Global Perspectives 2009 – 2019

Dates:

30 October – 01 November, 2019

Location:

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Overview

The 11th Global Perspectives conference 2019 brought together an international audience of up to 120 participants from national and international civil society organisations (CSOs), foundations, governments and business. Under the framing of the proverb “If life brings you lemons – make lemonade!” and with the title “Let’s Make Lemonade – Legitimacy and Impact in Times of Scrutiny”, the conference offered a platform for discussing these burning issues. Presentations, panel discussions, work sessions and peer-to-peer exchange offered an effective platform for open exchange, high-quality conversations and intense networking.

Key topics included 

• The changing environment: Civil society innovation and populism in a digital era – launching the Centre’s 2019 Innovation Report 
• The role of CSOs– learning from the Ethiopian context
• The unwritten future – what will determine the future legitimacy and impact of CSOs. Lightning talks delving into climate crisis, the digital revolution, the growing youth population and their connectedness to the societies we want to impact

Dates:

31 October – 02 November 2018

Location:

Berlin, Germany 

Overview

The tenth Global Perspectives conference brought together about 130 participants from national and international civil society organisations (CSOs), businesses, multilateral organisations, donors and governments. The conference had three themes:

• Communities: The people we work for and with
• Supporters: The people who support us, financially or with their time
• Talent: The people who work in our organisations.

Throughout the conference we utilised those themes and aimed at providing a space for leaders to explore new approaches to engaging a #NewGeneration in civil society work. Our aim was achieved by showcasing thirty-two projects from thirty organisations around the world which provided an understanding and encouraged peer-to-peer learning exchange opportunities.

Various sessions lead to the development of the following key recommendations for civil society organisations and youth movements:

• Develop peer-to-peer learning opportunities between young/youth movements and established CSOs, aiming to build relationships that will encourage disruption, innovation and impact.
• Develop and implement youth strategies, especially within international CSOs. Young people have played an integral role in campaigning for different social issues which makes them powerful agents of change.
• Include youth voices in the decision-making process. Young people under 25 are 42% of the world population1 and they are not a homogenous entity. Youth differ depending on their context, age, gender, socio economic background and many other factors, excluding them from the decision-making process will result in lack of security, respect and recognition of their rights. The International Civil Society Centre will lead by example and commits to involving young people in the preparation process of and be widely represented also at next year’s Global Perspectives conference.
• CSOs and youth movements need to be accountable. Young people are often the target for human rights violations and lack of accountability from CSOs affect young people in their communities where they are viewed as marginalised groups.
• Commit to the collective. Throughout the conference, recurring themes around stepping away from organisational hierarchies and brands (‘egos and logos’) as one of the key enablers of youth-driven social organisation and change arose from a number of sessions.

Dates:

01 – 03 November 2017

Location:

Mexico City  

Overview

The ninth Global Perspectives conference took place on 1-3 November 2017 in Mexico City and brought together an international audience of about 80 participants from national and international civil society organisations (CSOs), governments and business. The conference offered a platform for exploring new approaches to conducting and funding civil society activities. Presentations, panel discussions, work sessions and peer-to-peer exchange offered an effective platform for open exchange, high-quality conversations and intense networking.

The conference quickly reached consensus that only transformational change will enable civil society to address the significant challenges that lie ahead.

Conference themes:

• Increasing competition for ever-scarcer resources
• Widening gap between the rich and the poor
• Fast growing numbers of refugees and migrants
• Rise of populist movements and shrinking civic space
• Shifting of CSOs’ role as intermediaries between donors and recipients.

To respond the conference concluded that CSOs must

• Find a new role as their tasks as intermediaries between donors and recipients becomes less relevant
• Develop new ways of working in line with changing power relationships and resource flows
• Strengthen global and national alliances to protect citizens’ rights to participate, and defend CSOs’ right to operate
• Devise new business models that align shifting demand for CSOs’ involvement with shifting availability of resources
• Explore additional sources of funding to fill emerging income gaps and reduce financial risks.

Dates:

26 – 28 October 2016

Location:

Berlin, Germany 

Overview

The eighth Global Perspectives offered more than 160 participants, from across civil society and other stakeholders, a platform to discuss some of the most pressing global challenges around the future of civic space worldwide for citizens and organisations. The conference addressed three major themes:

• Analysing and deepening understanding on the complex issue and different forms of the future of civic space
• Exploring new opportunities and analyse shifting spaces and most importantly
• Gathering ideas for action, learning from each other and forming new alliances.

Key topics explored included:

• Launch the Civic Charter – the global framework for citizen participation. Developed through international consultations, it presents an opportunity to align efforts and develop new action initiatives to protect and expand civic space.
  • As of 01 July 2019 ActionAid International is taking over the facilitation of the Civic Charter. Please read the full announcement here.
• Showcase innovative initiatives dealing with shrinking, protecting and expanding civic space and provide exchange opportunities to develop new ideas and joint approaches to defend, explore and promote civic space.
• Explore space for civic engagement as a crucial condition to successfully implement the SDGs. In the context of strengthening civil society, the conference will further discuss CSO accountability and how to improve CSOs’ ability to detect disruption early on.

Dates:

04 – 06 November 2015

Location:

Bangkok Thailand

Overview

The seventh Global Perspectives conference offered more than 80 participants, including civil society organisation (CSO) representatives, partners from international institutions, governments, business and academia, a platform to discuss some of the most pressing global challenges around the effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference was framed by a call to ACT BIG – to aspire for a more ambitious level of change and collaboration.

Conference themes

• What are civil society’s key challenges and opportunities ahead?
• How are we tackling these challenges and harnessing the opportunities?
• How can we align our efforts and build alliances?

ACT BIG means fundamentally changing the way we work. We need to embrace change as a positive and permanent feature and move from incremental to transformative change. Only if CSOs are willing and able to transform themselves, will they be able to play an important role in the transition to sustainable, fair, and equitable global development. Any change process has a rational side (structures, processes) and an emotional side (culture). We often ignore culture and fail in our change efforts. In order for us to become more agile and manage disruption effectively, establishing a culture of change is essential. At the conference, the International Civil Society Centre launched the outcome report and video of its annual project “Be the Change – A Culture of Change for Civil Society Organisations”.

Watch the recording now

Dates:

29 – 31 October 2014

Location:

Paris, France 

Overview

The sixth Global Perspectives conference took place at the OECD conference centre in Paris and offered more than 120 participants including CSO representatives, partners from international institutions, governments, business and academia a platform to discuss some of the most pressing global challenges. The year 2015 is on our doorstep. It will be a decisive year – and so will every other year until the end of poverty and environmental degradation. Yet, the multilateral conferences on Disaster Risk Reduction, Post-2015 and Climate Change in 2015 will set the development agenda for the next decades. It is a great chance to have these interlinked conferences in one year. To take this chance, a strong voice and common demands from civil society will be crucial. Therefore, Global Perspectives aimed to specify common demands, to identify opportunities for alliances and to determine contributions from different CSOs.

Conference themes:

• Thinking Beyond Growth: In light of climate change and planetary boundaries we are challenged to question the traditional role of economic growth for development. What changes are required to our economic system and how can these be achieved collectively?
• Post-2015: The emergence of a new development paradigm is a unique political opportunity to find collective solutions to global challenges. What are the key strategic issues and intervention points we need to focus on?
• Transition Alliances: Multi-stakeholder partnerships aiming to advance the transition towards more sustainable ways of production and consumption in the implementation of the new global agenda
• New business models for ICSOs in a changing climate.

In conclusion, the discussions showed that CSOs agree on what needs to be done and how to move forward. 2015 will show if CSOs are courageous enough to act. Are we ready to leave old habits behind, to reconnect with people and to build transition alliances with ambitious actors from all parts of society.

Find out more in this video on diversifying, adapting, and innovating

Watch now

Dates:

13 – 15 November 2013

Location:

 Johannesburg, South Africa

Overview

In collaboration with Civicus and ActionAid, Global Perspectives 2013 – Navigating Disruptive Change: How civil society organisations can survive and thrive in an increasingly disruptive world – explored how civil society organisations (CSOs) can meet the challenges and use the opportunities of disruptive change in the light of crucial global developments such as the Post-2015 Agenda, the rise of Africa and new North-South CSO partnerships. The conference offered global and national CSO leaders, as well as partners from international and regional institutions, governments, business and academia, an interactive format to discuss and devise joint answers to some of the most pressing global issues. The discussions engaged more than one hundred participants from 32 different countries.

Conference themes:

• Exploring disruptive change
• Uniting around common objectives in the Post-2015 Agenda
• Supporting the rise of Africa
• Tackling global challenges together

Dates:

31 October – 02 November, 2015

Location:

Berlin, Germany

Overview

The fourth Global Perspectives conference – Development Beyond Growth: Sustainable, Equitable and Truly Global focused on the challenges and opportunities civil society organisations (CSOs) are facing in a complex and rapidly changing environment; impacted by financial and political crises, climate change, limited resources, growing inequality and global shifts of power. All of these factors greatly influence the current debate around the post-2015 development agenda and contribute to the definition of the critical role CSOs are playing in the process.

Conference themes

• Geopolitics
• Drivers of change
• Sustainability and growth
• Leadership and governance.

Dates:

09 – 11 November, 2011

Location:

Berlin, Germany

Overview

The third Global Perspectives conference focused on how the rise of emerging economies will affect international civil society organisations (ICSOs), and how they may respond to this global shift in power.

Emerging economies such as China, India, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil and South Korea are increasingly shaping the world’s economy and politics, and with their rise a new paradigm is emerging in which traditional powers no longer set the agenda for the rest of the world. In an increasingly complex and multi-dimensional world, the ability of ICSOs to adapt quickly and efficiently will be essential. In order to remain relevant, effective and influential in their work at local, national and global levels, ICSOs will need to review and revise many aspects of their work. Global Perspectives identified seven strategies which will be crucial in this process of transformation:

1. Base our work on human rights and people’s participation
2. Engage more with new forms of civil society activism and social movements
3. Partner with local stakeholders
4. Look at the world in a more holistic way and complement each other systematically
5. Improve our global governance and be more transparent and effective
6. Develop stronger, more viable accountability through the INGO Accountability Charter and peer-to-peer review
7. Promote systematic talent development and optimise the use of high achievers

Dates:

04 – 16 November, 2010

Location:

Berlin, Germany

Overview

The second Global Perspectives conference engaged 119 participants – including 18 global CEOs and 46 national CEOs, as well as experts and key stakeholders – engaged in two and a half days of highly interactive and outcome-focused debates focused on devising joint strategies towards the full achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The conference concluded that beyond 2015, it is most crucial to make the MDGs a Southern-led movement, as opposed to today’s donor centric view. There is a need for continued improvement and adaption of the MDGs focusing much more on social, economic and climate justice. CSOs need to look for innovative ways of how to approach new and ever more demanding challenges. They need to discuss more politically, looking beyond their usual partners in order to find new and seemingly unlikely allies, especially in the corporate sector.

Follow up activities:

• Developing a joint global campaign to build politics back into the MDGs before 2015 (Led by Civicus)
• Putting our joint efforts behind existing initiatives aiming for a Robin Hood Tax / Financial Transaction Tax (lead: Oxfam and CIDSE)
• Starting a discussion about a joint post 2015 strategy (led by the Centre)

Dates:

06 – 09 November, 2009

Location:

Berlin, Germany

Overview

The first Global Perspectives conference tackled the grappling issue of a world in crisis – from the global economic recession resulting in a decreasing GNP, to growing unemployment and increasing poverty world-wide. Climate change is progressing unabatedly towards the expected tipping point of +2°C. Many of the short term measures undertaken to combat the economic crisis are – in the longer term – adding to the climate crisis. The next few weeks, months and years will very much shape the world we will leave to future generations. CSOs are being challenged to play a more prominent role in securing a world in which everyone can lead a decent human life.

Over three days, the heads of the leading CSOs globally worked together with experts and key stakeholders, analysing the crisis, identifying strategies and devising joint action to address the most crucial challenges we are facing.

Conference themes

• How CSOs can increase impact through joint action and in cooperation with business and government;
• How CSOs can raise their voice more audibly towards the public, national governments, business, the UN and other international and global organisations in order to make sure decisive and appropriate action is being taken;
• How CSOs can organise themselves more effectively at a global level in order to
  strengthen their contribution to combating the crisis.

CSO Action plan

1. Campaigning for a successful Climate Summit in Copenhagen
2. Working together for more impact on the global crisis
3. Strengthening climate related action in our own organisations
4. Strengthening our collective knowledge base
5. Reporting back on commitments made