equitable Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations will achieve the Millennium Development Goals

1. equitable Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations will achieve the Millennium Development Goals Jimmy Gotyana National President: SANGOCO 05-06 September 2011 Parliament –Cape Town

2. A starting point Rationale • South Africa, along with over 180 countries in the world signed the Millennium Declaration in 2000, which spelled out key developmental focus areas for the world by 2015. • The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is a tool for redefining ‘development’ as a ‘global public good’ and has become a framework for monitoring development progress at community, regional, country and global levels. • The MDG Report (MDGR) is a key instrument to inform public debate and set national priorities and targets while strengthening governance through the promotion of human rights. • The MDGR is underlined by key principles which promote transparency, collective participation and inclusiveness. These are national ownership, capacity building partnership building and shared responsibility.

3. Key messages on MDGs The MDGs: • Commit national and global leaders to work towards eradicating poverty, promoting human dignity and equality and achieving peace, democracy and environmental sustainability by 2015. • Are operationalized through 8 goals, 18 targets and 48 indicators which were later expanded to incorporate additional targets and indicators. • Reports aim to assist with engagements between and amongst political leaders, CSOs and the general public on issues pertaining to poverty reduction and sustainable human development with a view to promoting quality living standards for the majority of the populace, in order to attain peaceful and harmonious societies.

4. Current Realities confronting NMDGR processes • Inadequacies in the NMDGR reporting governance structure; • Lack of adequate and equitable civil society partnerships; • Lack of national ownership of the process; • Non-delivery of capacity building programmes; • Inadequate financial support to NMDGR processes; and • Communication breakdown between government, state entities and ourselves.

5. Role of Civil Society in Country MDGR Civil Society should therefore: • Participate and partner Government and Business in all MDG processes facilitated by the SSA. In this regard, ALL the social partners should serve in the National Coordinating Committee and form part of the Technical Working Committee, so as to influence the development trajectory. • Provide strategic guidance ,direction and oversight on guidelines in preparation of the MDGR. This is a necessary process if we are to realize national ownership of the MDGR. Joint advocacy strategies will assist in increased awareness and promotion of the MDGs to ensure strengthened strategic actions between and amongst decision-makers and opinion shapers in the country.

6. Why ARE PARTNERSHIPS between Govt. and Civil Society important? • The principles of the MDGR require inclusive participation and multi- stakeholder involvement which includes civil society. • Govt. has to create an enabling environment to ensure the involvement of the civil society sector and the assignment of roles of each social partner has to be inculcated. • A high level political body (E.g.. Office of the Speaker - Parliament) has to spearhead and coordinate resource mobilization needed to successfully create spaces for dialogue and technical input. This body has to ensure institutionalization of the MDGR within government. • Partnerships will in the final analysis address issues such as (a) national ownership of the MDGR process; (b) ensuring communication between and amongst Government and Civil Society; and (c) redress participation challenges in the NMDGR process.

7. The demands FOR true partnershipS as perceiveD by Civil Society… Civil society: • is keen to work with government and its agencies to ensure the challenges outlined are resolved. • is willing to participate meaningfully in the NMDGR process. Government: • needs to adhere to codes of good practice which embrace multi-stakeholder disciplinary approaches to reporting; and. • has to resource the support need to ensure the development of the NMDGR

8. The demands FOR true partnershipS as perceiveD by Civil Society… Thank you Dankie Nkosi The South African NGO Coalition Tel: 0736157665 Fax:0414590171 Email:ortambo@tiscali.co.za Website: www.sangoco.com