CONTENTS. Our vision Present situation Success factors Goals Priorities Organisation Financial consequences...

Transcription

1 OVERALL PLAN FOR OPERATIONS

2 CONTENTS Our vision... 3 Present situation... 3 Success factors... 6 Goals... 7 Priorities... 8 Organisation... 9 Financial consequences Follow up...11 Cover photo: Fredrik Lerneryd B.

3 OUR VISION A just and sustainable world where all people have the power to effect change. PURPOSE We strive to achieve our vision by: Strengthening marginalised people around the world who organise to claim their rights. Advocating for changes that contribute to a just and sustainable world. Thanks to the support from SSBP, Samira Mohammad has been the first to introduce locally made dairy products in Somalia. Photo: Maurits Otterloo PRESENT SITUATION How is Forum Syd doing? Where are we today and why? What insights have we gained? What does the future hold? EXTERNAL ENVIROMENT GENERAL OUTLOOK During the last years we have seen strong progressive groups of citizens raise their voices to claim their rights and 2017 was marked by numerous mass protests around the world. New political leaders who have sought power on growing polarisation in societies have faced major protests. Many of the protests have focused on women s rights; the Women s Marches and Sister Marches against President Donald Trump s politics and the MeToo-movement are only a few examples. The increased fight for women s rights is essential for an open and democratic society. Despite the mentioned protests, democracy is under threat in many countries and progress with human rights has halted or been reversed. Not the least within areas such as sexual and reproductive health and rights and LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersexual and Asexual). An increasing number of people also see themselves as being marginalised and detached from the decision-making elites. As civil society organisations we are no longer necessarily working to make progress within the area of democracy and human rights, but are rather trying to defend against setbacks. Forum Syd, as a platform for civil society, has an important role to play in promoting and making explicit the contribution of civil society to social cohesion and building inclusive societies. In this changing landscape new actors are becoming increasingly important for a civil society working under repressive regimes. This includes for example activists engaging with each other in non-hierarchical fluid networks which help maintain their independence and guard their distance from the. 3

4 centres of power. In addition, entrepreneurs from the private sector are increasingly engaging in sustainable development, using the term social entrepreneurship. Civil society platforms such as Forum Syd should continue to analyse ways to work with these actors in order to strengthen them while maintaining their uniqueness, legitimacy and the specific role they play as actors of change. Overall, poverty is declining and a larger number of people are able to improve their living conditions. However, this is a reality for far from everyone. Globally, the economic development does not echo improved living conditions for the people living under the most marginalised circumstances. The gap between rich and poor is growing both within and between countries, leading to violence and conflicts. There is also an imbalance in the distribution of power, resources and visibility within civil society, in particular when it comes to development assistance. Working together to change this global inequality will require the promotion of new ways of organising, mobilising and strengthening the bonds between and within civil society globally. This means, to a greater extent, to acknowledge the competence and capacity that is present in the countries where our partners work. This coincides with an increased focus among donors on funding local and national organisations in the global South directly and on requirement of thorough contextual knowledge. AGENDA 2030 Independent and effective civil society organisations can and should play a vital role in realising the 2030 Agenda. This includes localising the SDGs, protecting rights, promoting accountability and providing valuable monitoring functions. Sweden has taken a lead on implementing the 2030 Agenda at an international level by initiating a High- Level Group and on a national level by establishing a national committee (Delegationen för Agenda 2030). The committee presented a proposition for an action plan in May The delegation s work will continue throughout 2018 and their final report will be handed over to the Swedish government in There is a need to continue to monitor and hold decisionmakers accountable for commitments made and to advocate for further commitments in order to reach the global goals. Forum Syd s advocacy work focuses on the global perspective and the external effects of Swedish policies. This focus is chosen since addressing issues where Swedish policies have a global impact or where there are conflicts of interest between different policy areas are crucial for achieving the 2030 Agenda. The Swedish government have prioritised partnerships, new actors and innovative solutions in terms of how to reach the goals a handful of private companies are reporting directly to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs on their contributions to the 2030 Agenda. These priorities could change if there is a change in government as a result of the elections in Sweden in The 2030 Agenda will also be able to create better linkages between developments in Sweden and on a global level. It will allow Forum Syd to enhance its already established projects/ programmes and to develop new partnerships with other civil society actors, academia, trade unions, private actors, authorities and other stakeholders. Forum Syd could play an important role providing a human rights-based approach into local, national and international efforts in implementing the 2030 Agenda. DEVELOPMENT POLICY In 2016, the OECD Development Assistance Committee widened their definition of development assistance (ODA), where ODA now could include costs related to peace and security and military measures. The definition also strengthens the role of private sector engagement in development. Rules for so-called private sector instruments, such as loans and guarantees, were negotiated at the High Level Meeting in The proposed rules would have blurred the line between ODA and commercially motivated flows. However, no agreement was reached and the rules will continue to be negotiated. This means that donors in the meantime have leeway to decide what to report as private sector instruments without clear rules for this, which risks consolidating dubious assessments of what is considered to be aid and not. While different actors contribute in different ways to sustainable development, it is important that the starting point remains the needs and priorities of the receivers of development assistance. The changes in funding, in terms of trends and priorities, could lead to a shift in relevance of actors. EU is one of the major actors in development cooperation. Policies, guidelines and priorities set by the EU have an important impact on a national level. Decisions at EU level are therefore very important for civil society organisations in Sweden. Today, a visible and worrying aspect is the increased EU focus on economic interests, migration and security. Development policies and issues related to sustainable development, poverty and human rights are not prioritised. The government s priorities visible in the budget allocations, the framework of Swedish development cooperation, the strategy for civil society support as well as guidelines provided by Sida are factors of highest importance and determine Forum Syd s work. In Sweden, the level of Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocated to cover in-donor refugee costs has been on an all-time high due to the increased number of refugees to Sweden. The level of deductions is decreasing in the aid budget for 2018, mainly since the number of refugees is declining. The government s budget proposition for 2018 contained the largest budget for international aid ever and reached the goal of one per cent of BNI. Competition for funds is increasing globally and donors stress the importance of aid effectiveness and collaboration with different types of actors. The outcome of the general election in Sweden in 2018 could affect the priorities in Swedish development cooperation it is therefore important that civil society organisations are present in different election platforms and debates. We also see that the framework agreements are being changed in some of our neighbouring countries. The Swedish context is favourable when it comes to the attention and priority given to development policy at large but we should be aware that this is becoming exceptional. SHRINKING SPACE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY According to CIVICUS, only three per cent of the world s population live in countries where civic space is fully open. It has become more dangerous to challenge power and the levels of restriction have increased repression of civic freedoms and democratic space is escalating in many parts of the world. For example, over half of all UN members are experiencing a serious constraint in civic space. Freedoms of peaceful assembly, associ- 4.

5 ation, expression and movement are violated and restrictions on foreign funding and registrations are being implemented. In recent years, the shrinking space for civil society has taken on a new dimension and scope: the restrictions are now not only carried out by authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes but also by democratic governments. The shrinking space for civil society organisations has a negative impact on all organisations, but it hits women s organisations particularly hard. Civil society has for a long time played an important role in democratisation and development. Civil society has often taken on roles of scrutinising those in power and societal structures. To date, the number of human rights defenders, environmental activists and women s rights advocators killed by governments as well as non-state actors is record high across the world. Such abuses also continue to extend to other groups such as journalists and media activists that play a key role in holding governments and other bodies to account. Freedom House reports that press freedom worldwide deteriorated to its lowest point in 13 years in 2016, driven by unprecedented threats to journalists and media outlets in major democracies, and intensified crackdowns on independent media in authoritarian settings. The UN and some of the member states such as Sweden, have addressed the issue of shrinking civic space on high-level, although wide-reaching policy efforts are still needed. In 2017, the Swedish government decided on a new strategy for the work with human rights, democracy and rule of law within Sweden s development cooperation. The strategy will be implemented by Sida over the next five years, Local civil society organisations will be imperative to the donor community when it comes to providing knowledge on how they deal with the restrictions they are facing. Efforts to create enabling solutions must be based on these experiences, and platforms such as Forum Syd can play a crucial role in disseminating best practices among local organisations. MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT Migration can be seen as a key factor for achieving all three pillars of sustainable development economic, social and environmental. To date, there are millions of international migrants who contribute to the development of their origin countries as well as their destination countries. In 2016, the world s migrants sent 574 billion dollars in remittances, which was four times the international development aid. Diaspora groups play an important role in the economic development of their countries of origin and contribute with trade, investments, skills and knowledge transfer. Often, the debate on Diaspora in development is focusing purely on financial remittances and economic development where Diasporas are crucial actors for sustainable development. Migrants abroad have opportunities to acquire new knowledge and experience in their countries of destination, which could benefit their countries of origin in terms of transferring specialist knowledge or values and ideas. In the conflicted world of today and with a global labour market, resources, ideas, knowledge and people are crossing borders. The SDGs are now also driving policy planning and implementation across both borders and sectors, recognising the interlinkages between migration and development and the fundamental contributions of migrants. Consequently, migration and Diasporas are keys to achieve the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. REFERENCES On income inequality Keeley, B. (2015), Income Inequality: The Gap between Rich and Poor, OECD, Cramer, C. (2003), Inequality and Conflict: A Review of an Age-Old Concern, UN Research Institute for Social Development unrisd.org/80256b3c005bccf9/(httpauxpages)/0501d4f6b C12570B4004F0D5B/$file/cramer.pdf OECD, Inequality On populism Inglehart, R and Norris, P (2016), Trump, Brexit, and the Rise of Populism: Economic Have-Nots and Cultural Backlash, Harvard Kennedy School, aspx?id=1401 On new actors, partnership and innovation Sida, Samordning och samarbetspartners (in Swedish), sida.se/svenska/sa-arbetar-vi/arbetssatt-och-metod/samordning-och-samarbetspartners/ On the shrinking space for civil society Gunnarsson, A (2016), Krympande utrymme för det civila samhället, Arena idé (Swedish only), Youngs, R (2015) Rethinking Civil Society and Support for Democracy. Expert group for Aid Studies, CIVICUS (2017) State of Civil Society Report: documents/reports-and-publications/socs/2017/state-of-civil-society-report-2017-executive-summary-en.pdf On migration and development UNHCR (2016) Global trends. Forced displacement in 2015, s3.amazonaws.com/unhcrsharedmedia/2016/ global-trends/ global-trends-2015.pdf The World Bank (2015), Migration and Remittances: Recent Developments and Outlook, SPECTS/Resources/ /MigrationandDevelopmentBrief24.pdf International Organisation for Migration, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Pew Research Center (2018), Remittance Flows Worldwide in 2016, On Swedish priorities and the 2030 Agenda Regeringskansliet, Globala mål för hållbar utveckling (in Swedish), Regeringens skrivelse 2016/17:60, Policyramverk för svenskt utvecklingssamarbete och humanitärt bistånd (in Swedish), policyramverk-for-svenskt-utvecklingssamarbete-och-humanitart-bistand.pdf Agenda 2030-delegationen, SOU Fi 2016:01, I riktning mot en hållbar välfärd (in Swedish): = Fi2016_01-Rapport pdf&hl=en Utrikesdepartementet, Strategi för Sveriges utvecklingssamarbete avseende arbetet med de mänskliga rättigheterna, demokrati och rättsstatens principer, (in Swedish) contentassets/c88c6c80be3642f986d081f70bdeff34/strategi-for-sveriges-utvecklingssamarbete_sv_webb.pdf On the budget Sida, Biståndsbudgeten (2018) (in Swedish), Om-oss/Budget/ Prop. 2017/18:1 Utgiftsområde 7, Internationellt bistånd (in Swedish), 5

6 INTERNAL FACTORS In 2019, we will continue to work on the strategic priorities and planned operations within our various agreements, for example with Sida CIVSAM and Sida Partnership Forum. Going Glocal, Forum Syd s former internal organisation change project, will have been further implemented by 2019 and we will then start to evaluate the project. The new organisation was launched on January 1 st 2017 and we can already see positive results such as new and diversified perspectives within our sub-granting. The original goals of Going Glocal have been incorporated in Forum Syd s strategic goals for During 2019, we will thereby continue to strengthen our local presence, increase the uniformity of assessments and reinforce member value. Forum Syd will continue working proactively with anti-corruption and internal control. On an organisational level the work with internal audits of the Hubs and Country Offices will carry on. Guidelines and steering documents for financial management and internal control will continue to be developed. Compliance audits of organisations receiving grants will be done and the assessment process will be further developed and documented. We will continuously ensure a good control environment in the entire organisation. In 2019 we will also continue to improve Forum Syd s role as a platform for civil society. The recent years have unfortunately seen a decline in number of members. If this is to change Forum Syd will need to make better use of the competence of members and provide relevant fora for experience sharing and dialogue. Forum Syd started to work with member recruitment by the end of 2017 and the project will go on during The lack of own equity and the high dependency on one donor agency continues to make us vulnerable. The situation at the regional hubs is beginning to be less fragile due to the implementation of Going Glocal, which decentralises certain resources from Stockholm to the countries of operation. The country offices continue to be fragile as they are dependent on the success with institutional fundraising from sources with less predictability. SUCCESS FACTORS Within our purpose, what will we focus on in order to be appreciated and successful? Competence Theory of change drives all our work Effective development cooperation methods Being a skilled advocate Demonstrating lasting results Direct contextual knowledge through local presence Member organisations with extensive knowledge of development perspectives and cooperation Bottom-up perspective on development Innovative and flexible towards change Being an excellent employer attracting highly skilled staff Simplicity Being a straightforward partner to work with for applying organisations, local partners, and donors Focus on simplicity and cost-effectiveness in all our internal processes Clarity and transparency in what we stand for and everything we do Complex messages expressed simply Presence Having a presence in tough or challenging places and working with grassroots organisations Making use of our presence in strategic regions Advocate and be an influential voice within development cooperation Credibility in our way of working with partners. Being a receptive, active partner that operates on equal terms In occupied Palestine Abu Dees Sports Club challenges gender roles and provides a moment of peace for both girls and boys. Photo: Maurits Otterloo 6.

7 GOALS Forum Syd has five goals for the period , which together contribute to fulfilling our purpose. STRATEGIC GOALS Strategic goal Where are we in 2022: Strong through our diversity Effective and credible Continuous improvement Close to where the change takes place Forum Syd is recognised by members and other stakeholders as an important platform for civil society. We do this by making visible the work of the many diverse organisations with which we work, without thematic or geographical limitations. We are an influential voice in development cooperation championing the role of civil society in promoting democracy and fulfilling human rights. Through a rights based approach, guiding our Theory of Change, we achieve high impact. We are recognised by donors and partners to be a reliable and straightforward organisation to work with. Our processes are clearly defined, efficient and fully implemented. Leadership is clear and all decisions are guided by our purpose. We have improved results and increased the potential for synergies by innovating and by coordinating between organisational units, with our members, and through strategic partnerships. In order to benefit from contextual knowledge, competence and opportunities, we are present close to where the change takes place. Financially sustainable Our financial sustainability is strengthened through diversified funding. FORUM SYD S GOAL STRUCTURE. 7

8 PRIORITIES What will we do in order to reach our goals? STRENGTHEN OUR ROLE AS A PLATFORM FOR CIVIL SOCIETY We will continue to advance in our role as a platform for civil society and enhance our collaboration with members. By taking advantage of the extensive knowledge of our members and partners we will become a more effective meeting point. We will also continue to focus on development and aid effectiveness, centered on simplicity, flexibility and effectiveness. IMPLEMENT OUR CORE ISSUES IN THE WHOLE ORGANISATION Within the entire organisation, we will continue to implement and coordinate the work with our core issues: development policy; development and aid effectiveness; shrinking space for civil society and the role of civil society in implementing Agenda DIVERSIFY AND SECURE FUNDING Secure current funding and strategically work on relations to other donors. LEARN FROM OUR INNOVATIVE WORK WITH MIGRA- TION AND DEVELOPMENT We will evaluate and learn from our innovative work with migration and development in order to strategically improve our operations. ENHANCE THE INTERNAL ORGANISATION AND CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR INTERNAL CONTROL AND WORK AGAINST ABUSE OF POWER To ensure quality and effectiveness internally, we will monitor and support the global implementation of central systems, methods and processes. One focus will be our work with internal control, abuse of power and anti-corruption. Our development perspectives will be operationalised within Forum Syd s different roles. We will also develop and maintain talented and motivated staff and continuously develop strong global teams and leaders. 400 participants from civil society, embassies and authorities attended Forum Syd s and Diakonia s Democracy and Human Rights Festival. Photo: Forum Syd 8.

9 ORGANISATION Below is an organigram of Forum Syd from May Our organisational structure aims to promote coordination and cooperation between units and Global Teams are used to a great extent. The management team is global, and includes Heads of Units and Hubs. This helps in ensuring that the global organisation is considered at all times, and benefits from different perspectives from within the organisation.. 9

10 FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES What revenues, costs and investments do we expect? What are our financing needs and how can we satisfy them? FINANCIAL SCENARIOS AND PRIORITIES The Plan for Operations 2019 foresees a budget frame of MSEK. The financial scenario on which we base our planning is dependent on the development of the volume of the pending contracts for funds related to programmes with direct support to local organisations from several donors (for example by EU and other Sida departments). Many of the direct support programmes (programmes where funding and/or other types of development cooperation is provided directly to local partners) run on short term agreements. This means that multi-year forecasts are unreliable. The forecast below is to be interpreted as a rough estimate and ambition for the coming years. The framework agreements with Sida CIVSAM for South/ East and with Sida Partnership Forum for the information budget are approved for During 2018 we are awaiting an approval of the remaining three year grant for the period ( ) within the five year agreement. However, we see a potential for further growth during , in the global South and East, focusing on grants to: diaspora programmes, programmes in conflict and post-conflict areas, programmes in countries where civil society is under pressure. Programme applications covering all these areas are planned or already submitted. Type Budget (MSEK) Communication programmes (Globalportalen and Global Development Issues) Sida Partnership and Swedish network for Eastern partnership programmes, Sida Europa. 7 (6) 2 5 (4) 5 (1) 5 (0) 5 (0) Direct support to local organisations, various donors. 116 (73) (27) 116 (8) 116 (0) 116 (0) Sub-granting to Swedish CSOs. Includes Sida CIVSAM and Sida Partnership grants and the grant from Swedish Council for Higher Education (one year contract). Forum Syd s costs for administration, quality assurance and capacity development 243 (243) 237 (237) 240 (0) 242 (0) 256 (0) 51 (47) 50 (42) 50 (1) 50 (0) 50 (0) Total per year 417 (370) 408 (310) 411 (10) 413 (0) 427 (0) 1. The table shows the range between a realistic forecast and the funding with a signed agreement (in parenthesis) 2. Includes carry over from 2017 These costs will mainly be financed through funding from: Sida (different departments and embassies) Sida CIVSAM Sida Partnership Forum Swedish Council for Higher Education EU Membership fees Forum Syd Membership fees & sales from Globalportalen 10.

11 FOLLOW UP INTERIM REPORTS In the detailed Plan for Operations developed by the Forum Syd staff, we follow-up activities at all levels, with a focus on deviations from plan. ANNUAL REPORTS The annual reports follow-up the Plan for Operations at all levels, and the results of grant administration, information campaigns and international programme activities. The annual report focuses especially on analysing the fulfilment of strategic goals and priorities. Goals are followed up using key indicators. Indicators for the strategic goals were decided by the Board in the beginning of 2018 and a baseline will be developed during the year. In addition to key indicators and the analysis of development results, Forum Syd complements its follow-up system with specific evaluations. The overall Plan for Operations is revised annually under the direction of the Board and is approved by the annual general meeting. After the assassination of the local leader Erley Monroy, a massive march for peace was held at San Vicente del Caguán, accompanied by Forum Syd and other international organisations. Photo: Duberthy Mercado. 11

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