Reserve the November Date: Conference Right to Development/Role of CSOs in Nicaragua

For some time, a central debate within the CONCORD family and their partners worldwide has focused on various aspects affecting the future work of civil society development organisations (CSOs). Several events have challenged current development approaches and the role of CSOs in development in times of crisis and changed paradigms (see for example the Prague Conference 2008). Furthermore, CONCORD is currently in a consultation process between the European Union institutions and member states and civil society to define the future role of CSOs in shaping, monitoring and implementing European development policies (the so-called “Structured Dialogue”).

At the same time – as a consequence of the Paris Declaration agreed by donors - the Open Forum for CSO development effectiveness is searching for a vision on development effectiveness through national and international policy dialogue, taking account of the centrality of the concepts of human rights, gender equality, environmental sustainability, and the capacity of development actors to lead the changes they seek, as the foundation for situating CSO effectiveness, as well as the effectiveness of donors and governments. The objectives are to reach an agreement on common principles regarding CSO development effectiveness and an agreement on guidelines on how to apply these principles and documentation of good practices for context-relevant mechanisms appropriate to each country and region.

TRIALOG in continuation of it’s conference on paradigm shift in development cooperation and in coordination with the above mentioned processes is organising a conference on “Right to Development /Role of CSOs” in Nicaragua from 24th to 26th of November, 2010. In the frame of this conference we invite CSO representatives from the 12 new EU member states, from the 15 old EU member states and from the “Global South” (especially from Latin America) to continue the discussions started and to find joint statements on the identity and role of CSOs in development cooperation in the “North” and in the “South”. The invitation and background information is available at: http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/invitationmanagua.pdf

From Nov. 29th to Dec. 3rd, TRIALOG is organising field visits to development projects in Nicaragua for participants from the 12 NMS. The visits will include meetings with local stakeholders, CSOs, the local target group and beneficiaries, as well as official representatives of the EC-delegations and regional offices of the European national representations.

CSO representatives from the 12 NMS who would like to participate in the conference and the field visits please contact: office@trialog.or.at. Travel support for some NMS participants will be available.

Information provided by Christine Bedoya, TRIALOG