Summary: Working Group on Civil Society and International Organizations Cooperation

Strengthening cooperation with civil society in developing countries

This session underlined the important role played by civil societies and international organizations in preventing human rights abuses, gender inequalities and oppression. Development agencies, however, tend too often to fit within existing systems rather than changing them. Therefore, fundamental inequalities or issues are not being addressed. It is essential that civil society in the North and the South strengthen cooperation, exchange information, monitor the use of aid and make developing agencies or international organizations more accountable for their actions.

Mr. Ade Adenekan, of the Pan African Peace and Reconciliation Council (PARC), emphasized the importance of North-South cooperation and of the need to strengthen it. Civil societies in the South rely on the North for financial and material support while civil societies in the South have a better understanding of local problems or issues (which are linked to culture, population, gender, environment, etc.). Mutual trust is the key to successful cooperation but requires years of interaction and communication.
Mr. Adenekan gave an example of successful cooperation between PARC and the Canadian Centre for Teaching Peace. Thanks to the support of their northern counterpart, PARC is now enjoying an electronic mail service as well as an educational web site that allows them to disseminate information, share ideas, and develop peace-building projects with other organizations worldwide.

The next speaker, Ms. Sarah Longwe from Femnet, said that while civil society in the North is quite active and effective at influencing national governments' policies in their own countries (e.g. right to abortion, nuclear disarmament), they are powerless to influence international organizations such as UN agencies or NGO development agencies. Citizens lack information on how their money is being spent on aid or development programmes and many development agencies do not have to answer for their actions. Civil society both in the North and in the South must ask for more accountability and make sure that citizens' money is well-spent and meeting the needs of developing countries. They must cooperate, exchange information and monitor the use of aid so that oppression and other human rights abuses do not continue.

Ms. Longwe added that often international organizations do not report human rights abuses for fear of triggering anger from the host country and therefore jeopardizing their work. She also suggested that some people in charge of aid programmes in developing countries enjoy their comfortable lives too much to risk losing it. Therefore, in developing countries dominated by gender inequality, development programmes often fit within the existing patriarchal order instead of attempting to change it.

Mr. Hans Petter Buvollen from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) talked about the important role played by civil society as mediators during the peace process between the government and the Guatemalan guerilla organization URNG. Opposition in the country mainly exists through civil society groups who monitor and put pressure on the government in areas such as human rights, justice, environment issues, security, etc. Some members of the military, for instance, have been brought to court thanks to the active pressure of human rights groups and international organizations.
Mr. Buvollen said that civil society in Guatemala has little confidence in UNDP. The UN did not intervene in the past to prevent the slaughter of civilians. The organization is also criticized for being pro-government and for lacking efficiency, accessibility, humility and reliability. However, stronger cooperation between the civil society and UNDP could benefit civil society because the UN has access to government structures. He added that civil society must be consulted and included in dialogues between the UN and the Guatemalan government.

Conclusions
Civil society plays an important role in preventing human rights abuses, gender inequalities and military oppression. Cooperation between civil society in the North and the South must be reinforced and aid agencies and international organizations must answer for their actions and account for their spending.

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