This is an interview with Benoît Fontaine (Advisor with the King Baudouin Foundation) who is working on developing GuideStar in Belgium. He talks about:

* The civil society sector in Belgium
* The reason for GuideStar interest in Belgium
* The main partners for the initiative
* Where the data for GuideStar Belgium will come from

The latest GuideStar International Newsletter is now available (April 2009). In it you can find an update on GuideStar International, news from our partners and relevant articles about what is happening in the CSO sector.

This article offers a brief look at how some civil society organisations in the developing world have had a growing influence over public revenues and spending. Through a range of advocacy activities these groups can prove heavily influential in promoting greater transparency, accountability and effectiveness. The paper suggests the importance of civil society organisations establishing links with similar advocacy groups and the media if they are to successfully influence policy. Full paper in P more...

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) “Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises” (Guidelines) embody what OECD governments have agreed are the basic components of responsible corporate conduct. They cover a range of issues such as labour and human rights, bribery and corruption, environment and information disclosure. Though voluntary for companies, governments that have endorsed the Guidelines are essentially conveying that they expect multinational companies more...

'This page is dedicated to journalists who were assassinated in the exercise of their profession. It remembers their contribution to freedom of expression, democracy and peace.'
Source: UNESCO

'Refugees and migrants in the Mashrek countries (defined as Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria for the purposes of this report) are at risk of unlawful deportation, ill treatment and exploitation. Difficulties accessing basic rights to healthcare, education, housing and work are compounded by lack of political will, an absence of appropriate laws for the provision of formal legal protection, administrative barriers, budgetary and material restrictions, restrictions on civil society organisations more...

'Around seven hundred thousand mostly low-income and minority men and women are released from prison each year. Returning to lives of low wages and high rates of unemployment, about two thirds will be rearrested within three years. A national prisoner reentry program is proposed whose core element is up to a year of transitional employment available to all parolees in need of work. Transitional jobs are supplemented by substance-abuse treatment and housing after release, expanded work and educat more...

'This paper examines fifteen cases of collective action in six villages in rural Bangladesh. The types of collective action identified were catalyzed by marriage; dowry and domestic violence; disputes over land; illness, injury and death in accidents; and theft and cheating. The role of development NGOs was less significant than would be expected considering their visibility in rural Bangladesh. The study suggests that ‘everyday forms’ of collective action often occur spontaneously and infor more...

Chief-of-Staff for President Obama Rahm Emanuel's quote of the year, 'you never want a serious crisis to go to waste' sounds glib taken out of context. But he is right. It takes extreme situations to force decisions that go against normal short-term political interests.

So it is that governments such as the UK and the US are saddling their taxpayers with vast debts to bail out their banks and finance sector, spending unthinkable amounts of money for normal times (at least $8.4 trillion and c more...

'This paper approaches Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) from a civil society perspective, where civil society is a direct participant in public goods, reconciling public and private interests. The government is expected to work for all society not just the owners of capital. The paper argues that the current CSR ethos has been defined by multinational corporations (MNCs) and their government partners in the largest economies, and suggests that CSR is at a threshold, where its value remains more...