CPDE hosts session on inclusive development partnerships at Stockholm Civil Society Days 2019

STOCKHOLM - Nov. 28, 2019 - PRLog -- The CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) and the Task Team on CSO Development Effectiveness and Enabling Environment held a joint session on inclusive development partnerships at the Stockholm Civil Society Days 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Dubbed Inclusive Development Partnerships amid Shrinking Civic Spaces: Can CSOs be both watchdogs and partners of governments?, the session aimed to demonstrate the importance of inclusive partnerships to achieve sustainable development, and how CSOs and other development actors can promote said partnerships in the context of shrinking civic spaces and increasing attacks on human rights defenders around the world.

The event opened with an overview moderated by Task Team's Vanessa de Oliveira and CPDE Policy Coordinator Erin Palomares, and prominently featured a people's debate, where participants formulated and discussed their position on whether CSOs can be both watchdogs and partners of governments in development partnerships.

It was followed by a townhall discussion, where panelists tackled the role that CSOs play in development partnerships from their specific viewpoint, and the audience was engaged to exchange perspectives with the panelists. Panel members included CPDE Co-Chairs Beverly Longid of the International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) and Marita Gonzalez of Confederacion General del Trabajo (CGT). CPDE Co-Chair Justin Kilcullen of Social Justice Ireland and CPDE Network Manager Jodel Dacara moderated the panel and the audience, respectively.

Capping the event was a Synthesis and Call to Action segment, which highlighted key insights from the debate and townhall discussion, presented the Belgrade Call to Action and Action Agenda to participants, and cited possible actions to address the issue of shrinking civic space, including signing the Belgrade Call to Action and Action Agenda. The segment was moderated by CPDE Co-Chair Monica Novillo of Coordinadora dela Mujer, and Hans de Voogd of Task Team.

The event took place at the sidelines of the Stockholm Civil Society Days (SCSD), which this year focused on the 2030 Agenda and the core principle Leave No One Behind.

Gathering CSO actors involved in Swedish international development cooperation, SCSD was co-organised by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and CONCORD Sweden, a platform of Swedish civil society organisations working towards sustainable development.

CPDE is an open platform that unites CSOs from around the world on the issue of effective development cooperation. It strives to make development more effective by reshaping the global aid architecture and empowering CSOs working on the ground. Learn more by visiting http://www.csopartnership.org.#