7.1 CREATING PARTNERSHIPS WITH MINORITY CSOs:

Minority CSOs can be strategic partners in the achievement of development results to accelerate progress towards the fulfillment of the MDGs and other development priorities. There is immense capacity among minority communities to support UNDP in achieving its goals. Many minority CSOs are already engaged in working towards these goals and strategic partnerships can be forged with these and other actors (in cross-sectoral partnerships) for greater impact.

The UN Charter, the UN Millennium Declaration (2000) and the UN World Summit (2005) provide a clear mandate for UNDP to work with civil society organizations (CSOs). The UNDP Strategic Plan 2008-2011 provides that UNDP:


…will seek to build more extensive partnerships to scale up the scope and impact of its work in all areas. In addition to core partnerships with other United Nations organizations and governments, UNDP will pursue innovative and strategic partnerships with civil society organizations […] volunteerism and civic engagement are also important partnership modalities with significant potential.

Planning strategic partnerships: Advanced planning of strategic partnerships with minorities and minority organizations is to be encouraged. Strategic partnerships may be identified, aligned and integrated in UNDP-supported development plans and documents such as the CCA/UNDAFs, Country Programme Documents and project documents at the country level and regional cooperation frameworks at the regional level. It will be useful first to identify the partners and spell out their responsibilities in the respective columns of the results frameworks. In this regard, UNDP could carry out mapping and scoping exercises as well as capacity assessment of CSOs and develop a partnership strategy that will be part of the Country Action Plan (CPAP). UNDP could engage with minority organizations in various manners, ranging from development policy to operational engagement.

Partnership principles: Partnership activities need to be clearly articulated and jointly developed based on:40

  • equity, integrity, and dedication to agreed outcomes;
  • realistic expectations, underlying institutional interests and organizational values;
  • a medium- to long-term perspective;
  • a relationship positioned at the centre of organizational priorities and processes; and
  • mutual accountability and mutual benefit.

The aspect of equity is particularly important in the case of minorities and minorities’ organizations, since they often have unequal bargaining power and a different set of capacity assets that need to be recognized but also supported.

The analysis, identification and formalization of partnerships in the framework of CPAPs provide excellent opportunities to promote greater collaboration between local government units and minorities, as well as with other stakeholders, such as the private sector, through the promotion of cross-sector partnerships and the establishment of multi-stakeholder dialogue mechanisms.

The existing capacity of minorities could be utilized. This could help to ensure that development projects meet local needs. Many minority CSOs are working in UNDP practice areas, taking the lead in providing HIV care and education or providing access to information and communication technologies (ICT) for communities. Minorities and minority organizations may become stronger development actors if they are involved to a greater extent in UNDP and government work.

Promoting civic engagement and volunteerism among minorities can be a strategic way to partner while strengthening democratic governance and development effectiveness.

UNDP has experience in working with a wide range of CSOs while strengthening networks, encouraging policy dialogue and capacity building. In Sri Lanka, UNDP implemented a small grants programme to partner with civil society partners in crisis response and recovery following the Ceasefire Agreement and the 2004 tsunami. UNDP used an innovative and comprehensive approach to set up a grants scheme to support national CSOs and provided sub-grants to community based organizations. Part of the programme was focused on civil society capacity development and civil society advisory committees were established at the local and national levels.41


BOX 21. UNV’S ENGAGEMENT IN EMPOWERING THE VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES OF ALBANIA

United Nations Volunteers (UNV) play an active role in facilitating the recognition and integration of minorities into mainstream society through legitimizing their social status and cooperating with concerned stakeholders to raise awareness on equal opportunity rights. UNV activities with regard to minorities in Albania demonstrate how volunteerism has promoted recognition and integration of minorities. UNV plays a key role in facilitating the recognition and integration of minorities into mainstream society through legitimizing their social status (birth certificates, personal identification cards, documents, etc.) needed to access social and economic assistance, health care, education, employment opportunities and political representation) and cooperating with concerned stakeholders to raise awareness on equal opportunity rights. Moreover, UNVs are instrumental in mobilizing local minority communities via community-based organizations (CBOs) and volunteer-involving organizations, building on local community dynamics and social mechanisms. UNV volunteers involve community volunteers by using a participatory process that identifies and implements local development initiatives to enhance their living conditions (i.e., infrastructure projects) and build local capacity. UNV interventions at the local level will build trusting relationships between government and minority citizens as well as foster a constructive dialogue between the communities, government and civil society stakeholders.

Capacity development activities with minorities could include a comprehensive assessment of capacity assets and areas for improvement. Monitoring and evaluation of progress is an important component.

Forging partnerships with minority CSOs provides a unique opportunity to increase impact. However, identifying partnerships with minority CSOs can be challenging. Constituencies within minority communities may compete for representative authority and individuals can be co-opted by external actors without genuine authority to make decisions on the community’s behalf. Community decision-making structures might exclude certain groups. Partnerships could also include organizations that will bring different community perspectives to the table, such as youth groups or women’s organizations. Some specific minority groups might not be considered by CSOs that articulate general minority concerns or the existing CSOs might not be strong. In such cases, specific organizational and managerial capacity support could be provided in community-driven processes and devise mechanisms and processes for engaging communities in decision-making that affects them.

40 Depending on the nature of the partner organization (civil society, private sector, UN agency etc.) and the type of partnership, additional specific principles can apply that are enshrined in existing UNDP policies.
41 See the report: Civil Society and UNDP in Sri Lanka: Partnerships in Crisis Situations (2007) http://www.undp.org/partners/cso/publications/Civil_Society_and_UNDP_in_Sri_Lanka_partnerships_in_crisis_situations.pdf (accessed 9 August 2009).

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