Análisis de actores

METHODOLOGICAL GUIDE FOR IMPLEMENTING A MAPPING OF CIVIL SOCIETY ACTORS IN LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES

This methodological guide was produced by Michel FALISSE for IBF consulting within the framework of contract number 2008/169094 European Union Programme for the NSAs in Latin America: the thematic Study on the mapping of Non State Actors in Latin America was carried out by Michel Falisse and Beatriz Sanz - Corella.

"This report was prepared with the financial support of the European Commission. The opinions expressed herein are those of the consultants and do not reflect the official opinion of the Commission."

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Civil society involvement, a pillar of governance ..............................9

Helping EC Delegations in Designing their Support Strategy to Civil

Society. ................................................................................................10

A mapping that provides an overview of civil society network. .....10

Context of the methodological note .................................................11

The specificity of the role of civil society in Latin America:

some notes ..........................................................................................12

CONCEPTS: SOME PRECISIONS

Non-state actors (NSAs) ....................................................................19

Civil Society ........................................................................................20

THE MAPPING

What are the goals of a mapping? ....................................................23

What is a mapping? ............................................................................24

What is the use of a civil society/NSA mapping for the EU

Delegations? .......................................................................................25

How to carry out a mapping? ............................................................27

1: Definition of the goals of mapping ................................................29

2: Literature on social actors .............................................................33

3: Reviewing existing mappings ........................................................37

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INTRODUCTION

Civil society involvement, a pillar of governance

Together with the State public institutions at the local, regional and

national levels as well as the market-related economic agents, the civil

society and its multiple stakeholders play a fundamental role in the

development dynamics in Latin American countries.

Civil society actors are recognised for their role in:

Building a citizen-based democratic legitimacy.

Implementing programmes and projects in sectors and places

where State entities are not always present.

Maintaining a constant pressure that guarantees a permanent

search for good governance.

The European Union and its various components recognize in their

documents and declarations this role of the civil society that should

lead to a significant support to governance and development efforts.

Given the wide variety of civil society stakeholders, which is the result

of its own dynamism, it is not easy to identify the strategic and reliable

institutions the Commission can work with in terms of strategy design

and programme implementation. That is the reason behind designing

such a methodological guide.

4: Collecting data on the actors .............................................................. 41

5: Creation of graphic matrices ............................................................... 45

6: Creation of timelines .............................................................................. 55

7: Identifying the main tensions at work .................................................. 59

8: Structure the different actors by level .................................................. 63

9: Defining the frameworks in which the actors evolve ......................... 67

10: Analyzing strengths and weaknesses ................................................ 73

11: To Make the Work of Mapping Sustainable........................................ 75

APPENDICES

General context .......................................................................................... 79

The political role of the NSAs is currently recognised in the main

European development cooperation guiding documents. ..................... 81

Civil society and EC relation Assessment ................................................ 84

The EC support policy to civil society in the specific

Latin-American context ............................................................................. 89

Web page of the RELEX ............................................................................. 94

"The mapping exercise in the programming cycle" ............................... 96Lessons drawn from the Guatemala mapping ....................................... 97

Guidelines on principles and good practice for the participation of Non-

state Actors in the development dialogues and consultations ........... 102

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Helping EC Delegations in Designing their Support Strategy to Civil Society

As a generic objective this methodological guide aims at building a

comprehensive involvement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and,

in a broader framework, non-state actors, in the design and elaboration

of development strategies. It aims at proposing a methodology that can

help the EC delegations to establish a global support strategy for civil

society as a development actor. It focuses mainly on EU-Latin America

relations, relying on existing examples in the region and more specifically a

mapping exercise of the civil society of Guatemala.

A mapping that provides an overview of civil society network.

Given the need to deepen the knowledge on the social, institutional,

economic and political context of assistance-recipient countries, this guide

aims more precisely at providing guidelines for designing a mapping

exercise that allows for a panoramic vision of the civil society networks

and their relations with the government and donors.

This methodological guide lies within the scope of a study intended to

promote comprehensive strategies for the involvement of Non-State actors

in Latin America, using as an empirical component a mapping exercise of

the Guatemalan civil society carried out between March and August 2009.

Context of the methodological note

The debate on the effectiveness of development aid has emphasised in

this last few years the importance of a growing involvement of the civil

society in defining priorities and evaluating cooperation needs.

The European Union and its various institutional components defined the

objectives according to the involvement of the civil society in the socio-

political dynamics of collaboration and cooperation.

It is primarily about the Communication on the Participation of

Non-State Actors of 2002 (November 7; COM 2002 598) and of the

European Consensus on Development, of the joint declaration of the

EU Council and the representatives of the governments of the Member

States at the Council, the European Parliament and at the Commission

on the development policy of the European Union entitled the European

Consensus on development [Official Journal C 46 of 24.2.2006].

This more specific framework lies in appendix 2 of the current guide:

main policy papers of the European cooperation on development.

In order to implement these objectives, the European Commission has

designed financial and methodological instruments.

This methodological guide lies in the framework of these efforts

including: a study on the capacity-building programmes of civil societies

in ACP countries which includes aspects of mapping methodology,

the present methodological guide for mappings in Latin America and a

mapping exercise in Asia.

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The specificity of the role of civil society in Latin America: some notes

From a structural point of view, Latin American societies are vey diverse,

which can be seen in their wide range of organisational forms or in the fights

among its populations during all their history. It would be impossible to

analyse in a few words this diversity in such particular countries. However, we

can refer to some elements as food for thought.

The core factors that shape these societies are varied:

At the economic level

It is one of the worlds regions where social tensions are the highest in

terns of wealth distribution, with significant consequences on the level of

poverty that affects large groups of the population.

The exploitation of natural resources, mainly mines, oil and natural gas,

as well as strategic water resources - the Amazonian river basin and the

Andes mountain range.

At the macroeconomic level, most Latin American countries depend

heavily on the United States and the European Union countries, in

addition to an emerging regional power: Brazil, that has been able to

develop a national productive economy of its own. Most Latin American

countries continue to rely on their agriculture and on the exploitation of

their limited and non-renewable natural resources.

Effects on the dynamics of civil societies

This economic situation has generated a number of CSO actors to address

these great challenges.

In Brazil, ABC, a Sao Paulo union that originated in the 80s, is the political

movement that enabled Brazil to get out, through democratic means, of

the cycle of dictatorships and brought to power the democratically elected

president Luis Ignacio Da Silva Lula, the trade-union leader who fought during

the Eighties.

In Bolivia, the fight for the nationalisation of hydrocarbon and the natural gas

resources gave rise to the movement that brought Evo Morales to power.

In Argentina, the movement of the piqueteros and the unemployed caused

by the financial and economic crisis, triggered major political changes in the

country.

In most Latin American countries, farmer movements have a long track of

fights for land rights and agrarian reforms for a better land redistribution.

Thus in most Latin American countries, the dynamics of the civil society are

stronger in terms of political change than those of public political bodies such

as political parties.

At the political level

Latin America of the second half of the 20th century was deeply marked by a

cycle of military dictatorships in most of its parts, as well as by the Cold war

between the Soviet block and the United States. The concepts of right and left

wings were almost limited to the Communist Party, on the one hand, and

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the military dictatorships, on the other. Armed struggle movements have

also had an important role, embodied by the victory of the guerrillas in

Cuba and by the emblematic figures of Fidel Castro and Ernesto Che

Guevara.

The concept of organised political parties in Latin America does not

have the same bearing as in the European historical democracies and in

the United States. It looked more of a means for social ascension. The

partisan political tradition remains weak and hence has an impact on

populist and Caudillo-like exercise of power.

With the return to democratic forms of government in the 80s and

90s, relatively normal political relations were restored between the

international community and the old Latin dictatorships.

The polarisation between right wing radicalism and Latin American left-

wing crystallises over electoral processes whose dynamics builds up the

leaders legitimacy, in particular those born in social movements rooted

in civil society organisations, such as the MAS movement in Bolivia or

the indigenous movement in Ecuador.

Repercussions on the civil society dynamics

The time of military dictatorships in Latin America has literally sent the

political forces into the civil society arena, as there was no democratic

space to do politics. These were years of clandestine movements and

waves of Latin American refugees, mainly intellectuals who were to be

found in large universities, trade unions and in European political parties.

International political unions, such as the Socialist International or the

Christian Democratic International also played a catalyst role for political

forces abroad. In Europe, it was the times of thousands of politicised

solidarity committees and NGOs that supported these anti-dictatorship

movements.

When dictatorships ended, the return of political refugees meant the

return towards the political arena and a huge number of civil society

leaders who took public political responsibilities from the lowest

positions to the highest office as Head of State.

This dialectics between the civil and political society continues to shape

the life of the institutional actors of civil societies in Latin American

countries. Leaders going from one arena to the other are common as

well as close links between figures of each bank. This dialectics, which

is so specific to Latin America, has a direct impact on the dynamics for

securing social cohesion in the continent.

At the social level

At the global scale, the Latin-American continent is where social

breakdown and inequalities are most obvious, and surprisingly, is the

continent where social welfare is the weakest.

The welfare state is not able to mitigate conflicts and social tensions due

to its limited direct and indirect tax resources.

Are we saying that civil societies in Latin America are always on the

verge of explosion?

The fact is that in the social and cultural field, you find the foundations

of a social cohesion where the civil society network acts, sometimes as

a State substitute, sometimes as the architect of alternative dynamics

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of popular power, reflected not much in a desire to take State power,

but more in an active participation in the local economic and social

networks.

In this sense, civil society actors represent a key pillar on which any

economic and social development policy must be based.

The role of the church

At the time of dictatorships, the Catholic Church played a very significant

role as a defender of the poor, the marginalised and the oppressed. It

took under its protection most of the movements fighting for human

rights and against dictatorships. It was the times of the Liberation

Theology, a Latin-American version of the preferential option for the Poor

supported by the Vatican, which went much further than the Churchs

official doctrine. This particular action of the Church enabled the survival

of many movements in Chile, Brazil, El Salvador, etc.

In spite of the changes of orientation prompted by the arrival of John

Paul II, major sectors of the church in Latin America continue to play

a significant role of support to the marginalised segments of the

population.

The last two decades have seen the exponential rise of evangelic

churches whose discourse meets the expectations of large numbers

of poor people, attracted by the hope of a short-term paradise with

immediate advantages. These religious movements indicate that the

social movements will loose their political dimension, as they do not

focus on the fight for human rights but only on short-term benefits.

The Indigenous issue

One cannot speak of Latin-American civil society without mentioning

the indigenous movements that have underpinned the social and

political lives of these countries since de-colonisation. The presence of

the indigenous movements at different levels of power shows an ever-

growing awareness of the importance of these communities for the

development of their countries, the natives being without exception the

poorer groups of the population.

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CONCEPTS: SOME PRECISIONS

Non-state actors (NSAs)

There is a lively discussion over the concept of Non-State Actors and

over the parallel notion of civil society. Hence it is impossible to identify

a single and commonly accepted definition.

The EC has more frequently used Non-State Actors (NSA) which,

according to the communication of the Commission on the

Participation of Non-State Actors in EC Development Policy are

defined as follows:

The term NSA is used to describe a range of organisations that

bring together the principal, existing or emerging, structures of the

society outside the government and public administration. NSAs are

created voluntarily by citizens, their aim being to promote an issue or

an interest, either general or specific. They are independent of the state

and can be profit or non-profit-making organisations.

The Cotonou agreement refers to NSAs as complementary actors to

the State in the processes of development, including:

the private sector;

social and economic stakeholders;

trade unions and civil society organisations of all kinds according to national characteristics.

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They correspond thus to heterogeneous sectors which include: basic community

organisations, womens groups, human rights associations, NGOs, religious

organisations, agricultural cooperatives, trade unions, universities, research

institutes, the media, the private sector, etc. but also informal groups such as the

basic organisations or associations of the informal private sector.

Civil Society

The concept of civil society either has a commonly agreed definition, but a

series of definitions referring to its heterogeneous composition.

Although it is a more frequently used concept, the limitation of the concept

of civil society is based on its strict opposition to the two other large spheres

of society: the State and the Market. That is why civil society is very often

compared with the concept of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or

with the concept of non-profit sector (or tertiary sector). Nevertheless, these

strict definitions do not allow for the distinction of a series of gray zones

made up by complex, variable and changing realities that characterize civil

societies, mainly in Latin America. In these gray zones, one could find the

foundations of companies or corporate organisations representing the rights

of the economic sector.

The definition of civil society should not either exclusively reflect idealistic

concepts which only recognize those organisations promoting the common

good or democracy.

It should foresee, first and foremost, a realistic conception of society,

accepting the fact that the values which feed the various organisations

are multiple and not necessarily idealistic. Putting aside this type

of normative contents will make it possible to include sectors of

civil society such as the youth groups whose weight is not to be

underestimated in the field of governance in Latin America.

All in all, it is paramount to begin from the broadest and more flexible

definition in order to incorporate the immense diversity of actors

who play a significant role as civil society players, including new

forms of citizen participation.

One of the most coherent definitions of civil society is given by

CIVICUS, which defines civil society as: the arena, outside of the

family, the state and the market where people associate to advance

common interests1.

In this context, working with a definition of Non-State Actors enables

opening a civil society area that encompasses a broader spectrum,

including the private sector and the existing hybrid zones located in

between the Market and the State.

In any case, to adapt the definition to our mapping exercise and to the

needs of the European Commission, this guide limits the analysis

to stable organisations and is articulated in such a way so as to

cover a reality that does not have clear borders.

1. CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, is an international alliance of civil society organisations at the local, national and international levels whose objective is to promote civic interventions at the global level. CIVICUS created the Civil Society Index, a dynamic cartography instrument that seeks to analyse structures, contexts and values and the impact of civil society in socio-political processes. www.civicus.org.

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THE MAPPING

The objective of this guide is to propose a methodology for the

creation of Non-State Actors mappings in the Latin-American region.

The proposal is based on:

An empirical example: the realisation of a mapping exercise of

civil society in Guatemala.

The capitalisation of previous mapping exercises, at the national

and regional levels in Latin America.

The exchange of views with the EC delegations in Latin America

in order to share lessons and experiences.

The development of practical instruments.

Basic definitions.

What are the goals of a mapping?

To have a global vision of the institutional actors in the country in

the State, economic and civil society spheres.

To have a historical vision of the activities of these actors in

connection with the main economic, social and political events of

the country or region.

To have a vision of the social actors in the various sectors relating

to cooperation with the European Union, their connections and

respective weight.

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To help decision-makers in identifying, formulating and implementing

policies and strategies, and, in this specific case, to help the EC

delegations in Latin America.

What is a mapping?

Mapping is an identification work on the key actors in a given country

(or sector) in order to better understand how they are enshrined in a

relational dynamics that give rise to development processes.

With mapping, one aims at identifying the role and position of actors in

a broader social, institutional and political framework of a given society,

as well as its strengths and weaknesses, which allows for the analysis

of theirs influences in this same arena.

It is designed as a dynamic exercise and not simply a descriptive,

easy to read one and which enables the delegations to have a precise

identification of actors to be incorporated in the various phases of a

development process, according to their structuring levels and action

lines.

What is the use of a civil society/NSA mapping for the EU Delegations?

To provide a wider overview on non-state actors in the

comprehensive development processes.

The mapping serves as a tool that enables a cross-analysis of

the non-state actors in the general framework of the European

cooperation.

A mapping must be designed as a tool that offers an

interpretation of the social reality with the aim to build up a

global strategy of participation of the non-State actors within the

European cooperation, well beyond the traditional instruments

that support them/ they use (i.e thematic programmes).

Mappings can be useful in the programming cycle, in the

identification and programme elaboration phase as well as during

its implementation and future evaluation or review.

A mapping can not only be useful in the definition of specific

programmes of support to civil society but also in a wider

framework of comprehensive strategy of cooperation in these

processes 2

In the consultation of the documents of the National Development Strategy for Poverty Reduction,

In the elaboration by the EC of country Strategy documents,

In the definition of sectoral strategies.

The mapping plays a key role in the different steps of political

dialogue, as it enables the definition of the non-State actors roles

within a systemic and relation-based framework with the same actors

of development particularly the governments and all the donors.

2. See in appendices The mapping exercise in the programming cycle

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A mapping enables a greater flexibility when organizing consultations in

a strategic way.

A mapping is instrumental in the different guiding documents of the

community cooperation that aim at facilitating the involvement of non-

state actors in the new aid modalities, namely the macroeconomic and

sectoral programmes.

The utility of a mapping has to do with the move towards a

comprehensive vision of the participation of the civil society

organisations in the development process.

A mapping goes well beyond a descriptive and static approach of the

state actors, it has the objective of providing information on the social

and political context as an integrated whole.

A mapping helps the EC Delegations to define a comprehensive

support strategy to civil society that is considered as an actor in the

fields of governance and development. As such, it enables in fine

the creation of a typology of countries according to their level of

involvement in their respective political and socioeconomic contexts.

A mapping provides a clear-cut analysis of the strengths and

weaknesses of the civil societies under scrutiny.

A mapping helps identifying the legal framework of the action of the

associations and entities of the civil society, with the limitations and

restrictions that must be taken into account when designing a strategic

framework.

A mapping can serve as a starting point for strategic changes of the

European cooperation in matters such as:

The strengthening of local capacities

The creation of spaces for dialogue between the government and the civil society, strengthening the role of these organisations in the definition of cooperation policies as well as they increase the states accountability in relation to its commitments.

The perfecting of programmes and support instruments to non-state actors, enabling their integration in the phases of development processes.

Coordination improvement between donors, particularly with Member States.

How to carry out a mapping?

The following methodological files indicate orientations for the

preparation of a mapping of civil society actors.

They may be used according to the purposes, the complexity, the

sectors, the objectives, etc. of the mapping.

This is actually a guide.

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DEFINITION OF THE GOALS OF MAPPING

Mapping objectives will guide the work according to the expectations, the reliability degree given to the exercise, the findings expected from the mapping itself in terms of its potential use in the definition and implementation of the European Union strategies in the country.

1. (1/4)

Subject DeScription commentS

A mapping can be carried out in different contexts, which will influence its objectives:

A call for proposals to the civil society

Within the framework of the dialogue on country strategy or in a mid-term review

At the beginning of a new partnership strategy with the civil society,

Etc.

The opportunities to start a mapping of social, political and economic actors in a given country are multiple and will depend on the will of the institutional actors to have an in-depth knowledge of the composition, role, influences and internal dynamics that are specific to the institutions embracing the civil society.

If there is a proper understanding of the objectives that originate the mapping of civil society actors, the mapping scope will be better defined and its findings will better meet the expectations.

As far as possible, even if the mapping objectives are related to a particular context or conditions, we shall start with the most general and gradually move to more specific situations or sectors. In fact, this already completed general work will be useful when carrying out other sectoral or specific mappings, since civil society plays a real or potentially effective role in all sectors of the society.

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DEFINITION OF THE GOALS OF MAPPING

DEFINITION OF THE GOALS OF MAPPING 1. 1.(2/4) (3/4)

Subject Subject DeScription DeScriptioncommentS commentS

What are the possible mapping objectives?

To have a global vision of the institutional actors acting in the country State, economic and civil society spheres.

To have a historical vision of the activities of these actors in connection with the main economic, social and political events of the country or region.

To have a vision of the social actors in the various sectors relating to cooperation with the European Union, their connections and respective weight.

To help decision-makers in identifying, formulating and implementing policies and strategies, and, in this specific case, to help the EC delegations in Latin America.

Example of the Guatemala mapping

The objectives of the mapping exercise of the civil society in Guatemala were multiple and varied, ranging from a comprehensive mapping of the civil society to more limited and concrete aspects.

One of the major difficulties was to get the consent of all participants and to adapt the exercise to the multiple objectives and to the available resources within a fixed timeframe.

In the Brussels headquarters, mapping was viewed as a general cartography of Guatemala civil society actors, whose aim was to design a methodology to help the Latin American Delegations in making their mappings.

For the Delegation, the mapping exercise was also an opportunity to identify the relevant actors of the priority sectors chosen by the Delegation itself and the development of a strategy for the civil society: youth and justice.

In the definition of the objectives, it is important to link the short-term, the medium and the long-term concerns. They are all valuable. Mapping cannot be only related to a specific situation. Mapping which is only theoretical and disconnected from it is neither a good solution. Mapping must be dynamic. Its periodic update is essential (see file 11: Making mapping sustainable)

It is important to consider that without clear objectives, the findings of mapping will not be useful. Since mapping is about support to decision-making, the clearer is the scope of decision-making and the actors involved the more useful and concrete the results will be.

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LITERATURE ON SOCIAL ACTORS

The aim is to inquire on the relevant, historical or specific analysis, related to goals of the countrys institutional actors

2. (1/3)

There are numerous analyses of the social, political, economic and historical realities and histories in Latin America.

The selection work enables to have the basic historical information on the trends of social dynamics at ones disposal.

Syntheses, compilations, and transversal analyses that provide a global historical overview of the social movements and roles of institutional actors.

This literature can be found mainly in universities social sciences departments and in the media.

Please note that various important texts are located in European and North American university centres, as a result of the academic works carried out by faculties geared to social sciences.

The most important difficulty in the documentation search is the huge amount of existing information.

One has to be careful with the scientific character of this literature that is a common reference for most of the social actors of a country.

There are many documents that, under a pseudo-scientific cover, try to give a partisan vision whose aim is to support or justify the actions of an actor or another.

How to achieve the mapping objectives?

Seeking consensus.

Bringing together the main actors interested and involved in the European Commission.

Bringing together the various cooperation partners interested in the exercise and possibly wishing to contribute financially.

Seeking people who have an excellent command of civil society matters in a country.

Designating, within the Delegation staff, those in charge of civil society matters, a person in charge of the exercise, reporting on it and disseminating the information.

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DEFINITION OF THE GOALS OF MAPPING 1. (4/4)



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LITERATURE ON SOCIAL ACTORS

LITERATURE ON SOCIAL ACTORS 2. 2.(2/3) (3/3)


Historical documentation in relation with the political and social evolution of Guatemala is to be found at the University of San Marcos and also on the Internet.

Because of the civil war and the practical impossibility to carry out independent social research in universities, many documents referring to that period are either in solidarity committees in Europe or in independent research centres, NGOs and others, in Guatemala after the signing of Peace Agreements.

How to constitute a reference document basis on a countrys social actors and on their activities throughout History?

Seeking key individuals, analysts, academics, and researchers in academic or research centres.

Cross-checking the information to come up with a limited number of references, unavoidable for the knowledge on the socio-political and economic reality of the country.

Seeking references on the Internet.

Seeking syntheses already made by other actors.

The search for historical references differs from the search for other documents or already existing mappings on the country under investigation. These two elements are dealt with in the following cards...

Mapping Mapeo Cartographie:

The preparation of systematic studies on the positioning of social actors is recent and lacks agreed definitions. The words commonly used are: in English: mapping; in French: Cartographie; in Spanish: mapeo, which should prevent from using a word or another, if it has a cultural justification.

Subject DeScription commentS Subject DeScription commentS

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REVIEwING ExISTING MAPPINGS

The aim here is to investigate a countrys existing social actors

3. (1/4)

There may be relevant elements, updated or not, which can be used as a working basis to further develop specific topics.

When carrying out a mapping, it is important to consider other mapping instruments of the political context devised by other Member States.

Some examples that may be relevant:

Power Analysis - suggested by the Swedish International Development Agency (AIDS). This instrument tries to analyse the political context of a country according to power asymmetries, to access resources and ability of the different actors to have a political impact.

Drivers for Change - carried out by DFID to analyse the lack of articulations between the political framework of a country and the development organisations actions, focused primarily on the interaction of the economic, social and political factors that support or prevent the reduction of poverty.

The Governance Questionnaire - designed by GTZ as a tool to analyse the frameworks, the actors and the political and institutional relations in a country.

To get additional information on these tools, refer to the document Mapping Political Context: A Toolkit for Civil Society Organisations, of Robert Nash, Alan Hudson y Cecilia Luttrell, of the Research and Policy in Development Programme (July 2006)


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REVIEwING ExISTING MAPPINGS

REVIEwING ExISTING MAPPINGS 3. 3.(2/4) (3/4)

Example of Guatemala mapping

There are four main mapping categories carried out to date in Guatemala or in the Central American region.

1. Mapping studies on the overall civil society, such as the mapping carried out by IDB in 1996 and the study under the global initiative Civil Society Index (CSI) of CIVICUS.

2. Sector studies focused on the analysis of some components of civil society.

In this category you find:

diagnosis studies on women, the youth, and indigenous populations carried out within the framework of the TINAMIT programme of the EC in 2007;

the mapping of the Programme of Alliances with Civil Society (PASOC) of the UNDP in 2007 focused on civil society organisations that are active in the three working fields of PASOC; i.e. racism and discrimination, access to justice, social auditing and transparency.

The study of the NGO sector in Guatemala in the framework of the 3rd National Congress of NGOs held in 2008, initiated by a Commission made up of a group of organisations encompassing the civil society of Guatemala;

The mapping of the media in Guatemala, in the framework of the mapping project of the media in the Americas, which applies the geographical information systems (GIS) and provides an electronic map showing the position of the media.

3. Other sectoral mappings of the civil society in the Central American region, including thus an analysis on Guatemala (such as the mapping of womens organisations with a regional structure of Central American civil society).

4. Studies on governance in Guatemala, including civil society as one of the fundamental players. There is a reference to the Power Analysis done by the embassies of Sweden and the Netherlands.

There may be studies or mappings that are confidential for various reasons amongst which the naming of a person, which could be prejudicial to them.

The authors of mappings must take into account their final objective and broader dissemination to all actors. This stand must prevail on any other whatsoever. It is not complicated to withdraw names from a report or soften some declarations, allowing thus for greater benefit for all and very often for money savings. This does not mean that sensitive data should not be processed with much care, always protecting the information sources.

Subject DeScription commentSSubject DeScription commentS

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REVIEwING ExISTING MAPPINGS 3. (4/4)

How to search for existing mappings of civil society actors in a given country?

Searching in the main cooperation agencies or embassies represented in the country with support programmes for civil society.

Searching specialised agencies in the preparation of mappings in the region such as CIVICUS, UNDP, DFID, etc.

Searching in the federations or networks of associations or national NGOs that may be aware of the existence of such studies.

Searching on the Internet.

Searching in the political sciences departments and faculties of sciences in the main universities of the country, and those of the United States and Europe.

COLLECTING DATA ON THE ACTORS

The aim is to collect data on institutional actors of civil society

4. (1/3)

Regarding the data about the institutional actors of the civil society, it is about:

Their vision, mission and main objectives.

Their historical route (beginning, main activities carried out throughout their institutional life, main people operating in the institution throughout its existence, etc.).

Their legal form: this element enables to identify to whom the institution belongs.

Basic financial elements: volumes of financing; national, cooperation-subsided, bilateral, multilateral, partner-subsided, Western NGOs, etc. This point is important in order to locate the organisation (tell me who funds you, Ill tell you who you are).

The main projects or activities supported by the institution, the most relevant ones, their working methodology, collaborations, targets, main findings, conclusions of the assessments already made, etc.

One will also collect the main data relating to other institutional actors, according to their relevance for the sector under scrutiny, be it the State or the main actors of the economy.

For instance, a mapping of social actors implemented a few years ago in Bolivia could not ignore the role of the economy of drug trafficking, the presence of unions of coca, the role of NGOs, the weight of natural resources (gas, oil) in an analysis whose objectives would be to define a support strategy to civil society actors in that country. In other words, a mapping of civil society actors is closely linked to the actors of other spheres, namely the State and the economy.

Having the data relating to institutional actors is of the utmost importance when considering drawing up contracts with these actors.



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COLLECTING DATA ON THE ACTORS

COLLECTING DATA ON THE ACTORS 4.4. (3/3)(2/3)


Given the time constraints for the implementation of the Guatemala mapping, it has not been possible to further deepen this aspect.

However, the Delegation of the European Commission in Guatemala had the basic information related to the justice and youth sectors.

Once justice and youth were identified as priorities by the Delegation, this data collection was made after having identified the key people and institutions to which the relevant information about these sectors converge.

It was from these people and institutions that the research started as well as the guideline on how to get more.

How to collect data on actors?

Using the existing resources of he European Commission, the CRIS or PADOR.

Setting up a specific database for the country.

Seeking information in the associations or NGOs themselves.

Seeking information within the federations of NGOs or in existing networks.

Seeking information in other cooperation agencies of European countries or of multilateral cooperation that operate with the entities under scrutiny.

Seeking information in the government of the country and its ministry in charge of the associations or the NGOs. In some countries, databanks do exist.

Seeking information on the Internet.

The elaboration of instruments such as CRIS or PADOR could be in the future the beginning of a database on institutional actors of civil society.

Very often, we underestimate the time necessary to carry out a relevant, comprehensive and strategic mapping. It is not a question of delivering a list of organisations with telephone numbers and addresses, but laying down strategic actors in the sector after having identified the relations (quality, weight and nature) between them and with the sectoral challenges.


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CREATION OF GRAPHIC MATRICES

The aim is to set up graphic charts of some concepts or institutions in order to better understand this complexity through visualisation.

5. (1/9)

The circles: the three circles respectively represent the State, the market and the civil society. The circles are not static, mixing up in a more or less significant manner.

The drawing up of the circles and sub-circles enables to identify the sectors, their weights and the relations between them. The size of each circle indicates the relative weight of this sector compared to the others.

It is worth considering that, ideally, these diagrams should be made on a participative basis, allowing for the creation of consensual diagrams.

The State sphere

The economy sphere

The sphere of civil society


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CREATION OF GRAPHIC MATRICES

CREATION OF GRAPHIC MATRICES 5. 5.(2/9) (3/9)

Examples of actors in the respective circles and the way they intermingle, with nuances over their belonging to one sphere or another.

The circles: the three circles respectively represent the State, the Market and civil society. The circles are not static, mixing up in a more or less significant manner.

STATE

Sub-circles: Depending on the complexity of the three large circles, it can be useful to break them into a number of small entities constituting the larger circle.

For instance, a federation of employers, although it belongs to civil society circle by its legal constitution and its advocacy work for businesses is also connected to the economy sector, as it is the object of its action. In the same way, a university, because of its ideological role, its elaboration and development of models to understand realities belongs to the civil society circle. But in the case of public universities, some of them belong to the public circle whereas some private universities are within the market circle.

As an example, the State circle is made up of the Parliament, the Executive (Presidency and the Council of Ministers), Justice, regional authorities, municipal authorities, the entities collaborating with civil society at all these levels, etc. These sub-circles are not static either: there are interactions between them.

Government

Congress

Presidency

Local communities

Political parties

How to work out the circles matrix?

Identifying, in the country, those institutions or systems that make up each circle.

Identifying the relevant systems in each sphere such as the informal, the drug-trafficking economy, and graphically providing a dimension that reflects its importance in the mapping exercise i.e. that reflects its influence in the dynamics of the civil society.

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ESTADO MERCADO SOCIEDADCIVIL ESTADO

MFA Cooperation

Companies MFA Cooperation

Companies with public

capital

Public universities

Private Universities

Foundations

Cooperatives

Fare Trade

Economical actors

Professional federations

NGOs

Associations

Unions

Baseline groups

Movements

Provincial regional

authorities

Advisory groups

Informal sector

Provincial regional

authorities

Technical agencies for cooperation

social partners

Local municipal authorities

Local municipal authorities


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CREATION OF GRAPHIC MATRICES 5. (4/9)

Informal economy

Formal economy

Remittances

Drug-trafficking economy

MARKET

Basic organisations

National NGOs

Academic institutions

Corporation Institutions

Gangs / mafia

groups

Media

Churches

International NGOs

Indigenous organisations

CIVIL SOCIETY

It is important to identify the dominant financial or productive circuits in the country. It may be for their financial weight and fluctuations (for example the remittances sent by Guatemala nationals living in the United States) or for their political and social weight such as the drug-trafficking economy or both at the same time.

Each country has its own capitalisation productive structures with concrete locations.

The aim is to identify within the concept of civil society or non-state actors those sectors that are relevant according to the objectives and the

defined scope of the mapping.

This graph reflects in a general perspective the most relevant sectors of civil society in

Guatemala.


Creation of a simple matrix with 4 entries: North or South actors, actors of the public sphere (State) and the private sphere (Market and civil society).

These 4 elements can also be divided into sub-elements.

The public sphere can be broken down into the regional, local and national levels.

Once the actors are defined and located in one of the 4 sectors of the image, one can define the relations between them, drawing up lines of different thickness according to the strength of the link as well as of different colours to illustrate the different types of relationships (financial, political, opposite actors). Ideally, as defined in the principles of methodology, this exercise should be carried out with the actors themselves, or at least with those of the civil society, in workshops where scheme is created in a participatory way.

One can also imagine a classification of actors based on relevant criteria, according to the nature of the mapping, etc. These criteria may be the legal form, the geographical setting of the actors in the country.

Everyone is free to choose these modalities, easy to use with the PowerPoint program.


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Example of the mapping of Guatemala

Mapping of actors of the civil society of Guatemala in the field of Justice.

How to read the graph of the actors?

Green identifies the actors with a presence of the civil society that plays a role in the justice debate at the national level.

Red in the south private space relates to the members of the FOSS.

Blue colour relates to the members of the forum of Guatemala.

FOSS and FORO are the two organisations federating NGOs and associations of the sector that have different stands.

Purple in the column south public is about the State entities.

A first reading shows:

The central role of the CICIG.

Where the DCE is placed.

The various public institutions that have to do with Justice.

The diversity of associations of the civil society.

PU

bLIC

AR

EA

NORTH SOUTH

PR

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E A

RE

A

CIC

IG

Eur

op

ean

NG

Os

DC

E

Exe

cutiv

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NS

A S

upp

ort

Gro

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Sec

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Ad

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Co

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Sec

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Nat

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Citi

zen

Act

ion

HR

C

onv

erg

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Stu

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cent

res

of

Gua

tem

ala

Gua

tem

ala

FO

RU

M

Anx

ious

m

oth

ers

CA

CIF

AS

IES

ICC

PG

Fo

und

atio

n M

yma

Mac

k

IDE

M

IEP

AD

ES

SE

DE

M

Eva

ngel

ic c

hurc

h

Cat

holic

Chu

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AD

S

Pri

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se

curi

ty

com

pan

ies

Uni

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ity

San

Car

los

Min

Jus

tice

Co

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ss

CN

SA

FJ

Arm

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NC

FOS

S

Em

bas

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f the

US

A

Eur

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n em

bas

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Don

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Gro

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UN

Sys

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,U

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P, U

NIC

EF.

Sol

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com

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Dut

ch P

latf

orm

ag

ains

t im

pun

ity


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How to work out the matrix of the actors?

Drawing up the list of institutional actors in the relevant circle of the mapping. The example is about the actors in the Justice sector in Guatemala.

Identifying their institutional weight.

Identifying the strength and nature of their relationships.

How can a matrix of actors be useful?

When reading the matrix of the Justice actors, you can see:

The great amount of institutions dealing with the topic and those towards which the network of relationships converges.

When identifying the relationships between the actors, one can point out more precisely the consequences of supporting an institution or another, as they are interconnected.

Positioning the actors in a matrix of this kind also gives an overview of all the actors as a whole.

Being too exhaustive may lead to an overloaded and hence illegible mapping. Putting down the right actors is more important than exhaustiveness.


The interpretation of the graph shall be done in the light of the others, in particular the historical framework and the various graphs representing the tensions.

After reading the overall graphs, one starts having a general understanding of the subject, enabling the preparation of different strategic support scenarios.


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CREATION OF TIMELINES

The aim is to draw up timelines corresponding to the location of the activities of the institutional actors of civil society.

6. (1/3)

Although the previous stage has given an understanding of the place of the actors in the society, it was somehow a snapshot at a given time. The upcoming step is about the identification of the main historical facts that have influenced the dynamics of these actors.

The various timelines are:

International events

National events

Economy

State

Culture, religion and society

Civil society

International cooperation and particularly the EU

How to work out timelines?

Placing the facts on the various lines.

Performing a vertical reading, the civil society line being the reference point.

The thread that controls the position of the facts on the various timelines is the relevance and the influence of these facts on the dynamics of civil society actors.

Put only the relevant facts in order not to further overload the drawing, for the sake of legibility.


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CREATION OF TIMELINES6. (2/3)

CREATION OF TIMELINES6. (3/3)

What can we learn from a timeline in Guatemala?

Although Guatemala has experienced an armed conflict, that is not the major trend anymore. The latest armed conflict in Latin America dates back to the Sandinista revolution in 1990.

The democratic processes leading liberal governments to power in most of Latin American countries, the last one being a neighbour of El Salvador that propelled a former FMLN guerrilla to the Presidency.

At the economic level, the Free trade Agreement with the United States, implemented since 2006 while talks continue with the European Union.

Hurricane Mitch in 1998 marked the beginning of the presence of international NGO assistance. In the past, solidarity committees used to have the bigger presence, in particular entities linked to evangelic churches.

It is a period of rich dialogue between all the actors in a move to reconciliation launched by the European Union, from 2000 to 2005.

The reading should always raise the same question:

Which historical event is currently significant in the dynamics and the evolution of civil society?

How can the understanding of this historical context be instrumental in the preparation of a strategy of the Commission regarding civil society, be it considering specific sectors or geographical areas?

Inte

rnat

iona

l ev

ents

Nat

iona

l ev

ents

Eco

nom

y

Sta

te

Cul

ture

Civ

il so

ciet

y

Inte

rnat

iona

l co

op

erat

ion

and

EU

1978

-199

0: S

and

inis

ta R

evol

utio

n

1980

-198

2: C

ivil

war

in E

l Sal

vad

or

1994

: Sur

ge

of t

he Z

apat

a m

ovem

ent

1989

: Ber

lin

1998

:firs

t ele

ctio

n of

H. C

have

z20

02:

Lula

B

razi

l

2005

: Evo

M

oral

es

Bol

ivia

2007

: C

orre

a E

cuad

or

2009

: Fu

nes

(FM

LN) E

l S

alva

dor

1976

: Ear

thqu

ake

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: Pea

ce a

gree

men

ts

1998

: Mitc

h

1980

: Dru

g-tr

affic

king

ent

ry

2006

: Fre

e-tr

ade

agre

emen

t w

ith t

he U

SA

Eco

nom

ic c

risis

cof

fee

suga

r b

anan

a

1985

-199

6: C

onst

itutio

nal r

ebirt

h of

the

SC

2000

: Ref

eren

dum

Por

tillo

2004

: Ber

ger 20

08: C

olon

1998

: Arz

1970

-198

0: C

atho

lic C

hurc

hS

ocia

l lib

eral

op

tion

1978

-198

3: S

ocia

l mov

emen

t, V

iole

nce,

kill

ings

1995

-199

6: A

ssem

bly

of c

ivil

soci

ety

2003

: Fai

lure

of t

he p

eace

agr

eem

ents

1976

: Ent

ry o

f int

erna

tiona

l NG

Os

2000

-200

5: M

esod

ilo

go

2004

-200

9: T

inam

it

2003

-200

8: D

emoc

ratic

mun

icip

aliti

es

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010


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IDENTIFYING THE MAIN TENSIONS AT wORk

The aim is to identify the main tensions at work; the challenges, what is at stake in the various spheres that define the social and political agenda of the country where the actors of civil society act.

7. (1/4)

The present chapter is important insofar as it will define the dynamics at stake in a society according to which the various institutional actors will have to place themselves.

These tensions or contradictions are an integral part of each and any society. Some are common, others are specific to a given society or to a specific or given time.

We are talking about the basic national debates as well as the present structural or historical contradictions.

The tensions of the various spheres or sub-spheres can be identified within a relevant national context.

The tensions must be defined according to the nature of the mapping and its specific or structural character.

It must provide a general understanding, and avoid too many details that would prevent a clear interpretation of the images.


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IDENTIFYING THE MAIN TENSIONS AT wORk

IDENTIFYING THE MAIN TENSIONS AT wORk7. 7.(2/4) (3/4)

As an example, you will find hereafter, the various graphical representations carried out in the framework of the Guatemala mapping.

The objective here is to identify the main contradictions present in the country around which the defined stakeholders will position themselves. These contradictions also define the scope of these actors permanently evolving as it could be seen in the timelines graph.

1.Contradictions / tensions in the public sphere

In the case of Guatemala, important contradictions remain between democracy and dictatorship, the State destabilisation attempts being permanent. The question of who runs the mapping must be: How does the contradiction between democracy and dictatorship will impact civil society organisations and how do they position themselves in the great debates and, as far as the delegation is concerned, how can it be instrumental in defining a coherent strategy with European policy?In Guatemala, in the justice area, these questions are related to:

The debate on impunity and the presence of CICIG (the international Commission against Impunity in Guatemala).

The debate on death penalty.

The contradiction between violence and non-violence involves civil society in the debate on:

Protection of the private life.

Selling / buying guns.

Private security systems/National police.

Gangs / youngster groups / Drug-trafficking.

Once the main contradictions are identified, each institutional actor from the political sphere may be positioned public and civil society in the framework of these contradictions.

This timeline and actors graph positioning may be very helpful to those in the Delegations who are in charge of the definition of civil society support and of the definition of the strategic lines towards that sector.

Democracy

Dictatorship

Indigenous

Ladinas

State

Violence

Provinces

International

No Violence

No State

National

Capital


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STRUCTURE THE DIFFERENT ACTORS bY LEVEL

The idea is to structure the actors in function of their integration, collaboration and coordination levels.

8. (1/3)

Structure the different actors by level. For this distinction, the differentiated analysis can be useful, creating categories starting with the baseline organisations (first level) to the wide national and international networks, coordinators and platforms.

Level 4:platforms, fora

Level 3:coordinators,

federations, networks, etc.

Level 2:Support NGOs, Unions, employers

associations, professional corporations, religions

Level 1:Grass-root organisations, common interest groups,

associations, cooperatives, grass-root religious groups, etc.

Greater interaction, collaboration and complementarity between the organisations

IDENTIFYING THE MAIN TENSIONS AT wORk7. (4/4)

How to carry out graphs of tensions?

Beginning with the State, economy and civil society spheres.

Going on with the sub-spheres of each main sphere.

Placing on both lines ends the concepts or elements identified as opposed, contradictory or conflicting.

2. The contradictions in the economy sphere

The example of Guatemala shows there are various economies acting against each other:

Informal vs formal.

Indigenous vs ladina.

External move vs the move towards the national market.

Regional vs developing in the capital city.

Internal production vs remittance input.

Legal vs illegal (drug-trafficking circuit).

Formal

Informal

Ladinas

Remittances Indigenous

Accumulationinternal

Marketexternal

Marketinternal

Licit

IIlicit



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STRUCTURE THE DIFFERENT ACTORS bY LEVEL

STRUCTURE THE DIFFERENT ACTORS bY LEVEL8. 8.(2/3) (3/3)

It is important for a mapping exercise to create a type categorisation enabling to find the most suitable structure to the concept of specific roles in the process of development.

A higher level of structure will have to match with a greater capacity of action in the public sphere, without having necessarily to exclude the less structured organisations from the integration mechanisms within the political dialogue.

The correspondence between the structuring levels and the degree of implication in the definition of the development strategies must also be balanced in function of the objectives of the European co-operation.

The sectoral mapping of the Justice sector in Guatemala has shown the political importance of networks, their political influences, legitimacy and of the aims borne by the different entities and their structuring levels.

It was interesting to see how the coordinations included some identical members, as it was in their interest to grasp the route and image of a lower level structure entity and for the latter, to be part of more than one entity.

How to carry out a structure pyramid?

Beginning with the identification of the entities that are part of a specific sector.

Making a geographic cluster of the entities by different sectors.

Identifying the characteristics of each entity in function of the 4 levels of the pyramid.

Adding up the geographical and sectoral criteria if need be to have a national level pyramid.

The structure level is only one criterion. While developing classification, it is important to take into account that the higher the level, the biggest the number of -sometimes contradictory and political- interests they represent.

These umbrella entities are looking for a political legitimacy, gathering a wide variety of associations whose relevance is sometimes very weak.

Particular attention should be paid to the identification of federation members and their actual existence in the associations landscape and in their specific sector (Women, human rights, etc.)

One has to be careful that an entity, association may belong to different levels at the same time. This is how an entity may be a grass-root NGO implementing concrete projects at the local level and at the same time performing coordination functions at the level of a county or region or at national level. It is paramount, when building the pyramid, to clarify the positioning level of the entity.


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DEFINING THE FRAMEwORkS IN wHICH THE ACTORS EVOLVE

The idea is to identify the legislative, institutional and contract frameworks in which the actors develop their activities.

9. (1/5)

1. The legislative framework

Defining and describing the legislative framework in which the actors develop their activities taking into account that this framework may be more or less hostile.

In this chapter, it is important to identify the rules that determine their status and the degree of protection that is granted to them through the national legislative framework. The references in the Constitution (if they exist) have to be considered, particularly as regards the macro-political context and the degree of freedom of speech and association protection provided.

More concretely, the legislative framework conditioning the design of public policies has to be identified as well as the incidence capacity the civil society organisations enjoy.

2. The institutional framework

Defining the institutional framework in which the actors operate: the institutionalised mechanisms to access local/national/intergovernmental authorities; the formal or informal, consulting dialogue mechanisms.

Attention when comparing the existence of a formal legal framework and the effective implementation of what is foreseen in the framework. Many laws remain ineffective because they lack implementing decree.


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DEFINING THE FRAMEwORkS IN wHICH THE ACTORS EVOLVE 9. 9.(2/5) (3/5)

With regard to the legislative and institutional frameworks, it is important to distinguish between theory and practice. These frameworks do not solve by themselves the practical operational difficulties for civil society organisations. The limits of the State apparatus may make it impossible for the State actors to manage public space, because of process restrictions or political obstacles.

3. Political dialogue, monitoring and development projects implementation.

The idea is to identify the involvement level of the actors in the effective political dialogue within the open institutional frameworks as well as the effective monitoring capacities of civil society associations. This part has to do with the watchdog role performed by the NGOs and civil society associations.

4. Framework agreement with the EC

Specifying the existing framework agreement between civil society and European cooperation, with regard to coinciding priorities and funding mechanisms. We should not only consider dealing with the assistance modalities, but also the demanded procedures.

It is important to detail the community instruments in which civil society involvement is framed, but it is also fundamental to deal with the links between the latter and the other donors, paying particular attention to the Member States.

In the framework of the Paris Declaration, the mapping exercises must be used to better harmonise the different donors, identifying the work of cooperation in a wide sense, in order to enrich EC development strategy definition.

The history of the relations between civil society in Guatemala and the European Union remains marked by the Mesodilogo period between 2000 and 2005. This dialogue enabled to open spaces for concertation between all the public, private, social movement and NGO national actors and the European Union including the European Parliament.

This Mesodilogo is still a landmark, a quoted example when reference is made to a dialogue between institutional actors in Guatemala.


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DEFINING THE FRAMEwORkS IN wHICH THE ACTORS EVOLVE 9. 9.(4/5) (5/5)

The mapping exercise in Guatemala showed that despite a rather progressive legal framework, there were numerous extra-legal obstacles to the legalisation of the associations at the national level.

On the other hand, the recognition of the entities was decentralised to the level of the municipalities, which is creating a reverse effect, meaning a too quick and easy recognition of the entities, which, in turn, gave little credibility to this recognition.

Another lesson drawn from the mapping in Guatemala was to observe that informal channels of political incidence used by the actors gave rise to more outcomes in a shorter period using their own channels instead of the formal ones provided for in the legal and institutional frameworks.

How to define the different frameworks?

Análisis de actores

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