The Paris Declaration of March 2005 was a landmark achievement that brought together a number of key principles and commitments in a coherent way. It also included a framework for mutual accountability and identified a number of indicators for tracking progress. There is general recognition that the Paris Declaration is a crucial component of a larger aid effectiveness agenda that could engage civil society actors in a more direct manner.

What are CSOs and what makes them different? This book defines CSOs as nonmarket and non-state organisations outside of the family in which people organise themselves to pursue shared interests in the public domain. The emphasis in this book is on CSOs characterised by relationships of social solidarity with marginalised populations and concern for social justice. CSOs fill a number of significant roles as development actors and as aid donors, channels and recipients. The Advisory Group on Civil Society and Aid Effectiveness recommends formal recognition of the importance and diversity of CSOs and proposes that CSOs be brought systematically into the development and aid policy dialogue.

Recognition of CSOs as agents of development and change in their own right calls for a deeper understanding and application of the international aid effectiveness agenda to facilitate CSOs’ engagement in that agenda. This chapter offers recommendations for enriching each of the five Paris Declaration principles from a perspective inclusive of CSOs.

This chapter argues that the effectiveness of CSOs is conditioned by the whole community of development actors including: developing country governments, donors, and CSOs themselves. Enhancing CSO effectiveness is therefore a collective endeavour. This chapter recommends actions to strengthen the enabling environment for civil society, improve donor models of support and strengthen CSO partnerships. It concludes with proposals for further multi-stakeholder work on CSO effectiveness and for incorporating CSOs in future processes and agreements on development and aid.