DAC Recommendation on Enabling
Civil Society in Development
Co-operation and Humanitarian
Assistance8OECD Legal
Instruments

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OECD/LEGAL/5021
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Background Information
The Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in
Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance was adopted by the DAC on 6 July, 2021.
The DAC Recommendation aims to support DAC members and other development co-operation andhumanitarian assistance providers to enhance how they address civic space and work with civilsociety actors, while underscoring that civil society actors must also take action to enhance theireffectiveness, transparency and accountability.
A call to action for development co-operation and humanitarian assistance providers toenable civil society
The 2030 Agenda calls for civil society engagement in localisation, implementation and monitoring of
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To support the work of the DAC, the OECD
Development Co-operation Directorate gathered evidence on how to better enable civil society in thisregard. Sources of note include the 2018 Development Co operation Report chapter on civil society
and leaving no one behind, the 2020 DAC Members and Civil Society study, and the 2020 Foresight
Policy Paper on Digital Transformation and the Futures of Civic Space to 2030. These reports andsources cited in them, including the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation(GPEDC) Making Development Co-operation More Effective: 2019 Progress Report, showed that
more must be done in this decade of action to enable civil society actors to maximise theircontributions to the 2030 Agenda and to inclusive sustainable development more generally, and tohelp tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences. Civil society actors are critical contributors
to all of the SDGs. They are especially central to the peaceful and inclusive societies and accountable
and inclusive institutions of SDG 16 as well as to protecting and strengthening democracy. Civil
society actors are also pivotal to the revitalised global partnership of SDG 17.
In this context, DAC members indicated that now is a critical moment to strengthen their ability in theirrole as development co-operation and humanitarian assistance providers, to take further steps toward
enabling civil society. To help support them in this endeavour the DAC High Level Meeting
Communiqué 2020 committed DAC members to develop a new DAC instrument on enabling civilsociety. The necessity of enabling civil society was also highlighted in the April 2020 Joint Statementby the OECD Development Assistance Committee on the COVID-19 Crisis. At the 2021 OECD DAC
Civil Society Days, participants from among DAC members, other development and humanitarianassistance co-operation providers, partner country governments and civil society organisations(CSOs) called on the DAC to take ambitious steps to strengthen its contribution to enabling civilsociety.
The DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society is the first international standard focused on theactions of providers, and that is specific to civil society actors as contributors to the 2030 Agenda, thepledge to leave no one behind, inclusive sustainable development, effective humanitarian assistance,
peacebuilding, and protecting and strengthening democracy.
An inclusive process for developing the DAC Recommendation
Discussions during the development of the DAC Recommendation were held primarily in the DAC
Community of Practice (CoP) on Civil Society, made up of experts on civil society partnerships andcivic space from DAC member headquarters, with further discussions taking place in both formal andinformal DAC meetings, with the DAC Informal Reference Group on Effective Development Cooperation, with the DAC Network on Governance (GovNet), and with the DAC External Relations
Group. The GPEDC was also consulted through its Action Area 2.4 on civil society partnerships.
Extensive consultations took place with experts across the Development Co-operation Directorate andwith other relevant teams across the OECD, in particular the Public Governance Directorate, whichfacilitated consultation with the Public Governance Committee’s Working Party on Open Government.
The Financial Action Task Force Secretariat was also consulted.

Consultation with DAC member, international and partner country or territory CSOs from within andOECD/LEGAL/5021
4_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Consultation with DAC member, international and partner country or territory CSOs from within andbeyond the DAC-CSO Reference Group was critical throughout the process, as was DAC members’
direct consultation with CSOs in their countries. Input was also received from the Trade Union
Advisory Committee to the OECD together with the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network(ITUC-TUDCN). The International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) specifically contributed input
from humanitarian CSOs’ perspective.
Enabling civil society: Three pillars
The DAC Recommendation addresses together three inter-linked pillars of how development cooperation and humanitarian assistance providers enable civil society by: 1) respecting, protecting andpromoting civic space; 2) supporting and engaging with civil society; and 3) incentivising CSO
effectiveness, transparency and accountability. These three pillars address a constellation ofchallenges impeding civil society actors from reaching their full potential as revealed by the evidence
gathered. Firstly, DAC members have expressed considerable concern that diminishing respect forhuman rights and democracy in a context of rising autocratisation around the globe is eroding thefreedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression, posing a real threat to civic space.
Secondly, DAC members understand that there is work to be done to strengthen the way they supportand engage with civil society actors to ensure the most effective use of the resources DAC members
devote to their partnerships with these actors. Thirdly, while civil society actors have been playing
critical roles in the Covid-19 response, recovery and resilience building, there are opportunities toenhance their effectiveness, transparency and accountability. The coherence and complementarity
between these three pillars is central to the DAC Recommendation’s strength and character and theability to address the pillars together is a particular value-added of the DAC. Implicit in the DAC
Recommendation is that addressing any of the three pillars alone would not be sufficient to enablecivil society actors to maximise their varied contributions to the 2030 Agenda and its pledge to leave
no one behind, to inclusive sustainable development, effective humanitarian assistance,
peacebuilding, and protecting and strengthening democracy, and, more specifically, to the Covid-19
response and recovery.
The DAC Recommendation is underpinned by a recognition of the diversity within civil society and thevaried roles civil society actors play. It’s central premise is that development co-operation andhumanitarian assistance providers should seek to enable an inclusive and independent civil society,especially in partner countries or territories where official development co-operation is ultimately
destined for. The DAC Recommendation seeks to enable civil society actors both as independent
development and humanitarian actors in their own right, with their own priorities, plans andapproaches, as well as as development co-operation and humanitarian assistance providers’implementing partners.
Dissemination, implementation support and monitoring
The DAC Recommendation will be disseminated via existing meetings and events involving varied
actors including DAC members, other development co-operation and humanitarian assistanceproviders, multilateral institutions, academia and think tanks, and CSOs. These include regional
dialogues such as the Latin American and Caribbean-DAC Dialogue and the Arab-DAC Dialogue; theGlobal Meeting of Development Co-operation Providers, and policy reform workshops. Dissemination
will also occur through the DAC’s subsidiary bodies, networks and communities of practice.
Collaboration with the DAC-CSO Reference Group will support dissemination to and through CSOs
around the globe. A launch event of the DAC Recommendation will be co-organised with DAC
member champions. To support implementation, the Development Co-operation Directorate will workwith the DAC CoP on Civil Society and consult CSOs in the DAC-CSO Reference Group to develop
toolkits to support implementation. Implementation support will also involve technical guidance andpeer learning such as through workshops, and/or direct support to Adherents on demand. The DAC
CoP on Civil Society would act as the primary forum for peer learning, providing a source of mutual,
practical support to each other’s and other Adherents’ implementation efforts. The DAC will review the
implementation of the DAC Recommendation, including through the existing DAC peer review
mechanism, and support lesson learning, adaptation, and sharing of best practices to build
understanding and capability and a report reviewing implementation of these measures will be
produced within five years of adoption.
Contact information: DCD.FOR@oecd.org.

OECD/LEGAL/5021
5_____________________________________________________________________________________________THE OECD DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE (DAC),HAVING REGARD to the Recommendation of the Council on Policy Coherence for Sustainable
Development [OECD/LEGAL/0381]; the Recommendation of the Council for Development Co-operation
Actors on Managing the Risk of Corruption [OECD/LEGAL/0431]; the Recommendation of the Council on
Open Government [OECD/LEGAL/0438]; the DAC Recommendation on the Humanitarian-DevelopmentPeace Nexus [OECD/LEGAL/5019]; and, the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse,and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance: Key Pillars of Prevention andResponse [OECD/LEGAL/5020];
HAVING REGARD to the Framework for Dialogue between the DAC and Civil Society Organisations[DCD/DAC(2018)28/FINAL];
HAVING REGARD to the foundation provided by international standards and documents on various aspectsof enabling civil society, notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights [United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 217 A]; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights [General
Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI)]; the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI)]; the Declaration on the Right to Development [General
Assembly Resolution 41/128]; the Humanitarian Principles; the Declaration on the Right and Responsibilityof Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms [UNGA Resolution A/RES/53/144]; the International Labour Organisation
Convention No. 87 on the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise [CO87];
Convention on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining [CO98]; Centenary Declaration for the Futureof Work [2019]; core international human rights treaties protecting and promoting the rights of individuals
and groups that civil society actors serve or represent, such as women, children, persons with disabilities,
racialized groups, migrants and Indigenous Peoples; the UN Human Rights Council Resolutions on Civil
society space: creating and maintaining, in law and in practice, a safe and enabling environment[A/HRC/RES/24/21] and Civil society space: engagement with international and regional organisations[A/HRC/RES/38/12]; and, relevant regional human rights standards;
HAVING REGARD to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development
Goals [UNGA Resolution A/RES/70/1] (hereafter the “2030 Agenda”); the Global Partnership for Effective
Development Co-operation effectiveness principles Indicator 2: Enabling environments for civil society, andoutcome documents endorsed in 2016 in Nairobi, in 2014 in Mexico, in 2011 in Busan, in 2008 in Accra andin 2005 in Paris; the DAC Guidelines for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Development Cooperation (1999); the Good Humanitarian Donorship Principles (2003); the New Way of Working (2017); theGrand Bargain (2016); the Financial Action Task Force Best Practices on Combating the Abuse of Non-profit
Organizations (Recommendation 8); and CSO standards including the 2010 Istanbul Principles for CSO
Development Effectiveness and the Global Standard for CSO Accountability;
RECOGNISING civil society actors are independent development and humanitarian actors in their own rightas well as development co-operation and humanitarian assistance providers’ (hereafter “providers”)
implementing partners;
RECOGNISING civil society actors, in their diversity, are critical contributors to the 2030 Agenda, the pledge
to leave no one behind, inclusive sustainable development, effective humanitarian assistance,
peacebuilding, and protecting and strengthening democracy;
RECOGNISING that civil society’s ability to exercise the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association,and expression, in-person and online, is in jeopardy in many places and closing civic space is part of abroader concern of diminishing respect for human rights, democracy, and international humanitarian law, ina context of rising autocratisation that has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic;
RECOGNISING that the rise of undemocratic actors and actions undermines fundamental freedoms andhuman rights and diminishes the enabling environment for civil society;OECD/LEGAL/5021
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RECOGNISING that closing civic space poses real danger to civil society actors in many countries, increases
the vulnerability of civil society, and affects the quality and effectiveness of development co-operation,
humanitarian assistance and peacebuilding;
RECOGNISING that providers’ support and engagement with civil society should be tailored to respect civilsociety actors’ diverse range of constituents, including to people on the frontlines of poverty, inequality,
conflict, vulnerability and marginalisation in partner countries or territories, in order to strengthen local
ownership and sustainability;
RECOGNISING different partner country or territory contexts, the potential positive or negative impacts ofproviders’ approaches on the civil society sector and civic space, and the need for providers to do no harm;
RECOGNISING that the effectiveness, transparency and accountability of civil society actors enables civilsociety to maximise its contribution, can bolster perceptions of civil society’s legitimacy and, in turn, provide
a counterweight to inappropriate civic space restrictions;
RECOGNISING that providers’ policies and practices related to how they respect, protect and promote civic
space, support and engage with civil society, and incentivise CSO effectiveness, transparency andaccountability, are interlinked and all contribute to an enabling environment for civil society, with efforts toaddress any one of them potentially affecting the others;
RECOGNISING that DAC members and non-DAC members having adhered to this DAC Recommendation(hereafter the “Adherents”) have differing legal, institutional, and policy frameworks and domestic contexts
relevant to their roles in development co-operation and humanitarian assistance that may shape theirimplementation of this DAC Recommendation.
I.
used:

AGREES that for the purpose of the present DAC Recommendation, the following definitions are●

Civil society refers to uncoerced human association or interaction by which individuals implement
individual or collective action to address shared needs, ideas, interests, values, faith, and beliefs
that they have identified in common, as well as the formal, semi- or non-formal forms of associations
and the individuals involved in them. Civil society is distinct from states, private for profit enterprises,
and the family.

●

Civil society organisations (CSOs) are an organisational representation of civil society and include
all not-for-profit, non-state, non-partisan, non-violent, and self-governing organisations outside of thefamily in which people come together to pursue shared needs, ideas, interests, values, faith andbeliefs, including formal, legally registered organisations as well as informal associations without
legal status but with a structure and activities.

●

Civic space is the physical, virtual, legal, regulatory, and policy space where people can, among
other things, securely exercise their rights to the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, andexpression, in keeping with human rights.
PILLAR ONE: RESPECTING, PROTECTING
AND PROMOTING CIVIC SPACEII.
RECOMMENDS that Adherents, when acting in their roles as development co-operation andhumanitarian assistance providers, respect, protect and promote civic space and to such end:1.
Develop clear policy positions on the value of an inclusive and independent civil society and on theimportance of respecting, protecting, and promoting civic space in line with rights to the freedoms of peacefulassembly, association, and expression.

OECD/LEGAL/5021
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2.
Seek to engage in dialogue with partner country or territory governments and raise publicawareness on the value of an inclusive and independent civil society and civil society participation and on
respecting, protecting, and promoting civic space.
3.
Co-ordinate among providers and with international, regional and national bodies to monitor
openings and restrictions of civic space, enhance access to and sharing of information, and foster stronger,
more coherent proactive and preventive actions.
4.

Take reasonable steps to do no harm to civic space in partner countries or territories.

5.
Support and engage with international, regional, and national bodies and initiatives that work to
respect, protect, and promote civic space.
6.
Support, as appropriate, partner country or territory government institutions of accountability andoversight, legal, and regulatory frameworks, and capacities to enable civil society in line with human rights,
as well as to prevent unintended consequences due to misinterpretation or misapplication of anti-money
laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.
7.
Work with the private sector and independent media, where appropriate, to respect, protect andpromote open civic space and promote social dialogue as a prerequisite for conducive business and media
environments.
8.
Explore and share strategies among providers and with civil society actors to counter mis- anddisinformation, harassment, discrimination and anti-democratic narratives targeting civil society.
9.
Support greater and more inclusive civil society participation in public policy at all levels of partnercountry or territory governments and with other institutions, including through the use of digital technologies.
10.
Explore and address challenges, risks, and systematic inequalities associated with digitaltechnologies that restrict or lead to digital disenfranchisement of civil society actors in partner countries or
territories.
PILLAR TWO: SUPPORTING AND ENGAGING WITH CIVIL SOCIETY
III.
RECOMMENDS that Adherents, when acting in their roles as development co-operation andhumanitarian assistance providers, support and engage with civil society and to such end:
1.
Establish, in consultation with civil society, policies or strategies for working with civil society inboth partner countries or territories and provider countries that:a. articulate objectives for working with a diverse range of civil society actors both as independent
development and humanitarian actors in their own right and as implementing partners;b. aim to strengthen local ownership and an inclusive and independent civil society in partner countries
or territories;
c. take into account contextual risks or opportunities for civil society and civic spaces; andd. integrate these policy or strategy positions into wider development co-operation, humanitarianassistance and peacebuilding policies or strategies.
2.
Pursue civil society actors’ participation, especially in partner countries or territories whereappropriate and feasible, in Adherents’ policy and programme priority-setting, design, implementation,
monitoring, and evaluation through more structured, institutionalised, inclusive, and accessible dialogue,
including with parliaments, the private sector, and the public.

OECD/LEGAL/5021
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3.
Provide financial support to diverse civil society actors as independent development andhumanitarian actors in their own right as well as to civil society actors as implementing partners, particularly
those representing persons in the most vulnerable or marginalised positions, by, where appropriate andfeasible, increasing the availability of flexible and predictable support, core support, and/or programmebased support.
4.
Promote and invest in the leadership of local civil society actors in partner countries or territories
by, where appropriate and feasible:a.

increasing the availability and accessibility of direct, flexible, and predictable support including core
and/or programme-based support, to enhance their financial independence, sustainability, andlocal ownership;b.

supporting civil society strategic alliances, networks, platforms and resource centres at regional,
national, and sub-national levels, that can:i.

work to strengthen civil society actors, including their ability to develop local financial
resource streams and to protect and promote civic space; andii.

represent civil society voices to international and regional institutions and fora, partner andprovider country governments and other stakeholders; andc.
ensuring local civil society actors are involved in decision-making based on equal power relations
with supported civil society strategic alliances, networks, platforms and resource centres, in the design,budgets, and implementation of their programming.
5.
Explore and share lessons on how to best support a broad range of formal and informal, traditional,
and new types of civil society actors and actions at regional, national, and sub-national levels in partnercountries or territories, such as social movements, social economy actors, trade unions, and faith-basedorganisations.
6.
Streamline administrative requirements for civil society support to lower transaction costs for civilsociety and providers, and incorporate adaptive and flexible processes into results management of civilsociety funding.
7.
Enhance transparency and accessibility of information in partner countries or territories on provider
funding for civil society, balancing transparency with potential security and political risks for funded civilsociety actors in sensitive environments.
8.
Support and work with civil society actors to advance global citizenship education for inclusive
sustainable development and facilitate people’s and civil society’s engagement to contribute to theachievement of the 2030 Agenda.
9.
Work with civil society actors to respect DAC and other international standards related to thehumanitarian-development-peace nexus and to ending sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment indevelopment co-operation and humanitarian assistance.
10.
Pursue internal co-ordination and dialogue across their government, as well as consultation withrelated institutions as appropriate, with a view to:a.

advancing respect for international humanitarian law and the principle of non-discrimination; andb.

addressing obstacles to supporting civil society working with persons in the most vulnerable andmarginalised positions that may arise from unintended consequences due to misinterpretation or
misapplication of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing standards.
PILLAR THREE: INCENTIVISING CSO EFFECTIVENESS,
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITYOECD/LEGAL/5021
9_____________________________________________________________________________________________IV.
RECOMMENDS that Adherents, when acting in their roles as development co-operation andhumanitarian assistance providers, incentivise CSO effectiveness, transparency, and accountability and tosuch end:
1.
Call on and support voluntary CSO efforts to build on existing good practice and standards in CSOled self-regulation, transparency and accountability mechanisms to broaden CSO participation in suchmechanisms.
2.
Call on and support CSOs to develop or build on existing internal systems to meet relevant humanrights standards to prevent and respond to the root causes of discrimination, exploitation, abuse, orharassment in their activities and organisations.
3.
Work with and support CSOs to implement mutual capacity strengthening to address CSOs’
vulnerabilities and bolster their resilience, accountability, and effectiveness, especially at partner country or
territory level.
4.
Support more equitable partnerships between provider country and/or international CSOs, and thepartner country or territory CSOs they work with in which the comparative advantages of each type of CSO
are appropriately drawn from.
5.
Promote participatory and rights-based approaches for local ownership and accountability of CSOs
and their activities throughout programme design, implementation, and monitoring, while helping ensure that
programmes do not exacerbate existing forms of discrimination or inequalities.
6.
Foster CSO leadership and innovation in identifying and adapting new approaches to solving
development and humanitarian challenges, including through partnerships and co-creation with a range ofactors.
7.
Encourage, and support as appropriate, CSOs’ voluntary initiatives to collaborate and co-ordinate
among themselves and with all levels of partner country or territory governments, to avoid duplication andcompetition, and build mutual respect, trust, and accountability.
8.
Require, as appropriate, CSO partners to respect relevant international standards and adhere to
relevant legal and regulatory requirements in the partner countries or territories they work in, where suchrequirements respect human rights and open civic space.
V.

INVITES the Secretary-General to disseminate this DAC Recommendation;

VI.
INVITES Adherents to disseminate this DAC Recommendation, particularly throughout theirdevelopment, humanitarian, and peacebuilding agencies and partners, and across government;
VII.

INVITES non-Adherents to take account of and adhere to this DAC Recommendation;

VIII.
ENCOURAGES relevant non-governmental partners to disseminate and follow this DAC
Recommendation;
IX.

AGREES that the DAC will, in line with its programme of work and budget:a. Continue to enable Adherents to share policies, best practices, and innovative approaches toenabling civil society in Adherents’ development co-operation and humanitarian assistance throughexisting fora and processes, consulting with civil society actors throughout, in order to support mutual
learning and adaptation, and develop tools to support the implementation of this DAC
Recommendation;

OECD/LEGAL/5021
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b. Review the implementation of this DAC Recommendation, including through the existing DAC peer
review mechanism, and support lesson learning, adaptation, and sharing of best practices to build
understanding and capability; andc.

Develop a report on implementation of these measures no later than five years following the adoptionof this DAC Recommendation and at least every ten years thereafter.

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