Participation of the Civil Society in Public Decision-making

Good Practice in Participation of the Civil Society in Public Decision-making

The level of non-governmental organization (NGO) participation in ADB's investment projects has risen steadily over the last decade from just 8% in 1991 to 57 percent in 2001.

Experience has shown that NGO participation in ADB projects is more dynamic in countries where the NGO sector is more developed, or where the government provides regulatory mechanisms for involvement of civil society groups.

In Mongolia, for example, civil society groups have begun to play a more active role in advising government. In Cambodia in 2000, NGOs took active part in a major development planning forum that brought together government officials, civil society and donors.

Most NGOs that become involved in ADB projects are local or community-based NGOs. This type of NGO can be especially significant in projects that require identification of community needs or the direct participation of beneficiaries. There is also some involvement of NGOs that operate at the national and international levels.

These NGOs tend to possess more advanced technical and organizational capacities than their local counterparts, and may serve as intermediaries between governments, development agencies, and other NGOs. For more on Participation of Civil Society, see Documents Related to NGO's - ADB.org.

In addition, ADB has formal procedures for any community, organization, or other group affected by an ADB's public sector project, to assert that the formulation or implementation of the project was inconsistent with ADB policies, to the material detriment of that group. For more on this aspect of participation of civil society, see http://www.adb.org/Inspection/default.asp.