Baku Regional Seminar in a nutshell

Transcription

1 Baku Regional Seminar in a nutshell STRUCTURED DIALOGUE: THE PROCESS 1 BAKU REGIONAL SEMINAR: PURPOSE & PARTICIPANTS 2 CONTENTS AND STRUCTURE OF DISCUSSIONS 2 HOW TO GET PREPARED FOR AN ACTIVE PARTICIPATION DURING THE EVENT? 5 Structured Dialogue: the process 1 What is the Structured Dialogue (SD)? The Structured Dialogue (SD) is an initiative launched by the EC to discuss the involvement of civil society organizations (CSOs) & Local Authorities (LAs) in EU development cooperation. Conceived as a confidence and consensus-building mechanism, the initiative aims at increasing the effectiveness of all stakeholders involved in EU development cooperation, by building on the momentum gained by international and European debates. Which stakeholders are involved? The SD is an inclusive process. It gathers the European Commission, the European Parliament, EU Member States and civil society organisations (CSOs) as well as local authorities (LAs) from Europe and from the EU partner countries. What are the main components? In terms of components, the SD has been conceived as a global, multi-level process, articulated around live events and on-line discussions: 6 meetings in Brussels: a launching event and 5 expert working sessions in -2011; 4 regional seminars (1 per region: Africa, Latin America and Asia in, Neighbourhood region in 2011); 3 thematic supporting initiatives to target specific issues: Development Education activities in Europe, LA role in development and Human Rights & Democratisation; Online discussions via the blog: HYPERLINK What is the timeframe? The process was officially launched on the 23rd of March by Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs. It will last more than one year, with a Final Conference to be held in Budapest in May 1 For further information regarding the Structured Dialogue please consult:

2 March April June June July Sept. Oct. October Nov. January 2011 Feb March 2011 May 2011 Official launch Session 1 WG 1&2 Seminar 1 Africa- Bamako HR & D initiative Regional Seminar Amman session 2 Groups 1&2 Seminar 2 Latin America- Asunción Seminar DEAR Initiative Brussels session 3 Groups 1,2&3 Seminar 3 Asia- New Delhi session 4 Group 3 Seminar 4 ENP- Baku session 5 Groups 1,2&3 Final Confer ence Budap est Baku Regional Seminar: purpose & participants The Regional Seminar of Baku is the last of four regional events taking place in the framework of the Structured Dialogue. Regional seminars have been designed to provide an opportunity to integrate in the debates the perspectives of CSOs&LAs from EU partner Countries, thus allowing for a participatory bottom-up process in which Southern actors are constructively involved during the whole process. In addition, these seminars are an opportunity to reinforce and foster partnerships between organisations from the EU & third countries. The event will gather around 120 participants: representatives from CSOs&LAs from the seventeen European Neighbourhood countries 2 + Yemen and Iraq together with representatives from the EC headquarters, EU Delegations, European Member States, the European Parliament and European CSOs&LAs platforms. EU Member States Embassies in Azerbaijan are also invited to attend the seminar. Representatives from CSOs&LAs have been identified in close cooperation with EU Delegations and European CSOs&LAs platforms, according to a set of criteria, like: their representativity & involvement in a national or regional platform; prior experience in policy dialogues and local EC consultation processes as well as experience in managing or participating in EU projects and knowledge of the aid effectiveness agenda. Contents and structure of discussions Discussions have been structured in 3 Groups (WG). In order to gain a sound familiarity with the different thematics approached, you are vividly encouraged to consult the Groups paper, available on the website CISOCH 3, as well as the preliminary wrapping-up document, which intends to provide a first synthesis of discussions held in the different gatherings in 4. Discussions to be held on the 9th of February will revolve around policy-informing issues ( Groups 1&2), and will be guided around a number of key questions, with an aim to contribute to the operational discussions, which are envisaged in the course of the 10 th of February ( Group 3). 9th of February: policy-informing debates Group 1: The roles and added-value of CSO and LA in EU external cooperation Group 2: Complementarity and coherence within the Aid Effectiveness Agenda 2 Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, Russia, Syria, Tunisia, Libya, Ukraine, Occupied Palestinian Territory + Yemen, Iraq. 3 Please download the document on CISOCH:

3 10th of February: operational debates Group 3: EU aid delivery mechanisms In terms of structure, and as a mean to foster interaction among participants, the Seminar has been organised around a limited number of plenary sessions and several workshops 5, which make use of different inclusive and participatory methodologies. Furthermore, several case studies identified and prepared in advance - will be presented throughout the sessions to illustrate the discussion themes. In addition to these case-stories, participants are encouraged to bring their testimonials, case stories and/or position papers outlining their observations on a specific /diverse topics, as a means to fuel the discussions throughout the seminar. 9 th February (all day long) 10 th February (morning): Groups 1 & 2 Groups 1&2 will take place in parallel, and within each Group a number of discussion tables will be organised. Participants must select the Group (1 or 2) they would like to attend. Group 1: Roles and added value of CSO & LA in EU external cooperation Group 2: Complementarity and coherence within the Aid Effectiveness Agenda 1. Roles and added value of CSO & LA in EU external 2. Complementarity and coherence within the Aid cooperation 6 Effectiveness Agenda 7 This Groups will address the following issues: 1. Promoting an enabling environment for ENP CSOs &LAs to operate & looking at political multi-stakeholder Dialogues: what are the conditions and roles of the different stakeholders in the process of promoting an enabling environment and opening and/or reinforcing dialogue between CS and the State & within the EU cooperation cycle? 2. Looking at complementarity and cooperation between actors in Europe and in the ENP region: What characterises European-ENP region CSO&LA relationships at present and what could it be foreseen in the coming years? What changes would local CSOs & LAs expect to reinforce the links with European CSOs & LAs in order to foster effective partnerships? 3. Territorial approaches to development and Challenges of local Governance: Based on the respective roles and competencies of LAs and CSOs: What opportunities and challenges arise from the articulation between LAs&CSOs in the framework of a territorial approach to development? What different scenarios exist and what are their implications for local public policy definition, implementation, monitoring and evaluation? This Groups will address the following issues: 1. The ownership principle and its practical implications: How to ensure the ownership of development strategies by local stakeholders and move from a notion of governmental ownership towards a notion of broad-based ownership? What specific skills should ENP CSO&LA develop to enhance their involvement in the new aid modalities? 2. Opportunities and challenges of the alignment principle and the right of initiative of CSOs&LAs: What are the opportunities, risks and challenges for ENP CSOs & LA of the alignment principle in the new reform agenda? How should the right of Initiative be interpreted in view and in light of the AAA? 3. Complementarity and harmonization among donors: What are the opportunities and challenges for ENP CSOs & LAs of division of labour & enhanced harmonisation among donors? What are the risks and challenges of joint funding modalities to support ENP CSOs & LAs? 5 The methodological approach will be duly presented in plenary on the first day of the Regional Seminar. Please be aware that workshop discussions will be held in English and French. During plenary sessions, an interpretation service (covering also Arabic and Russian) will be available. 6 Please consult Paper 1, available at CISOCH: 7 Please consult Paper 2, available at CISOCH: Agenda_for_Action 3

4 Participants are encouraged to sign up to the group ( Group 1 or group 2) best related to their specific background and interest. The principle first-come, first-served will be applied. 10 th February (afternoon) Group 3 8 On the basis of the conclusions resulting from WG1&2 discussions (duly systematized and reinterpreted in terms of needs to be tackled), Group 3 will focus debates on the mechanisms (namely aid modalities and selection procedures) best suited to address the identified needs. Discussions will take place in 4 workshops that will run in parallel. For each Workshop, one main theme will be debated and one rapporteur will present the answers to the questions in a plenary session afterwards. Please note that the topics outlined below may still be slightly adjusted in accordance to the discussions and recommendations of working groups 1 & 2. Workshop 1: The Call for Proposals as a selection procedure for the disbursement of EC funding to support CSOs&LAs The workshop will take a critical look the Call for Proposals system as a mechanism for the identification and selection of projects to be funded by the European Commission. The mechanism is often oversubscribed, which poses challenges to various stakeholders. On the basis of recommendations issued from WG1 and Wg2, debates will aim at identifying possible solutions or alternatives to the overstretched Call for Proposal system, or in other words, opportunities for reform. Workshop 2: Better targeting and actor segmentation in aid delivery Based on discussions held within Groups 1&2, this workshop will focus on targeting and actor segmentation as a means to improve the access to funding opportunities of various development actors (networks /platforms, grass roots organisations, LA, etc). The workshop will discuss and assess emerging aid modalities that are currently being elaborated and tested by national and international donors (block grants, core funding for networks/umbrella organisations/ targeted support to LA/ ring-fencing of funds/etc.) in view of learning lessons that can be a source of inspiration when rethinking aid delivery mechanisms from an actor-based perspective. Workshop 3: Support long-term processes & strengthen the sustainability of interventions Based on discussions held within Groups 1&2, this workshop will reflect on addressing better a number of needs that require longer-term support. The support to institutional development and capacity- building of CSOs, to networking & coalition building, and to their role in political dialogue & monitoring can perhaps be more strategically addressed with other aid modalities than projects. Based on their own experience, the participants will take stock of positive and negative aspects of support through programme funding, institutional funding, follow-up grants or any other dispositions that can enhance long-term support for their activities and their organisations. Workshop 4: Increase harmonisation & costeffectiveness of aid delivery 9 Having to deal with many donors who have their own funding procedures is highlighted by CSOs and LAs as a major burden on their capacity to get the type of support they need. Progressively, donors are developing new common financing systems, aimed at reducing transaction costs and ultimately leading to an improved allocation of resources. The group will reflect on what features donor support would need to have in order to decrease the costs of uncoordinated funding and address the multiple and diverse needs of civil society more strategically, for example through the use of multi-donor or pool funds. 8 To consult the complete paper 3, please see: 4

5 Participants are encouraged to sign up to the workshop best related to their specific background and interest. The principle first-come, first-served will be applied. How to get prepared for an active participation during the event? Where to find background information? 3 supporting documents have been prepared in advance to contribute to the preparation of participants, namely: a Background Document, 3 Papers related to the 3 working groups and a Glossary. Background document 3 papers Glossary It provides essential background information on the structured dialogue and an overview of the context (international and European) They inform and guide discussions by: Exploring the key topics for discussion in each working group Including a number of case studies for illustrative purposes Raising some fundamental questions to stimulate the discussion. Dozens of key words are defined for a common ground & understanding on which to base discussions It is an effort to build common language for discussions In addition, a preliminary wrapping-up document has been drafted in November, with a view to provide a first synthesis of discussions held in the different gatherings on every topic addressed within Groups 1&2 10. These supporting documents are available on the Civil society helpdesk (CISOCH): What should I do practically before my participation in the Baku Seminar? Read the Background document, which provides an overview of the Structure Dialogue process. Select the Group ( Group 1 or Group) and Workshop (within Group 3) you want to attend according to your experience & field of expertise. 9 th of February Selection between: Group 1: The roles and added-value of CSO and LA in EU external cooperation Group 2: Complementarity and coherence within the Aid Effectiveness Agenda 9 idem

6 10 th of February Selection between: Workshop 1: The Call for Proposals as a selection procedure for the disbursement of EC funding to support CSOs&LAs Workshop 2: Better targeting and actor segmentation in aid delivery Workshop 3: Support long-term processes & strengthen the sustainability of interventions Workshop 4: Increase harmonisation & cost-effectiveness of aid delivery Read the wrapping up document and the working paper ( Paper 1 or paper 2) of the group you plan to attend and the chapters of paper 3 related to your selected workshop. Confirm that you are able to communicate in English or in French. Please note that an interpretation service will be available during plenary sessions (covering also Russian & Arabic). Workshop discussions will however take place only in English and French. Additionally and on an optional basis: Organize consultations within your organisation / network to come up with positions that are endorsed by your constituency. Bring a case study, a position paper outlining your observations on a topic, or any other information you deem relevant, e.g. on your organization (this can be in the form of a poster, PowerPoint, or brochures à please inform us at least 1 week before the event via mail) Please register to the Groups and Workshops, before the 5 January to renee@cecoforma.com 6