This paper is the synthesis of case studies of four Ethiopian civil society networks.
Governance
We help people become the authors of their own destiny.
Governments and institutions have the power to fight poverty; but sometimes they reinforce it instead.
By empowering communities and helping people to organise, those in power can be held to account, and made to govern for the benefit of the people.
Governance has become a central issue in the global policy debate on aid effectiveness in recent years. There has been a surge of interest in governance by official donors in particular. In part, this concern responds to the fears of the Northern public about aid money being lost through corruption. On the other hand, there is widespread recognition that accountable governance is fundamental to achieving the fulfilment of human rights and social justice.
Trócaire believes that development interventions by external actors, including official donors and NGOs, should support national accountability and the effective participation by the poor and marginalised in decision-making processes. We believe that the discourse on governance at Northern level needs to shift from a narrow focus on anti-corruption to one of ‘accountable governance' with a focus on the right to participate.
Trócaire's work on Governance
Trocaire focuses on working with local organisations to help build democratic, transparent and accountable state structures in which there are spaces for citizen involvement in the definition and implementation of public policy. At international level we carry out advocacy with donors and other international bodies to ensure that their policies support and do not undermine the accountability of national governments to their people.
Related policy documents
In preparation for the European Parliament elections which will be held in Ireland on June 5th 2009, this document outlines six key priorities which Trocaire is calling on Irish MEPs to take forward in the next European Parliament 2009-2004.
Técnicas de Análise e Acompanhamento de Políticas Públicas
Trócaire and CAFOD case studies on aid effectiveness focussing specifically on accountability and ownership.
Honduras PRSP Update.
