CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) has successfully conducted its 19th Coordination Committee meeting last 6 July 2021.
Every semester, the Coordination Committee gathers coordinators from each of the CPDE’s 14 constituencies: six regions (Africa, Asia, Pacific, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean), and eight sectors (Rural, Feminist Group, Indigenous Peoples, Faith-Based Organisations, International Civil Society Organisations, Youth, Labour, and Migrants and Diaspora).
The 19th Coordination Committee meeting was opened by Marita Gonzalez, CPDE Co-Chair, who spoke on the platform hurdling many challenges, like the rest of the world. She then introduced the members of the Independent Accountability Committee (IAC), Emele Duituturaga, Jan Dereymaeker, Elomo Andela, Anibal Cabrera, noting their work in ensuring transparency and accountability in CPDE work.
The policy and advocacy session, led by Co-Chair Richard Ssewakiryanga, detailed the achievements of CPDE in the last six months while also charting the milestones ahead. Presentations and updates were provided by Matt Simonds and Vitalice Meja, along with inputs and feedback from Luca De Fraia, Diego Lopez, and Georgina Muñoz.
During the first half of this year, CPDE hosted a successful webinar on the results of its multistakeholder study on the effectiveness of Covid response, engage in the Action Area 2.4 or the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) workstream on CSO partnerships, and organized 15 CSOs on the GPEDC monitoring consultations. CPDE has also made progress on the development of a policy instrument on Enabling Civil Society at the OECD Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC). Finally, the platform was able to forward messaging and/or representation in key milestones such as the UN Development Cooperation Forum and the European Development Days, as well as the Financing for Development review forum and OECD DAC-CSO dialogue through its members.
The policy session also covered the upcoming milestones: the GPEDC Steering Committee on 7 to 8 July, 2021, the UN General Assembly, the UN High-Level Political Forum, and the Busan Partnership Forum linked with the GPEDC steering committee meeting. The CC also noted the need for more inclusivity in CPDE policy work, especially through expanded translation and interpretation efforts.
Justin Kilcullen then facilitated the session on CPDE’s program and finance, which featured the presentation of the 2020 Report and 2021 plans by Leo Pura and the 2021 finance update by Maria Teresa Dominong.
The session started with the screening of the CPDE 2020 Report to the Public video. The 2020 report discussed CPDE’s accomplishments regarding all four imperatives: country level mechanisms, CSO DE principles, EDC application in crisis situation, and platform operations.
The discussion on the 2021 plans presented the European Commission Implementation Plan (EC) with activities predicated on improving engagements of CPDE members in development partnerships and increasing support of other development actors to civil society and its positions. The Swedish International Development Agency Implementation Plan (SIDA) focused on activities that forwarded the domestication of the EDC Agenda, CSO Development Effectiveness, and EDC in nexus issues.
Finally, during the governance section chaired by Monica Novillo, CPDE Network Manager Jennifer Padilla reported on the All Secretariats’ Meeting, and outlined the upcoming activities and efforts around policy, communications, capacity development and coordination, country work, and membership.
Discussions on the Co-Chairs selection started with a proposal on behalf of the steering committee for another extension of the current Co-Chairs’ terms, based on the effectiveness of the current dynamic, and the difficulties posed by the pandemic on electing new ones. The body agreed to retain the current set of Co-Chairs and to extend their term for an additional year for the last time.
Besides the abovementioned co-chairs and presentors, the 19th CPDE Coordination Committee Meeting was attended by Emeline Siale (Pacific), Blanche Simonny Abegue (Africa), Izabella Toth (Europe), Malena Fama (LAC), Thilak Kariwayasam (Asia), Chinara Aitbaeva (Asia), Aaron Ceradoy (Migrants), Diego Lopez (Labour), Kurniawan Sabar (Rural), Jiten Yumnam (Indigenous Peoples), Luca De Fraia (ICSOs), and Jenison Urikhimbam (Youth), along with Ex-Officio members Vitalice Meja and Jennifer Malonzo, and regional and sectoral secretariat members Mark Pascual (Task Force on Private Sector Engagement), Sarah Torres (Asia), Cynthia Barasa (Africa), and Anton Martinov (Youth).#