The IFP seeks to create the conditions for greater participation of NGOs in the international public debate so that they can influence international negotiations in the areas of development, fundamental rights and international solidarity. It promotes non-governmental diplomacy in order to monitor intergovernmental negotiations at national, regional and international levels, and to ensure civil society participation in decision-making processes and mechanisms of global governance.
Its operation is governed by shared principles: good democratic governance, transparency and information sharing; and equal participation of its members.
Activities:
- Building common advocacy positions nationally, regionally and internationally, on topics of general interest
- Participation in multi-stakeholder dialogues and mechanisms for regional and global governance;
- Strengthening the capacity of the NPs and the regional NGO coalitions through the exchange of best practices and institutional support;
- Sharing tools and services platforms for the benefit of member Platforms;
Some important initiatives in 2011:
General Assembly
47 NGO platforms and six regional coalitions met in Dakar from 2 to 5 February 2011 at the first General Assembly of the IFP. This meeting was an important step in structuring the FIP as a space for exchange and political articulation among NGO associations. During the three days of work, the charter and bylaws of the IFP were voted on and unanimously approved.
Organizing debates and meetings at the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal
The IFP organized eight open workshops on access to water and sanitation, conflict prevention and resolution, development financing, regulation of agricultural markets, climate change, fight against social inequality and exclusion, debate on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and meeting with the Portuguese-speaking platforms.
Participation and advocacy in international events
General Assembly of the Open Forum, Siem Reap, June 2011; CONCORD General Assembly, Brussels, June 2011; General Assembly of CIVICUS, Montreal, September 2011; G20 Summit, Cannes, November 2011; AlterForum G20, Nice, November 2011; Civil society forum, Busan, November 2011; High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, November 2011.
The international Civil Society Forum at Busan (South Korea) organized, together with other CSO associations the workshop: “Towards greater transparency and accountability of CSOs: application of the fifth principle of Istanbul”. For the meeting of G20 countries in Cannes in November 2011, the IFP Facilitation Group produced an advocacy document that questioned the G20 and demanded specific answers to the crisis. The contribution of the IFP was delivered to the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy during a meeting at the Palais de l’Élysée. The IFP called on the G20 to show greater transparency in its actions and political decisions, and to take into account the proposals of civil society, through the implementation of permanent consultation mechanisms.