Report of the CPDE training on the GPEDC, Nairobi 15-16 January 2016

A training session for various CSO focal points from the civil society organisations (CSO) platform for monitoring development cooperation was held by the CPDE (CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness) in Nairobi on 15 and 16 January 2016. The participants were CSOs that monitor the focal points in their own countries. They were joined by two trade union members and various trainers, including Vitalice Meja and Tetet Lauron, CPDE’s global monitoring focal points, and Brian Tomlinson, chair of the Monitoring Advisory Group of the GPEDC (Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation).

Presented by Anne Cécile COLY
ITUC WEST AFRICA
Member of the Union des Syndicats Autonomes du Sénégal

INTRODUCTION TO THE CPDE
The CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CSO Partnership) is an open platform uniting CSOs from around the world on the issue of development effectiveness, particularly within the framework of the Busan Partnership and the Global Partnership. The CSO Partnership is open to all CSOs that endorse its vision, its objectives and the CSO Key Asks on the road to Busan, that believe in its objectives, and adhere to the Principles. The CSO Partnership is a platform open to the wealth and diversity of CSOs around the world. Its mission is to promote development effectiveness in all fields of activity, through active participation in the Global Partnership and other spheres of activity guided by a human rights-based approach.

AIMS OF THE TRAINING
This two-day workshop, attended by twenty representatives from developing countries, brought together various CSOs with the aim of making a significant contribution to the second monitoring round recently launched by the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). The aims of the training were:

General aim:
- To train various focal points and members of civil society from different countries

Specific aims:
- To allow the focal points to acquire knowledge and technical information about the GPEDC
- To prepare the focal points for the second training session
- To discuss and reach an agreement on the Civil Society Organisation (CSO) report to the CPDE and the JST (Joint Support Team).

TRAINING ACTIVITIES
During the two-day workshop, the trainers covered a range of themes, then gave a presentation of the various indicators. These presentations were followed by workshops allowing the participants to exchange views on the drawing up of the report and the various challenges linked to this exercise.

- The themes:
The first subject presented by Tetet Lauren, deputy chair of the CPDE, was a general introduction and presentation of the GPEDC. He also spoke of the importance and the need for monitoring by CSOs.

This was followed by a presentation on the role of national governments and the CPDE. There is, in fact, a national coordinator in each country that should work with and inform all the stakeholders: parliament, civil society and others. With a view to drawing up the report, the CSOs will have to gather a range of data on all the countries and determine the indicators selected. Following this data collection, a dialogue will have to be established with a view to validating the data with the stakeholders, by means of a report.

The final presentation provided an opportunity to review the ten indicators and the methodology. The indicators are divided into three groups:

GROUP I: OWNERSHIP AND RESULTS
Indicator 1: Development cooperation is focused on the results and the priorities of the developing countries (CSO priority)
Indicator 6: Aid appears on budgets, which are subject to parliamentary scrutiny
Indicator 9: Developing countries’ use of the public finance management system
Indicator 10: Aid is untied

GROUP II: INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT
Indicator 2: Favourable environment for CSOs (CSO priority)
Indicator 3: Public sector - private sector dialogue (CSO priority)
Indicator 8: Gender equality and women’s empowerment (CSO priority)

GROUP III: TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Indicator 4: Transparency of the aid
Indicator 5: Development cooperation is more predicable
Indicator 7: Mutual accountability among development co-operation actors is strengthened through inclusive reviews (CSO priority)

The presentation of the indicators allowed the participants in the workshops to discuss the challenges linked to their mission, challenges linked to:
- Data collection
- Data validation
- Mobilisation and meeting the CSO targets
- Communication
- The time to meet the challenges

In addition to the challenges, the participants also discussed the strategy for meeting the challenges and being able to submit the report within the deadlines set, a report that will have to be sent to the government and the JST.

To launch the work, the CSOs will have to:
- Read the documents to bring themselves up to date
- Seek info on the local contacts
- Exchange with local stakeholders
- Determine a work method and a timeframe
- Draw up a launch timetable

PARTICIPATION OF TRADE UNIONS
This event, in which trade unions took part for the first time, through the ITUC, allowed us to immerse ourselves in the activities of the CPDE. The trade unions, having joined the process whilst it was already underway, had to update themselves by reviewing the documentation, to reach a better understanding of the CSO monitoring process, a process in which all civil society organisations must take part.
As part of this process, the trade unions that are CPDE partners should also act as relays within their organisations, regions and countries, with a view to supporting and working with the various focal points.

Having become stakeholders, we consider it essential, as partners, that we inform our organisations about the monitoring process, even though the deadline is tight, as the reports have to be submitted by the end of March.

In addition to communication, we recommend:
- Regular participation in the activities of the CPDE
- Country-level partnerships with the CSO members of the CPDE
- Making contact with the focal points or coordinators appointed by the States
- The appointment of national trade union relays to better monitor the process