Civil Society Roundtable

Civil society engagement in decision-making and development processes has been under threat in several parts of the globe in recent years. Citizens and civil society participation in planning, decision-making and budgeting in cities remains marginal. This, coupled with limited opportunities for the local community in climate action, the increasing focus on economic priorities in urban governance, and the opportunities and challenges of democracy in a digital era, has implications for the localization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). It also affects responses to global crises - housing, energy, loss of a home and other disasters and the reverberations of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And yet, civil society continues to make a difference to the lives of the poor and most vulnerable communities through resilient and innovative approaches to development.

Open, inclusive and networked multilateralism is key for sustainable development, however, the capacity of civil society is shrinking across the world due to political pressures and instability, lack of trust in democratic institutions and reduced funding, among other factors. Consequently, civil society organizations (CSOs) are increasingly marginalized from decisions.

As a result, progress in the implementation of several SDG indicators is regressing. For instance, SDGs 11.1.1 (proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing) and 11.3.2 – (proportion of cities with active civil society engagement in urban planning and management) are deteriorating as less than 40 per cent of countries regularly collecting data.

The roundtable will consider practical and innovative actions and partnerships at all levels to ensure the full and effective contribution of citizens, community based organisations and CSOs to advance the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda. The roundtable will delve into strategies for making a new social contract a reality and explore the establishment of an imPACT coalition on cities and communities. The roundtable will create impetus for integrated actions and advocacy around housing and urban development with emphasis on urban crisis, climate change and digital technologies during this decade of action to 2030.

Linkage with WUF12 theme

This roundtable will broadly touch on all dialogues – on (1) housing the future, (2) cities and the climate crisis, (3) stronger together, (4) financing localization and localising finance, (5) putting people first in a digital era, and (6) the loss of a home. Panellists and the audience will contribute practical recommendations as inputs into the WUF 12 outcome document, and to enhance civil society engagement, cooperation and collaboration.

Objectives

• Provide an opportunity for CSOs to dialogue with national and local governments and other stakeholders about innovative solutions and practical actions for addressing the shrinking space for civil society engagement amidst the housing crisis, digital divide, the impact of climate change, reduced funding and loss of a home.
• Discuss the findings of the survey on civic engagement in urban planning and management and suggest concrete actions to be taken to respond to identified gaps at the national, city and local levels.
• Consider a value proposition for an imPACTcoalition on sustainable and inclusive cities and communities intended to galvanise multi-stakeholder, multilevel and cross-sectoral partnerships and actions towards the realization of the New Urban Agenda, the outcomes of the Summit of the Future, WUF12 and other relevant global commitments.

Expected outcomes and impact of the session

This roundtable will contribute towards strengthened cooperation and collaboration amongst CSO, governments, UN agencies, the private sector, academia and other stakeholders in the quest for responding to global challenges and crises and improved quality of life for all. Establishment of an imPACT coalition on sustainable and inclusive cities and communities.

The roundtable will build on the synergies between different stakeholders to reach a consensus about future steps related to their role in monitoring SDGs and the New Urban Agenda, including enhanced use of citizen- and civil society-generated data.

The roundtable will also contribute to improving civil society engagement in planning, decision-making and other development processes, as well as increased data availability in this area.

Guiding questions

• What practical measures should be put in place in response to the global threat of a shrinking space to civil society's contributions to and engagement in planning, decision-making, development processes and democratic participation at large?
• What is the significance of citizen and civil society-generated data in general and in housing, climate action, SDG localization and financing, and digital technologies in particular? Suggest concrete actions to address challenges to the use of citizen and civil society generated data to monitor SDGs and the New Urban Agenda.
• Is the call for multistakeholder, multisectoral and multilevel partnerships and the new social contract with CSOs, governments, the UN system, the private sector, academia, media, and other stakeholders working together a myth or reality? How can this be achieved within the context of addressing global challenges and crises and the impact on inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities?