Civil Society Groups Seek Greater Participation in Public Policy

  
Representatives of close to 500 NGOs, nonprofit organizations and other foundations gathered in Cartagena, Colombia on June 1 as part of the Fifth Ibero-American Third Sector Conference. The groups called for more civil society participation in the formulation of public policy and the need for stronger ties among the region's NGOs.

Participants agreed that civil society groups must become more organized if they hope to influence public policy. Topics discussed included the relationship between civil society and the state, proposals to strengthen democracy and governability, and the role of business. Luis Jorge Garay, an Inter-American Development Bank consultant, argued that the private sector should play an active role in public policy. Businesses should legitimize their participation in this process not only by helping to generate wealth, he noted, but by distributing it fairly. He pointed out that it is in the interest of businesses to contribute to the creation of a stable institutional and political environment, since they too must operate within this context.

The discussion of civil society and the state emphasized the progress achieved in areas such as education, health and environmental protection. Organizations involved in these fields have adopted a more active critical stance, enabling them to play a more prominent role in national and international debates.

The participants also acknowledged the emergence of new actors committed to social projects. These groups have fresh perspectives and opinions that deserve to be heard in the policy arena. They do not aspire to replace the state, but rather to develop a new experience of public life that is more open to citizen control and initiative and responsive to a consensus of opinion.

The meeting concluded with an agreement that institutional consolidation in Latin America depends to a large degree on the creation of channels for diverse social groups to become involved in public policy. The idea behind this involvement is the concept of the "third sector," envisioned as a complement to the private and public sectors and embracing many different interest groups. Participants at the meeting called for these groups to come together to make their voices heard in the debate over issues of governability and institutional transformation.

The forum sent a clear message regarding civil society's influence in building solid and sustainable democratic systems. This role could become more significant if civil society groups themselves were to become more self-critical and take on a more active participation in public life.