Reference document nr.12 – Engaging Non-State Actors in New Aid Modalities - For better development outcomes and governance – 2011
This document calls on Civil Society to play a more active role in the aid effectiveness agenda, particularly in relation to budgetary processes. It is aimed at guiding Delegations on how to meet the participatory requirement, bringing together Non-State and State actors into the processes of General or Sectoral Budget Support. The document builds on the experiences of Delegations which have started to implement this approach, aiming to apply a more transparent view to budget support. It is both a strategic and operational guide, tentatively providing answers to key questions.
The document is targeted at EC staff involved in macroeconomic support, sector operations, governance programmes and civil society development. These various forms of expertise are invited to work together in order to improve the effectiveness of budget support operations while empowering and enabling non-state actors to play their legitimate roles in the development process.
The structure of the document is as follows:
• Chapter 1 examines why the issue of NSA participation in NAMs is now on the agenda and why the EC should address this link upfront.
• Chapter 2 reviews current EC engagement with NSAs in general and in the specific context of EC supported policies and programmes based on new aid modalities. It notes a growing interest for including NSAs in NAMs as well as promising new practices. Yet a coherent strategy to tap the full NSA potential in strategic ways is still often missing.
• Chapter 3 therefore proposes a strategic approach to engaging NSAs in NAMs. It formulates a set of fundamentals and operational principles to underpin this strategy.
• Based on emerging good practices in the field, Chapter 4 provides an operational agenda, a menu of operational guidelines, tools and tips to develop country specific approaches aimed at better integrating NSAs in NAMs all along the cycle of operations.
• Chapter 5 argues that the EC should not strive to achieve this ambitious agenda on its own but rather seek smart partnerships with other actors.
• Chapter 6 explores how the EC could strengthen its overall capacity to deal strategically with NSAs in NAMs.