Master Class Introductory Module: The Role and Function of Civil Society Organisations in Society

Transcription

1 Master Class Introductory Module: The Role and Function of Civil Society Organisations in Society 1

2 Contents INTRODUCTION... 3 CONTEXT... 3 TARGET GROUP... 3 GOALS... 3 AUTHOR AND TRAINERS CONTACTS... 4 DATE... 4 LOCATION... 4 WHAT IS CIVIL SOCIETY?... 5 CIVIL SOCIETY AND DEMOCRACY... 5 CIVIL SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM... 7 REFERENCES

3 Introduction Context The Master Class takes place in the context of the SECTOR programme in Moldova and Belarus. The introductory module, The Role and Functions of Civil Society Organisations in Society is to put in context the training and present the necessary background for CSOs to a set of four modules delivered during a week-long training. The modules are: Lobbying and Watchdogging, Communication and Public Outreach: Using Traditional and New Media Channels, Access to Information and Public Participation and Access to Justice. Target group The Master Class is intended for members of civil society organisations (CSOs) from Moldova and Belarus who are active in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development, at both national and municipal level. A maximum of 25 people can participate in one training session. Goals The Master Class training has been designed to build the capacity, knowledge and skills of environmental CSOs in order to: enable them to understand the nature of CSOs and the role and functions they should play in society; demonstrate how they can play their role in the community and cooperate as partners with the authorities and different actors in the community in order to achieve environmental improvements and promote sustainable development; and provide an opportunity for sharing experiences, show good and bad practice examples on the above in Moldova and other countries. 3

4 Author and trainers contacts This introductory module was written by Robert Atkinson, former director of civil initiatives at the REC within the SECTOR programme for South Eastern Europe funded by the Swedish Government (Sida) and implemented in by the REC. The trainer for the Master Class training in Moldova on this topic was: Rodica-Iordanca Iordanov Date Monday, April 8 to Friday, April 12, 2013 Location Hotel VATRA, Moldova 4

5 What is civil society? It is generally accepted that within a functioning democratic society three main active sectors can be characterised that interact with one another, with varying degrees of harmony or conflict. These three are usually taken to be: government (at all levels), business (profit-making organisations) and civil society. While government and business are easier to define, civil society and its functions and the roles of the organisations within this grouping are less obvious. There are a variety of definitions used for civil society, however, the one used by the REC is: the set of institutions, organisations and behaviours situated between the state, the business world, and the family. Specifically, this includes voluntary and non-profit organisations of many different kinds, philanthropic institutions, social and political movements, other forms of social participation and engagement and the values and cultural patterns associated with them. Most definitions refer to civil society as not being state or profit based (though there is often a blurring between the three), that it is based on values and interests, and that it comprises a variety of institutional forms and actors. Clearly though, civil society and any institutions within it, should be active. Summary: Civil society is one of the three active sectors of society. Civil society refers to institutions, organisations, values and behaviour. Civil society is both a control and a driving force in society. Civil society and democracy As the countries of Central and Eastern Europe moved from socialist to democratic, free-market systems, each faced a multitude of challenges, such as: What are the essential processes of our democratic decision making? How do we build an economy that is both efficient and fair? Who determines the balance between individual rights and the welfare of the whole society? Such challenges have been struggled over and are often represented through the interactions between government, business and civil society. 5

6 The perceived weakness of civil society in the transition countries was thought to be a problem and as such the promotion of civil society and civil society organisations (CSOs) has been a major feature of the support given to the transition by donor countries. One main assumption behind this support was that civil society helps to bring forward the specific concerns of the citizens, gives them an effective voice and therefore enhances the quality of decision making. It is argued that civil society organisations are a building block of democracy, as they facilitate effective interlinkages between the variety of interests within society. However, some do question whether civil society itself is so democratic. After all, civil society s representatives are not directly elected or appointed by the population. Indeed criticism is often leveled at the donor-encouraged movements of CSOs in transition and developing countries in that they do not represent real organic civil society, that too many mock civil society organisations exist that serve only to gain access to donor funds (crypto-consultancies) or to provide the impression that there is popular support for projects. CSOs can really only respond to this criticism by the way they operate and by being open and accountable for their actions. All of the transition countries have approached democratic decision making in different ways, with subtle nuances based on national history and cultural traditions. The civil society that has developed within them also reflects these factors and has developed to serve a variety of roles or functions. Overall though, civil societies have the following main essential functions: Advancing democracy, pluralism and diversity in society under the rule of law. Promoting and enforcing transparency and accountability in government and the economy. Creating alternative institutions for serving public needs. Improving decision making by more efficiently representing public and private interests. Serving as a link between the individual, the government and the market. Practically this is achieved through: watchdogging; lobbying; legal recourse; representation; cooperating with and mobilising communities; public education and awareness raising through information provision (from monitoring through to publishing). Owing to this broad role, civil societies are represented by a wealth of organisations that cover a wide variety of issues and interests: they include: 6

7 philanthropic or charitable foundations, development non-governmental organisations, community groups, gender-based organisations, faith-based organisations, syndicates or trade unions, professional associations, indigenous people s groups, business associations, coalitions and advocacy groups. Civil society and environmental activism The switch from a socialist to a democratic system has coincided with an upsurge in environmental concern and awareness. Indeed many environmental movements in Central Europe were instrumental in the public protests that helped to weaken the former regimes. This linkage between environmental issues and democratic principles has been important for the development of environmental civil society organisations. While many groups work on traditional nature protection and environmental education issues, the promotion of the key approaches through which CSOs can actively participate in decision making or promote their particular environmental programme has been high on the donor agenda. The SECTOR programme is one such example. References Further background documents on civil society in the region include: The CSO ATRC in Kosovo*, which offers training on The Role of NGOs in Development, Democracy and Civil Society Building (online at: The CSO CRNVO in Montenegro, which offers: How it looks like; developed civil society? What is the role and importance of NGOs? How to be citizen? (online at: SMART in Croatia, which hosts the School for Social Change and which offers participants knowledge and skills or upgrading in the field of self-sustainable management of their organisation, cooperation with various partners, civil society, public advocacy and lobbying. (online at: * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. 7