CSO Participant Selection

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Selected CSOs for participation at HLF4 in Busan announced

A global call to be accredited as a Civil Society Organization (CSO) participant at the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) was made on April 8 via the BetterAid and Open Forum websites.

700 emails and more than 600 applications were submitted to the BetterAid secretariat. Networks and organizations represented in the BetterAid and Open Forum steering groups worked together in regional caucuses to lead the selection process for CSOs wanting to represent the region.

Now the Global Selection and Oversight Committee is pleased to announce regional lists of those CSOs who will be recommended to the OECD Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (WP-EFF) Core Group for accreditation.

Altogether 270 participants were selected plus a ten percent alternates/reserves list in case a person originally selected is unable to fulfill the requirements of active preparation or is unable to travel to Busan.

A letter from the Global CSO Selection and Oversight Committee provides more details on the selection process.

See the lists of selected participants and CSOs below (as of September 25, 2011):

• Africa (Sub Saharan)

• Asia (including Pacific)

• Latin America

• Middle East and North Africa

• Europe (including non EU member states and North America)

• Global CSOs (International CSOs, international networks etc…)

The Korean CSOs have their own selection process and are aiming at 30 participants.

The lists of reserve participants and CSOs is still being finalized and will be released imminently.

Lists of funded participants

The lists for those who will be funded will start with a list of 100 Southern CSOs that the Selection and Oversight Committee will submit to the OECD Trust Fund managed by Asian Development Bank, to be released imminently. A second list will be announced in mid July when the Committee has confirmed the first commitments from international donor agencies. A third list will be announced in September.

Please contact Applicationhlf4 betteraid.org if you have any questions for the Global CSO Selection and Oversight Committee regarding the selection process.

Overview of Selection process for CSO representatives to the High Level Forum IV in Busan 26 November-1 December 2011

Application forms deadline May 8, 2011:

• Application Form for Participating as CSO representative at the official HLF IV
• Application Form for Financial Support
• Organizational Endorsement Form

Send your completed application package to: Applicationhlf4 betteraid.org

This will be the first time that a High Level Event of the OECD will be organized in an inclusive manner and with CSOs as official participants as recognized equal development actors. There are expected 1,500 to 2,000 delegates from various development stakeholders including about 300 CSO representatives. Of this number 100 will be subsidized through the HLF IV organization, and BetterAid and Open Forum are fundraising for another 100 or more.

We have initiated a selection process which we intend to be as inclusive and transparent as possible. Selection will be conducted at the regional level, and decision on the selection process will be done transparently by regional caucuses composed of members of the BetterAid Coordinating Group and the Open Forum Global Facilitation Group. A Global Selection Oversight Committee has also been set up to ensure that the mechanisms for transparent and inclusive selection are made and to address any concern or complaints that may arise.

Please see The Selection Process Overview document for more details on the Oversight Group, the methodology and accountability of the CSO Participant Selection process

Regional, national and international selection process

The networks and organizations with representation in BetterAid Coordination Group and in the Open Forum Global Facilitation Group will work together in Regional Caucuses to lead the call for applications and selection process for CSOs wanting to represent the region.

Each Regional Caucus will appoint two focal persons (one from BA and one from OF) in each region who will ensure the proper operation of the caucus in the selection process including disseminating the call for applications for HLF IV participation and applications for subsidy as widely as possible and inviting submission of applications to the BA website. They will receive copies of the applications from the BA secretariat and will coordinate the regional caucus decision process. They will then submit to the Global Selection Oversight Committee the list of names of participants and names of the CSOs chosen to represent civil society from the region. The Global CSO Selection Oversight Committee shall review the lists submitted by the regional caucus and confirm them based on the criteria and allocations previously agreed upon.

The caucuses will select a total of 300 participants plus a ten percent alternates list in case a person originally selected is unable to fulfill the requirements of active preparation or is unable to travel to Busan. The regional breakdown will be as follows:

• Africa (Sub Saharan)
• Asia (including Pacific)
• Latin America
• Middle East and North Africa
• Europe (including non EU member states)/ North America)
• Global CSOs (ICSOs, international networks etc...)

The regional lists shall ensure gender balance of representatives.

The Focal Persons and the Joint Global CSO Selection Committee will use the following criteria for the 300 CSO participants to ensure a geographic and thematic balance:

For more details on the Regional Caucuses see the Guidance Note.

Required qualifications of CSO representatives

Selection of participants will be according to organization and the person designated by the organization, and this representation is not transferable. Thus any person originally selected for participation in the HLFIV may be replaced by another representative from another organization if that person is not available or is not active in the preparations.

Participants that have been selected to represent civil society at the official meetings of HLF IV should keep in mind that they are accountable to their constituencies at national, regional and international levels in all aspects of their participation.

Selection as a CSO representative in Busan, and participation at HLF IV, implies that representatives should be familiar and knowledgeable with:

• the basic documentation and concepts related to CSO issues and positions around aid and development effectiveness
• the OECD, WP-EFF and HLF IV agenda
• the document "CSO key messages for Busan" and the process behind finalising these CSO messages.

A selected representative is required to respect the obligation to actively:

• Participate in national, regional, continental and/or thematic consultations/meetings (as per the case) in preparation for the HLF IV
• Stimulate and take part in preparatory CSO discussions for HLF IV, and contribute to the preparatory CSO meetings three (3) days (26-28 November) prior to the official High Level Forum.
• Attend CSO preparatory and debriefing meetings arranged before, after or during the official sessions at HLF IV
• Commit to a timely, thorough and informative sharing of feedback reports on the participation to the operational and decision-oriented official HLF IV meetings in order for the CSO Secretariats to coordinate report-back and strategy meetings.
• Ensure timely, thorough and informative feedback to the national, regional and international CSO stakeholders following the meeting, to reflect back the processes and outcomes, as well as the implications thereof for action and advocacy.

Selection Process for OECD Subsidized Participants

BetterAid and Open Forum are fundraising to provide subsidy for the travel and participation of 200 international participants. This is over and above the 100 southern CSOs which will be provided funding by the OECD. These figures are targets subject to the achievement of fundraising goals.

Since there are a total of 300 target subsidized foreign participants (International and Southern CSOs), then there is a larger list of those recommended for subsidy since it is expected that the majority but not all of the recommend participants from the North (Europe and NA) and Global do not require or are not qualified for subsidy. The list of OECD funding allocations is below

Timeline for applying for official participation and for subsidy