This discussion paper is derived from a study by the European Centre for Development Policy Management on the importance of civil society in fragile states. It aims to answer the following questions:
- What are the characteristics of fragile states and civil society in fragile states, and what particular challenges does this pose for engaging with civil society?
- What are the roles played by civil society in fragile states, and why are these important to support?
- What are the pitfalls and main issues to be addressed in relation to the provision of external support to civil society?
The paper begins with a summary of the literature on civil society and fragile states. The paper identifies five roles performed by civil society, and discusses obstacles that can prevent civil society fulfilling these roles. The roles are:
- participating in policymaking and strategy formulation as part of national development strategies
- strengthening domestic accountability and holding the state to account
- assisting in basic service delivery
- contributing to sustainable economic development
- advancing conflict transformation and peacebuilding
The paper also explores how civil society can be an arena in which societal dynamics play out, and the difficulties this can cause for development actors, including the ways in which external support can weaken civil society. The paper concludes with some key principles for engaging with civil society:
- Engaging with civil society organisations (CSO) is a political act.
- Knowledge of the political economy and the conflict context is key.
- Different expressions of civil society (for instance, formal and informal) can be engaged with in a variety of ways.
- Donors should include criteria of legitimacy and ownership when deciding which CSOs to fund.
- Strengthening the capacity of southern CSOs must remain at the centre of attention.
- A consolidation of northern (and to some degree southern) actors on the ground would increase the coherence and complementarity of CSOs.
- Critically considering alignment with country strategies is essential for sustainable economic development and poverty alleviation.
- Southern CSOs could strongly benefit from more southern-oriented platforms for knowledge sharing and learning.
- External stresses remain a major contributor to conflict and fragility, especially in weak states.
