What is the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness?
The Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness is an international CSOdriven process towards defining a global development effectiveness framework for CSOs. To this end, it will bring together, between mid-2009 and mid-2011, CSOs and other development actors, including governments and official donors, in consultations and multi-stakeholder dialogues at country, regional and international levels.

What are the objectives of the Open Forum?
The Open Forum will facilitate a global consultation and multi-stakeholder dialogue process at country, regional, and international level to

1. enable CSOs to reach consensus on a global CSO development effectiveness framework, to include a set of principles, indicators, implementation guidelines, good practices for accountability mechanisms and minimum standards for enabling conditions.
2. provide a learning space, based on mutual trust, where CSOs can discuss issues and challenges relevant to their work and relationships as development actors.
3. build understanding and support among official donors, governments and possibly other development stakeholders for an enabling environment for CSOs.

Who is involved in the Open Forum?
A Global Facilitation Group (GFG) of 25 member CSOs acts as governance body, providing leadership to and representing the Open Forum. The GFG meets regularly to monitor and draw lessons from the consultations and multistakeholder dialogues, and to set directions for the future agenda. See annex 3 for a list of members.

The GFG has delegated the day-to-day work on the Open Forum to a Consortium of six supporting CSOs (see annex 2).

What is the purpose of this toolkit?
This toolkit is a resource to support the Open Forum’s consultations. It should nform discussions on CSO development effectiveness and guide contributions of CSOs operating at local, country, regional and international levels, North and South, as well as globally, towards defining the elements for a global development effectiveness framework.

Who is this toolkit for?
The toolkit is targeted at:

• CSO networks and platforms tasked with facilitating national discussions on CSO development effectiveness.
• CSOs participating in national, regional or thematic/sectoral consultations on CSO development effectiveness.
• CSOs participating in the Open Forum’s Global Assemblies.
• Other development actors participating in the consultations.

How can it be used?

• To provide essential background information: Sections 1 and 2 provide essential background information on the Open Forum and the consultation process, including information on parallel donor-led processes and other CSO focused initiatives. These sections are primarily aimed at participants in consultations, but should also underpin the work of organisers and facilitators of consultations.
• To inform and guide the discussion: Section 3 provides an exploration of key issues in CSO development effectiveness and poses some fundamental questions in order to stimulate and guide the discussion.
• To set up, structure, run and record consultation workshops: Section 4 is primarily directed at consultation organisers and facilitators, mostly from national CSO platforms and networks. It includes useful ideas, recommendations and tools to assist them in setting up, structuring, running and recording the outcomes of national consultation workshops. In annex 1, a template for recording the outcomes of consultation workshops is provided.

Where can I find more information on the Open Forum?
Visit www.cso-effectiveness.org, the main communication channel of the Open Forum. All information pertaining to the Open Forum including updates, resources, reports, and the outcomes of all consultations and multi-stakeholder dialogues will be posted on this website.