Evaluacion del proceso de fortalecimiento de la Confederación Sindical Única de Trabajadores Campesinos de Bolivia - CSUTCB

Background:
CSUTCB is one of NPA’s eight partners in Bolivia. The partnership was established in 2005. Together with other peasant and indigenous social organisations CSUTSB played a key role in the change process that was spurred by the election of Evo Morales as President.

Purpose/objective:
Contribute with inputs prior to the organisation’s Congress in mid-2010; take a critical look at internal organisational aspects of CSUTSB and its capacity for political influence; assess the relevance of NPA’s organisational strengthening support and provide recommendations to improve continued cooperation.   

Methodology:
The evaluation was a combination of external evaluation and internal assessment/self-appraisal. The team consisted of two external consultants and a former CSUTSB leader. The team carried out more than 25 interviews (with current and former leaders of CSUTSB and other popular organisations, government authorities and other); and facilitated 3 sessions for collective self-assessment. It also reviewed relevant documents (CSUTSB, NPA, the project, the context).

The evaluation found the following strengths:
Organisational strength:CSUTCB is the largest and most important social organisation in Bolivia (3 million members). Its organisational structure on all levels is solid, including its intermediate territorial structures. It has a very rigorous organisational discipline.
Political strength: CSUTCB is presently the fundamental pillar of the structural change process in Bolivia. It identifies strongly with President Morales who is indigenous and a CSUTCB member, and because its demands have been assumed by the government.
Capacity to make proposals and have political influence:
There is progress regarding its capacity for debate, reflection, and analysis. CSUTSB has leaped from sloganeering to argumentation and making political proposals, e.g. participated in developing text for the new Constitution (CPE), presented drafts for laws, etc.
Capacity to mobilise:
Its local (community) and national territorial presence helps it constitute itself as an important instrument for advocacy and mobilisation.
Articulating social alliances:
Linkages are made with other organisations to build a greater collective (Unity Pact) and strategic alliances. Its national character gives strength to play a leading role locally and to oversee the process of transformations in the country.
Relevance of cooperation with NPA:
NPA’s support 2005-10 enabled CSUTSB to strengthen its National Executive Committee (CEN), improve leadership and management and provide its human resources with relevant skills.  CSUTSB developed positions around key issues, presented viable proposals and organised reflections and debates, thereby strengthening its political influence.

The evaluation found the following weaknesses:
Gender equity:
Weak participation of women in its organisational structures and low degree of coordination with the Bartolina Sisa Confederation.

Political formation/education:
Weak theoretical and ideological formation of leaders.

Doubts about role:
Some CSUTSB leaders assume public positions. CSUTCB tends to present government rather than its own proposals in order not to upset political stability.

Recommendations:
Strengthen leadership bodies at all levels:  Revisit training and curriculum.in a bid to compensate for high turnover resulting from leaders assuming public responsibilities.
Gender equity: Incorporate women into leadership, position and advocacy work. Deepen coordination between the CSUTCB structures and Bartolina Sisa’s at all territorial levels.
Form a guiding body of former leaders to enable a critical view on the organisation; revisit its capacity for working out political proposals and its ability to carry out its role.
Redefine/update the agenda of demands; taking into account land-territory, individual and collective rights, defence of natural resources, among others. Its political agenda and the relation with the government should be made explicit.
Look at opportunities to dialogue and consolidate alliances with kindred organisations; developing capacities to solve problems and present different views through dialogue and consensus, thereby avoiding confrontation and break up. Define strategic alliances with institutions relevant to indigenous peoples’ peasant movement.
Construct proposals for public policies in processes that come from the grassroots up so they are sustainable and have an influence on public policies (e.g. Law of Mother Earth, Productive Law for Communities, Law for Water, and Law for the Right to Consultation).
Define more precisely the roles as an organisation, and relations to the Government and State bodies. This means having the capacity to take a distance from governmental affairs, supporting what they believe they should, and criticising or raising demands when they feel it necessary to do so.
Continue NPA support based on the above recommendations.

Comments from the organisation, if any:
The CSUTCB and NPA participated in the presentation of the preliminary results by the evaluation team. Aspects arose that were taken into the final report and in general terms the two organisations shared the key findings and recommendations of this report.
NW/ 08.02.12

The report (in Spanish) can be requested from Norwegian People's Aid