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Eurostep at the Third UN Conference for the Least Developed Countries

EUROSTEP IN COLLABORATION WITH CIDSE/TROCAIRE AND 11.11.11

ORGANISE

WORKSHOP ON MEETING THE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF CIVIL SOCIETY PARTICIPATION IN ACP-EU COOPERATION

MAY 17-18, BRUSSELS

EFTA Building

74 Rue de Trèves; 1040 Brussels; Room A

BACKGROUND

The signatories of the Cotonou Agreement establish the participation of civil society and other non-state actors in ACP-EU co-operation as a fundamental principle of the Agreement.

As laid down in the Cotonou Agreement, civil society actors are supposed to be informed and involved in consultation on co-operation policies and strategies, provided with financial resources, involved in the implementation of co-operation project and programmes and provided with capacity-building support.

However, the effective realisation of these provisions will depend on the extent to which mechanisms are set up that allow for effective engagement between civil society actors and state actors, as well as how effectively civil society organisations will be able to organise themselves and prepare for the assumption of their new role.

Since the conclusion of the negotiations between the ACP and the EU on a new partnership agreement, both state and non-state actors from the ACP and EU have been involved in a number of activities aimed at preparing for the participation of civil society and other non-state actors in ACP-EU co-operation.

In June 2000 Eurostep in collaboration with the Liaison Committee of EU NGDOs and INZET organised a workshop on ‘Enhancing Civil Society Involvement in the Implementation of the New ACP-EU Agreement’. One of the main aims of this workshop was to develop strategies for strengthening the involvement of civil society actors in the implementation of the new ACP-EU Agreement, at both the national and global level.

The main proposal that emerged from the workshop was for an identified group of civil society actors should develop a common strategy that allows for proactive monitoring of the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement. This would not only involve surveillance of the implementation of the Agreement as it stands, but also entail surveillance of the implementation of the goals that civil society advocates on the remaining malleable aspects of the Agreement.

As one of the means of realising this proposal, Eurostep in collaboration with a number of ACP and EU civil society actors initiated an electronic web based discussion amongst a wide range of civil society actors with the aim of developing common ACP-EU civil society approaches towards advocacy and monitoring of the new ACP-EU Agreement. This process has generated many interesting ideas regarding modes of collaboration between civil society actors, a plan of action on civil society advocacy on trade, and establishment of an ACP- EU civil monitoring group on health and education.

The UN LDC III Conference, to be hosted by the EU in Brussels in May, will encompass a number of elements that could provide a constructive contribution to developing strategies on civil society participation in Cotonou. 39 of the 48 LDC countries are in the ACP and the bulk of the European Union’s cooperation with LDCs is carried out under the framework of the Cotonou Agreement. The Conference provides an opportune occasion for the organisation of a workshop aimed at advancing the abovementioned ideas on civil society participation in ACP-EU cooperation. The wide range of civil society organisations that would be attending the Conference and NGO Forum linked to it, should also provide the workshop with the opportunity to share and discuss ideas on the initiatives developed thus far with a broader range of actors.

The meeting will be structured to take in account of the demands on time that a number of the participants will be facing due to the number of events that will be taking place concurrently under the NGO Forum and LDC Conference the workshop. The two-day meeting will be divided into distinct sub-meetings, each with its own specific function and goals.

The workshop will also take place at a time when EU and ACP state and non-state actors are preparing for the ACP Civil Society meeting co-organised by the ACP Secretariat, the European Commission and the Belgian EU Presidency in Brussels in July 2001. One of the objectives of the July meeting would be to discuss the Communication and possibly an Action Plan aimed at operationalising the provisions on civil society participation in the Cotonou Agreement to be presented to the ACP and EU Council of Ministers in November. Eurostep’s aim is to ensure that this event promotes autonomous and independent forms of civil society organisation in ACP countries, on the basis of which an effective engagement with the ACP-EU co-operation process can be developed. The work of the workshop needs to take account and relate to the preparations for the July meeting and other initiatives geared towards operationalising civil society participation in the Cotonou Agreement.

AIMS OF THE WORKSHOP

The aims of this workshop are to:

Explore areas in which civil society could develop common approaches in advocacy and monitoring of the Cotonou Agreement

Explore ways in which ACP and EU civil society organisations could organise themselves in an autonomous manner

INPUTS FOR THE WORKSHOP

In accordance with the abovementioned aims, the inputs into the workshop will include papers based on ideas put forward in the electronic discussion on Cotonou on developing common approaches towards monitoring and advocacy on trade cooperation, civil society participation and cooperation in health and education. Briefing papers ACP-EU Cooperation and preparatory papers on the ACP Civil Society meeting in July will also be presented for discussion.

EXPECTED OUTCOME OF THE WORKSHOP

In accordance with the aims of the workshop, the expected outcome of the meeting would be concrete proposals on:

§         Systems of organisation and structuring of civil society that enhance co-operation between ACP and EU civil society as well as reinforce the engagement between ACP and EU civil society and the other actors of ACP-EU Co-operation;

§         Tools and strategies that allow ACP and EU civil society to monitor the implementation of the Cotonou Agreement in the areas of trade, civil society participation and social development