By
APRN
| February 12, 2024
CSO Development Effectiveness traces its roots from the idea of aid effectiveness. The latter is about donors’ conversation on how to harmonize aid in many countries. Donors defined aid effectiveness in terms of ownership, accountability, management for development results, and harmonization. This paradigm was challenged by many CSOs specifically on the point of ownership of development policies. This discourse led to the CSOs inquiring on the position of the CSOs in the realm of development
effectiveness. This engagement shifted the focus on CSOs as equal and independent development actors.
The question of aid effectiveness was first discussed by member and donor countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). During its Second High Level Forum in 2005 in Paris,
CSOs started to challenge donor policies and its relationship to ownership of development policies. It led the CSOs to the idea of their role and part in aid effectiveness. This resulted in the whole discourse of development and changing the paradigm of CSOs from mere implementers of aid without a voice in development policy into being recognized as having an equal role in development alongside donors and government. Thus, CSOs are development actors in their own right.