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2019 Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index

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STRENGTHENING STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY CIVIL SOCIETY GLOBALLY GLOBALLY 2019 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION SUSTAINABILITY INDEX FOR ASIA 6th EDITION – DECEMBER 2020 2019 CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION SUSTAINABILITY INDEX FOR ASIA 6TH EDITION – DECEMBER 2020 Developed by: United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights and Governance Acknowledgment: This publication was made possible through support provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-LA-17-00003. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are those of the panelists and other project researchers and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or FHI 360. Cover Photo: The Fourth Regional Disability Rights Dialogue, which was held in Yangon, Myanmar in January 2019, focused on opportunities to integrate disability rights into national policies to implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN’s) Enabling Masterplan 2025: Mainstreaming the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The dialogue was co-hosted by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA), and the Union Election Commission of Myanmar (UEC) and was supported by USAID, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL). Photo Credit: International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................................... i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...................................................................................................................................................................... ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1 2019 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX COUNTRY REPORTS Bangladesh ....................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Burma ............................................................................................................................................................................. 17 Cambodia ...................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Indonesia ....................................................................................................................................................................... 34 Nepal .............................................................................................................................................................................. 44 The Philippines ............................................................................................................................................................. 54 Sri Lanka ........................................................................................................................................................................ 63 Thailand ......................................................................................................................................................................... 71 Timor-Leste .................................................................................................................................................................. 81 ANNEX A: CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................ 87 ANNEX B: STATISTICAL DATA .................................................................................................................................................. 105 ANNEX C: REGIONAL MAP ......................................................................................................................................................... 107 The 2019 CSO Sustainability Index for Asia INTRODUCTION The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is pleased to present the sixth edition of the CSO Sustainability Index for Asia, covering developments in 2019. This year’s Index reports on the state of CSO sectors in nine countries in Asia, including Timor-Leste for the first time. The Index addresses both advances and setbacks in seven key components or “dimensions” of the sustainability of civil society sectors: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, sectoral infrastructure, and public image. The Index is intended to be a useful source of information for local and international CSOs, governments, multilateral institutions, donors, academics, and other partners and stakeholders who want to better understand and monitor key aspects of sustainability in the CSO sector. The Index’s methodology relies on CSO practitioners and researchers, who in each country form an expert panel to assess and rate these dimensions of CSO sustainability during the year. The panel agrees on a score for each dimension, which ranges from 1 (the most enhanced level of sustainability) to 7 (the most impeded). The dimension scores are then averaged to produce an overall sustainability score for the CSO sector of a given country. A Washington, DC-based editorial committee composed of technical and regional experts reviews each panel’s scores and the corresponding narrative reports, with the aim of maintaining consistent approaches and standards so as to facilitate cross-country comparisons. Further details about the methodology used to calculate scores and produce narrative reports are provided in Annex A. The CSO Sustainability Index for Asia complements similar publications covering other regions. The various regional editions of the 2019 CSO Sustainability Index assess the civil society sectors in seventy-four countries, including thirty-two in Sub-Saharan Africa; twenty-four in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia; eight in the Middle East and North Africa; and Mexico. A publication of this type would not be possible without the contributions of many individuals and organizations. We are especially grateful to our local implementing partners, who play the critical role of facilitating the expert panel meetings and writing the country reports. We would also like to thank the many CSO representatives and experts, USAID partners, and international donors who participate in the expert panels in each country. Their knowledge, perceptions, ideas, observations, and contributions are the foundation upon which this Index is based. In addition, special thanks goes to Eka Imerlishvili from FHI 360, the project manager, Jennifer Stuart from ICNL, the report's editor, and Asta Zinbo and Mariam Afrasiabi from USAID, both of whom provided critical support for the CSO Sustainability Index. A full list of acknowledgements can be found on page ii. Happy reading, Michael Kott Director, Civil Society and Peace Building Department, FHI 360 December 14, 2020 The 2019 CSO Sustainability Index for Asia i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BANGLADESH Dr. Badiul Alam Majumdar, Jamirul Islam, and Abu Bakar Siddique Rubel, The Hunger Project BURMA Local Resource Centre (LRC), Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB), and Myanmar Institute of Peace & Security Studies (MIPSS) CAMBODIA Michael Renfrew and Dr. Bradley Murg, Future Forum INDONESIA Misran Lubis, Frans Tugimin, and Lusi Herlina, Konsil LSM NEPAL Kedar Khadka, Bishnu Pd. Pokhrel, and Poshta K.C., GoGo Foundation THE PHILIPPINES Roselle S. Rasay and Ma. Aurora Francisco-Tolentino, Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO) SRI LANKA Sierra Amarasiri and Shamana Amjah, Verité Research THAILAND Emilie Pradichit, Evie van Uden, and Suphamat Phonphra, Manushya Foundation TIMOR-LESTE Luis da Costa Ximenes and Miguel Mau Soares, Belun; Eugénia Uránia da Costa Correia, Independent Consultant ii The 2019 CSO Sustainability Index for Asia PROJECT MANAGERS FHI 360 Michael Kott Eka Imerlishvili Alex Nejadian INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT LAW (ICNL) Catherine Shea Jennifer Stuart Marilyn Wyatt EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Mariam Afrasiabi, Julie Hunter, Kourtney Pompi, Bishnu Sapkota, and Asta Zinbo The 2019 CSO Sustainability Index for Asia iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The 2019 CSO Sustainability Index for Asia reports on advances and setbacks in seven key dimensions affecting the sustainability of the CSO sectors in nine countries: Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and, for the first time, Timor-Leste. Several trends emerge from the 2019 country reports for the Index. Six of the eight returning countries reported deteriorating legal conditions for their work, while half of them noted worsening public image. The negative developments in both of these dimensions stem largely from government hostility towards and skepticism of the sector, primarily CSOs focused on human rights and governance-related issues. The reports highlight some positive developments too. In particular, the infrastructure supporting the sector improved in four countries,
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