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Some Basic Principles for Meeting the Challenges of Civil Society – Government Relations - NGOs - Global policy Forum Some Basic Principles for Meeting the Challenges
of Civil SocietyBy Phiroshaw Camay and Anne Gordon
Civil Society and Governance Programme
Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK
October 2002
Difficult relationships between civil society and government are often due to a lack of trust, unprincipled behaviour, lack of information, failures in communication, and/or unwillingness on the part of one or both to take responsibility as and when necessary. Thus, in order to rise to the challenge of improving these relationships, the following are some suggestions. These are presented in such a way as to show that civil society and government have reciprocal obligations to fulfil in order for the relationship to be effective:
Civil society organisations (CSOs) should be clear about their values and mission, the constituencies they aim to represent, and the mandate with which they speak. They should define the roles they are willing and able to play. Government officials – both elected and appointed - in their turn, should show commitment to the principles and responsibilities they have undertaken to fulfil, as well as to the promises they have made to the public.
CSOs and government should both behave in a fashion that will entrench good practice of democratic governance – e.g. to respect each other, to build tolerance throughout society, and to be transparent and accountable for their actions.
Both CSOs and government should act in a principled, consistent fashion. They should also acknowledge policy trade-offs and not try to cover them up. They should recognise the potential conflicts and inequalities which allocation of resources causes and be prepared for negotiation of these issues.
CSOs can help to ensure that government continues to adhere to the spirit and the law of the Constitution, especially the protection of people’s rights, freedoms, and welfare. They can also promote people’s awareness of their civil obligations. Government should respect the independence and autonomy of CSOs, provide them with the necessary political and legal space, and encourage civil society efforts to build democratic practice.
CSO inputs to government on specific policy issues should reflect their experience in communities, the views of their constituents, in-depth research, and careful reflection on what is realistic and feasible given resource constraints and policy trade-offs. A constructive relationship should be sought – i.e. criticise or praise as appropriate. Government should formulate and implement policies which address issues of priority concern to the people and listen to the inputs from civil society on an ongoing basis. Where government is democratically elected to govern, it must fulfil this obligation, take the necessary decisions, and be accountable for them.
It is essential to recognise that neither civil society nor government are homogeneous, nor do they necessarily speak and act with one voice. Thus, the complexities of each should be probed and understood in order to develop suitable strategies for interaction.
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