Civil society organizations (CSOs) are being asked to be more transparent and demonstrate their accountability. In recent years, there has been greater scrutiny over how public money is spent by the civil society sector and more calls to show the ‘value for money’ of CSO programmes and activities.

CIVICUS has therefore published a guide for CSO self-regulation – a new addition to its Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability (LTA) programme. Accountability for Civil Society by Civil Society is the result of research conducted by CIVICUS and its members and partners. It features more than 20 case studies from around the world, including lessons learned, innovations and practical advice.

The CIVICUS LTA programme was launched in response to key findings of the first global phase of CIVICUS’s Civil Society Index, which found that LTA issues were of great concern to CSOs.

The new guide is a practical resource for CSOs to improve their practices of transparency and accountability. It recognizes that there are many self-regulation initiatives in the world but we need to reinforce what already exists. Accountability should be seen as an ongoing learning process that needs to be adapted to each specific context and through which CSOs can achieve their greater objectives.

To download
http://www.civicus.org/resources/reports-and-publications/2001
Available in English, French and Spanish