Civil society and EFA: What next?

 

Civil society organizations, particularly NGOs, are full partners in the EFA Working Group, although that is not always the case at national level. Building mutual trust and transparency between civil society and governments continues to require strong commitment and sustained effort. The Working Group was clear that civil society brings valuable strengths to the EFA table; central among these are:

providing a voice to the marginalized to demand more and better educational opportunities;

lobbying governments and international agencies to follow through on their explicit commitments to Education for All;

experimenting with innovative ways of providing education, especially to the unreached;

active engagement in policy dialogue at national level;

building capacity of civil society organizations to play a more pro-active role.

Following up on the success of Global EFA Week of Action, EFA partners and civil society should think about developing a broader advocacy constituency for EFA. Goodwill Ambassadors could be enlisted to raise the profile of EFA

The way forward undoubtedly lies in a tripartite collaboration between government, donors and civil society.

Presentations:

Civil Society Engagement in EFA in the post-Dakar Period by Gorgui Sow, African Network Campaign on Education for All (ANCEFA)

Civil society engagement in EFA after Dakar: the Collective Consultation of NGOs by Susanne Schnuttgen, UNESCO

Civil society engagement in EFA: What has been the value added ? by Salum Mnjagila, EFA Coordinator, Tanzania