Norad's Support to Civil Society - Guiding Principles

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are our shared vision for the future. They emphasise the role of the state in terms of responsibility, national ownership, review and follow-up of the implementation process. The SDGs also call for the “intensive engagement” of civil society. The underlying principles of the SDGs of “leaving no one behind” and “realising human rights for all” are the backbone of Norad’s civil society support.

A strong civil society is a key feature of any democratic social order and a goal in its own right. Civil society is key to ensuring public engagement in defining, implementing and monitoring strategies at all levels, for achieving sustainable development targets.

Civil society plays a key role in monitoring and holding authorities accountable, in challenging power structures, setting the agenda and developing policy, and bringing people together around a common agenda to exert influence for a democratic society. Not least, civil society plays an important role in delivering services to marginalised groups and individuals, who are subject to discrimination or live in fragile or humanitarian settings. This work is demanding and takes time.

At the same time, the space for civil society to organise and foster civic engagement is shrinking, with governments, business actors and extremist groups being the main offenders. Across the world, this includes an intensification of attacks against the freedom of association, peaceful assembly and expression. In their most recent annual reports Civicus and Human Rights Watch point to increasingly divided societies around the world, and restricted space in more than 100 countries – a list that includes a number of new additions.

It is in light of this new normative and political environment that Norad’s 2018 guiding principles for support to civil society have been developed. They form a cohesive framework for Norad’s partnerships with civil society, by providing guidance and direction for the overall planning of the support to civil society, as well as a backdrop for dialogue. They apply to all of Norad’s support to civil society.

Plans and visions have limited value if they do not translate into results. We believe that the current seven principles will provide guidance for Norad and our civil society partners, in our efforts to achieve sustainable results in the implementation of the SDGs.

Nikolai Astrup, Minister of International Development
Jon Lomøy, Director General, Norad 

...

Norad’s 2018 guiding principles for support to civil society is now available in Spanish and French. Download them from this page.