As part of the Partos Shift the Power Lab 2.0, recommendations were developed that provide a critical reflection on the Dutch policy framework for Strengthening Civil Society. We focus on the limitations in the current Framework to achieve more balanced power relations between the Global South and Global North. Furthermore, we aim to find new ways to work towards more equitable partnerships in the next policy framework (expected from 2025).
Policy paper: Recommendations for a more effective Dutch MOFA policy framework ‘Strengthening Civil Society’
In this policy paper, a critical reflection is presented, focusing on two questions:
- Which mechanisms are anchored in the policy that limits CSOs in the North and CSOs in the South in their efforts to achieve more balanced power relations?
- In which ways should the successor of this policy framework be different to create a more enabling environment for CSOs to achieve more balanced power relations?
Voices on Power
The policy paper is complemented by a separate report, comprising in-depth interviews with representatives of Global South organisations. These representatives participate in one of the 21 Power of Voices partnerships, and in one of the 7 partnerships under the SRHR Partnership Fund. Power of Voices and the SRHR Partnership Fund are two substantial grant instruments under the overarching Dutch Policy Framework for Strengthening Civil Society.
All interviews in this report give a fascinating insight from a daily lived reality. The interviewees speak directly to the reader. The reader cannot talk back but has to listen. One by one, they share food for thought from their own specific context on the themes selected in the policy paper. The message may not always be comfortable, but it is fair and necessary.
What’s next?
Following these publications, we will embark on a collaborative journey together with our colleagues from the Ministry to explore how we can integrate these recommendations into the next policy framework.