HO-TU CSS ToC F4D Civic Space & Aid This project falls under Oxfam Novib's Strategic Partnership with the Dutch government. It is part of the Theory of Change for Finance for Development, aiming to achieve impact for more citizens to enjoy their basic rights and financial inclusion and experience equal opportunities in more democratic societies.

Oxfam Novib aims to achieve that more women, youth and other citizens benefit fromhigher quality and quantity of finance for development, an enhanced fiscal system and a sustainable and inclusive financial and corporate sector, tackling extreme inequality. To achieve the long-term outcome of the project, we use the following strategies: capacity building of civil society organizations, strengthening national and international coalitions, increase public pressure on governments and multinational corporations, increased media coverage, and increased political will.

Apart from working with SOMO, to achieve the long-term outcome on a global scale, Oxfam works together with numerous partners, including Eurodad, Global Alliance for Tax Justice (GATJ), and Tax Justice Network Nederland (TJN-NL). Oxfam Novib provides influencing support to Oxfam country offices and partners in Morocco, Egypt, OPT, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Pakistan, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The Civil Society Space and Strengthening (CSS) team works towards two targeted outcomes of the F4D program:
1. National Civil Society increasingly holds governments, international institutions, regional bodies and the private sector to account forextreme inequality and poverty including on space for civic action.
2. Governments and international institutions enhance (new forms of) development aid
CSS contributes to these outcomes by building a Global Oxfam Civil Society Space influencing strategy. As shrinking civil society space is establishing itself as a lastingtrend, the CSS team invests in better understanding the trend, protect space as much as possible, adapt programs where needed, and continue to invest in strengthening local civil society and creating new participation spaces for civil society. Coalition building is a core strategy, and the CSS team promotes wider alliance building on this issue on country, regional and global level.

Within the F4D program, the CSS team systematically assesses civil society space in priority countries (such as Uganda, Vietnam, Cambodia  and MENA countries) in general plus specifically linked to the F4D TOCs. The team provides thematic and financial support to Oxfam and partner staff working to increase civil society space, and contributes to Oxfam wide learning about this issue.

Within the F4D program, the CSS team aims to achieve that governments and international institutions (EU, IMF, WB) enhance (new forms of) developmentaid.  This includesincreasing political and private support for quantity and quality of aid, strengthened CSO and citizen influenceon policies on aid, and strengthened coalitions with increased access to global policy processes promoting aid.  Within the Netherlands, thiswork focuses on a recommitment of the Dutch government to allocate 0.7% of its budget to "real aid":  development assistance for developing countries rather than for example using that budget for hosting refugees in the Netherlands.