Civil Society and Poverty Reduction in Nicaragua
The Debt-for-Development Unit of Alliance Sud (Swiss Alliance of Development Organisations) prepared a report entitled «Civil Society's Perspective on Their Involvement in PRSP Monitoring: Assessing Constraints and Potentials in Nicaragua». The analysis has been mainly informed by the perception of knowledgeable civil society representatives in Nicaragua. It applies an innovative tool – the so called 'CSO Participation Matrix' – that has been developed at Alliance Sud. The analytical tool helped to structure the information, to identify critical gaps and existing potentials, and to derive key challenges to civil society's participation. Ultimately, the tool is intended to serve civil society organisations in strengthening their voice in the multi-stakeholder dialogue on PRS monitoring. The study concludes with recommendations on fields of activities that have the potential to enhance the role of civil society in the monitoring process. Key findings include:
- Basic conditions for a significant role of CSOs in the PRS monitoring system are not met. There is the need, therefore, for a longer-term perspective on enhancing civil society's participation in national monitoring processes.
- Government is not seen to have developed an approach that appreciates civil society as a key actor in PRS monitoring and recognises its potential value added. It is recommended, therefore, to further strengthen the collaboration among CSOs, to build strategic partnerships, and to improve CSO's capacity to translate research findings into powerful advocacy tools.
- The strongest potential of CSOs is found at the local level. Efforts should therefore focus on raising awareness and empowering local people in order to enable them to hold public officials to account.
- Donors should rethink the balance between support to government and CSOs, work towards improving their coordination, and move from project-based support to core funding. The recently established multi-donor fund for supporting CSOs points to the right direction.
The report is available in English (pdf 332 kb) and Spanish (pdf 377 kb).
Contact: Alliance Sud Expertise
