Staying Engaged

CSOs have evaluated the Systemic issues and Staying Engaged sections of the Doha Declaration against the Backdrop of their Key Recommendations of August 2008. (see below). CSOs regret the fact that governments failed to take decisive action in Doha for strong follow-up mechanisms. However, fortunately, the issue of effective follow-up is still on the table, with continuing work planned for 2009.CSOs welcome the fact that the Doha Declaration affirms a continuing role for civil society in the follow-up process: “We recognize that maintaining a comprehensive and diverse multi-stakeholder follow-up process, including with civil society and the private sector, is critical. We also recognize the core responsibility of all participants in the financing for development process to exercise ownership of it and to implement their respective commitments.” [para 88]. Through an inclusive process, with maximum outreach to its constituents, partners, and participants of the Doha Civil Society Forum and Review Conference, the Doha NGO Group (DNG) does intend to stay engaged, tracking, in the first instance, strategic events and opportunities in 2009.

In this regard, CSOs have noted that the ECOSOC is charged with making recommendations to the 64th Session of the General Assembly (September 2009), on the establishment of an inclusive, intergovernmental follow-up process for financing for development. This question is to be considered by ECOSOC at its High-Level Meeting with the Bretton Woods Institutions, WTO and UNCTAD (April 2009) and at its regular substantive Session (July, 2009). [para 89 of the Doha Declaration].

In addition, the President of the (current) 63rd Session of the General Assembly is charged with organizing a Conference “at the highest level, on the world financial and economic crisis and its impact on development.” The modalities for this Conference are to be defined by March, 2009. [para 79 of the Doha Declaration].

CSOs are committed to a strong follow-up Doha process that would advance the cause of “investing in people-centred development.” They will be watching closely for advocacy opportunities and other ways to be engaged in these follow-up activities.

Information on specific events will be posted on the Events web page.

Civil Society Key Recommendations - 30 August, 2008

We recommend the current follow up process be replaced with a new institutional mechanism that has, at a minimum, 5 features:

1. It should meet periodically and frequently (e.g., on a yearly basis).
2. It should produce a negotiated outcome, moving from the current non-negotiated follow-up mode, to a negotiated follow-up mode. This does not diminish the importance of non-negotiating instances as a prelude to consensus-building, but the Monterrey follow up process can no longer be limited to those instances alone.
3. This institutional mechanism should be at the highest level, not only in governments, particularly including high level officials covering key economic portfolios in member countries, but also the top leadership of the international financial institutions and the World Trade Organization, and all relevant development actors.
4. Civil society should be accorded a space as has been the case from the beginning of the Financing for Development process. Their contribution to the process should be stimulated in the final phase of the Doha Conference preparatory process at the national, regional and international level as well as at the Conference itself by the provision of full access to its proceedings.
5. Accessibility to information and to negotiations for all stakeholders, including civil society, should be improved to ensure that the Financing for Development is upheld as a truly multistakeholder process.

This institutional mechanism should be backed by a strengthened UN Secretariat in Financing for Development matters and by a strengthened intergovernmental counterpart to the Secretariat, to provide the necessary legitimacy, political guidance and leadership on concrete follow-up matters. (This could be a General Assembly "Committee on Financing for Development").