Citizen & Civil Society Action

 

The Fund recognized citizens’ participation as a key element to achieve the MDGs. As such, it promoted the active participation of citizens and civil society in MDG-F-funded joint programmes, both in terms of advocacy and in the implementation of activities. Additionally, the Fund aimed to strengthen the role of citizens in the creation of a Multilateral Development Agenda and awareness of the MDGs.

In 2009 a US$ 1.7 million agreement was signed to support the initiative ‘Human Development Platform 2010: Civic Participation for the MDGs and New Multilateralism’, a programme led by the Civil Society Unit of UNDP in collaboration with the United Nations Millennium Campaign.

The programme sought to strengthen citizen and civil society participation in human development and multilateralism, ensuring greater voice and accountability in policies and practices related to the achievement of the MDGs.

To this end, United Nations Resident Coordinators in six developing countries launched initiatives to strengthen participation in planning, implementing and monitoring the MDGs and national development priorities, working closely with the UN Millennium Campaign. These countries were also part of the wider effort of Platform HD2010 at regional and global levels to channel southern civil society voices towards the emerging vision of the new multilateralism. Together, the experiences under these two components informed a series of regional and global consultations to mark the ten-year review of the Millennium Declaration and the 20th anniversary of Human Development Report in 2010.