Abstract
This chapter aims to provide a general overview of the Belgian non-governmental development organization (NGDO) landscape and the challenges it faces within the development cooperation framework. Belgium with its consociational federal state, historically characterized by deep linguistic, regional and ideological cleavages, has a NGDO landscape that bears similar traits. To a large extent segmented into ideological pillars (catholic, social democratic, liberal), divided into Walloon or Flemish regions, yet increasingly linked to international networks, the NGDO landscape is fascinatingly fragmented. Subsequent reforms in co-funding systems have attempted, with limited success, to partially fix the fragmentation problem. Today, fragmentation once more figures high on the agenda as a problem, because the recent aid effectiveness debate has put more international pressure on donors (bilateral, multilateral but also indirect actors) to harmonize, manage for results, professionalize, concentrate, specialize and become more effective in delivering aid. In Belgium, on the sides of both the government and the NGDO sector itself, there is a genuine concern to deal with these challenges and to improve the quality of the NGDO sector. Yet there is also resistance toward these new tendencies. Resistance is in part fed by the success of a huge number of locally embedded particular non-professional development initiatives and small organizations, part of the so-called ‘fourth pillar’1 — which do not necessarily follow the recommendations of the international aid effectiveness debate, yet they compete with professional non-governmental development actors for 16 private donations and are very successful in doing so.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
11.11.11. (2008) Nota doeltreffendheid NGO’s (unpublished report) (Brussels: 11.11.11).
Aertsen, J. and Bouten, S. (2007) ‘Nieuwe uitdagingen voor NGO’s’ in De Standaard, December 17.
Acodev (2007) Les stratégies des ONG: synthèse des études et évaluations sur le secteur (2004–2006) (Brussels: Acodev) (http://www.acodev.be/IMG/doc/06miaSynthese_des_evaluations_du_secteur_ONG_doc_archive.doc).
Cabinet of the Minister of Development Cooperation (2008) ONG: vers une aid plus efficace (unpublished report) (Brussels: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken).
CGRI-DRI (2008), Rapport CGRI-DRI 2007 (Brussels: CGRI-DRI).
Cornwall, A. and Gaventa, J. (2000) ‘From Users and Choosers to Makers and Shapers, Repositioning Participation in Social Policy’, IDS working paper, Vol. 31, Issue 4, 50–62.
De Standaard (2007a) ‘De waterput leidt niet tot ontwikkeling’, December 20.
De Standaard (2007b) ‘Doen wat je zegt en zeggen wat je doet’ December 22.
Debels, T. (2007) Hoe goed is het goede doel — 100€ in de collectebus van 11.11.11. levert slechts 1€ in het Zuiden op (Gent: Borgerhoff and Lamberigts).
Develtere, P. and Stessens, J. (2007) De vierde pijler van de ontwikkelingssamenwerking in België: de opmars van de levensverbeteraar (Leuven: Hiva).
DGDC (n.d.) Co-financing of non-governmental organisations (Brussels: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken http://www.dgdc.be/en/actors/indirect_cooperation/cofinancing.html).
DGDC (2007) Official Belgian development assistance (ODA) (Brussels: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken http://www.dgos.be/documents/en/statistics/belgian_oda_2007.pdf).
DGDC (2009) Administratieve vereenvoudiging: Concrete voorstellen van DGOS — reactie op het non-paper van de Federaties (unpublished) (Brussels: Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken).
DIV (2008), Het Vlaamse ODA-rapport 2007 (Brussels: Departement Internationaal Vlaanderen).
Doligez, F. et al. (2005), Analyse van de besteding van 1% van het budget van de NGO vijfjarenprogramma’s voor interne evaluaties: synthese rapport (Paris: Ifram).
Fowler, A. (2000) Civil Society, NGDOs and social development: Changing the rules of the game (Geneva Occasional paper nr. 1) (Geneva: UNRISD).
Lambert, A. and de Smedt, E. (2006) Studie van de rol en de functies van de koepels en federaties van ngo’s in België (Paris: Iram) (http://www.diplomatie.be/nl/pdf/4nlv.pdf).
OECD (2005) Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, ownership, harmonisation, alignment, results and mutual accountability (Paris High Level Forum) (Paris: OECD).
OECD (2008) Accra Agenda for Action (Accra High Level Forum) (Paris: OECD).
Pollet, I. and Huybrechts, A. (2007) Draagvlak ontwikkelingssamenwerking in Vlaanderen (Leuven: Hiva) (http://www.hiva.be/docs/rapport/R1215.pdf).
Price Waterhouse Coopers (2007) Doorlichting van Belgische niet-gouvernementele organisaties voorontwikkelingssamenwerkingmethetoogop hun’programma’-erkenning (unpublished) (Brussels: Ministerievan Buitenlandse Zaken http://www.dgcd.be/nl/actoren/niet_gouvernementele_samenwerking/samenvatting_resultaten.pdf).
Roger C. Riddell: Does Foreign Aid Really Work? Oxford: Oxford University. Press, 2007, 505 pp.
Roox, I. (2007) ‘Wij zijn niet de uitvinders van die emocultuur: interview with Karel Claes, advisor of Direct Social Communications’, De Standaard, December 17.
Stangherlin, G. (2001) ‘Les organisations non gouvernementales de coopération au développement: origine, cadre juridique, cofinancement et enjeux’, Courrier Hebdomadaire CRISP, 1714–1715, 5–69.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2014 Nadia Molenaers, Leen Nijs and Huib Huyse
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Molenaers, N., Nijs, L., Huyse, H. (2014). Mapping the Belgian NGDO Landscape in Relation to Development Cooperation: Dealing with Fragmentation and Emerging Complexities. In: Hoebink, P., Schulpen, L. (eds) Private Development Aid in Europe. EADI Global Development Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137009777_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137009777_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-43611-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-00977-7
eBook Packages: Palgrave Intern. Relations & Development CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)