Kepa's Special Adviser (civil society) Auli Starck's presentation in Development Research Day 2016.

1. The Consequences of
Recent Trends for CSO
Development Cooperation
Auli Starck
Kepa

2. What's going on?

3. What's going on?
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Change in atmosphere
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New priorities in development policy
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Drastic cuts in development funding
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Focus on refugees
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Restrictions to civic space

4. Funding changing - big CSOs
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Funding for CSOs in MFA budget cut by 43%
- 114 million € in 2015 → 65 million € in 2016
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Programme support (22 CSOs) → cut by 38%
- on-going agreements ignored
- programme period and terms will be synchronised
- evaluation
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Share of the big CSOs will increase
●
Competition is evident (but cooperation requested)

5. Funding changing – smaller CSOs
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Project support - call for 2016-2018 suspended
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Communication and global education support – call for 2016
cancelled
→ New call in March-June 2016 with new criteria
and less money
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Support for conference trips – discontinues
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Support for INGOs - suspended
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Other small grants – suspended/ discontinue
●
Support for Local Cooperation (local CSOs) – cuts, some
embassies discontinue

6. Consequences for CSOs in Finland
●
Funding – cuts with very short notice, no proper exit
→ sustainability?
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Denouncement of staff – loss of expertise
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Uncertainty of future (also for students)
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Frustration, lack of motivation
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Redirection of resources and priorities
+ fundraising, + refugees – advocacy - global education?
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Competition over scarce resources
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Safe results or risky innovations? Who sets priorities?
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Role of CSOs – independent actors or project
implementors?
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Number and diversity of CSOs down

7. Consequences for CSOs in South
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Bye bye to many countries (Latin America, MIC)
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Less and smaller programmes, programme areas, less
beneficiaries
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Less and smaller projects
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Quick results
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Denouncement of local staff
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Lack of trust (in Finns, in local partners)
●
Civil society left on its own

8. Video: Is there any road for civil
society in Nicaragua?
http://www.kepa.fi/jasensivut/jasenblogi/17120
https://youtu.be/Z_Th2jM5sP4

9. Change is an opportunity?

10. Change is an opportunity?
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Focus on essential – letting go old
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New ways of thinking and doing
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Better quality
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Cooperation, synergies among CSOs and new partners
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Diversification of funding / less donor dependency
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Increase in donations and volunteers