Introduction to Civil Society Building

Tags: Worldwide , Knowledge programme
Additional tags: Knowledge Programme Civil Society Building

In Hivos’ vision, strengthening civil society is at the core of social transformation. Over the last 15 years, Hivos has defined its strategy in this respect as ‘civil society building’ (CSB). The main drive is to facilitate or enable endogenous processes of association among citizens in the South and linking and mobilising support for these processes at the global and national levels.

For Hivos, civil society is the sphere – outside state, corporate sector and family – where people organise themselves to pursue their individual, group or common (public) interests. Civil society is not restricted to (professional) intermediary, non-governmental organisations; on the contrary, it consists first and foremost of community-based and membership organisations, trade unions, religious organisations, and traditional associations. Individual and informal initiatives may also be part of it. Apart from pursuing interests, all these forms of self-organisation provide mutual support and strengthen self-determination.

At the same time, civil society is the public arena for social and political struggle, discussion, critical reflection on society, and contesting values, interests and ideas. Through this mechanism civil society can also be a counterweight to the state and to market forces, providing the necessary checks and balances within a democratic system. By itself, civil society is not inherently democratic and tolerant however, as it also reflects existing social inequalities. People living in poverty, women and minorities often have less access to the formal public sphere. Hivos chooses to support the emancipatory and democratic forces in civil society and embraces a political approach to issues of poverty and injustice.

Democratic civil society organisations (CSOs) have, in Hivos’ view, two basic roles: to represent people who organise themselves for specific or public interests, and to hold public and private decision-makers accountable for their actions. However, sustainable change requires more than people organising themselves to pursue their interests. Only by allying with a broader circle of like-minded individuals, groups and organisations can civil society generate critical mass that will effectively influence politics, markets and society.

For Hivos, civil society building is both an end in itself and a strategy to achieve other development goals. It is an end in itself because it embodies the weight of organised citizens and groups, necessary to counterbalance the powers of state and market forces. Civil society is also the platform for collective action towards the goals that people want to pursue and the platform where people assert their aspirations, their identities and strengthen their self-esteem. Simultaneously, the strengthening of civil society is also a crucial instrument for the eradication of poverty. The self-organisation of people living in poverty and the emergence of organisations that represent their interests are necessary conditions to change power relations and gain access to decision-making. In the economic domain, civil society building is essential to improve access to resources and capabilities – and thus to the broader question of access to power.

Civil society is the outcome of social struggle within a particular context; hence there is no blue-print for ‘building’ civil society. External interventions aiming at strengthening civil society will always have to be context-specific and link up with and build on initiatives from within. However, within a context of globalisation, with increased interdependence worldwide, migration and communication, the notion of ‘local’ civil society has become more diffuse. Hivos regards access to information and contacts with the outside world as important resources for civil society activism. This contributes to new ideas and practices of organisation and relationships of affinity across geographical and other boundaries.