there is debate whether media, or which components of media, should be considered part of civil society. We acknowledge the validity of the debate, but for purposes of this paper elect to include independent and non-profit media as part of civil society. 11. Edwards 1999, p.1; Alan Fowler also notes that by this definition, not all forces present in civil society play a positive role in development; for example, there are organizations which are in favor of social or cultural segregation, or are linked to organized crime, see his January 2000 UNRISD paper, Civil Society, NGDOs and Social Development: Changing the Rules of the Game? 12.Naidoo 2003. 4 3 Rationale and Policy Framework Governing the Bank's Engagement with CSOs 10. The Bank's member governments are the in- · strengthening and leveraging impact of devel- stitution's clients, owners and decision mak- opment programs by providing local knowl- ers, yet Bank Management and member gov- edge, identifying potential risks, targeting ernments alike have recognized that engaging assistance, and expanding reach, particularly proactively with a variety of other stakehold- at the community level; ers, including CSOs, improves development · bringing innovative ideas and solutions to effectiveness. This participatory approach to development challenges at both the local and development has been reflected in at least 15 global levels; Bank operational policies or guidelines to staff, including Good Practice (G.P.) 14.70 on Involv- · providing professional expertise and increas- ing NGOs in Bank-supported Activities; recent IDA ing capacity for effective service delivery, Replenishment reports; the 2000 and 2004 especially in environments with weak public World Development Reports; the Bank's 2001 sector capacity, in post-conflict situations or Strategic Framework Paper and subsequent in humanitarian crises; and Strategy Update Papers; and is embodied in · improving public transparency and accounta- the Comprehensive Development Framework bility of development activities, and thus (CDF) and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper contributing to the enabling environment (PRSP) approaches. Additionally, the Bank's for good governance. Empowerment Framework identifies public access to information, inclusion and participation, 12. The Bank's staffing arrangements have accountability and local organizational capaci- evolved in recent years to support the de- ty as four key elements of an effective empow- mands for broader engagement of civil socie- erment strategy.13 ty. As noted above in paragraph 2, the Bank has a small anchor Civil Society Team (CST), com- 11. Engaging with CSOs contributes to poverty prising EXT, ESSD and OPCS staff at headquar- reduction in a number of ways, including: ters (replacing what was formerly known as the · promoting public consensus and local owner- NGO and Civil Society unit), which serves as an ship for reforms and for national poverty re- overall institutional and global-level focal point duction and development strategies by creat- and resource for Bank management, staff and ing knowledge-sharing networks, building CSOs on Bank-civil society engagement. The common ground for understanding, encour- Bank's regional departments and most country aging public-private cooperation, and some- offices also have staff who serve as focal points times even diffusing tensions; for civic engagement at their respective levels. In addition, the Bank now has staff based in dif- · giving voice to the concerns of primary and ferent network departments whose task is to secondary stakeholders, particularly poor and deepen engagement with specific constituen- marginalized populations, and helping en- cies within civil society, such as trade unions, sure that their views are factored into policy youth, faith-based organizations, and disabled and program decisions; people's organizations (HDN); foundations 5 (CFP); indigenous peoples (ESSD); and poor ments also have shown a high correlation be- people's networks (PREM). All of these staff act tween overall project quality and quality of par- both as direct interlocutors for the Bank with ticipation.20 The World Bank-Civil Society En- CSOs and also to provide advice and support to gagement: Review of Fiscal Years 2002­2004 the Bank President and senior management illustrates how consultations with CSOs during team, country and sector directors, and task CAS preparation can increase the CSOs' capac- managers for their engagements in operations ity to engage in the national development de- and policy dialogue with CSOs. bate and can yield important findings and rec- ommendations that improve the overall 13. The benefits of engaging CSOs are supported quality of the CAS.21 OED's 2002 Annual Review by a number of Bank studies over the past of Development Effectiveness (ARDE) states that decade, as well as by anecdotal and case study the effectiveness of Bank lending operations experience. A few references deserve specific for sector and thematic objectives is influenced mention in this paper. First, the 1994 final re- by the extent and quality of stakeholder partic- port of the Bank's Participatory Development ipation. The 2002 ARDE encouraged experi- Learning Group, endorsed by the Board of Di- mentation with outcome-based operations and rectors, concluded that, "There is significant ev- innovative partnerships with private and vol- idence that participation can in many circum- untary organizations as some means toward stances improve the quality, effectiveness, and greater development effectiveness.22 OED's sustainability of projects, and strengthen own- 2004 evaluation of the Bank's work in Social ership and commitment of government and Development also concluded that stakeholder stakeholders."14 Then in 1998, OED concluded participation in project design and on a con- in its review, Non-governmental Organizations in tinuing basis throughout the project cycle, World Bank-supported Projects, that a majority of leveraging of local CSO capacity, and engaging projects studied showed potential for success CSOs that can partner with communities until because their preparation and early implemen- they can "go it alone" are all critical factors in tation were highly participatory.15 In the 1999 successful Bank-financed projects.23 The World DEC policy research report, Assessing Aid: What Development Report 2004 highlighted the sig- Works, What Doesn't and Why, the authors found nificant percentage of services delivered by in one study that government agencies that ac- non-state providers (including CSOs) in areas tively sought to encourage involvement of ben- such as health, where in many countries 80 eficiaries achieved a 62 percent success rate in percent or more of expenditures are in the non- their projects, while those that did not achieved state sector. The centrality of non-state provi- just a 10 percent success rate.16 The 2000 World sion was reinforced in a recent DFID-funded Development Report, Attacking Poverty, and the study of services in six countries, which again contributing study series, Voices of the Poor, lay documented the large proportion of service de- the foundation for the empowerment, security, livery by non-state providers (primarily CSOs) and inclusion framework, and documented the in health, education, water and sanitation.24 key role played by community groups in pover- Furthermore, the WDR 2004 argued for the es- ty reduction efforts.17 Also in 2000, ESSD pub- tablishment of accountable relationships lished From Confrontation to Collaboration, which among policy makers, service providers and described how improved relations in Brazil poor people, and documented the critical role among government, civil society, and the World that citizens and CSOs can play, both as sup- Bank resulted in more accepted public policies pliers and clients of services, to improve the ac- and more effective projects.18 cess and quality of water and sanitation, edu- cation, and health care services. The 2004 WDR 14. An OED study of participatory processes in pointed to examples of how CSOs help make Bank-assisted projects completed in 2001 social expenditure budgets understandable to concluded that participation of primary and ordinary citizens, how parent associations secondary stakeholders (including CSOs) in- monitor the use of public education resources creased significantly during the mid-1990s, in their local schools, and how water users as- and the resulting benefits have been signifi- sociations track contracting and distribution cant.19 Quality Assurance Group (QAG) assess- arrangements.25 6 15. Recent Bank experience has shown that civic 17. Bank-CSO engagement that fits within the engagement in public policy can enhance the Bank's purposes is entirely permissible under transparency of public institutions. The Bank's the Bank's Articles of Agreement, so long as "social accountability" agenda seeks to build lo- the general provisions of the Articles are cal institutions that utilize civic engagement to observed.27 In general, the Bank's activities improve policies and programs, and to facilitate must relate to economic considerations, in- accountability, transparency and performance of cluding the economic implications of social, public services. In the context of decentralization political and cultural factors that arise in CSO and Community-Driven Development, social engagement. More specifically, neither the accountability helps to strengthen links between Bank as an institution nor its staff members citizens and local governments, and assists local may interfere in the political affairs of member authorities and service providers to be more re- countries. This limitation means, among other sponsive to the priorities of poor people. A things, that the Bank cannot engage in, or be promising model of social accountability is the perceived as engaging in, partisan politics. Nor Peru Programmatic Social Reform Loan (PSRL), can the Bank and its staff members allow their which is supporting the national medium-term decisions to be influenced by the political char- social reform program. While seeking to make acter of member countries. The government the social spending policy more open, this loan agency that serves as the Bank's channel of pursues a more effective use of public anti-pover- communications in each country should be ty expenditures. The Peruvian government has alerted to Bank interactions with CSOs in that piloted a "report card" to evaluate how citizens country. While these stipulations do not gener- rate the performance of selected social services. ally pose a constraint on Bank-CSO engage- This is expected to result in a substantial increase ment, there is still a need for guidance for Bank in poor people's access to health and education staff in these sensitive areas. services, and greater protections for vulnerable groups during humanitarian crises.26 18. Also, concern about the legitimacy, trans- parency and accountability of CSOs are often 16. Despite this body of experience supporting voiced by Bank staff and member govern- the role of civic engagement in development ments. Among the most common critiques effectiveness, many Bank staff and their coun- heard is that CSOs are not elected and do not terparts in government remain cautious about represent anyone but themselves. Many parlia- engaging CSOs. One of the contributing fac- mentarians complain that CSOs are consulted tors is the lack of clarity, fragmentation, and the at the expense of parliamentary involvement ad-hoc nature of the existing operational guide- and established democratic processes. Other lines for staff. Existing good practices encourage critiques are that many CSOs are neither staff to consult or otherwise engage CSOs, but it democratic nor transparent in their own man- is optional for staff to avail themselves of best agement structures and practices, or that they practices, advice or training in this area, and in- can undermine or circumvent government re- centives to do so are often weak. Focal points sponsibility to set policy or ensure delivery of that have been established during the past few social services.28 The Bank's Voices of the Poor years to promote engagement with specific con- study team found that intermediary NGOs/ stituencies like faiths, children and youth, dis- CSOs do not garner the same trust from poor abilities, foundations and trade unions are lo- people as do their own community-based or- cated in different vice presidential units across ganizations.29 Some intermediary CSOs may be the Bank, somewhat disconnected from one an- more preoccupied with "upward" accountabil- other as well as from regular operational and ity to donors at the expense of "downward" ac- policy decision-making processes. This often countability to poor people and local con- gives rise to wide variances in engagement prac- stituencies. Pressures of fundraising, weak tice across the Bank. Many Bank staff and their management skills, and difficulties in scaling government counterparts also may have limited up operations can pose limits to CSOs' effec- understanding of the nature and breadth of civ- tiveness and accountability.30 il society, of what engaging CSOs can offer, or how they can engage effectively. 7 19. Concerns are also expressed by Bank staff and 20. Summary of issues: Engagement with CSOs in a client governments that promoting civil soci- wide variety of Bank activities is a de facto part ety participation increases the cost of doing of the Bank's operational policy framework. business. OED's participation study found that This is based on more than two decades of ac- engaging primary and secondary stakeholders quired institutional experience, including both can be resource- and time-intensive; for exam- quantitative and qualitative data that demon- ple, the costs of consultations for those CASs strate the benefits of engaging CSOs. Yet in prac- studied by the OED team ranged as high as 30 tice there is still a wide variance across the Bank percent of the CAS budget.31 Consultations and due to the ad-hoc nature of this framework, other mechanisms of participation can also in- weak incentives, concerns about civil society ac- troduce new tensions, such as competition countability, and the time and cost associated among stakeholders with different interests, or with promoting participation and civic engage- raising issues or expectations that cannot be ad- ment. This disparity has also resulted from the dressed by the Bank or by a specific project or otherwise beneficial efforts to decentralize and task team. However, it should be noted that task mainstream the Bank's engagement with CSOs managers interviewed for OED's participation at the country and project level. These factors study reported that the benefits of participation have contributed to dissatisfaction among Bank outweigh the costs.32 Likewise, OED's recent re- staff, governments and CSOs alike with the view of social development activities within the quality and outcome of the engagement. In- Bank found that higher upstream costs incurred deed many Bank staff have expressed the need due to participation of stakeholders are out- for more good practice guidance and support weighed by the improved sustainability of the when engaging CSOs. projects.33 Task managers, however, report that they are looking for technical and financial sup- port and guidance for where, when, and how to engage.34 Notes 13.Narayan 2002, pp. 18­24. 14.World Bank 1994. See also Participation in Development Assistance, OED, Precis No. 209, Fall, p. 3. (World Bank 2001d). 15.Gibbs 1998, p. 34. 16.Dollar 1999. 17.Narayan 2000; World Bank 2001h. 18.Garrison 2000. 19.World Bank 2001d. 20. World Bank 2000d. 21. World Bank 2005c; World Bank 2001g, p. 6; World Bank 2001d; World Bank 2000c. See also World Bank's Social Devel- opment Update (World Bank 2002g) at: http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/sdvext.nsf/66ByDocName/MonitoringCivicEngagementinBankLendingand PolicyInstruments/$FILE/monitoring-civic-engagement.pdf 22.World Bank 2002b. 23.An OED Review of Social Development in Bank Activities (World Bank 2004a). 24.Non-State Providers in Service Delivery, University of Birmingham, 2005. 25.World Development Report 2004: Making Services Work for Poor People (World Bank 2003h). 26.World Bank-Civil Society Engagement: Review of Fiscal Years 2002­2004 (World Bank 2005c). 27.The Bank's purposes are set out in Article I, while the general provisions highlighted in this paragraph can be found in Article III, Section 2 and Article IV, Section 10. IBRD Articles of Agreement, as amended effective February 16, 1989. www.worldbank.org. 8 28.Mohammed 1997; Transcript of World Bank Annual Meetings 2002, Seminar's Capstone Session with Foreign Minister Trevor Manuel and Development Minister Jan Karlsson (World Bank 2002j). 29.Narayan 2000. 30. Edwards 2000. 31. World Bank 2001d. 32.World Bank 2001d. 33.World Bank 2004a. 34.Schiffler 2004. 9 4 A Framework for Engagement: Expansions and Contraints 21. Just as the actors involved in Bank-CSO rela- to engage constructively with one another by: tions vary widely, so do the types of interac- providing advice, resources, and training; shar- tions. To provide a framework to examine the ing knowledge and best practices; convening or Bank's civic engagement activities, the Civil supporting multi-stakeholder discussions; and Society Team has grouped them into three encouraging and sometimes helping negotiate categories of activity: facilitation; dialogue and terms of engagement. Desk reviews of Bank consultation; and partnership. Each set of activi- project documents conducted annually by ties may take place at the local, national and ESSD show that, in both absolute and relative transnational levels. An individual CSO may be numbers, intended civil society involvement in involved simultaneously with the Bank in all Bank operations has risen steadily over the past three categories, and at more than one of these decade, from 21.5 percent of the total number levels. Many CSOs consider it entirely appropri- of projects in FY 1990 to 41 percent in FY 1995 ate to engage in advocacy and accountability and 74 percent in FY 2004. The Bank is also activities while also acting as service providers. encouraging countries to implement projects Thus, it is important to recognize that positive linking local CSOs and local authorities in relations with CSOs in one area do not guaran- Community-Driven Development (CDD) ap- tee positive relations in another. For example, it proaches, for which lending was close to $2 bil- is not uncommon for a CSO to be engaged in lion in FY 2003.35 CSO participation is an im- dialogue as a critic of the Bank on structural ad- portant element of the Bank's strategy in the justment policy, yet still engage in an opera- Low Income Countries Under Stress (LICUS) tional partnership with the Bank or receive Initiative, and it has been recognized that broad Bank funds for a project on environmental capacity-building across society is needed to resource management. It is also important to help those countries build momentum for re- recognize that CSOs traditionally have been form and improve social service delivery.36 In FY much more engaged in some sectors of the 2004, the Bank piloted a Civil Society Assess- Bank's work, namely in social policy, social ment Tool (CSAT) in three LICUS countries services and the environment, than in macro- (Angola, Guinea-Bissau and Togo), to assess economic policy, trade or finance. Indeed, CSO capacities in those countries, to identify knowledgeable CSOs often view some units of ways to draw on the resources they have to offer, the Bank quite differently from others, depend- and to assist them in building capacity where ing on such factors as their accessibility, per- needed.37 ceived openness to new ideas and perspectives, and track record in providing feedback. 23. The Bank's facilitation role has expanded fur- ther since 1999 into helping governments en- 22. The Bank's facilitation role is when the Bank gage CSOs in the preparation of PRSPs and provides guidance, or technical or financial implementing an approach based on the CDF. assistance to client governments to engage These efforts are premised on models of partic- with CSOs in Bank-supported activities. This ipatory engagement in macroeconomic and so- group of activities forms the largest component cial policies. The CDF and PRSP frameworks of Bank engagement with CSOs, and is geared have presented new challenges for Bank staff as toward enhancing the effectiveness of Bank- they support governments in managing these financed projects and policy reforms. The Bank processes and ensuring meaningful participa- helps build capacity of governments and CSOs tion. For example, the Malawi PRSP included 10 strategies to strengthen public sector trans- Bank is also helping countries strengthen their parency and accountability and ensure popular policy and legal frameworks to provide more participation in decision-making. In Tajikistan, enabling environments for civil society and PRSP literature was disseminated in several lan- civic engagement for social and economic de- guages to ensure that all citizens could access velopment and poverty reduction.41 For exam- the information. In Albania, Mongolia and sev- ple, in 2003 the Bank conducted an analysis of eral other countries, the Bank has assisted the the legal, political, economic and socio-cultural formation of CSO working groups with govern- constraints on the capacity of civil society ment officials as they are preparing the PRSP.38 groups in Senegal to engage in the decentraliza- The Bank is also playing a proactive role to help tion process, with the aim of improving local bring specific constituencies such as trade governance and service delivery.42 The Bank also unions, faith groups, parliamentarians, persons has conducted a participatory assessment of the with disabilities, and youth leaders into these legal and regulatory framework for civic en- processes.39 gagement in Albania to identify impediments to a more effective role for civil society in the 24. The Bank has also expanded its facilitation country's social and economic development, role into the area of promoting social accounta- and develop policy and legal reform priorities. bility and strengthening civic engagement in public policy and public life. Social accounta- 25. Dialogue and consultation are areas where the bility is an approach toward building accounta- Bank engages bilaterally with CSOs, with the bility which relies on civic engagement, i.e., in knowledge and support of member govern- which ordinary citizens and/or civil society or- ments. Dialogue occurs in many forms and ganizations participate directly or indirectly in venues, at local, national and transnational exacting accountability from holders of power. levels, and may be initiated by Bank manage- Social accountability mechanisms are hence de- ment and staff or by CSOs themselves. The mand-driven, and operate from the bottom up. representatives on the Bank's Board of Directors The Bank is working with an array of CSO part- also meet bilaterally with CSOs from the na- ners to help developing countries institutional- tional constituencies they represent, as well as ize mechanisms for transparency and accounta- with CSO representatives who may visit Bank bility as a means to improve governance and headquarters in Washington to lobby them on public service delivery, while helping to em- specific issues. Engaging in such dialogue with power citizens, especially poor people, women CSOs increases public awareness and under- and indigenous peoples. Social accountability standing of the Bank's activities and objectives, initiatives include formalizing public consulta- and brings to the Bank's attention the concerns tion and participation of CSOs in all the stages and experiences of CSOs on topics of mutual of the government's budget cycle, policy and interest, such as strategies for achieving the budget formulation (e.g., Brazil); budget review MDGs or improving project impact. Dialogue and analysis (India, South Africa, Kenya); pub- also allows the Bank to respond to public in- lic expenditure and input tracking (Uganda and quiries and to engage critics in debate. Dialogue Bolivia); and performance monitoring and is not necessarily expected to result in specific, evaluation (India and Philippines). The Bank is short-term outcomes, but it can lead to greater sharing knowledge about participatory budget development effectiveness over time by improv- planning and monitoring processes with local ing understanding of issues and encouraging governments and CSOs; providing training and cooperation. At the country level, most Bank of- technical assistance to both CSOs and govern- fices have set up formal and/or informal mech- ment officials; and helping clients design mech- anisms for regular dialogue and engagement anisms by which users can evaluate services, with local and international CSOs working in such as citizen's report cards. The Civil Society their country. At the global level, some recent Budget Initiative, launched by the Bank in con- examples of Bank-CSO dialogue include discus- junction with a number of specialized CSOs sions held alongside the Bank's Annual and and bilateral donors, has conducted workshops Spring Meetings; the 2002 UN Summits in in a number of countries to introduce CSOs and Monterrey, Mexico and Johannesburg, South governments to civil society budget work.40 The Africa; and the 2003 WTO Trade Ministerial in 11 Cancun, Mexico. One of the oldest examples of policy, with new categories of documents dis- a Bank mechanism for dialogue with civil soci- closed, and support for new strategies to im- ety is the former World Bank-NGO Committee, prove the staffing and operations of the Bank's created in 1982 as a global platform for interac- Public Information Centers as well as transla- tion with leading NGOs in the North and tion of documents into the local languages of South. For many years, the Bank-NGO Com- project-affected peoples. From 2001­2004, the mittee played a useful role in strengthening the Bank (jointly with IFC and MIGA) commis- quantity and quality of CSO participation in sioned a global, multi-stakeholder review of its Bank policy dialogue and projects. Yet as the work in the extractive industries, which led to Bank began to broaden its engagement with the adoption of a new framework explicitly CSOs in different sectors, the Committee began linking future extractive industry investments to lose its niche. In December 2000, the Bank to good governance and poverty reduction and CSO members of the Committee decided impacts, and also stepping up the Bank's sup- that it was time to create a new platform for en- port for investments in renewable energy and gagement at the global level, which should be energy efficiency.45 Recent OED evaluations on more broad-based. A Joint Facilitation Com- IDA, forestry, HIPC, PRSP, and indigenous mittee (JFC) comprising various global and re- peoples also have been informed by public con- gional CSO networks and senior World Bank sultations. representatives was established as a transitional mechanism to lead this effort.43 27. The third major type of Bank-CSO engage- ment is partnership in operations and/or advo- 26. Consultation, as distinct from dialogue, is a cacy at the national, regional, and transna- process focused on a specific topic or docu- tional levels. There are numerous Bank- ment on which the Bank is soliciting feed- government-CSO partnerships at the national back. The term consultation brings with it cer- level in areas such as education, environment, tain expectations among CSOs that the process microenterprise, health and rural development. will contribute to decision making, such as on The term partnership suggests shared ownership policy or project design, implementation or and decision-making over project design, im- evaluation. It should be noted that some con- plementation and use of resources, so not all sultations, such as those on Bank-financed proj- operational engagements with CSOs would ects and on PRSPs, are not the sole responsibil- meet this test. An innovative example at the na- ity of the Bank; thus, the Bank's role in them tional level includes the social monitoring ini- may be as a facilitator. But consulting directly tiative in Argentina, which is training and fi- with civil society has become a key input for the nancing local CSOs to monitor government Bank in preparation of most CASs, sectoral programs as a response to the economic crisis. strategies and operational policies.44 A notewor- An example of partnership at the regional level is thy example was the series of consultations held the Pakiv European Roma Fund, a joint effort of with CSOs around the globe in 1999 for the the Bank, European NGOs, foundations, and Bank-IMF review of the Heavily Indebted Poor governments to promote the social and eco- Countries (HIPC) debt relief program. The in- nomic development of Roma peoples.46 Some put gathered during those consultations helped recent examples of transnational partnerships in- shape the decision by the Development Com- clude: the Global Alliance for Vaccines (GAVI), a mittee in September 1999 to enhance the HIPC partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates framework and link debt relief to countries' Foundation, other CSOs, the United Nations poverty reduction strategies by asking countries and pharmaceutical companies to expand vac- to prepare a PRSP based on the CDF principles. cine coverage in poor countries; the Structural Likewise, perspectives from CSOs around the Adjustment Participatory Review Initiative globe were solicited in the 2002 Bank-IMF com- (SAPRI), in which the Bank teamed up with prehensive review of the PRSP experience, and CSOs, local research institutions and govern- helped shape the review's recommendations. ments in six countries to conduct research on Global consultations with CSOs in 2000­2001 the impact of macroeconomic and sector reform on the Bank's information disclosure policy policies; the Global Development Gateway, contributed to the Board's adoption of a revised which was launched by the Bank and is now an 12 independent foundation, bringing together gov- policy design and implementation. Donor gov- ernments, donors, companies and CSOs for ernment trust funds play a major role in sup- knowledge sharing and partnership building on porting the Bank's work on promoting partici- the Internet; and the International Forum for patory approaches to public budgeting or Capacity Building (IFCB), a CSO and donor- capacity building for PRSPs; in some cases, supported initiative to build capacity of south- CSOs can even access these resources directly, ern CSOs to engage in international policy mak- with the sponsorship of a Bank department. The ing.47 In addition, the Bank has placed particular Bank also now has a number of direct grant focus on supporting partnerships that are aimed mechanisms, one of the most important of at promoting global public goods and standard- which is the Small Grants Program (SmGP). setting, linked to the outcomes of the 2002 Though modest, this program is highly valued World Summit on Sustainable Development in by the Bank country teams as a source of often Johannesburg. Examples include the Alliance critical seed financing for local CSOs to pro- for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use, in mote innovative civic engagement, empower- which Bank and World Wildlife Fund staff are ment, capacity building, and partnerships. Pro- working together in more than 40 countries to jects supported by the SmGP can be an conduct joint research, analysis and programs important entry point for future government- in forest protection; the Africa Stockpiles Pro- CSO collaboration.50 Other important Bank-fi- gramme, which is addressing the issues of pesti- nanced resources to foster engagement of CSOs cide-contaminated waste; the Global Water include the Global and Country-level Develop- Partnership, which is promoting alliances and ment Marketplaces (DMs), Post-Conflict Fund information exchange on integrated water re- (PCF), Information for Development (In- sources management in line with the Dublin- foDev), and the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Rio principles; and the Global Reporting Initia- Fund. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) tive, which is setting guidelines for reporting on and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor- economic, environmental and social perform- est (C-GAP) also work directly with CSOs.51 ance of businesses, investors and nonprofit or- In August 2003, the Bank established a new ganizations.48 grantmaking facility called the Global Fund for Indigenous Peoples, which provides seed mon- 28. Numerous funding mechanisms have been ey for small, innovative projects proposed and made available to support these different cat- implemented by indigenous peoples' groups in egories of Bank engagement with CSOs. Many developing countries.52 of the Bank's client governments choose to work with various CSOs as direct development part- 29. However, this array of funds appears insuffi- ners and pass Bank project funds onto them or cient to meet the current internal and exter- contract CSOs for specific types of work. One nal demands for engagement, and access to good example of this is the Multi-Country AIDS resources can be difficult, particularly for lo- Program (MAP). Out of MAP's $1 billion budg- cal CSOs. Many of these funds are limited in et, approximately $500 million has been set their size, scope and flexibility, and they can be aside in Bank grant funds to be channeled to time-consuming and cumbersome for Bank CSOs. As of mid-2004, at least 20,000 small- staff or CSOs to access.53 Task managers inter- scale CSO projects have been funded by these viewed for OED's 2001 participation review cit- grants in order to carry out AIDS treatment, sur- ed inadequate funds as a significant obstacle to veillance, prevention and education activities, promoting consultation and participation.54 as well as impact mitigation, at the local level.49 Many Bank staff and CSOs perceive that a sub- Social Funds are another important Bank fund- stantial percentage, or even a majority, of the ing mechanism, employing CSOs to assist gov- Bank's civic engagement activities is reliant on ernments in delivering social services to poor securing donor trust funds or other external communities. Institutional Development Fund funding sources. Although an increasing num- (IDF) grants and special funds such as the Japan ber of strategic communications components Social Development Fund (JSDF) aim to en- are outlined in project budgets, these are often courage governments to adopt more participa- not implemented. At the same time, Bank pro- tory approaches to Bank-financed project and curement procedures are often cited by CSOs 13 and staff as inflexible, or even biased against ing system measures only intended, not actual the involvement of CSOs, particularly against involvement.56 Competing demands on Bank local groups that have limited resources. Efforts staff, and disincentives such as ambiguous guid- are underway to address some of the procure- ance and poor systems for monitoring and eval- ment limitations, but have been slow to meet uating participation, fuel the tendency among internal and external demand. As long as civic task managers to "tick the box" that CSOs have engagement activities are seen as dependent on been involved, rather than take proactive steps raising funds additional to the regular budget, to ensure engagement is viewed as satisfactory there is a danger that in the eyes of clients, these by all stakeholders. The lack of an effective, in- efforts will be regarded as marginal, and will stitution-wide, outcome-based, monitoring and not be valued or prioritized by Bank staff. The evaluation system weakens both operational ef- decision to allocate a significant percentage of ficiency and stakeholder support for the Bank.57 IDA-13 and IDA-14 resources to grants has It is also an obstacle to leveraging greater CSO raised the possibility of greater flexibility for involvement in efforts to help governments client governments to engage CSOs using Bank reach the MDGs. funds, although the Bank will continue to channel IDA funds through sovereign govern- 32. The ad hoc institutional approach to consul- ments, and the grants will be subject to Bank tations is a source of friction in Bank-CSO re- procurement procedures.55 lations. While consultation with CSOs is some- times required and is employed widely across 30. Another constraint is the pressure to respond the Bank today, OED, Bank staff and civil socie- to client needs and disburse funds quickly, ty representatives report that the quality of these which conflicts with the goal of instituting consultations remains uneven. Consultation participatory processes that will promote de- guidelines are not widely followed; training ex- velopment effectiveness. The fixed nature of ists but is not mandatory. As a result, staff are the project cycle in operations supported by the often left to design consultations as best they Bank often does not permit adequate time nor can, with insufficient experience, time or re- sufficient resources to build community and lo- sources to do so effectively. Consultations often cal government capacity to take ownership of occur in an arbitrary fashion with very short no- development programs. Too often the needs for tice and/or very late in the process, rather than capacity building and participation are ignored as a systematic opportunity to learn and help or marginalized early in project planning, and shape policies and programs before they are fi- communities and their representatives also may nalized. On some operational policy reviews, lack the skills and tools to assume leadership for example, internal Bank consensus has large- roles once the Bank's involvement ends. There ly been formed by Management together with are also cases where limited government capac- the Board of Directors before there are any con- ity to absorb Bank resources leads to a backlog sultations with CSOs, limiting the depth and in disbursements, while capable local organiza- range of acceptable input from CSOs. In other tions that could be enlisted to get resources pro- cases, little or no feedback is provided on the grammed in poor communities are not pursued comments received from CSOs, leaving those as viable alternatives. These omissions can put CSOs with little appetite to invest time in future at risk the sustainability of the Bank's develop- dialogue or consultation with the Bank because ment efforts. they do not see how their inputs are utilized. CSOs cite the lack of clear and consistent pa- 31. There is also a lack of reliable and/or easily rameters for consultation and feedback, arro- accessible data to evaluate and track the gance or defensive posturing by Bank staff, lack Bank's engagement with CSOs. For example, of transparency about who is invited, late distri- the Bank cannot currently provide an accurate bution of consultation documents, lack of institutional picture of the amount of its funds translation, and lack of funds to cover CSO time channeled through, or earmarked for, CSOs. and travel expenses as sources of tension and OED findings have suggested that claims of frustration. Growing reliance on web-based CSO involvement in Bank projects may be in- consultations also raises concerns, given the flated because the existing desk-based monitor- limited access of many CSOs and developing 14 country publics to the internet. On the other 34. Disclosure and transparency are also major hand, some member governments have viewed issues for Bank-CSO relations. The Bank's the long periods of consultation on some poli- own Empowerment Framework identifies ac- cies or initiatives as evidence that the Bank cess to information as a key element to pro- is more concerned about CSO opinions than mote empowerment and effective participa- the need to make timely decisions. In sum, tion, which in turn contributes to better poorly managed consultations can pose a sig- governance and public accountability.62 Many nificant obstacle to constructive relations with CSOs recognize that the Bank has made CSOs, and can create both an operational and important steps forward in expanding disclo- a reputational risk management challenge for sure since the Bank's information policy was the Bank.58 first approved in 1993, but they feel that the Bank should do its part to increase public ac- 33. There also has been frustration expressed by cess to information before decisions are made. global CSO networks regarding the outcomes CSOs view greater and more timely disclosure of a number of high-profile stakeholder en- as a key step toward operationalizing the Em- gagement processes that were jointly initiated powerment Framework so that interested with the Bank. Three recent processes in partic- groups have the background they need to en- ular--the Structural Adjustment Participatory gage in dialogue with their government repre- Review Initiative (SAPRI),59 the World Commis- sentatives. In countries where such access to in- sion on Dams (WCD)60 and the Extractive In- formation is not permitted, CSOs often appeal dustries Review (EIR)61--have been the subject to the Bank to intervene with governments and of scrutiny. Each process has had its own dis- promote disclosure. In other cases, Bank man- tinct and innovative elements: SAPRI involved agement is perceived by CSOs as being the ob- CSOs, government officials, and Bank staff in stacle to improved disclosure. joint analysis of the impacts of structural ad- justment; the WCD was an international, multi- 35. Summary of issues: Over the years, Bank-CSO stakeholder panel; and the EIR was led by an in- engagement has expanded and deepened across dependent secretariat that organized a global the three main categories of facilitation, dialogue consultation involving CSOs, governments and and consultation, and partnership. Interviews and representatives of extractive industries. Despite research point to much activity and innovation, good intentions in all three processes, each has but also a persistent gap between expectations, led to some dissatisfaction among the various policy and practice, which hampers the Bank's parties concerned, as a result of differing as- ability to strengthen relations with CSOs. A sumptions and expectations of what outcomes number of proposals to close this gap have been each process would yield. In the case of both identified in the past by EXT, OED and others, SAPRI and the WCD, the Bank helped launch but have not yet been implemented.63 Lack of the process but was later perceived by some reliable data, limited financial resources, and CSOs as having ignored or distanced itself from limits on disclosure of information all pose the recommendations. Lessons learned from constraints on the Bank's ability to engage CSOs these processes include the need to establish early, perform effective monitoring and evalua- clarity of purpose and process up front; to tion of their involvement, and redirect human recognize the heterogeneity of organizations in- and financial resources as needed to align with volved and to manage their varying expecta- the Bank's institutional priority to promote em- tions; to be clear on the roles and responsibili- powerment. ties of third parties involved; and to be flexible in making adjustments to the process mid- stream as needed. 15 Notes 35.The assessments of civil society involvement, which are based on a review of Project Appraisal Documents and Presidents' Reports, are `actual' for the identification, preparation, and appraisal stages of the project cycle, and `intended' for the imple- mentation, monitoring, and evaluation. See World Bank-Civil Society Engagement: Review of Fiscal Years 2002­2004 (World Bank 2005c). 36.World Bank 2003c; Board discussion on LICUS Initiative implementation on January 9, 2003. 37.The Civil Society Assessment Tool (CSAT) is an analytical tool designed to assess a) relationships within civil society, and among civil society, government and donor organizations, b) institutional rules and cultural norms for civic engagement, and c) CSO role in delivering services to the poor and improving the country's governance. See CSAT Concept Note (World Bank 2004b). 38.The Bank's Social Development staff provide operational support and knowledge management on participation to teams engaged in the PRSP process. Key references include: Good Practices and Lessons Learned in PRSP (World Bank 2004c) (http//:www.worldbank.org/participation/PRSP/goodless3.htm); the draft internal document Organizing Participatory Processes in the PRSP (www.worldbank.org/participation/partprsp.pdf ); and Participation in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: A Retrospective Study (World Bank 2002f). 39.See Egulu, L. 2004. Trade Union Participation in the PRSP Process. Social Protection Discussion Paper, World Bank: Washing- ton, D.C. 40.Inaugural and current partners in the CSBI are the International Budget Project (USA), Center for Democracy (Bolivia), the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, IDASA (South Africa); the Ford Foundation, FUNDAR, Mexico, the Uganda Debt Network, the National Center for Advocacy Studies, India, and the Municipality of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Funding has been provided by the Department for International Development in the UK (DFID) and the Swedish International Development Agency. 41. These activities are discussed further on the new website on civic engagement and law at: http://www.developmentgate- way.org/civic. 42.Beck, L. and Thindwa, J., Civil Society in Senegal: The Demand Side of Decentralization, 2003. 43. See CIVICUS 2003. Joint Facilitation Committee, Terms of Reference for the World Bank­Civil Society Joint Facilitation Com- mittee. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/CSO/0,,contentMDK:20133856~pagePK:220503~piPK: 220476~theSitePK:228717,00.html 44.World Bank 2001g; World Bank 2005c. 45.Striking a Better Balance--The World Bank Group and Extractive Industries: The Final Report of the Extractive Industries Review, World Bank Group Management Response, September 17, 2004 (World Bank 2004e). 46.These and other examples are listed on the civil society page on the Bank's website: http://www.worldbank.org/ngos 47.For these and other partnerships, see The World Bank's Approach to Global Programs: An Independent Evaluation, Phase 1, OED, August 1, Annex D (World Bank 2002i); The World Bank's Partnerships: An Update, FRM (World Bank 2002k), available at: http://wbln0023/rmc/rmc.nsf/DOCs/PATS+Documents/$File/SecM2002-0427A.pdf 48.See "Partnerships--The Next Step in People, Planet and Prosperity: Outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Devel- opment" (World Bank 2003d). 49.Presentation by Keith Hansen, Manager, ACTAfrica of the World Bank, to the Civil Society-Strategic Policy Workshop on HIV/AIDS, June 2004 (World Bank 2004d). 50. Chemonics International 2001. World Bank Small Grants Program (SmGP) Evaluation, FY 1998­2000, June 2001. (World Bank 2001l). 51. See Resources for Mobilizing Funding for Development Projects, pp. 21­43. (World Bank 2001e). http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/ funding/ngo-grants.pdf. 52.The 12-member board overseeing the Fund includes six representatives from indigenous peoples' organizations. 53.Ashman 2003. "Seeing Eye to Eye?" Study conducted for InterAction and The World Bank, Just Associates. 54.The World Bank 2001d. p. 3. 55.The Bank has the same responsibility to ensure that grants, like loans, are used for their intended purposes. 56.Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Engagement in World Bank-Supported Projects: Lessons from OED Evaluations (World Bank 2002e); World Bank 2001g. 57.From a January 2003 presentation to Executive Directors on the feasibility of an integrated risk management framework for the World Bank. 58.For further guidelines and best practice examples, see The World Bank's Consultations with Civil Society--A Sourcebook (World Bank 2001a). 16 59.Development Gap 2004. The Structural Adjustment: The SAPRI Report. The Policy Roots of Economic Crisis, Poverty and Inequal- ity. London: Zed Books. 60.World Commission on Dams 2000. Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making. World Commission on Dams. London: Earthscan Publications. 61. See Public Letter to James D. Wolfensohn from NGOs in February of 2004. 62.Narayan 2002. 63.IDA Review Report on Country Consultations, OED, p. 3 (World Bank 2001c). 17 5 Rising Influence of CSOs in International Development: Changing the Engagement Landscape 36. A major factor in Bank-CSO engagement has ments.68 Development NGOs have in recent been the expansion in the size, scope, and ca- years reportedly provided more financial sup- pacity of CSOs around the globe since the ear- port to developing countries than all the UN ly 1990s, aided by the process of globaliza- agencies combined.69 Between 1990 and 2003, tion and the expansion of democratic grantmaking by U.S. foundation and corpora- governance, telecommunications, market tions for international purposes increased from transformations and economic integration. $760 million to $3 billion.70 In overall terms, As illustrative figures, the number of interna- the economic activity of international civil soci- tional NGOs was reported to increase from ety is enormous and growing; the Johns Hop- 6,000 in 1990 to 26,000 in 1999. More than kins University Comparative Non-Profit Sector one million CSOs have been recorded in India Project reported that the non-profit sector in 22 alone.64 The number of foundations nearly countries studied accounted for $1.1 trillion in tripled from 22,088 in 1980 to 56,582 in expenditures as of the mid-1990s.71 Some inter- 2000.65 The recent dynamism of this sector has national CSOs have global staffs greater than been widely documented (see References). The that of the Bank or have program budgets that evolution of Bank engagement with CSOs has may rival or exceed those of some of their donor been affected by this tremendous growth of agency partners.72 CSOs and their increasing role in national and global affairs. 38. CSOs' influence on shaping global public policy has grown over time. Although CSOs 37. CSOs have become significant players in glob- began networking across borders more than al development finance. Organization for Eco- two centuries ago, the past 10­15 years have nomic Cooperation and Development (OECD) seen the emergence of what a number of ana- statistics for 2003 report that the private com- lysts are now calling a transnational, or global, ponent of NGO/CSO grants totals some $10 civil society, which is more networked than ever billion annually, a doubling since 1990, and before.73 Transnational advocacy networks of about 15 percent of the value of current ODA.66 CSOs began mobilizing in earnest in the 1990s, In addition, OECD members report contribu- through parallel summits held around global tions by governments to NGO/CSO programs United Nations conferences, and through advo- account for at least $1 billion annually, while cacy campaigns on issues such as banning land- official aid channeled through NGOs/CSOs is mines and promoting debt relief. Case studies at least another $1 billion per year. In total, show how these efforts influenced policy mak- OECD has estimated that flows for both inter- ers' agendas and the final documents approved national development and relief handled by in international forums, while at the same time NGOs/CSOs are at least $12 billion annually.67 energizing and empowering the CSOs in- In another example, the European Commis- volved.74 The blocking of the Multilateral Agree- sion's humanitarian aid arm (ECHO) reported ment on Investment (MAI) in 1997 was a sig- a shift of 70 percent of its aid channeled to nificant turning point for many groups, CSOs today, an about face from 10 years ago galvanizing their ambition to focus on the seats when the majority of its aid went to govern- of power in international regulation and 18 finance (including the IFIs); to strengthen their en . . . It includes formal institutions and economic literacy and analytic capabilities; to regimes empowered to enforce compliance, as build broad-based coalitions including al- well as informal arrangements that people and liances with friendly governments; and to be institutions either have agreed to, or perceive to combative when necessary.75 The Campaign to be, in their interest."78 In both developed and Ban Landmines and Jubilee 2000 mobilized developing countries, there have been calls for thousands of supporters around the globe and new models of public-private cooperation, drew attention from national and international transparency and oversight that give a greater policy makers at the highest levels, as well as in- role to CSOs in public life. Anthony Giddens of tensive media coverage and celebrity support. the London School of Economics describes this There are also many cases of government lead- phenomenon as the result of a deepening of ers, such as in Brazil and the Philippines, who democracy, reflecting a more cosmopolitan have worked in civil society and have pursued form of society that acknowledges a newly similar social change agendas in government. emerging power structure where government, the market and civil society all need to be con- 39. CSOs have become important channels for strained in the interests of social solidarity and delivery of social services and implementa- social justice.79 CSOs are involved in accounta- tion of other development programs, espe- bility and quasi-regulatory functions, such as cially in areas where government capacity is the International Accounting Standards Board, weak or non-existent. Economic and fiscal pol- which has brought CSOs into the process of de- icy reforms in many countries have led to de- veloping harmonized accounting standards for centralization or even privatization of social industry. Participatory budgeting and monitor- service delivery, which can result in a larger role ing processes being used in countries from for CSOs.76 In countries that are experiencing India to Ghana are helping to ensure that gov- economic stress, political upheaval, conflict or ernment funds are focused on citizens' needs, post-conflict situations, CSOs are sometimes and are actually spent on the programs for the best viable alternative for delivering social which they were intended.80 In sum, involving services to needy populations.77 In addition, CSOs in development and strengthening their public policy challenges ranging from environ- "watchdog" role is now widely accepted by the mental protection to disease control have international community as an important com- grown more complex at the global and nation- ponent of promoting good governance.81 al levels, and existing inter-governmental mech- anisms have been insufficient to address these 41. As CSOs' expertise and influence grow, corpo- problems effectively. As knowledge and capaci- rations, parliamentarians, media and opinion ty in the non-profit sector have expanded, and leaders seek them out for information, advice as CSOs build alliances with academics, econo- and partnerships. Leading multinational cor- mists and other experts in their areas of interest, porations today seek alliances with CSOs as a the expertise and capacity in civil society can be central part of their business strategy. This is ev- tapped for the public benefit, and may rival or idenced, for example, by the recent growth in even exceed the capacity of government or the corporate social responsibility (CSR) themes in private sector in a given area. commercial advertising for the pharmaceutical, technology and energy industries. Growing 40. The increasing focus among policy makers numbers of investors and consumers alike are and their publics on good governance and looking for products and investments that meet transparency has also opened doors for CSOs the CSR test and are "approved" by reputable beyond national borders. The independent CSOs.82 A major area of discussion around the Commission on Global Governance defined WSSD Summit in Johannesburg was how to get the concept of governance as "the sum of the business, CSOs and governments to work more many ways that individuals and institutions, closely together on a social responsibility agen- public and private, manage their common af- da. Parliamentarians in Northern and Southern fairs . . . is a continuing process through which countries are also joining together with citizens' conflicting or diverse interests may be accom- groups to campaign for certain issues--for ex- modated and cooperative action may be tak- ample, the alliance of faith-based groups and 19 lawmakers in many countries was critical to by donor agencies to self-regulate and demon- mobilizing executive branch support in favor of strate their legitimacy and accountability as debt relief. Mainstream media covering global development advocates on behalf of poor com- and national policy debates regularly seek out munities in developing countries.88 This stan- the views and comments of campaigners and/or dard-setting is not a new exercise for many in think tanks. civil society. For example, the U.S.-based inter- national NGO coalition InterAction launched 42. International surveys demonstrate a trend to- its PVO Standards in 1984 as a condition for ward greater public trust in CSOs than gov- membership.89 In the Philippines, a self-regulat- ernments or for-profit corporations. In a ed code of conduct for CSOs was instituted in number of countries, governments and political the early 1990s, and was later transformed into parties face lower levels of credibility among a self-managed system that assesses NGO com- their populations than do CSOs. Recent global pliance with standards required for acceptance surveys suggest that there is greater public trust by the Securities and Exchange Commission as in NGOs/CSOs than in government, private eligibility for tax exemption.90 The Humanitari- sector corporations or international organiza- an Accountability Partnership-International in tions to promote and protect ethics and moral Geneva aims to increase the accountability of values.83 Since 2000, the annual Edelman Trust humanitarian agencies to beneficiaries, while Barometer has found that NGOs/CSOs outpace the SPHERE standards is an example of an NGO governments, business and the media in public charter to set sector-specific, minimum per- trust and being perceived as a source of credible formance standards in disaster response. The information, particularly on the environment, past three years in particular have witnessed a health, and human rights issues.84 A 1997 noticeable growth in the number of CSO con- Gallup study in Argentina found that the level ferences, writings, and training sessions devot- of confidence in public institutions in Argenti- ed to the topics of how organizations can estab- na, for example, was extremely low; public reac- lish and maintain legitimacy, accountability, tions to the recent economic crisis in that coun- and best management and operational prac- try suggest that those concerns deepened over tices.91 In response to the growing scrutiny and time.85 The Bank's own Voices of the Poor study expectations, some CSOs are experimenting also speaks to a crisis of credibility for govern- with international benchmarking and/or third- ment institutions; the study team found that party accreditation.92 The international trade CBOs are often trusted by the poor more than union movement, which already has well-es- government to address their needs.86 In both de- tablished systems of election and consultation veloped and developing countries, recent cor- involving large membership bases, has sought porate governance scandals as well as govern- to distinguish itself from other CSOs and en- ment responses to terrorism have elevated sure that policy makers understand its struc- public skepticism and distrust of private sector tured accountability systems. corporations and government. 44. These trends point to the importance of main- 43. CSOs are attracting greater public scrutiny as streaming civic engagement issues into Bank their capacity and influence grow. Donors, analysis, policy dialogue and operations. The governments, parliamentarians and citizens are growing capacity of CSOs has created many op- demanding that CSOs demonstrate they are portunities to harness them in development well-managed, cost-effective, publicly account- and poverty reduction efforts, while their grow- able, and actively engaged in local capacity- ing influence can make them a formidable ob- building. CSOs are being challenged by govern- stacle if they oppose a particular project or pol- ment officials in both the North and South to icy reform. More systematic assessment of the show how participatory democracy will not un- opportunities and risks posed by national and dermine representational democracy based on transnational CSOs thus becomes a critical ele- electoral expression. Tensions often flare in dis- ment of a strategic approach to development. cussions about the roles of "elected" govern- The explosive growth and networking of civil ments versus "un-elected" civil society.87 Inter- society around the globe also increases the chal- national CSOs in particular are being pressed lenge for the Bank and its member governments 20 to make more informed and strategic choices included in high-level sessions. At the 2003 about which groups to engage on which issues, Cancun WTO Ministerial, for example, many with the goal of empowering the poorest com- CSO representatives were included on govern- munities and other primary stakeholders. An ment delegations. The ADB, IADB and UNDP appropriate enabling environment for civic en- all recently have adopted new participation gagement is also key. In addition to a conducive strategies.94 The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tu- political and economic environment, countries berculosis and Malaria has 5 voting seats for need legal frameworks that build up civil socie- CSOs on its governing board.95 A High-Level ty and create opportunities for CSOs to engage Panel on UN-Civil Society Relations, appointed in national development efforts, whether in by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and service delivery, monitoring of public services, chaired by former Brazilian President Cardoso, advocacy or public education. They should pro- made a series of recommendations in 2004 that vide for free access to information and facilitate aim to give CSOs a greater voice in global gov- CSO fundraising, among other priorities. Press ernance and to strengthen the level of civil soci- freedom is another important aspect of this en- ety engagement across the UN system.96 At the abling environment.93 The degree to which same time, some governments have been taking these civic engagement issues are elevated and steps to monitor the activities of civic organiza- mainstreamed into the Bank's country work tions as part of their anti-terrorism efforts, giv- varies widely and usually depends on the expe- ing rise to concerns that the activities of legiti- rience and perspectives of individual Bank mate CSOs could be adversely affected.97 country directors and task managers, and of counterpart government officials. 46. Summary of issues: The changes in global civil society highlighted in this section have signifi- 45. Other international organizations, as well as cantly impacted global development and pover- many of the Bank's member governments, ty reduction efforts, and warrant higher priority have begun to respond to the changing civil and greater understanding by Bank staff, man- society and governance landscape. Beyond the agement and the Board. These changes have im- Bank, there has been a general trend among in- plications for the Bank's internal and external ternational organizations during the past sever- learning and capacity-building programs, al years toward improving participation and mechanisms of engagement with CSOs in oper- opening doors wider to civic groups. For exam- ations and on policy issues, relations with ple, many governments now include CSOs on member governments, as well as collaboration their official delegations to UN conferences and with other international agencies and the busi- provide financial and/or political backing for ness sector. parallel civil society forums, and CSOs are also Notes 64.Dierckxsens 2000. 65.The Foundation Center 2001. 66.ODA includes grants made by bilateral donors to NGOs, but not grants made by NGOs using private funds. 67.OECD 2003. OECD notes that these figures are likely underestimates because not all donors report contributions by governments to NGOs' own programs, and only about half the donors report on their funds channeled through NGOs. 68.ECHO 2003. http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/statistics/index_en.htm; UNHCR 2003. http://www.unhcr.org/ 69.The Economist 1998. 70. The Foundation Center 2004. 71. Salamon 1999, p. 8. 72.CARE 2002. http://www.careusa.org/newsroom/publications/annualreports/2002/2002annualreport.pdf 21 73.Kaldor 2001; Florini 2000. 74.Pianta 2001; Clark 2002; Vayrynen 2000, p. 83.; Florini 2000. 75.Wahl 1998, p. 5; Goose 2000. 76.Pianta 2001; Florini 2000. 77.World Bank 2002l. 78.Commission on Global Governance 1995. Our Global Neighborhood. Oxford University Press. 79.Giddens 1998. 80.For example, see Ghana HIPC Watch. First Report Card on Government of Ghana's Performance Under the HIPC Relief Fund. Send Foundation. 81. Giddens 1998, p. 79; Giddens 2000, p. 51. 82.Race to the Top: Attracting and Enabling Global Sustainable Business, Business Survey Report (World Bank 2003f). 83.Gallup International 2002; Environics 2003; Environics 2001, p. 3. 84.On January 25, 2005, the Sixth Global Opinion Leaders Study was launched by Edelman Public Relations at the World Eco- nomic Forum in Davos, Edelman's Trust Barometer 2005. 85.Gallup International, Argentina 1997; Bain 2002. 86.Narayan 2000, p.143. 87.For example, the views expressed by the finance minister of South Africa and development minister of Sweden in a public discussion at the 2002 Bank/IMF Annual Meetings (World Bank 2002j). See Seminar's Capstone transcript of remarks at: http://www.worldbank.org/annualmeetings/ . Also see 2003 American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Seminar transcripts and papers on NGO accountability at: http://www.aei.org/events/eventID.329,filter./event_detail.asp. 88.Fox and Brown 1998. Chapter 12; Hudock 1999. 89.For details on InterAction's PVO Standards, see http://www.interaction.org/. 90. See Philippine Council for NGO Certification at http://www.pcnc.com.ph ; Ball and Dunn 1995; see also the 2002 speech by Jeff Thindwa, World Bank, Achieving Development Results Through Legal Frameworks that Enhance Participation of Civil Soci- ety Organizations, ESSD Shanghai, China. 91. See, for example, agendas from conferences at Harvard, CIVICUS General Assembly and InterAction Annual Forum, 2001, and The Global Accountability Report (One World Trust 2003). 92.See SGS Benchmarking of Non Governmental Organisations at http://www.sgs.com and , and note from the World Bank's Lunch Discussion on Civil Society Accountability on November 10, 2004 at www.worldbank.org/ civilsociety 93.World Bank 2002n. The Right to Tell: The Role of the Mass Media in Economic Development, WBI, Washington, D.C. 94.IADB 2000. Citizen Participation in the Activities of the Inter-American Development Bank, October; United Nations 2001. UNDP and Civil Society Organizations: A Policy Note on Engagement. http://www.undp.org/poverty/practicenotes/ UNDP%20CSO%20Policy.pdf ; Asian Development Bank (ADB) 2002. http://www.adb.org/NGOs/Framework/ 95.http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/partners/ngo/ 96.United Nations 2004, We the Peoples: Civil Society, the United Nations, and Global Governance, A/58/817; United Nations 2002, The United Nations System Collaboration with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), CEB High-Level Committee on Programmes, CRP.5, September. 97. Naidoo 2002. pp. 42­43. 22 6 Civil Society Protests and Advocacy Campaigns: Who, What, Why? 47. The public demonstrations held alongside participants and international media, often many of the international meetings in the pe- provide a convenient target around which ac- riod immediately after the 1999 WTO Minis- tivists can mobilize and be heard. terial in Seattle prompted much debate about the status of Bank-CSO relations, particularly 49. Many activists continue to attribute the prob- at the global level. These protests, including lems of globalization to the Bank's policy and those that were mobilized during the 2000 lending decisions, which they perceive as IMF/Bank Spring Meetings in Washington and harmful to poor countries and their people. the 2000 Annual Meetings in Prague, attracted a While some of their criticisms have been based great deal of public attention and, at times, have on past actions of the Bank that may no longer cast a shadow on the many more constructive be relevant, others do relate to current Bank- interactions occurring between CSOs and the supported policies or activities. Major rallying Bank. issues for protestors and campaigners include debt relief, human rights, governance, corrup- 48. Protests that have occurred around World tion, trade in agricultural commodities, land re- Trade Organization, Bank, IMF and other in- form, privatization of basic services such as wa- ternational summit meetings in recent years ter, and dams or other large infrastructure have focused on a plethora of issues, includ- projects believed to have caused harm to local ing denouncing the war in Iraq and other con- populations or the environment. Even when re- flicts, and particularly on the negative effects sponsibility for the decision or process in ques- they perceive resulting from globalization. tion rests with an individual government (such They are concerned about economic instability as with the PRSPs), CSOs often believe that tar- and the loss of jobs, local control, and cultural geting the Bank, with its political and financial heritage. Although many informed analysts and clout and international media scrutiny, is more the protest organizers themselves argue that likely to force change than appealing directly to "social justice" and not "anti-globalization" is the government in question. This phenomenon the more appropriate term to describe them, has been referred to as the "boomerang effect" globalization is nonetheless the bete noire for because when local civil society activists take what these groups perceive as the excessive their case to the global stage, the pressure power of capitalism, multinational corpora- "curves around local state indifference and re- tions and political elites in developed and de- pression to put foreign pressure on local policy veloping countries.98 They accuse the IMF, Bank, elites."99 and WTO of being the agents of the rich gov- ernments and multinational corporations, 50. Street mobilizations have marked the emer- which they perceive as benefiting most from gence of new social justice movements which globalization and trade liberalization. Some have brought together loosely formed, often protesters believe there is an inevitable conflict virtual, coalitions of development, peace and between the role of a lending institution and human rights activists, students, some trade the goal of poverty reduction. IMF/Bank Meet- unions and other politically active interest ings, which can attract high-level government groups. Although the individuals who gathered 23 on the streets at recent international meetings sages and activities, as on occasion it will be have been overwhelmingly from the North, necessary to respond through the public air- they do have growing links with activists in the waves or other forums. South, fueled by the empowerment and transnational networking of civil society dis- 52. The 5th World Social Forum (WSF) held in cussed in Section 5 of this paper. Many of the January 2005 in Porto Alegre, Brazil--which protesters have been strategic in using these attracted at least 150,000 participants from public events to build support for their respec- around the world, according to the official tive causes, even if the issues have nothing to do event website--points to an emerging global directly with the Bank.100 With respect to global- social movement attempting to find ways of ization and international finance issues, al- influencing change beyond protests. The WSF liances have been formed among what analysts was first held in January 2001 as a strident Desai and Said refer to as "isolationists," in- protest against the annual World Economic Fo- cluding groups which have called explicitly for rum in Davos. Anti-establishment rhetoric at abolishing the Bretton Woods Institutions, and the first WSF was very high; interest in dialogue "alternatives" who may have little first-hand with global policy makers was very low. A video knowledge about the Bank but espouse a com- link between participants in Porto Alegre and bination of "anti" and reformist views on glob- Davos disintegrated into shouting of hostile ac- alization and are content to use the Bank as a cusations and epithets from the Porto Alegre target even if it is not responsible for the deci- side. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist at- sion being challenged.101 Some of the more mil- tacks in New York and Washington, the land- itant groups involved in these protests have scape and tolerance for hostile confrontations demonstrated little interest in constructive dia- and protests began to shift toward more peace- logue with, or reform of, the Bank. Their mes- ful approaches102 and some of the WSF organiz- sages and tactics at times may be confrontation- ers recognized the need to reframe their mes- al, or even obstructionist, such as forming sages and tactics in response to the global human chains to attempt to block officials' ac- political realities.103 The WSF organizing com- cess to meetings or using bicycles to block com- mittee has since encouraged participation of a muter traffic. Some have been willing to use vi- much wider spectrum of CSOs from around the olence and destroy property, or to tolerate and globe, creating a category of observers that has support such actions by others. included Bank staff, and inviting Bank repre- sentatives to speak in some sessions, as well as 51. With the more militant groups involved in United Nations and like-minded government protests, the Bank should not expect to build officials. Nevertheless, many of the organiza- constructive relations. The Bank has made tions involved in WSF are still opposed to any clear its intention not to engage with individu- constructive dialogue with the IFIs or economic als or groups that have espoused violence or policy makers. Whether the WSF will mature property destruction, such as the so-called Black enough to become a space that influences the Bloc or Anti-Capitalist Convergence. There is scope and pace of economic globalization re- also little basis for the Bank to expect that con- mains to be seen. It will depend on the ability structive relations are possible or desirable with of key organizers to find common ground with- obstructionist-minded groups, unless their in the "large tent" of civil society they have cre- aims and tactics change significantly. The Bank ated, to be able to engage in constructive debate does not oppose peaceful, law-abiding protest, with decision-makers in government and in but tactics such as blocking the right of member multilateral institutions, and to put forward governments or Bank representatives to meet more concrete, and rigorous, alternative poli- freely and conduct business cannot be con- cies and approaches. doned. Some of the groups which have taken the lead in organizing protests are interested 53. The greatest opportunity, and challenge, for primarily in drawing headlines or scoring de- Bank-CSO relations in implementing the bate points, not in discussing the facts or having Monterrey/Doha/Johannesburg (MDJ) global a real dialogue. For those groups, the best that development agenda is to deepen relations the Bank can do is to stay apprised of their mes- with those groups which opt for engagement 24 instead of confrontation, are focused on em- monize or encourage violence or obstruction. powering poor people, and have the analyti- At the 2000 Annual Meetings in Prague, for ex- cal and/or operational capacity to contribute ample, some CSOs felt obliged to denounce the to achieving the MDGs. These groups would violence that occurred at the hands of some rad- include what some analysts have termed as the icals in the "S26" coalition. In 2001, at interna- "hearts"--groups which advocate generally tional meetings in Quebec and in Genoa, vio- peaceful and constructive approaches--or "re- lence, property destruction, and ultimately the formers," which are informed critics of the Bank death of a protester finally led some groups to but are also interested in dialogue toward fur- take a public stand against violence.106 Many ther reforming, not abolishing, the internation- CSOs with more experience lobbying the Bank al financial institutions.104 Many of these groups understand very well the distinctions in roles support the Bank's messages to focus on achiev- between the Bank and its government owners, ing the MDGs and strengthening local empow- and can distinguish when it is necessary to ap- erment and voice. Yet they also may be sympa- ply pressure to one or the other. However, there thetic to the protesters because they perceive a are many more that do not follow the institu- persistent "rhetoric-reality gap" between the ex- tions closely and do not distinguish between pectations raised by the Bank's messages and its these roles, so they may stay focused on the research, and actual Bank practice in many cas- Bank regardless of whether or not it is the ap- es. They point to important gaps in the imple- propriate target.107 Students and youth in partic- mentation of Bank operational policies which ular have been easily recruited to the anti-Bank are supposed to promote stakeholder participa- bandwagon, when they hear simplistic mes- tion and empowerment of poor peoples. They sages that Bank staff are responsible for deci- appeal to the Bank to be less arrogant as an in- sions that actually rest with governments. Many stitution, to admit its mistakes, and be more of the more knowledgeable groups which do open-minded to alternative approaches to de- engage with the Bank nevertheless have been re- velopment and poverty reduction. They also are luctant to enter the public debate about the concerned about the ability of poor countries to roles of the multilateral institutions, leaving im- achieve debt sustainability and equitable ages of violence and protest to capture media growth. Although they may agree that the Bank attention and creating the false impression that has changed its approaches, they perceive that the Bank's relationship with civil society is the Bank is still promoting an economic model mostly conflictual. that does not give proper weight to human rights and social protection issues. They believe 55. Now that the Bank has agreed to actions that public institutions such as the Bank should aimed at helping developing countries become more accountable to the public.105 They achieve the MDGs and all partners fulfilling feel that the Bank's governance structure--and MDJ commitments, it will be even more criti- indeed the global governance framework of cal for the Bank to base its work on a strong which the Bank is an important player--is bi- understanding of civil society concerns and ased in favor of the rich countries at the expense capacities, and an analysis of potential road- of the poor ones, and needs to be reformed. Of- blocks. While international institutions and ten it is such analyses by generally constructive governments have generally hailed the global Bank critics that provide much of the intellectu- development compact between rich and poor al credence to the messages carried by the more countries, many CSOs have expressed disap- radical movements. pointment that the commitments were vague and that the summits did not result in concrete 54. The protests have posed a dilemma for some actions. They are monitoring closely the of the Bank's more constructive CSO critics. progress of the multilateral agencies and gov- The more constructive groups may share many ernments on meeting these commitments, and of the same concerns as the protesters--and this may become the acid test for how much may even join with them on the streets at times time or resources they are prepared to invest in because they believe peaceful demonstration engaging or collaborating with the Bank in the and protest is a legitimate tool for affecting future. More effective communications and in- change--yet oppose messages or tactics that de- formation sharing on civil society relations will 25 be required across the Bank, since different de- promote social change and to provide a check partments of the Bank interact with different and balance on the activities of government and groups on implementing different goals (e.g., of publicly funded institutions like the Bank.110 HD on education for all; ESSD on agriculture; A certain level of tension is thus predictable in ESSD/INF on access to water; DEC/PREM on government and Bank relations with CSOs. The lifting trade barriers for poor countries). Bank will always attract some criticism from CSOs, no matter how successful it is in promot- 56. Many constructive-minded CSOs are frustrat- ing engagement or combating poverty, given the ed by what they view as unmet promises to Bank's global reach, resources and structure as enhance citizen participation in develop- an inter-governmental finance institution. If ment processes, particularly in the PRSPs. built on the principles of mutual respect, dia- Constructive government-CSO collaboration is logue and partnership, however, this can be a critical to achieving genuine country owner- healthy tension that results in more effective ship. Many CSOs in both the global and na- policies, programs and governance. For exam- tional arenas believe the Bank has an impor- ple, sustained, critical advocacy from the inter- tant and proactive role to play in helping national environmental NGO movement in the governments design and institutionalize new 1980s and 1990s was instrumental in "green- mechanisms to work with CSOs, such as ing" the Bank, getting the institution to adopt through the PRSPs. They view borrowing gov- participatory approaches and safeguard poli- ernment willingness to open up the PRSP cies, as well as to adopt the Inspection Panel as process to more meaningful participation as a an accountability mechanism.111 Similarly, the key measure of commitment to local owner- advocacy of CSOs such as church-based groups ship and pro-poor reforms. Although PRSPs and Oxfam International, combined with the are intended to be country-owned and coun- leadership of Mr. Wolfensohn at the Bank, try-driven, local and international CSOs alike played a critical role in getting the Bank's mem- want to hold the IMF and Bank accountable for ber governments to adopt the HIPC debt relief ensuring participatory processes that involve a program in 1996. CSOs also played a key role, broad base of non-governmental stakeholders; through the 1999 HIPC review consultation in fact, many view it as the IFIs' responsibility process, in winning agreement on the enhance- to ensure this. Bank, CSO, and donor reviews ment of the HIPC program, and in tying it di- of the PRSP process during the last few years rectly to poverty reduction goals and strategies. show that while CSO participation in PRSPs has been expanding and creating new spaces 58. Recent IMF/Bank Annual Meetings have for civic engagement, the record is quite un- demonstrated that while critical protests may even and significant constraints to meaningful occur outside, there can also be constructive participation remain in many countries.108 Re- dialogue with CSOs inside. At the 2004 Annu- cently, the 2004 PRSP Good Practices leaflet list- al Meetings in Washington, approximately 150 ed a number of "good practices" that should be CSO representatives attended and held discus- considered. These include: engaging stakehold- sions with Bank and IMF staff on topics ranging ers during the implementation and monitor- from poverty reduction strategies and debt re- ing of the PRSP; the support of capacity-build- lief to HIV/AIDS and extractive industries. Many ing initiatives that enable civil society and of the CSO representatives who come to the An- others to engage more effectively in policy de- nual Meetings are prepared to engage with the bate and implementation; and providing time- institutions on an in-depth and substantive lev- ly and constructive feedback to PRSP teams on el, often with detailed proposals or analyses draft strategy documents.109 prepared in advance. As noted earlier, some choose to engage in these dialogues as well as to 57. Most CSOs will continue to play dual roles as join demonstrations on the streets. They not critics and allies or partners to the Bank and only believe that this is their prerogative, but in governments, and will continue to see peace- fact they believe it is often the only way to in- ful protest as a valid tool for affecting change fluence decisions by the Bank and its member along with dialogue. Many CSOs see their ac- governments. tivities as not simply humanitarian, but also to 26 59. The Bank's recent efforts to engage very dif- da.113 Likewise, the Bank established a unit fo- ferent constituencies within civil society cused on children and youth and has embarked point to some of the challenges and opportu- on a vigorous effort to engage with global and nities ahead. The Bank has instituted a regular national youth networks, with the goal of better process of dialogue with the international trade targeting interventions that respond to the union movement that includes leadership-level needs of youth in developing countries, and giv- meetings approximately every two years and ing youth a voice in policy debates.114 more frequent working level meetings on par- ticular policy concerns. This high-level, substan- 60. Summary of issues: CSO-led protests and advo- tive engagement not only creates expectations cacy campaigns in recent years point to the need that the Bank will respond to labor's concerns for the Bank to distinguish better among differ- (such as on privatization and pension reform), ent actors in civil society, to understand their re- but also creates opportunities for new partner- spective motivations and concerns, and to im- ships on areas of joint interest (such as utilizing prove mechanisms for engagement that will union presence in the workplace to help pre- support shared objectives of empowerment and vent the spread of HIV/AIDS). The Bank has cre- poverty reduction. There may be untapped op- ated an office to liaise with co-hosted four meet- portunities to develop more constructive rela- ings with leaders of faith and development tions with groups that may have significant con- institutions, with the goal of strengthening and cerns about the way the Bank operates, yet are scaling up the global fight against poverty. On- also interested in engaging with the Bank and going activities have included speaking engage- have substantive analytical and operational ex- ments, writing articles, organizing formal dia- perience to bring to the table. Seizing these op- logues, co-hosting inter-faith events, and portunities, however, will require the Bank to identifying areas for collaboration and mutual take further steps to close the gap between ex- learning. For example, the Bank has sponsored pectations, policy and practice, and to find workshops to discuss ways to combat HIV/AIDS more effective platforms for engagement that with key faith communities and national AIDS can instill trust, confidence and reasonable ex- councils from a wide range of West and East pectations on all sides. The Bank must also African countries. The Bank also is trying to weigh the costs and benefits of developing bi- forge more constructive relationships with the lateral engagements that cater to the needs of major global foundations which want to build specific constituencies within global civil socie- new and deeper partnerships with the Bank, but ty, versus creating forums to engage these con- have expressed frustration that the Bank often stituencies in a collective fashion, and in a tri- views them only as sources of funding rather partite relationship with member governments. than valuing their ideas and experience.112 Two Finally, this experience suggests the need for years ago, the Bank hired the first-ever Disabili- more effective organizational and staffing ty and Development Advisor to ensure that the arrangements and incentives for Bank-civil soci- voice of Disabled Peoples Organizations (DPOs) ety relations, to promote best practices and are heard and that disability is mainstreamed bring about greater Bank-wide coherence and into the Bank's economic development agen- coordination on CSO engagement. 27 Notes 98. Desai and Said 2001, pp. 64 and 189. 99. Keck and Sikkink 1998, p. 200. 100. See for example Mobilization for Global Justice website regarding linkages of the DC hospital closure with the World Bank's Adjustment Lending Policy. http://sept.globalizethis.org/ 101. Desai and Said 2001, pp. 74­75. 102. Pianta 2001; Bretton Woods Project 2001: http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/ ; Financial Times 2001. 103. Globin 2001. "The Anti-Globalization Movement after September 11," Council of Canadians ; http://www.globalizethis. org. 104. Desai and Said 2001; Clark 2002, p. 11. 105. Kanbur 2001; Bank Information Center 2001; Oxfam International 2000a. 106. For example, see petition for a "code of conduct" circulated by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) in the UK. 107. Jubilee 2000. 108. World Bank 2003e. Poverty Reduction Srategy Papers (PRSPS)-Progress in Implementation; World Bank 2002f.; see also critiques from CSOs on www.worldbank.org/strategies/ or http://www.eurodad.org/ 109. World Bank 2004c. Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: Good Practices 2004 can be ordered on-line at www.worldbank.org/ poverty/strategies/review/order.htm 110. Naidoo 2003. 111. See, for example, Bank Information Center at www.bicusa.org; Wade, Robert, "Greening the Bank: The Struggle over the Environment, 1970­1995" in The World Bank: Its First Half Century; Long, Carolyn, Participation of the Poor in Development, 2001, Chapter 2. 112. Strategy Paper: New Models for Promoting Partnerships with Foundations (World Bank 2005b). 113. For more information go to http://www.worldbank.org/disability 114. For more information go to http://www.worldbank.org/childrenandyouth 28 7 Issues and Options for Achieving More Effective Bank-CSO Engagement 61. The Bank's corporate priorities today center the Bank going forward revolve around how to around promoting more responsible country- improve the "norms" and mechanisms of en- level and local-level decision-making, while gagement with CSOs, and how to close the gap also improving global issues management--a between its messages, policies and practices. framework that makes it more important for The Bank should aim to promote civic engage- the Bank and its member governments to ment that both empowers citizens and also strengthen relations with CSOs simultane- helps member governments exercise their lead- ously at local, national and transnational lev- ership role to promote sustainable develop- els. There are opportunities for new and im- ment and achieve the MDGs in a cost-effective, proved alliances with many CSOs around socially responsible, and accountable manner. shared objectives of increasing development as- This requires an institutional framework for sistance and market access for poor countries, civic engagement that responds to the chang- strengthening good governance, and achieving ing environments described in this paper the MDGs. Steps toward more proactive en- and provides greater clarity and direction going gagement of these groups not only can help the forward. Bank meet its objectives, but also may encour- age a more informed and constructive national 63. The following is a summary of the four main and international public discourse about the issues identified throughout this paper, and a Bank's role in promoting poverty reduction and set of 10 priority actions for the Bank to ad- development. Improved engagement with dress these issues: CSOs is also an important demonstration of the ISSUE 1: Promoting best practices for civic Bank's commitment to promoting greater cor- engagement porate social responsibility, and to managing The Bank's mainstreaming of civic engagement development risks responsibly. As CSOs have has led to a wide variety of approaches and become more influential actors in public policy practices, some more effective than others. This and in development, the business case for this has sometimes resulted in dissatisfaction engagement continues to grow stronger. Under- among Bank staff, member governments and standing these trends and their implications is a CSOs alike in terms of the quality and outcome key component of an effective development of the engagement. The solution lies in finding and poverty reduction strategy. better ways of promoting and sharing good practices, and also in soliciting regular feedback 62. A number of issues and challenges should be from CSOs and member governments on the addressed if the Bank is to achieve more ef- strengths and weaknesses of various Bank en- fective engagement with CSOs in the future. gagement practices. The nature of civil society makes it a compli- cated, but nonetheless essential, interlocutor ISSUE 2: Closing the gap between expectations, for an inter-governmental, global institution policy and practice such as the Bank. There are many examples of The gap between the Bank's messages and cor- both poor and effective engagement at various responding expectations, policies and practices levels. Thus, the main issues and challenges for suggests a number of constraints to effective 29 Bank-CSO engagement. Taking further steps to · Several other processes have already shown close this gap can help to promote more con- promise for improving the quality of engage- structive and effective relations in the future. ment with CSOs, but commitments of sup- port, time and resources by Bank manage- ISSUE 3: Adapting to changes in global and ment are critical factors in their success. national civil society Some processes that have shown promise Significant changes in global and national civil are: earlier and more structured process of society have occurred over the last several years, consultation around the World Development which warrant adjustments in the ways the Reports (as was done for the 2004 WDR); a Bank engages with CSOs institutionally. series of thematic videoconference dialogues ISSUE 4: Achieving greater Bank-wide linking CSOs in both developed and devel- coherence and accountability oping countries with Bank managers in The decentralized responsibility in the Bank for Washington; and "strategic policy work- engaging CSOs is a major challenge that poses shops" during which the lead Bank man- both opportunities and risks. This calls for re- agers on a given issue engage in-depth with viewing the management and staffing arrange- counterpart experts or opinion leaders from ments and improving the mechanisms to civil society to examine the implications of achieve greater Bank-wide coherence, coordina- specific policies and explore possible com- tion and accountability. mon ground (such workshops on trade pol- icy, rural livelihoods, HIV/AIDS and water 64. Priority Action 1: Establish new global mech- have been held to date). anisms for Bank-CSO engagement to help · Thematic Forums are another useful plat- promote mutual understanding and coopera- form to channel dialogue, learning, and rec- tion. This action item responds to Issues 1, 2 ommendations for action on a given topic. and 3. Since the phasing out of the World Bank- The Bank's Latin American and Caribbean NGO Committee in 2000, the Civil Society (LCR) Region holds an annual thematic fo- Team has been working with leading CSO net- rum involving the Vice President and LCR works to explore new venues for dialogue on Management Team and a range of civil soci- policy and process at the global level. A Joint ety, government, and business representa- Facilitation Committee (JFC) was established tives from the region. Each forum is preced- as a transitional mechanism to help the Bank ed by a substantive program of research shape a new platform for civil society engage- funded by the regional management. The ment at the global level. At an initial meeting of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) NGO Work- the JFC in October 2003, representatives of 14 ing Group and the World Bank's ECA re- transnational CSO networks and Bank manage- gional management team have convened re- ment agreed on an agenda for action for wider gional forums bringing together CSOs from consultation among CSOs around the world. across the region for networking and learn- The JFC has been examining issues of access to ing together with the Vice President and the World Bank (particularly for CSOs from the members of the ECA Regional Management developing world), and methods of engage- Team, and laying out a work plan for sub- ment, accountability, transparency and respon- stantive engagement. siveness, but also to how the Bank and civil so- ciety can work together more effectively in · Another innovative effort is the Bridge Initia- pursuit of common agendas, such as in advo- tive, which is led by European and U.S. alter- cating for more development assistance to native media professionals and is geared to achieve the MDGs. A Bank-civil society global promoting more informed and constructive policy forum is planned for April 2005, with public debate between the multilateral insti- the objective of identifying lessons learned and tutions, governments, private sector and lead- best practices, and eliciting CSO recommenda- ers of the global social justice movement, in- tions on how to strengthen their future engage- cluding the organizers of the WSF. The Bank ment with the Bank. has participated with the Bridge Initiative in several meetings and public debates. 30 65. Priority Action 2: Establish a Bank-wide advi- 66. Priority Action 3: Pilot a new Bank-wide mon- sory service/focal point for consultations and itoring and evaluation system for civic en- an institutional framework for consultation gagement. This responds in particular to Issues management and feedback. This action item 1 and 2. It is time for the Bank to determine if it responds in particular to Issues 1, 2 and 3. The is useful and cost-effective to move beyond the goal is a more systematic, Bank-wide approach limited M&E process for civic engagement to consultations based on best practice. Recent which has been in place for nearly two Bank and external reviews of consultations have decades--an annual desk review of PADs that already provided a basis for this work, and de- tracks only intended involvement of CSOs in mand has been growing. Bank country and task Bank-financed projects--and to see if it can be teams will continue to take responsibility for replaced with a more informative and useful managing consultations, but the role of the new system. The goal is to measure the scope and advisory service/focal point will be to provide quality of civic engagement throughout the these teams with clearer guidance on how to project or strategy implementation cycle, to as- structure consultations, technical assistance, sess progress and cost effectiveness. This should monitoring, and knowledge management sup- be integrated with regular reporting systems so port. The focal point can help reduce schedul- that it does not add significantly to the burdens ing overlaps caused by competing consultation placed on task teams. A baseline study will as- schedules, and also can help address some of sist in monitoring future engagement and guid- the root causes of "consultation fatigue" often ing future strategy. Results and trends will be experienced by Bank staff, government officials, reported annually to the Bank's senior manage- and CSOs. It also can help lighten the load on ment, the Board, CSOs and to the general pub- Bank teams undertaking consultations, and lic through a periodic progress report on Bank- promote better quality consultations, by pro- civil society relations. ESSD will lead this effort viding guidance on design of the consultation in close coordination with EXT, OPCS and the process, targeting key stakeholder groups, as- Bank-wide civil society focal points. sessing possible risks, training on how to con- duct effective consultations, and establishing 67. Priority Action 4: Conduct a review of Bank more systematic, timely and transparent funds for civil society engagement in opera- processes for feedback. Key deliverables would tions and in policy dialogue, and explore pos- include preparing management-endorsed con- sible realignment or restructuring. This re- sultation guidelines for staff, and improving sponds to Issues 2 and 3. The goal is to better and expanding the use of existing tools such as match resources to strategic demands for en- the Consultations Sourcebook and the Stakehold- gagement, and to lessen the transaction costs er Consultation training course. The focal point on Bank teams and member governments seek- will work with the Civil Society Group to pro- ing resources to engage CSOs. It is quite diffi- mote best practices and also to strengthen insti- cult to get an adequate picture of available re- tutional knowledge management, ensuring that sources for Bank-civil society engagement consultation inputs and outcomes are shared because there is currently no Bank-wide system with relevant departments across the Bank, to of disaggregating these funds across the various inform and improve future consultations. This channels that exist, and civil society engage- more coordinated and strategic approach can ment has largely been mainstreamed into Bank be expected to improve Bank relations with a operations. Some funding mechanisms that variety of constituencies, including CSOs and Bank staff and managers have advocated as im- the private sector, while also strengthening the portant outreach tools, such as the Small Grants dialogue and cooperation among these con- Program or Development Marketplace, may be stituencies and government officials. The new too limited to meet growing demand from Bank advisory service/focal point will be housed in country offices and task teams, while certain EXT but will work closely with ESSD, OPCS, unit or project budgets to support consultations and regional and network vice presidencies, or other means of civic engagement may be as needed. quite extensive. It is also important to note that much of the Bank's engagement with CSOs at 31 the corporate level has been supported or aug- on how to work with the Bank and govern- mented by bilateral trust funds. While a full cost ments. This responds to Issues 3 and 4. The accounting of Bank-CSO engagement will not Bank's Civil Society Team and other units regu- be possible, this review can help Bank manage- larly host forums to expose Bank staff, manage- ment and the Board to assess whether the cur- ment, and Executive Directors to CSO perspec- rent funding levels and mechanisms available tives on issues and innovative practices in civic for CSO engagement are adequate, whether engagement. However, these events are volun- these mechanisms are cost effective or different tary and sporadic. Given the complex and con- mechanisms may be needed, and whether stantly changing global civil society landscape, Bank-financed projects should formally include there is need for a more structured and effective an explicit participation and communications program in which components on engaging civ- budget. The Civil Society Team will lead this re- il society are included in the formal training view with inputs and support from other units programs and retreats for Country Directors in the Bank as needed. and Managers, RMTs, Young Professionals and other Bank staff, particularly those working in 68. Priority Action 5: Review the Bank's procure- operations, as well as for Executive Directors ment framework with a view toward facilitat- and their staffs. Important areas to target for ing collaboration with CSOs. This responds skill-building include participatory approaches, to Issues 2 and 3. The expansion of Bank lend- strategic communications, political analysis, ing into social services activities, new develop- political risk management, analysis of the envi- ment assistance models that promote greater ronment for civic engagement, and the political local ownership, and the expansion of grant fi- economy of civil society. This would also in- nancing have introduced new opportunities for clude reinstating support for a regular training CSO collaboration on Bank-financed projects. program for the Civil Society Group and Civil These changes also have exposed other con- Society Country Staff across the institution and straints and tensions, such as a perceived lack building a stronger "community of practice" in- of flexibility in the Bank's procurement frame- volving Bank staff, CSOs and other stakehold- work, which was designed primarily for con- ers, such as the newly launched Community of tracting with private sector firms. There have Practice in Social Accountability (COPSA).115 In been some recent experiments to clarify and addition, joint training, staff exchanges and sec- streamline procurement procedures for CSOs, ondments have proven to be successful ways of such as for CDD programs and for HIV/AIDS building mutual understanding and more con- initiatives funded by the MAP, and the Bank's structive relations among CSOs and Bank man- procurement and consultant guidelines were agers, and these should be promoted more also modified in May 2004. OPCS will moni- aggressively, with incentives from Bank man- tor these experiences and continue to consult agement. Furthermore, there is growing de- with both international and local CSOs to mand for capacity-building programs for CSOs identify and address remaining obstacles or to help them understand how the Bank works, concerns as needed, in order to facilitate CSO the respective roles of Bank staff and govern- participation in Bank-supported activities. ment officials, the project cycle, economic OPCS also will expand its efforts to provide ca- analysis, and how to get involved in consulta- pacity-building for Bank staff, government offi- tions or project implementation. The Civil Soci- cials and CSO representatives to understand ety Team will collaborate with Human Re- and implement the modified procurement and sources, WBI, OPCS and others to design a consultant guidelines. multi-faceted program to meet these various needs. 69. Priority Action 6: Institute a more structured and integrated learning program for Bank 70. Priority Action 7: Hold regular meetings of staff and member governments on the chang- Bank senior management, and periodically ing role, nature, and perspectives of civil soci- with the Board, to review Bank-civil society ety, and on how to engage CSOs more effec- relations. This responds in particular to Issues tively, as well as capacity building for CSOs 2 and 4. Meetings of senior management, using 32 the existing channels, will occur regularly, per- civil society in the preparation of the country's haps either quarterly or semi-annually. These PRSP. OPCS will lead this effort with support meetings will be an opportunity to monitor from the Civil Society Team and the Bank-wide progress, assess risks, discuss key issues and civil society focal points. constraints, and set policy and strategy direc- tions, strengthen institutional coherence and 73. Priority Action 10: Develop tools for analyti- provide guidance to staff on civic engagement. cal mapping of civil society to assist country Management also will provide the Board with and task teams in determining the relevant periodic reviews of progress on Bank-CSO en- CSOs to engage on a given issue, project, or gagement. strategy. This responds in particular to Issues 2 and 3. A common dilemma for Bank staff as 71. Priority Action 8: Develop and issue new well as for member governments is how to tar- guidelines for Bank staff on the institution's get civic engagement, given the size and diversi- approach and best practices for working with ty of civil society at the national and global lev- civil society. This responds in particular to Is- els. The process of targeting is often ad hoc, sues 1 and 4. Much of the tension that exists in based on ease of access or existing relationships Bank-civil society relations results when there is rather than on tailored analysis. There is contin- failure to clarify up front the objectives, param- uing dissatisfaction among Bank staff, govern- eters, and outcomes of engagement. The guide- ments and CSOs alike that civil society groups lines will enable Bank staff to make more in- in developing countries, particularly those lo- formed judgments on which CSOs to engage cated outside of capital cities, often do not have on specific objectives or activities, including a the same access and influence as those with a framework for engagement that is based on best presence in Washington or major European practice and mutual responsibilities. The guide- capitals. With development effectiveness as the lines also will clarify that member governments overarching goal, some basic criteria that can be are the Bank's decision-makers, and that en- used as a guide for selecting which CSOs to en- gagement with CSOs is an important part of gage on a given issue or project are: credibility, improving governance and development out- competence, local or thematic knowledge, trans- comes. These guidelines will supersede the ex- parency, and accountability.116 Of course, these cri- isting GP 14.70 on Involving NGOs in Bank-Sup- teria must be adapted and weighted for the task ported Activities. The new guidelines will be or objective at hand; for example, it may be nec- cross-referenced in existing operational policies essary to reach out to a certain group because of and business procedures (OP/BPs), while more its influence or its networking capacity. Thus, specific good practice notes will be prepared for the Bank's civil society and external affairs spe- new or revised OP/BPs where participation is a cialists play a critical role to help country and critical factor, such as the new OP/BP on devel- sector teams navigate the constantly changing opment policy lending. The Civil Society Team civil society landscape and target engagement will lead this work in coordination with OPCS on a case-by-case basis. Many of these staff pro- and the Bank-wide civil society focal points. vide this guidance already, although it could be utilized more effectively by their colleagues. The 72. Priority Action 9: Emphasize the importance goal should be for the Bank to use its convening of civil society engagement in the guidance to power to engage a broad spectrum of perspec- Bank staff on the preparation of the CAS as tives from both developed and developing well as in CAS monitoring and evaluation. countries on any given issue or initiative. ESSD This responds in particular to Issues 1 and 4. will lead this effort, building on work already Participation in the preparation of the CAS in underway on the enabling environment for IDA countries will build on the participation of civic engagement. 33 A number of other options for improving the PICs (public information centers), the transla- Bank's engagement with CSOs are under discus- tion of Bank documents into local languages, sion. These are grouped below in relation to the and disclosure of minutes of Board meetings. In issues identified within the paper. a number of countries, Bank staff are working with governments to pilot efforts at expanded disclosure of analytical work, strategy and loan Close the gap between expectations, policy documents--in some cases for both Bank- and practice: owned and government-owned documents. While these steps have been welcomed, CSOs 74. Expand and deepen efforts to promote more (and the Bank's own empowerment frame- enabling environments for civic engagement work) argue that real empowerment requires in PRSPs, PRSCs and other country-based providing stakeholders with easier and earlier operations, including through Poverty and So- access to information--well before decisions are cial Impact Analysis and social accountability made--so that they have an opportunity to con- mechanisms. Implementing the Bank's empow- tribute their inputs and to communicate their erment agenda requires expanding the Bank's views to their government representatives. The political and financial support devoted to help- Bank's disclosure obstacles cited by CSOs in- ing governments improve their dialogue and clude the unavailability of draft documents, in- collaboration with CSOs, promoting analysis sufficient disclosure in advance of decision and public debate around economic and social points, the highly technical nature of Bank in- policy options that will lead to pro-poor out- formation, and lack of clarity among many comes, and strengthening systems of social ac- Bank staff as to the intent of the disclosure pol- countability. This also requires investments in icy and their own roles and responsibilities un- analytical work and in public advocacy to pro- der the policy. There is need for a systematic and mote more conducive institutional frameworks continuous learning program on the Bank's dis- for civic engagement. Civil society stakeholders closure policy for all Bank staff and managers, often refer to the Bank's comparative advantage especially those working on operations, as well in helping to remove institutional barriers to as a mechanism to which CSOs can turn if they their participation. Critical steps are increasing are not provided with information that should the available time, flexibility, opportunities and be publicly available under Bank policy. resources to facilitate civic engagement, both up- stream in design and decision-making, and also 76. Conduct a review of the Bank's current busi- downstream in monitoring and evaluation. Tar- ness procedures, practices and incentives for geted capacity-building for local CSOs, especial- CSO engagement to identify existing con- ly for poor people's networks and community- straints, particularly for country teams in car- based organizations, is also critical. The Bank rying out their desired country strategy for also should encourage external reviews of stake- CSO engagement, and propose solutions. holder participation in PRSPs, as a tool for pro- Placing emphasis on more upstream engage- moting greater public ownership in the future. ment of CSOs in the design and pre-approval stages can improve the quality of the Bank's an- 75. Take additional steps to increase transparen- alytical and lending products, save time and cy and information disclosure in Bank-sup- added costs of revision at later stages, and also ported policy dialogue and lending opera- minimize risks to the institution. This review tions. For many CSOs, disclosure is a major test may explore, inter alia, governance and account- of the Bank's commitment to empowerment, ability issues; human resources issues such as and a key advocacy issue in the debate over ex- hiring practices, staff behavior and incentives; panding developing country voice and partici- available and accessible financing; constraints pation in decision-making. Important steps for- on information disclosure; and the role of vari- ward were made when the Board revised the ous grievance mechanisms such as the Bank's disclosure policy in 2001, and when it subse- Inspection Panel and IFC/MIGA's Compliance quently approved a major effort to expand the Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO). The goal would number and capacity of the Bank's in-country be to help remove existing constraints to broad- 34 er and more effective civic engagement, and to and this network could assist in this review. The harmonize where possible. There is particular Bank also could use its existing partnerships in need to look at constraints to participation by civic engagement with bilateral agencies and poor peoples' networks and community-based trust funds, and convene a forum on lessons organizations. There can be significant obsta- learned from those initiatives. cles to meaningful participation by these groups due to inadequate time and resources to receive information about a consultation op- Achieving greater Bank-wide coherence and portunity, access information, or travel to the accountability: appointed venue. 79. Develop a more proactive Bank-wide ap- proach, building on the corporate watch list, Adapt to changes in global and national to assess and manage risks emanating from civil society: lending and non-lending activities that may attract a high degree of civil society interest 77. Adopt formal rules or principles for Bank- and/or criticism. Some issues or projects gener- CSO engagement. Some governments and ate more interest and controversy from civil so- CSOs have expressed interest in going beyond ciety than others, and if not well-managed, the good practice guidelines described in Prior- these can result in complaints being filed with ity Action 8 to adoption of formal agreements the Inspection Panel or high-profile advocacy that define rules of engagement, a code of con- campaigns that use up extensive Bank resources duct or an agreed set of principles for Bank-CSO and may endanger the success of operations. A engagement, particularly in policymaking more proactive approach to risk assessment and processes. Others have proposed that the Bank management would encompass an early warn- adopt a transparent system of year-round ac- ing system to identify such projects, assigning creditation for CSOs (beyond just the Annual experienced external relations/civil society rela- Meetings), as some other multilateral institu- tions staff to promote early and sustained en- tions have done, to govern access and define gagement with local and international CSOs, certain privileges. Still others have cautioned and work closely with task teams to try to ad- that it is not appropriate for the Bank to be too dress CSO concerns up front. This civic engage- prescriptive in this area, and that such rules or ment component should be integrated into an criteria for participation are best defined by integrated risk management framework, which governments and CSOs at the national level, or considers strategic effectiveness, operational perhaps through the use of international bench- efficiency, stakeholder support, and financial marking or third-party certification. soundness.117 Lessons could be drawn from an analysis of the role of CSOs in recent Inspection 78. Explore the feasibility of a comparative review Panel cases, and from the experience of involv- of CSO engagement practices with other ing CSOs and other external stakeholders in the MDBs and multilateral and bilateral agencies. Bank's East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Region's Spe- The goals would be to elicit best practices across cial Operational Review. the international community and to build on existing efforts at donor harmonization and 80. Conduct a review of the Bank-wide manage- collaboration. Several of the MDBs have recent- ment and staffing matrix for civil society rela- ly reviewed and strengthened their own frame- tions, with a view toward establishing a more works for participation and civic engagement, coherent institutional framework while en- and as noted previously, the High-Level Panel suring the necessary flexibility to adapt to on UN Relations with Civil Society appointed country and local conditions. Each of the by UN Secretary-General Annan published its Bank's regional and network departments recommendations in June 2004. The Bank's boasts different models for managing civil soci- Civil Society Team belongs to an informal, ety relations. Civil society focal points are inter-agency staff network of civil society focal mapped across EXT, ESSD, PREM, HD, SRM, points across the various multilateral agencies, RMC, and other units. Some of the countries 35 and regions have CSO working groups, while engagement. This option can respond to grow- others do not. Some sectors have regular meet- ing demands from Bank staff for timely map- ings with CSOs working in their fields, while ping of civil society's interests and capacities, others consult only occasionally. Some country and better tracking of the institution's engage- offices and headquarters departments have ap- ment with a specific group. This could be ac- pointed full-time, experienced civil society focal complished through a shared database, man- points; others have staff who only spend part of aged by the Civil Society Team, to which the their time on this role; and still others have no Bank-wide civil society focal points can regu- established focal point. Further complicating larly contribute and also access data and re- the picture is that IFC and MIGA have different ports about various CSOs or specific activities. approaches to civic engagement than IBRD and This could become a valuable institutional IDA. This complex matrix of responsibilities memory of correspondence, dialogues, consul- and accountability hinders Bank-wide informa- tations, partnerships or other initiatives. Such a tion sharing, coordination and strategic man- system can help improve the Bank's timeliness agement. It can be confusing and frustrating and quality of responses to external requests both for CSOs seeking to engage the Bank, as for information and internal requests for back- well as for Bank staff or government officials ground briefings; lighten the load on Bank staff looking for guidance on how to engage CSOs. A seeking such information; and encourage con- management review of these arrangements sistency and follow-up. Technology already ex- could examine ways to provide clearer report- ists to support this, but it will only work if staff ing systems and/or alignment, in order to and managers view it as a priority for making achieve a better balance between decentraliza- their work more effective. Improved knowledge tion and flexibility to manage civil society rela- management could improve institutional re- tions in response to specific sector/country/re- porting on Bank-civil society relations; help gional contexts, and the need for better global track whether regional, sector and constituen- coordination and coherence. cy-based civic engagement strategies are coor- dinated and aligned; and help identify poten- 81. Explore the feasibility of a Bank-wide knowl- tial risks as well as opportunities for leveraging edge management system for civil society resources across the Bank. Notes 115. Community of Practice on Social Accountability (COPSA) Proposal (World Bank 2003b). 116. Note that these criteria are similar to those identified in The Bank's Relations with NGOs (World Bank 1998b). 117. An integrated risk management framework for the World Bank was discussed with Executive Directors in January 2003. 36 8 Conclusion 82. The international consensus that has been built having the Bank take additional institutional around the MDGs and the Monterrey-Doha-Jo- steps to engage civil society in more consistent, hannesburg global development agenda pres- strategic and effective ways. This also is warrant- ents an historic opportunity to make sustained ed in response to growing internal and external progress in the fight against poverty, and for demands on the Bank to demonstrate greater governments and international organizations corporate social responsibility and accountabil- such as the Bank to team up effectively with ity for its own actions. CSOs in this fight. Over the past two decades, the Bank has steadily expanded its engagement The analysis, issues and options put forward in in dialogue and in partnership with CSOs this paper are aimed at helping the Bank im- around the globe, and it has learned that this prove its approach to engaging CSOs in the fu- engagement can improve development impact ture, particularly by helping to close the gaps in by empowering citizens to participate in their expectations and practice, and providing the ba- country's development. Today, the growing ca- sis for establishing new "norms" and more ef- pacity and influence of civil society, the recent fective mechanisms for engagement. These trends in globalization, the Bank's own reforms, steps can help the Bank to better serve its mem- and the lessons learned about the benefits of ber governments in the effort to achieve the participation and empowerment all warrant MDGs. 37 References Anheier, Helmut, et al. Global Civil Society Yearbook 2001. 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Washington, D.C., and New York: Oxford University Press. ------2003i. Working Together: World Bank-Civil Society Relations. CST. Washington, D.C.: World Bank. ------2004a. An OED Review of Social Development in Bank Activities. OED. Washington, D.C., February 17. ------2004b. Civil Society Assessment Tool (CAST) Concept Note. ESSD/SDV. ------2004c. Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers: Good Practices 2004. PREM. ------2004d. Presentation by Keith Hansen, Manager, ACTAfrica of the World Bank, to the Civil Society-Strategic Policy Workshop on HIV/AIDS, June. ------2004e. Striking a Better Balance--The World Bank Group and Extractive Industries: The Final Report of the Extractive Industries Review, World Bank Group Management Response, September 17. ------2005a. (forthcoming) Empowering People by Transforming Institutions: An Implementation Plan for Social Development in Bank Operations. Social Development Vice Presidency. ------2005b. New Models for Promoting Partnerships with Foundations. Strategy Paper. Global Programs and Partnerships. ------2005c. World Bank-Civil Society Engagement. Review of Fiscal Years 2002­2004. Civil Society Team. Washington, D.C., World Bank. World Commission on Dams, 2000. Dams and Development: A New Framework for Decision-Making. London: Earthscan Publications. 44 Annex A Online Comments Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. New York, NY The World Bank/IMF can be a force for global change by This general comment goes supporting asset recovery and repatriation in the 21st century. beyond the scope of this paper. In the Post-Terror Era, mega-billions can be made available for human development and security purposes. This is the new mission for Bretton Woods, under able leadership of the UN General Assembly and Security Council. 2. Washington, DC-USA There is a need for more clarity on what the Bank wants to An overview of the Bank's history do with CSOs. The paper does not give much insight into of, and rationale for, engagement the Bank's intentions in terms of the new "Bank-CSO with civil society is discussed in partnership" direction. The paper is somewhat silent on paragraphs 1­15. the fact that the Bank, as an investor, is willing to use CSOs as a tool in order to achieve its objectives and goals of poverty eradication. 3. St. Petersburg, Russia One thing that I think is missing in the Issues and Options The concept of engaging CSOs paper is the statement that civic engagement is important upstream in the creation of nearly at all stages of the Bank's project cycle, especially at Bank policy and projects is the early stages. It might also be important to write up a discussed in paragraphs 72 and simple reporting (feed-back) mechanism to those who were 76. The need for improving consulted: how, why and to what extend their positions feedback from consultations is (interests) were taken or not taken into account in a new addressed in paragraphs 32, policy document or project. 56, and 65. 4. Paris, France African NGOs have limited access to net-based resources. The limited access to information or even participation in advocacy work by some NGOs, in this case African, is discussed in paragraphs 7, 8, and 9. 5. Berlin, Germany The report provides a good overview and strategy outline The paper is focused at but it falls a bit short in analyzing past and ongoing World synthesizing what is happening Bank-Civil Society relations with reference to (1) types of in Bank-civil society engagement partnerships, (2) types of partner organizations, (3) experience at the global and institutional in different sectors, (4) shifting trends, (5) good and not so levels. It does not attempt to good practices in policy dialogue and programmed describe in detail what is implementation. happening at the regional or country level, as this is too extensive for one paper. The references sections include many documents which elaborate in further detail. 45 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 6. No contact information The paper does not clearly define the CSO constituency The complex task of defining the that the Bank intends to work with. In an attempt to define many varied CSOs (e.g., the intended Bank-CSO partnership, it is necessary to bring Northern vs. Southern) is to the fore the serious considerations of differentiating undertaken in paragraphs 6­9 Civil Society Organizations as Southern vs. Northern. It is also and 73. The paper argues for a expected that CSOs will be seen, not as a new theme for the more empowerment-centered Bank, but rather as a new strategy that is more result oriented approach which may help to and people centered. It should encourage sustainability in close the gap between development, especially community centered development. expectations, policy and Dialogue must therefore be central in this approach. practice. 7. No contact information How many people in Civil Society know anything about The improvement of the Bank's the role of the World Bank? Or, how many people know the overall communications with role of the World Bank? This should be the starting point for civil society is addressed in this paper. What can the World Bank do and what can it not paragraphs 64 and 75. Paragraph do? Is the World Bank accountable to Civil Society as 10 notes that under the Bank's beneficiaries? Or, does the World bank serve only Member Articles of Agreement, the Bank's States, and their interest groups? primary clients are governments; however, engagement with CSOs have been recognized as an important component for development effectiveness and poverty reduction. Paragraph 10 also notes some of the various ways in which civic engagement has been referenced in Bank policy guidance. 8. Argentina The way in which the Bank presently approaches Civil The notion of mainstreaming Society engagement is largely consultative and takes place civic engagement into Bank at levels far removed from actual Bank projects which is analysis, policy dialogue and where most of the true concerns lie and where the partici- operations is discussed in pation could potentially make a large difference. Generally paragraph 44. Paragraph 72, 76 speaking, the Bank seeks "opinions" about strategies, and addresses the need for about completed projects, best/worst practices, or in some "upstream" engagement with cases, in environmental impact assessments in instances civil society in the design of where that opinion has little effective relevance to prevent CASs. The Bank-wide, ad-hoc or change inherent problems in real projects. Approaches to nature of CSO engagement is engagement are uneven across the institution and lack reliable addressed in paragraphs 32, 35 data to monitor and evaluate engagement. There are disclosure and 65. The need for monitoring and transparency limitations, weak incentives for staff, and and evaluation is addressed in poor funding to foster participation. What is most crucial is paragraphs 31, 32 and 66. that present engagement mechanisms are missing the point. They are tangential to projects and country operations, sometimes lying entirely outside the boundaries of project design and implementation. 9. No contact information I am quite distraught to see only a few postings on such an important issue as CSO-Bank partnership from my colleagues in civil society movements! Civil society, by and large, sees this attempt of involving CSOs in dialogue as a mere eye-wash, and that little would actually be achieved by such an exercise. Some of my colleagues, I suspect, are overtly conscious of the risk of being tagged "pro-bank" if they involve themselves in such an exercise! Any attempt to engage into even an intellectual talk with the Bank would be seen as "aligning" with them. I would suggest that it will 46 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response do the Bank, the member countries and the CSOs far more Paragraphs 47­60 provide an good if all the staff of the Bank's Civil Society division at overview of civil society's criticism least participate in a rotational six month internship with of the Bank, and the difficult civil societies organizations...and when I say CSOs, I don't space CSOs find themselves in mean the BIG and MIGHTY...think of the lesser known when they participate in ones...for every "Narmada Bachao Andolan" in India there constructive engagement with the are at least thousands of lesser groups fighting their lone Bank and yet, are still opposed to battle of survival. certain policies. Staff training, staff exchanges and secondments for Bank staff are proposed as priority actions in paragraph 69. 10. Washington, DC-USA CSOs and the Bank have engaged in dialogues on many Paragraphs 62­73 offer a number levels, yet there still remains the problem of a lack of of options for improving Bank- "meaningful participation". This is referred to by Jorge's CSO engagement. The aim is to message, that CSOs are not asking to work on a Bank-CSO ensure more meaningful project but, rather, to be included in the making of real Bank participation, e.g., by ensuring projects. The Bank must work with its client countries to feedback mechanisms, as incorporate CSOs into meaningful discussions on projects, discussed in paragraphs 32, 56 government budgets, and other government decisions that and 65. Paragraph 33 discusses put the respective CSO's country into more debt. A the merits and problems of past "meaningful dialogue" means that the Bank would stop joint Bank-CSO studies. supporting joint studies and initiatives with CSOs, if it is not going to follow through by accepting and implementing their recommendations and findings. The question then is, what can the Bank do in order to have "meaningful participation" and "meaningful engagements" with Civil Society? 11. Montreal, Canada The "Issues and Options..." paper contains several elements The acknowledgment that that should be reviewed and reconsidered, beginning with empowerment is a key goal of the basic assumptions that the goal of improved relations Bank-Civil Society engagement with CSOs is "development effectiveness and risk management is addressed in paragraphs 10 benefits." This process will be strengthened if it recognizes and 11. The need to enhance explicitly that the goal of better relations with civil society is information disclosure is one of empowerment of the people affected by World Bank addressed in paragraphs 34 programs and projects. Empowerment of civil society can be and 75. viewed as the goal of a process that begins with the basics-- access to information--and then elements of consultation and dialogue, but doesn't stop there. Rather, it should continue to expand, so that inclusion in the policy process becomes strengthened, even beyond elements of policy input so that in the end the goal is policy choices, direction and management ultimately derived from civil society itself (either directly or via representative government). The Bank should move to expand its capacity to respond to civil society demands for information and input. 47 Argentina Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. Argentina It is correct to think about new ways to increase civil The importance of involving CSOs "upstream" society participation and engagement in World Bank in a CAS or project preparation is discussed in policies, but the issue can not be resolved if superficial paragraphs 44, 72 and 76. The paper also flags measures are adopted. To be meaningful, civil society some of the existing constraints to participation, participation should begin in the project's preparation such as timing and costs, and recommends steps stage. to address these. 2. Argentina CSO should be systematically engaged in the The draft paper has been widely discussed inside dissemination of all the proposals contained in this the Bank, and it has been posted on the web and paper. Dissemination activities should be carried out also sent out in the Bank's civic engagement in a double direction: i)within the WB; and ii) to civil e:newsletter to solicit public feedback. The paper society at large. has been revised to reflect the comments received, and Bank management intends to do a more formal dissemination of the final paper inside and outside the Bank through various communications channels, and also welcomes assistance in wider dissemination to interested CSOs and other stakeholders. 3. Argentina CSO should receive feedback and a final response to This comments matrix is intended to serve as a the proposals raised during this meeting. feedback mechanism. The Bank's Civil Society Team is available for further discussion on any of the issues raised in this paper. Send questions or comments to civilsociety@worldbank.org 4. Argentina World Bank-civil society relations can be characterized The expectations gap, which results in as suffering from an expectations gap: Bank's main consultation fatigue, is raised in paragraphs policies and instruments do not reflect discourse. For 32­34, 53, 56, 60, 62, 63, and 77. The proposal is example, many consultations with civil society have been to carry out binding consultations. While the Bank organized by the Bank during the last few years (e.g., seeks to achieve consensus on the issues on which CAS consultations), but these exercises are not binding it consults, consultations by definition are not ones. As a result, CSOs hold the shared perception that binding, and cannot be, as the Bank must take they are utilized as channels to collect valuable into account the views of a variety of different information, which severely affects Bank's credibility. stakeholders who may disagree with one another. The Bank's role thus is to undertake consultations in a learning mode, reflect those learnings where it is possible, and provide feedback on how civil society views are incorporated, and if not, why not. 5. Argentina If the World Bank's renewed interest in civil society The new political landscape and its triangular participation means stronger partnerships with CSO structure between Government, private sector and in the design and implementation of projects, the role CSOs, is raised in paragraph 40. The role of the Government in this partnerships should be clarified. of the Bank to act as a facilitator between CSOs and government, in light of this new dynamic, is addressed in paragraphs 22­24 and 56. 6. Argentina The document correctly defines civil society as a bigger The broadened definition of Civil Society from phenomenon than NGOs. This coincides with the that of only including NGOs is explained in current accepted definition in Argentina, elaborated as paragraphs 6­9. a result of big efforts to build partnerships among different social actors to define and address development priorities. 48 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 7. Argentina It is controversial to support the idea that CSOs have had In Sections 3 and 5, the paper points to the a strong impact in development. There is a prime necessity growing evidence of the impact of CSOs on for this to occur, but so far this has not been the case. The development policy and practice, including the world is under a process of rethinking the traditional Bank's approaches. More rigorous research and social-institutional divisions. The three-dimensional better results indicators are needed. The three- division of private sector, State and civil society has caus- dimensional division of the private sector, state ed several difficulties in pursuing concerted social efforts. and civil society is discussed in paragraph 40. The These divisions are currently outdated. The Bank should Bank's involvement as facilitator between the help to design social structures that can contribute to the government and CSOs is discussed in paragraphs pursuit of shared public goals. Civil society has the will 22­24 and 56. to make these changes, but its resources are scarce. Private actors have the resources but not always the will. The State is called to play a key role but no significant developments seem to be occurring in this direction. The Bank can play a key role in facilitating the dialogue among all social actors to achieve the necessary convergence. 8. Argentina The challenge to incorporate NGOs into the active fight Priority Action 8 is to provide greater clarity and against poverty begun in the '70s. The Inter-American guidelines for staff on civic engagement, and for Foundation played a key role in this process. The switch more upstream engagement, recognizing that in the Bank's mission towards poverty reduction and CSOs play a key role in poverty reduction efforts. fighting occurred in the '90s. Thus, the Bank should provide clearer paths to deeper civil society engagement in its activities. CSO's engagement in Bank's instruments should be specified in bidding documents (e.g., Loan agreements). 9. Argentina It is remarkable to learn that the Bank is rethinking See the priority actions outlined in paragraphs CSO engagement and that it is leading the international 63­73. community to incorporate many new topics on the development agenda. But a wider agenda requires clearer strategies and more precise instruments and legal provisions. 10. Argentina Traditional political actors' legitimacy is today questioned Agreed. The challenges to both government and in the majority of developing countries. Consequently, it civil society legitimacy are noted in paragraphs seems to be a positive step to include CSOs as new 18, 42, and 43. As discussed in paragraph 24, partners. But CSO's decreased legitimacy should not be the Bank is helping several countries to promote overlooked. In fact, we are under a crisis of representation an enabling environment for civic engagement, that includes all sectors of socio-political activity. which includes legal and regulatory frameworks. 11. Argentina Increased transparency is a crucial requisite to better Agreed that transparency of both Bank and CSO governance. In many ways, CSO can contribute to operations is important. Issues of transparency increase public oversight. But feeble transparency is and legitimacy are addressed in paragraphs 12, also a problem for CSOs themselves, and this should 15, 23, 24, 34, 75, and 18, 42, 43, respectively. be addressed if legitimacy is to be increased. 12. Argentina Training of CSOs to perform the new role as global The need for training of Bank staff and development partner should be stressed. The State's and government officials to work more effectively the Bank's training deliverables to CSOs should be with CSOs is raised in paragraph 69. coordinated to maximize resources and achieve lasting results. 13. Argentina The Bank's engagement with trade unions should The Bank's engagement with Trade Unions is be revised. In developing countries there are key issues addressed in paragraphs 6, 12, 16, 23 and 59. The that could only be addressed with the meaningful Bank has made significant steps in recent years to engagement of Trade Unions. forge ties with unions around the globe, including capacity-building, and now holds a high-level dialogue with global union leaders every two years. 49 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 14. Argentina Bank's policies towards students and young professionals The Bank's focus on engagement with youth is should be clarified and stressed because in developing discussed in paragraphs 12, 16, 23, 54, and 59. countries, youth is a key partner for the execution of This is also an area where the Bank has made enduring development projects. significant steps forward, recognizing that youth voices should be heard in policy debates and youth organizations can help in implementing development projects. 15. Argentina In this draft document, the Bank seems to be mostly The Bank's need to review its selection process concerned with lowering the risks of engaging with for engaging CSOs is addressed in paragraphs CSOs. To do so, the Bank should carefully select 32, 44, 73 and 76. Of course, there is no singular whom to engage with. CSOs have grown in number process for engaging groups, and target stake- but not necessarily in capacity and commitment. The holders may vary. Agreed that transparency must main quality an organization should have in order to apply to CSOs as well as the Bank, and the be selected as a partner is transparency. The Bank increased scrutiny on CSOs is noted in should not only increase its own transparency, but paragraph 43. demand that CSOs do the same. 16. Argentina If the Bank's renewed commitment to build partnerships The need for more systematic CSO participation with CSO is to produce lasting outcomes, efforts should in CAS creation is discussed in paragraphs 72 be done to: i) include detailed provisions for CSOs' and 76. Task Manager training in civil society participation within Country Assistance Strategies; and engagement is proposed as a priority action in ii) train Task Managers on provisions and tools to foster paragraph 69. this participation. 17. Argentina Civil society needs constant feedback on the proposals The importance of a feedback mechanism, as made to the Bank and the Government. Timing of part of an overall improved approach to responses should be revised to meet local agendas consultations, is addressed in paragraphs 32, 56, and situational realities. and 65. 18. Argentina The Bank's strategy and discourse has incorporated in The Expectations Gap is discussed in paragraphs the last years many concepts whose concrete policy 32­34, 53, 56, 60, 62, 63, and 77. implications have never been clear to civil society, such as empowerment, PRSP, etc. This contributes to the already referred to "expectations gap." 19. Argentina There is a considerable lack of knowledge among CSOs The importance of transparency is discussed in of WB's mission and policies. The Bank's communi- paragraphs 15, 23, 24, 34 and 75. The proposals cation strategy is feeble and should be revised. This in paragraphs 64, 69 and 75 propose ways can considerably contribute to transparency. to improve communications and outreach to CSOs, including training for them on how to work with the Bank. 50 Egypt And West Bank & Gaza Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. Egypt Requested additional information on the role of the The role of the JFC is briefly described in Joint Facilitation Committee (JFC) and the selection paragraphs 25 and 64. Additional information criteria/process for engagement of civil society in can be found on the Bank's website for civil Country Assistance Strategies (CASs) and other society at www.worldbank.org/civilsociety. WB operations. There is no single or systematic selection criteria for engaging CSOs in the CAS and other WB operations, but the paper notes the demand from Bank staff and member governments for clearer guidance in this area. 2. Egypt There is a need for a model of civil society The distinction between the Bank's different engagement within the field of poverty reduction. types of engagement with civil society There is a vagueness about the paper's definition (facilitation, dialogue and consultation, and of the phrase, "engagement of civil society," which partnership) is discussed in paragraphs 21­27. can be better distinguished between participation, Section 2 of the paper explains the Bank's facilitation, consultation and other functions definition of civil society, while Sections 5 and undertaken by civil society. There is also a need 6 describe the independent nature of civil to recognize civil society as an independent sector, society and the need for the Bank to engage which the Bank should be more actively involved with. more actively and strategically. 3. Egypt Requests that more emphasis be made throughout Media organizations have been included in the the document on the role of the media. The Bank paper's definition of civil society in paragraph should also recognize the value consultation input 6, and the role of a free press as one aspect of to development processes. She notes that the the enabling environment for civic engagement importance of gender is made within the paper, and is noted in paragraph 44. The Bank has been that it also refers to the possibility of engaging civil actively engaged in providing capacity-building society in WB operations based on a thematic and support for journalists in developing approach. She recommends that the Bank review countries. The paper's discussion on the need the guidelines for consultations prepared by the to improve consultations includes the need to Arab Media Forum. ensure diversity in the selection process (including gender sensitivity). This is discussed in paragraphs 32, 44, 73, and 76. 4. Egypt There is a need for a more flexible framework to Section 4 of the paper points to the need for engage civil society, given the diversity within civil greater flexibility within the Bank's framework society players and the different roles that they in order to better engage CSOs. In practice, the undertake. Bank's relations with CSOs are managed in a very decentralized manner. Paragraph 79 speaks to the need to ensure flexibility in man- aging these relations while also strengthening the overall quality and application of best practices in civic engagement. 5. Egypt There is a need to move beyond NGOs while Agreed. The Bank's recognition of the need to mobilizing civil society players and investing more engage different actors, beyond NGOs, under resource in their capacity building, in order to the rubric of civil society is addressed in effectively engage them and support their agendas. paragraphs 6­12, 16 and 59. The importance of capacity building for CSOs to engage more effectively with the Bank and its member governments is noted in paragraph 69. 51 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 6. Egypt The WB should introduce a more user friendly version Agreed. The need to strengthen the capacity of of the Bank's products (publications and otherwise) Bank staff to engage with CSOs is discussed in in order to attract civil society as a partner. Also there paragraphs 65, 69, and 71­73. Paragraph 75 is inadequate capacity within the Bank itself to guide also makes the case for improving disclosure civil society partnerships, particularly at the country and transparency. level. 7. Egypt Inadequate funding for civil society engagement is a The paper discusses the existing funding sources challenge for the Bank. Also lacking are resources to and makes the case for a review and possible undertake a periodic assessment of the dynamic local restructuring in paragraphs 28­30, 67 and 76. civil society in light of its dynamic features, which The importance of better monitoring and makes the Bank dependent on the assessments of evaluation is addressed in paragraphs 31 other organizations who might be somewhat biased and 66. or restricted. 8. West Bank & Gaza The paper is gender blind. This seems to be the case The Bank strongly supports women's empower- with many of the Bank's Policy Papers and other ment and the mainstreaming of gender issues documentation. The Bank appears to shy away from in development. This paper is geared to focusing proactively on the empowerment of women, discussing a broad overview of civil society perhaps due to the potential changes in social without going in-depth into any particular set dynamics it may create. However, a serious of organizations or sectoral issues. Groups that advancement of social development can only be promote women's empowerment are part of the based on a recognition of gender roles. How does target audience described. The paper also notes the Bank foresee its ability to advocate for real reform, that women's organizations often are at a when the efforts to implement reform are mainly disadvantage vis-a-vis other groups in civil centered on formal institutions that, themselves, are society and so should be a priority for engage- often gender blind? A positive element in this paper ment. The various action items in Paragraphs is that the CSO term has been expanded to include 64­81 discuss the need to provide Bank staff a wide range of representations (not only technocrats with better guidance for their engagement and NGOs). with CSOs, and gender considerations will be included. 9. West Bank & Gaza A major issue not taken into account is the diversity Section 2 of the paper describes the diversity that exists between various forms/kinds of civil and complexity of civil society today, including society--no distinction is made between South the differences that may exist between Northern and North or West and East, while these specificities and Southern CSOs. The Bank's existing work on are very critical if a serious engagement is to be the enabling environment for civic engagement, advanced. Similarly, this paper does not pay due and proposals to step it up, are discussed in attention to the diversity that is generated by the paragraphs 44, 73 and 74. various governance structures existing in various regions/countries. The situation of civil society in the South is very different from its equal in the North due to limited democratic systems. This situation merits a more targeted approach to civil society engagement and an effort on part of the Bank to introduce improvements on the enabling environment for civic engagement. It is important to prioritize more the proposed actions and to select the most appropriate for any one setting. 52 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 10. West Bank & Gaza Since the Board of Executive Directors of the World The Bank acts as a facilitator in relations Bank is composed mainly of governments (who are between governments and CSOs is discussed often not CSO friendly), how realistic is it for the in paragraphs 22­24 and 56. Although govern- Bank to formally institutionalize relationships with ments are the Bank's primary clients, the Bank civil society groups? On the other hand, the Bank accepts that it should and must work with possesses the needed credibility and standing to civil society groups and other stakeholders influence policy change, and transformation of legal beyond government to achieve poverty the systems to ensure more transparency in governance reduction objectives. The need to reexamine structures. The formal training of Bank Staff is mostly Bank's procurement policy with respect to the linked to exposure to formal institutions. On capacity unique needs of CSOs is addressed in building: there is a need to emphasize the importance paragraph 68. of building capacity in smaller NGOs, potentially through promoting partnerships between small and big NGOs. This is something the Bank is doing through its ongoing support of the NGO program in West Bank and Gaza. As for procurement: WB procurement procedures are way too complex and they need to be simplified in line with the capacity of NGOs as many of their contractual arrangements are different from those carried out by public institutions. There is a clear inverse correlation between faster disbursements and degree of engagement with CSOs. 11. West Bank & Gaza Issue No. 2 in the paper focuses on the perceived gap The gap between expectations, policy and between the messages of the Bank and reality. This practice is one of the major obstacles to more issue cannot be grouped as one of four, the others effective civic engagement. Paragraphs 29­35, being quite different--two of them dealing with 53, 56 and 60 discuss some of the areas of internal procedures and the third dealing with a frustration, leading to consultation fatigue. reality that constitutes the terrain, so to speak. In this Paragraphs 62­64 and 74­76 suggest areas context, it is important to optimize on using the right for improvement. "media" instruments to convey a better understanding of the messages. Moreover, invitation, as a process of engagement is critical for informing civil society representatives of the many issues at hand and which constitute the content for the debate on development issues. Through these processes, it is hoped that the "gap" between the messages and the reality will be bridged. 53 Ghana Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. Ghana He identifies with the evolution of the Bank-CSO The evolution of Bank-CSO engagement is relationship illustrated in the paper. Accountability of discussed in paragraphs 2­5. The broad definition CSOs is still an issue that needs to be worked on. The of civil society in discussed in paragraphs 6­8 and paper's definitions of civil society seem to be a bit too 73. They include the important distinction engineered. He agrees that the tensions between between Northern and Southern CSOs. Northern and Southern CSO is an important issue to address, and that there is not much of an institution- alized dialogue between CSOs and the Bank. 2. Ghana The Bank needs to institute a training program for its Priority action 6 in paragraph 69 discusses the staff on how to work effectively with civil society. need for more structured Bank staff training Alternatively, CSOs need to increase their capacity, program on how to engage with CSOs. The especially in terms of understanding the Bank. importance of engaging CSOs upstream in the Bank-CSO engagement needs to occur throughout CAS and projects is addressed in paragraphs 72 a project planning process--upstream and downstream. and 76. 3. Ghana There is a discrepancy between the analysis in paragraphs This paper provides a brief description of how the 73 and 84--the implementation of CSO engagement and Bank engages with civil society. It is not intended disclosure rules. The paper should expand its sections to discuss the local or national level in detail. on the Bank itself, because it now assumes familiarity Good practices are important to share, but are with the World Bank. Boxes on "good practices" at the captured in other public documents such as the local level would be a good addition to the paper. The Consultation Sourcebook and others. The need paper needs to keep in mind that CSOs are not just for greater dissemination of World Bank target groups, but also individuals, students, etc. The information in order to help CSOs better paper should reflect more on what is going on at the understand the Bank is addressed in paragraphs local level. 34, 64 and 75. 4. Ghana To make the paper more relevant at the local level and HIPC monitoring in Ghana is cited in paragraph for the Board, you should take a concrete example of 40 as an example of CSO involvement in "social debt relief, explain what happened, and the part CSOs accountability" work. played. A good example is the Ghana HIPC water project. This would serve as a model. 5. Ghana Partnering of local government and civil society is Agreed. The need to examine funding constraints constrained by the need for capacity building and is proposed as a priority action in paragraph 67, funding. while the need to strengthen capacity for engagement is proposed as a priority action in paragraph 69. 6. Ghana SAPRI was an example of government and CSO Paragraph 33 specifically refers to difficulties involvement, however, the governments didn't take the encountered in the SAPRI process, and the need to process seriously. The World Bank has an important role examine lessons learned for the future. The Bank's to play in ensuring that governments are serious. roles as facilitator in the triangular relationship between governments, CSOs and the Bank is addressed in paragraphs 22, 23, 40, and 56. 54 Indonesia Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. Jakarta, Indonesia (Commenting on the Extractive Industries Review in Paragraph 33 specifically cites the experience of the context of Bank/CSO engagement) the EIR and other high-profile stakeholder This process was set up and financed by the World engagement processes, where civil society groups Bank, and was viewed as a good practice which elicited have been disappointed that the Bank did not the participation of civil society. However, the problem accept all of the recommendations. The broader occurs when a good, transparent mechanism is establish- issue of the expectations gap is addressed in ed, yet the recommendations collected are still not paragraphs 53 and 56, 60, 62, 63, 77. adopted. 2. Jakarta, Indonesia (Referring to the Consultative Group for Indonesia Paragraphs 76 and 80 mention the need for (CGI). This type of mechanism is not only attracting greater coherence between the Bank, IFC and feedback from civil society, but from sectoral groups MIGA in terms of civil society engagement as well. There seems to be a contradiction in the Bank's practices. practices. On one hand the Bank is working to improve the environment yet, on the other hand, the political interest is such that a real positive impact is not possible. If the Bank is to make a real impact on the forestry industry in Indonesia, it must bring all of the relevant actors to the table. It must also streamline its own policies with respect to its other entities such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The IFC does not engage with civil society in the same way that the Bank does. 3. Jakarta, Indonesia How are you going to act based on the feedback you This comments matrix is intended as a feedback collect from civil society? There are many Bank mechanism to demonstrate how comments were consultations with civil society, but it is unclear as received and addressed in the paper. The priority to whether these really lead to any change in policy. action items are outlined in Section 7 of the paper, along with a number of options for further discussion. There are a number of examples where civil society consultations have resulted in changes in Bank policy or approaches, as noted in paragraph 57. 4. Jakarta, Indonesia What is the status of the NGO working group, Paragraphs 25 and 64 briefly explain the evolution NGO/Bank relations in Indonesia and on the of the previous Bank-NGO Committee, and the Indonesia CAS? We recommend that the Bank refer launch of the Joint Facilitation Committee (JFC) to civil society as being "involved" and not just being process to shape a new platform for Bank-civil "consulted." Civil society views should be incorporated society engagement at the global level. into the CAS process. Indonesian NGOs had already Paragraphs 12 and 80 briefly describe the way prepared a mapping of civil society which should be the Bank is organized to work with civil society. shared with the rest of the Bank. How is the Bank More information on these issues is available on organized to work with civil society? the Bank's website for civil society at www. worldbank.org/civilsociety. The importance of consulting CSOs in the preparation of the CAS is stressed in paragraph 72. Consultation is the appropriate term to use in this case, and the paper defines consultation as bringing with it certain expectations that the process will contribute to decision-making on policy or project design, implementation or evaluation (paragraph 26). 55 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 5. Jakarta, Indonesia Is it possible for the Bank and CSOs to work together Yes, there are many opportunities for the Bank and to promote a consultation process that is based on CSOs to work together to promote more accountability and transparency? Can the Bank involve accountable and transparent process of CSOs in project implementation? Is it possible to consultation. Priority action 2 in the paper is to develop an alternative (Bank) funding channel in cases improve the Bank's approach to consultations, where corruption is high? including these aspects. On funding, paragraphs 27, 28 and 67 describe how the Bank has developed many different types of direct and indirect funding mechanisms that support civic engagement and CSO involvement in project implementation. Community-driven development (CDD) programs are increasingly being used as a mechanism for addressing endemic corruption and getting development aid down to the village level. 6. Jakarta, Indonesia Can the Bank stop a project in cases where corruption This issue goes beyond the scope of this paper, but has taken place? Furthermore, can the Bank suspend there are mechanisms in place for the Bank to operations until legal reform is achieved? suspend or stop projects or disbursement when corruption is identified. For more information, go to the website for the Bank's Department of Institutional Integrity at http://wbln0018. worldbank.org/acfiu/acfiuweb.nsf. 7. Jakarta, Indonesia Can you add capacity building for trade unions, so Yes, trade union engagement and the need for they could have a more detailed understanding of capacity building of unions is discussed in the Bank's mission and role in poverty reduction? paragraphs 23 and 59. The broadening of the Why did you change the terminology from NGO definition of NGO to CSO is explained in to CSO? How can civil society be more involved in paragraphs 6­9. Upstream involvement of CSOs the project cycle? within the project cycle is discussed in paragraphs 72 and 76. 8. Jakarta, Indonesia How can Bank operations/processes be improved when Agreed that CSOs should be involved in there is no regular mechanism for monitoring and monitoring and evaluation, and the paper refers to evaluation? CSOs should be involved in monitoring a number of examples where they are involved in and evaluation as well. "social accountability" initiatives to track budget expenditures in paragraphs 24 and 40. The need for monitoring and evaluation of how the Bank engages with civil society is discussed in paragraphs 31 and 66, and is one of the priority actions in the paper. 9. Jakarta, Indonesia The Bank should also prioritize capacity building for Agreed. The need for capacity building for Bank CSOs, because CSOs need to better understand how staff to engage CSOs, and vice-versa, is discussed the Bank works. It is also important to increase the in paragraphs 22, 56, and 69. commitment of Bank staff to work with CSOs. 10. Jakarta, Indonesia Can the Bank encourage CSOs to be an equal partner? As explained in paragraphs 22­24, the Bank's There are too many cases where government does not major type of engagement with civil society is to deliver. Government should sign the loan, and act as a facilitate government-CSO interaction. Section 3 facilitator and regulator, but CSOs are often better able of the paper also describes that while the Bank to deliver services. must work with governments, in some cases CSOs may be better positioned to deliver services at the local level, such as in Low Income Countries Under Stress (LICUS). 56 Mozambique Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. Maputo, Mozambique The Bank needs to improve and standardize the The need to improve the Bank's selection selection criteria it uses to involve CSOs in its criteria and the manner in which it conducts consultations. A new consultation group should consultations is discussed in paragraphs 32, 44, 65 be created to take into consideration the different and 73. The aim is to achieve best practice sensibilities among CSOs countrywide. The group standards, while allowing for flexibility across should be limited in number so as to guarantee focus. countries and sectors. 2. Maputo, Mozambique The time allotted to a consultation also affects the Agreed. Timing is noted as one of the areas where quality of the dialogue between the Bank and the consultations need to be improved, and is CSOs. By providing more time, the umbrella NGOs discussed in paragraphs 32, 35 and 65. can consult with their members and associates, mostly located away from the main urban areas. 3. Maputo, Mozambique When engaging in consultation on important WB The need for earlier disclosure and notification of documents, such as CAS, ESW, Country Economic participants, as important steps in improving the Memorandum, etc., the country office needs to consultation process, is raised in paragraphs 32, publicize (including in the local newspapers) the 35, and 65. timeframe and schedule of the entire consultation process. Such a measure will contribute not only to raised interest, but will also enable the CSOs to become acquainted with the issues before the discussions, e.g., by requesting the previous documents, etc. 4. Maputo, Mozambique The language barrier is a major obstacle for a better Paragraphs 34 and 75 discuss the need for CSO engagement. WB documents need to be increased transparency and information disclosure. translated into Portuguese. Regarding the discussion Paragraphs 26 and 75 refer to the need to translate papers used to obtain feedback from Mozambicans, documents into local languages, and the Bank has you should not exclude the possibility of translating recently adopted a new framework to promote documents into a more accessible language-- this. translating into regional languages as well. 5. Maputo, Mozambique Regarding the triangular relationship (described as The triangular relationship between government, somewhat ambiguous) between the Government, civil society and the Bank is discussed in CSOs, and WB, in order to secure a quality debate on paragraphs 40 and 56. The Bank plays both a issues, the WB needs to be more inclusive in its facilitator role in government-CSO relations, as approach. For instance, by making sure that some well as to engage in direct dialogue and meetings bring together both Government officials consultation, as discussed in paragraphs 21­26. and CSOs. This will avoid what is called "the ping- pong effect," in which Government Officials, when in discussion with CSOs, tend to blame the WB for all bad policies and, in the same way, CSOs tend to blame the government when discussing with the Bank. This situation is not conducive to a genuine and quality debate. 57 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 6. Maputo, Mozambique The knowledge gap between African CSOs and their The lack of a level playing field among CSOs in counterparts in the West can be addressed with the North and South is noted and is addressed in Bank's assistance. The Bank can make its facilities paragraphs 8 and 73. The Bank does have a role available (internet, VC, etc.) to facilitate continuous engagement, as discussed in paragraphs 24 and information sharing among CSO and NGOs world- 74. A single consultation platform is not wide. This idea responds to the need to establish a desirable, but the Bank is experimenting with a worldwide consultation platform. Such a platform variety of new ways to consult CSOs at the global would be advantageous because, most of the time, and national levels, as discussed in paragraphs governments in developing countries, such as 64 and 65. Mozambique, are not keen on sharing their policies with CSOs. On many occasions, NGOs based locally are not granted access to Government policy documents. The only way to access these documents is through foreign NGOs. 7. Maputo, Mozambique A student association would like to know what The Bank's growing focus on engagement with the Bank's policies are toward students in general, youth is noted in the Executive Summary on page and more particularly, about student associations iv, and in paragraphs 12, 16, 23, 54, 58 and 59. in Africa. Youth and youth organizations are a key constituency within civil society which needs to have a voice in development dialogue and decision-making at the global and national levels. 58 Washington, DC Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 1. Washington, DC The paper raises many important and timely issues. Paragraphs 32­34, 65 and 75 address CSO It acknowledges many recent improvements in WB- frustration over limits on access to information as CSO relations. For example, more information from well as the ad-hoc nature and varying quality of the Bank is available through the disclosure policy, consultations. The priority action in paragraph 65 and the PRSP process promises more voice to CSOs. is to create a Bank-wide consultations focal There are still a number of roadblocks and counter- point/advisory service that will help to address pressures in the institution, however. Draft Bank some of these problems, and the paper also documents are still not disseminated soon enough proposes additional steps to increase transparency to allow for informed participation and decision- and disclosure. making by CSOs. The quality of participation is still a major problem, and there is a sense of huge trans- action cost for participation. CSOs question some recent policy conversions in the Bank and the impact of their participation. Many CSOs want to see many of the issues put forward in the paper quickly handled, and some of the counter-pressures removed. No one has interest in an empty process. 2. Washington, DC Why are there only seven issues highlighted in the The priority issues selected are the ones around paper when many others are identified? which there is already consensus on the Bank's management team to move ahead. Initially the paper did not recommend any specific actions; however, during internal discussions there was general agreement to outline 10 actions to be prioritized (paragraphs 62­73), with the other options still subject to discussion by the Board, management or staff as appropriate. 3. Washington, DC The Bank should admit that these are the "WB's Agreed that this is primarily a document aimed at issues and agenda," and differ from the issues on an internal WB audience, which is stated up front the minds of CSOs. CSOs would focus on a whole in paragraph 1. As such, it's been fashioned around different process, agenda, and nature of engagement the issues and agendas most appropriate for an from what the paper contains. internal discussion. However, the analysis and recommendations in many cases reflect views and perspectives of CSOs, gathered over the past several years. 4. Washington, DC There are concrete outcomes of other discussions and This paper is focused on how to improve the processes like SAPRI, WCD, EIR and others, which are process of Bank-CSO engagement, not on actions on the table with concrete outputs, calling for specific to address every issue of concern to CSOs. actions. Are these suggestions going to be included in Those are dealt with in other fora. One of the the paper? messages of the paper is that, indeed, some of the current processes that are in place have led to frustrations. Paragraph 33 specifically refers SAPRI, WCD and EIR, while 53, 56, 60, 62, 63 and 77 address the issues of an expectations gap. 5. Washington, DC There is a frustration among CSOs regarding The concept of "consultation fatigue" is discussed engagement with the Bank. What have their voices in sections 32, 33, 55, and 64. Paragraph 57 cites led to, and where are the changes? some examples of how civil society voices have shaped policy or other decisions. 59 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 6. Washington, DC The same set of problems was experienced in the Noted. U.S. at the federal level. I suggest you look at the decisions made by the U.S. administration to see if the Bank might be able to apply the same solutions. 7. Washington, DC The problem CSOs have is not in the number of The ad hoc institutional approach to consultations consultations, but in the way their inputs are is discussed in sections 32-34, 53, 56, 65, and 73. incorporated into Bank policy. How does the Bank A review of current Bank business procedures, prepare its indicators of involvement by CSOs? The including staff incentives, is discussed in paper notes grievance procedures, early warning systems paragraph 76. in the Bank, and the issue of staff rewards and incentives, all of which are important. There is a need for a good system of staff rewards and accountability. 8. Washington, DC Has the team consulted any protesters regarding the The paper was posted on the Bank's website for paper's section on the protest movement? There isn't civil society at www.worldbank.org/civilsociety in enough analysis in the paper about the rationale for late October 2003, and comments from civil the protests, and there is little mention of the protests society organizations and other stakeholders were in the South. After four years of the PRSP process, the solicited through the end of February 2004. The same big policy issues are not being discussed and the Civil Society Team also invited various Bank legitimacy problem still exists. country offices to host discussions on the paper with CSOs based in their country. Chapter Six addresses CSO protests against the Bank and discusses the rationale behind them. See paragraphs 47­60. 9. Washington, DC It is good that the paper addresses the WB-CSO- The complexities of the triangular relationship Government three dimensional relationship, and between the WB, Governments and CSOs are protests in the South. However, the Bank needs to discussed in paragraphs 22­24, 40, 56 and 74. decide on its formal role regarding the three sector relationship, because CSOs are currently very frustrated over the lack of one. 10. Washington, DC Proposed time for further discussion on the JFC The paper refers to the JFC in paragraphs 25 and process. 64. Further background on the JFC process is available on the Bank's website for civil society engagement at www.worldbank.org/civilsociety. 11. Washington, DC Spoke on his organization's experience of engage- The Civil Society Team and the Bank-wide civil ment with the Bank, and the lack of coherent lines society focal points are there to facilitate of communication to follow-up on the many engagement and follow-up. initiatives taken with CSOs. 12. Washington, DC There is frustration with the Bank's statements on The complexities of the triangular relationship how it works with governments but is yet unable to between the WB, Governments and CSOs is influence the government's resistance to working discussed in paragraphs 22­25, 40, and 56. The with CSOs. IFC and MIGA on the other hand have variance between the Bank, IFC and MIGA are no relationship with governments that can pose a acknowledged in paragraphs 76 and 80. constraint on CSO involvement; however, regardless of a direct relationship with governments, these agencies still have limitations on CSO engagement. Maybe the Bank's methodology of putting the blame on the governments themselves should be reconsidered. 60 Location Summary of Comment World Bank Response 13. Washington, DC Civil society groups need to be coordinated regarding The paper refers to the JFC in sections 25 and 64, the JFC. Prior to stepping into the process, civil society and additional information is available on the should have undergone a legitimate participatory Bank's website for civil society at www. process to choose whether it wants to participate or worldbank.org/civilsociety. not. Accountability is a key question in the decision on whether or not CSOs should be involved in the JFC. This is yet another mechanism for engagement, while many others have resulted in nothing. He noted that the issue of representativeness of the JFC has been discussed by its members during the initial meeting. 14. Washington, DC There is very limited participation and involvement Paragraphs 32, 44, 59, 73 and 76 recognize the of the disabled community in many discussions need to be more inclusive and targeted in the and consultations. consultation process. The disabled community is one of the examples of new constituencies the Bank is targeting, which has been aided by the hiring of a disability coordinator. 15. Washington, DC Can the Bank formalize in writing the requirements Paragraph 72 makes a specific proposal to for CSO consultations in the preparation of CASs? emphasize civil society participation in the CAS There needs to be a fully transparent process in preparation and in CAS monitoring and which CSOs and communities affected by Bank evaluation. projects can know specifically who is responsible for what decisions. 16. Washington, DC Something fundamental is missing in this discussion The focus of the paper is to describe the recent based on the Bank's thinking that civic participation trends in, and quality of, the engagement between is a privilege and not a right. The notion of the right the WB and CSOs. Human rights is an issue that to participate and the right to information is missing has surfaced as an area of tension in Bank-CSO in this paper. relations and the paper acknowledges this as an issue that many CSOs have been asking the Bank to address more openly. The broader debate on the role of the Bank in promoting human rights is ongoing and goes beyond the scope of this paper. The Bank had made the case for participation as a critical element of empower- ment and development effectiveness. 61 Civil Society Team The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Mail Stop: MC3-309 Washington, D.C. 20433 USA Phone: (202) 473-1840 Fax: (202) 522-7131 E-mail: civilsociety@worldbank.org