Contribution to UNRISD's research programme: Civil Society and Social Movements

• Forschungsstelle: DEZA
• Projektnummer: 7F-03242.01

Schlüsselwörter (Deutsch)

Forschungspartnerschaften, Global Civil Society Movements, Dynamics, international campaigns, national implementation, social sciences, Argentina, Bolivia, Senegal, the Philippines and Turkey.

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) was created in 1963 as part of the first United Nations Development Decade. In 1968, UNRISD was given the status of an autonomous UN agency, engaging in multidisciplinary research on the social dimensions of contemporary problems affecting development. The mandate of the Institute is to conduct policy-relevant research on pressing issues of social development. Through its research, the Institute stimulates dialogue and contributes to policy debates on key issues of social development within and outside the United Nations system
The comparative advantage of UNRISD to the many other institutions around the world engaged in a similar pursuit is to be found in its capacity to serve as a conduit for the exchange of ideas between scholars and activists working outside the UN and professionals working within it.
The research agenda of the Institute is set in consultation with an international advisory board, which discusses research initiatives contained within five programme areas:

- Social Policy and Development,
- Technology, Business and Society,
- Democracy, Governance and Human Rights,
- Civil Society and Social Movements,
- Identities, Conflict and Cohesion

SDC's contribution is directed to research areas of mutual interest, namely the research programme 'Civil Society and Social Movements' with its project 'Global civil society movements: dynamics in international campaigns and national implementation'.

Projektziele (Englisch)

The objective of the present cooperation between UNRISD and SDC is to support UNRISD in its research endeavour, while taking in account issues of mutual interest. The research programme supported by the present project aims at generating useful information and offering innovative policy perspectives on some of the rapidly evolving global civil society movements. The prime intent is to emphasize the strengths and weaknesses of major civil society movements and networks and their attempts to popularize and implement global issues of concern and specific initiatives. The project should prove a lively forum for networking and exchange of information amongst different actors and institutions. In particular, it should prove valuable for

- civil society movements to share experiences within the ongoing movements, including successes and failures, and to strengthen civil society capacity to plan, develop and implement concrete activities;
- the concerned government agencies to better understand the major civil society debates and proposals as well as areas of common interest between the government and civil society movements; and
- donor agencies to grasp civil society assertions, as well as support popularly-based social movements and actions.

Abstract (Englisch)

Four major civil society movements are being analysed in thematic and country studies. (1) the campains for dept relieve, (2) Movement to change international trade rules and barriers, (3) the Tobin Tax movement, (4) the fair trade movements.
The objective of the research is to emphasize the strength and weaknesses of major civil society movements and networks and their attempts to popularize and implement global issues of concern and specific initiatives. Are these movements capable of having any significant impact on the policies adopted by leading international donor agencies and government? How do citizens and civil society groups participating in these movements articulate their concern and propose concrete suggestions? Has the overall capacity to engage in internal dialogue at different levels and construct a more participatory and lasting relationship improved? How do the specific methods of actions and communication tools employed in global civil society movements help to broaden lasting linkages and cumulative learning processes between various civil society groups at different levels? How are civil society movements able to facilitate exchange of information, ideas and knowledge and practical experiences among national and international bodies and civil society forces, including those population groups at the grassroots level facing socioeconomic deprivation and political marginalization? These are some of the crucial questions that need to be carefully considered in trying to map out and analyse the complexities and potential inherent in the actions of civil society movements.

Umsetzung und Anwendungen (Englisch)

Knowledge on Civil Society movements and their potential to plan and implement concrete actions will be transmitted to decision makers and international agencies in stakeholder meetings.