CSOs have seen a significant change in their role and influence in society and politics. They are now major providers of essential services, influential advocates for marginalised groups and knowledgeable advisors on public policy. As such, they have become important players in national and international governance.

However, with this newfound influence has come greater scrutiny of CSO activities. Worldwide, CSOs are facing growing pressure from governments, donors and the public to be more open about their funding sources, to provide evidence of their impact and to clearly demonstrate which groups they represent and how.

While some are asking these questions in an effort to strengthen the sector and reinforce its role in governance, others are manipulating the accountability agenda to undermine and curtail the influence of CSOs. Regardless of the reason these questions are being asked, CSOs need to be proactive in responding to them so as to maintain public trust and avoid having frameworks of accountability imposed upon them that are detached from the core values of the sector.

Within the context of this changing political environment for CSOs, the One World Trust worked in partnership with the Commonwealth Foundation on a project across three Commonwealth countries, Belize, India and Uganda, and one region, the Pacific islands, to stimulate discussion among CSOs on what it means to be accountable.

Working with Society for Education and Research (SPEAR) in Belize, Voluntary Action Network India (VANI) in India, Development Network of Indigenous Voluntary Associations (DENIVA) in Uganda and the Pacific Island Association for NGOs (PIANGO) in the Pacific region the project engaged CSOs in each location in developing a set of common principles for accountability and developed a set of country toolkits that provide assistance to organisations in putting accountability into practice.

While the toolkits are no panacea to the challenges of accountability, they demonstrate that accountability is achievable for CSOs, and that few organisations are starting from scratch. While there are gaps that need plugging, many CSOs are already using innovative techniques to be accountable to the groups they affect. We hope the toolkits will help form the basis for ongoing discussion and learning on issues of CSO accountability and in turn lead to organisations strengthening their legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness as agents of social change.

Toolkits on CSO accountability:

Civil Society Accountability: principles and practice – Uganda Toolkit

Civil Society Accountability: principles and practice – Belize Toolkit

Civil Society Accountability: principles and practice – India Toolkit

Civil Society Accountability: principles and practice – Pacific Toolkit

Other articles on the issue of CSO accountability

Civil society accountability: reflections and ways forward, an article by Deepti Sastry in VANI's magazine Civil Society Voices

Complaints and response mechanisms: a last resort in ensuring organisational accountability, an article by Monica Blagescu in the Commonwealth Foundation's magazine Commonwealth People

Related activities

The Trust undertakes a number of other projects  related to the accountability of CSOs.  These include:

• A framework for analysing the accountability of organisations working in policy-relevant research, including the work of civil society organisations insofar as they are engaged in policy discourses and debate.  For more information go to:  Accountability of Research Innovation and Advocacy
• Research and analysis on how self-regulation among civil society organisations can strengthen accountability. For more information go to our online portal on CSO self-regulation which includes information on over 300 initiatives worldwide
• Examples of initiatives and approaches aiming to promote the accountability of NGOs

Click here to view all publications related to this area of work.

The One World Trust's work on CSO accountability is lead by Alice Obrecht in lieu of Christina Laybourn who is currently on maternity leave until January 2013.