Civil society change the world

As you may know, ForumCiv channels funding to Swedish organisations’ development cooperation. In 2020, 17 organisations and their 25 partners from all over the world participated in an evaluation of ForumCiv’s sub-granting. The results show that roughly 40,000 CSOs and CBOs have been reached and civil society in solidarity and partnerships has created some astonishing changes over the past three years.

The list of results can be made long. Here is only a snapshot of what civil society recently has achieved.

• Advocacy by climate justice groups in Bangladesh resulted in an astonishing 900 per cent increase in local governments’ budget for women and families in climate affected areas.
• 20 Bolivians representing indigenous women were elected to parliament in the 2020 elections.
• Lobbying caused the Brunei government to extend its moratoriumon the death penalty which according to the criminal code make homosexual acts punishable with death by stoning.
• Reduced number of child marriages in Palestinian refugee camps.
• Nepalese Census bureau will include questions regarding disabilities in the next census due to civil society lobbying.
• By 2019, the percentage of School Municipalities in Peru that promoted the exercise of rights (citizenship, sexual and reproductive, gender and masculinities) had increased from 27 to 67 per cent.
• Lobbying contributed to the adoption of the  UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and  Other People Working in Rural Areas.
• Uruguay passed a law that promotes agro-ecological initiatives in the food industry. 
• LGBTIQ+ individuals in East and Southern Africa and Southeast Asia reported decreased isolation, increased self-confidence, and strengthened relationships as a result of development interventions.

The evaluation also investigated the benefit of partnerships and it is clear that joining forces makes us stronger. 86 per cent of the organisations responded positively when asked if their Swedish partner assisted in needed adjustments when the context changed. Furthermore, organisations strongly value the solidarity derived from being part of a larger collective. This support increases their confidence and plays a significant role in achieving results. The table below list the areas partners around the world value most in their relationship with the Swedish organisation.

To all of you that participated in the evaluation and to everyone else who fights for human rights and democracy we would like to say thank you and keep up the good work!