Thank you for joining our webinar with GPSA on 29th January! In this webinar, we looked into resourcing for civil society and how this contributes to social accountability. The speakers took a systemic look and then brought it down to practice with tips, learned lessons and several success stories of domestic resource mobilization cases in West and East Africa and how they strengthen communities, organisations and influence social accountability.
As civil society organizations in the global South are confronted with shrinking civic space and reduced access to foreign funding, there is increasing attention to the importance of domestic resource mobilization. Raising funds locally not only enhances financial sustainability, but it also strengthens the ownership and agency of organizations and helps shift power from north to south. Moreover, domestic resource mobilization has been found to increase civic participation and demands for social accountability in the global South. In studies carried out, it is established that organisations that consolidate resources locally have better relationships with the communities they serve and a stronger voice towards the government. Building local constituencies helps change vertical forms of accountability into horizontal ones between government, civil society and communities while enhancing movement-building predominantly among disadvantaged communities in the global South.
A fundamental question to then ask is; Does shifting power in the development sector work, not just to the global South, but also as a paradigm shift by international development aid to promote inclusivity in decision making and to level power dynamics? Can it act as a precursor to promote sustainable social change? And are international organisations ready to let go to empower these organisations?
In this webinar, we delved deeper into resourcing for civil society and how this contributes to social accountability. We started by taking a systemic look and then brought it down to practice with tips, learned lessons and several success stories of domestic resource mobilization cases in West and East Africa and how they strengthen communities organisations and influence social accountability.
How to access the webinar materials:
Here is the link to the recording and further reading on the webinar.
We look forward to you attending our next webinar!