About Us
We are a platform that unites civil society organisations (CSOs) from around the world on the issue of effective development cooperation. Our members come from six regions and eight major sectors: faith-based, feminist, indigenous peoples, international CSOs, labour, migrants, rural, and youth. Together, we strive for a more effective development, the kind that truly responds to poverty and inequality.
Towards this end, we promote the human rights-based approach to development, uphold accountability in development cooperation, and build the capacity of CSOs to engage in various advocacy arenas. In all these endeavours, we are driven by the aspirations and struggles of the impoverished and marginalised, and the vision of a free and equal world for all.
We unite civil society organisations from around the world on the issue of effective development cooperation.
What is CPDE?
Our Mission-Vision
Mission
We give expression to this vision by:
- promoting development effectiveness and accountability in all areas of work, both our own and the work of others, including through our active engagement, as the recognised representative CSO platform, with the GPEDC; and
- addressing exclusion and oppression, especially of women and marginalised communities, and by transforming structures of power that perpetuate injustice.
We do this by:
- working together in partnership on a global scale in relation to the development effectiveness and accountability of the GPEDC;
- advocating for a transformative agenda for development and effective development cooperation by adopting a human rights-based approach that prioritises gender equality, decent work, and environmental sustainability leading to improved livelihoods of all people living in poverty or marginalised through disability or violence;
- striving to protect the gains made in Paris, Accra, and Busan in realising effective development cooperation, and reversing the harmful processes that continue to guide these agendas; and
- working to improve our own effectiveness, with a strong focus on supporting country, sub-regional, regional and sectoral civil society - combining this with coordinated regional and global work on development effectiveness.
Vision
A world where respect for all human rights, including gender rights, participatory democracy, and economic, social, and environmental justice are guaranteed, enabling effective people-centered development that ensures decent work, a peaceful world, and a dignified life for all.
Our Values and Principles
In our work together we will adhere to the following values: mutual respect, equity and gender equality; democratic ownership; accountability to our members and peers and transparency in all our decision-making and actions. We will adhere to the Istanbul Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness.
Our History
In December 2012, the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness was founded in Nairobi, Kenya by 50 civil society leaders and representatives from around the world.
The new platform, which resulted from the merging of BetterAid and Open Forum, aimed to unite civil society organisations (CSOs) on the issue of effective development cooperation (EDC). EDC was introduced in the 2011 Busan High-Level Forum in terms of four principles: ownership of development priorities by developing countries, a focus on results, inclusive development partnerships, and transparency and accountability.
Since then, CPDE is proud to have the achieved the following accomplishments:
“We are recognised as the only CSO platform working on effective development cooperation and acknowledged for its expertise in this area in the wider CSO community.”
Enabling global CSO engagement, securing CSO seats in important global fora that work on effective development cooperation, including the first Non-executive Co-Chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, CPDE’s main advocacy arena, and making use of these platforms to bring the voice of CSOs and marginalised people to the table
Being recognised as the only CSO platform working on effective development cooperation and acknowledged for its expertise in this area in the wider CSO community
Building the organisational capacities of its constituencies to conduct advocacy and research
Engaging CSOs in 117 countries to participate in EDC-related activities since 2014, with active CSO focal points in at least 35 countries
Amplifying the voice of the marginalised by advocating people-centred development in all arenas it engages
Sustaining the efforts of CSOs to work on their own development effectiveness
Forging alliances with other key, global CSO players such as Civicus and Agenda for Sustainable Development for the Belgrade Call to Action initiative; the trade union movement; the CSO Financing for Development Group; and the DAC CSO Reference Group more recently.
The CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness receives support from:
The content of this website does not reflect the official opinion of its development partners.
