Maximising Civil Society’s Contribution to Development and Democracy

Civil society is led by organisations - including NGOs, community groups, labour unions, professional associations and faith-based organisations - which are made up of people who come together to work towards those interests, values and purposes we commonly refer to as the ‘common good’.

The Commonwealth Foundation has developed a Framework for Action on Maximising Civil Society’s Contribution to Development and Democracy to guide its work in promoting the contribution of civil society in the Commonwealth.

The Framework identifies actions that need to be taken by both civil society organisations (CSOs) and by governments, donors and Commonwealth agencies.

These actions are:

• Increasing understanding and recognition of the importance and contribution of civil society to development and democracy.
• Improving the enabling environment for the operation of civil society organisations.
• Building effective CSO involvement in multi-sectoral partnerships to achieve democracy and development goals.
• Strengthening the technical and institutional capacity of civil society organisations.
• Increased citizen and civil society organisation participation at all levels of governance.
• Strengthening civil society’s contribution to the achievement of Commonwealth priorities.

The Framework is supported by a range of Civil Society Programmes, which aim to realise these goals through Commonwealth Foundation run or sponsored programmes.

Follow this link to see resources provided by the Commonwealth Foundation (opens in a new browser window)

For further information

Contact	:	Commonwealth Foundation
Phone	:	+44 (0)20 7930 3783
Fax	:	+44 (0)20 7839 8157
Email	:	geninfo@commonwealth.int

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http://www.commonwealthfoundation.com/