Civil Society

1
Civil Society

• Working Group 2

2
Highest priority issues

• 4 points
• Governance
• 3 points
• Ensure that institutions, processes are in place
  and are inclusive for implementation
• Look for sufficient funding
• Conditions for bottom-up process
• 2 points
• Learn from ME process and adapt
• Make sure fundamental conditions are irhgt before
  starting implementation (esp. awareness raising
  and considering the interests of all groups, esp.
  marginalized groups)
• Support services
• Tools to ensure participatory dialog that
  consolidates (interest groups)
• 1 point
• Legal recognition of rights
• Ensure that overall policy framework is conducive
  to land tenure reform
• Enabling environment
• Legal and administrative innovations, especially
  to ensure broad public participation and NGO
  involvement

3
Governance

• Civil society for facilitating communication and
  linkages Civil society organizations should seek
  to link grassroots to intermediate levels, such
  as districts and MP constituencies, and national
  levels (eg farmers groups, or federated NGOs).
  For this to occur, governments need to recognize
  NGOs and farmer groups as important partners and
  NGOs should earn this recognize through truly
  understanding and representing the interests of
  grassroots people.
• Civil society for monitoring and evaluation
  There should be processes for civil society to be
  actively involved in monitoring the
  implementation of policy and programme.
• Civil society as partners in policy processes
  Governments should recognize civil society as
  important partners. Civil society organizations/
  NGOs can earn this recognition by exemplifying
  their understanding and representing the
  interests of grassroot people. NGOs can promote
  and ensure local governance as partners for
  decentralization process, i.e., taking part in
  decision making processes or committees. This is
  to show NGOs going beyond criticizing but also
  suggest concrete solutions. However, there is
  also a need to ensure that there is a good
  linkage between civil society such as farmers
  groups with advocacy NGOs.

4
Governance contd

• Civil society for education and empowerment of
  grassroots Civil society has a role in
  educating and training land users to understand
  the issues and the ways in which they can
  influence policy and programme. They also have
  roles in training local leaders empowering
  important local leaders. This is linked to
  empowering change agents (such as opinion
  leaders, religious leaders) through training and
  mentoring them, ensuring their capacity to bring
  out positive things and provide solutions.
• Civil society as a convener Civil society can
  play key roles in convening fora for different
  stakeholders to come together to debate issues
  and exchange information about sustainable land
  use -- farmer organizations, respected people in
  the community, religious leaders, citizens to
  understand issues.
• Civil society as public advocate Civil society
  has a role in helping the general population to
  understand the interests, values and indigenous
  knowledge of pastoralists and farmers.
• Civil society to link communities with
  researchers Eg. Better understanding of
  indigenous knowledge and the value of indigenous
  systems can assist policy processes to formulate
  better policies and programmes, and also help
  pastoralists to adapt new technologies and
  enterprises. In order for this to occur, civil
  society organizations and researchers need
  innovative ways or fora to exchange information
  and communicate.

5
Look for sufficient financing

• GEF
• Local community self financing
• Corporate social responsibility (national fair) ?
  use of logos
• Micro finance (for indigenous knowledge like
  tontin)

6
TOOLS

• Self evaluation committees
• Field visits, extension workers
• Transformation approaches , e.g. ITDG farmers to
  farmers
• Communities exchange visits