Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy have today announced a new civil society pact, and civil society organizations are being encouraged to get involved in shaping it.
The union will come “starting a new era of partnership between government and civil society and helping to address some of the country’s biggest challenges”the government said.
It is designed to harness the knowledge and expertise of voluntary, community, social enterprise (VCSE) and charities to deliver better outcomes for communities across the country.
Ad
The government’s announcement of the launch said that Covenant “build a new partnership between government and civil society based on trust and mutual respect. Crucially, it unleashes the dynamism, innovation and trusted reach of civil society in diverse communities and helps fulfill the defining missions of this government. accelerate economic growth and open opportunities for all.”
Speaking about the launch, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said:
“In order to strengthen the foundations of our country, we need a thorough reorganization of the relationship between the government and civil society.
“That’s why we are building a new partnership with the industry to meet the complex social and economic challenges we face as a country.
“By harnessing the dynamism, innovation and trusted reach of civil society organizations, we can accelerate growth and deliver better outcomes for communities across the country.”
Culture Minister Lisa Nandy said:
“The Convention paves the way for a new era in government-civil society relations – one that recognizes the critical role of industry as a trusted partner in achieving shared goals for communities across the UK.
“Voluntary organisations, charities and social enterprises understand the challenges we face every day in our villages and towns, and the government wants to work hand in hand with them to help fix them – to change lives for the better.”
Four key principles
The convention framework will be based on four key principles: openness, recognition, participation and partnership. They act as a starting point for the wider participation of the government, public sector and civil society.
The aim of the initiative is to improve the ability of government and civil society to respond to complex social and economic challenges by combining the capabilities of the two to deliver better outcomes for communities that could not otherwise be achieved alone.
There is now a commitment period in the fall to ensure broad representation of organizations in civil society of all sizes, regardless of geographic and demographic focus.
Engagement is happening across government, including devolved governments, arm’s length bodies, local authorities and mayors.
The final collaboratively created agreement will be published next year.
The Covenant was an issue in the Voluntary Sector Manifesto, which was formed from consultation and interaction with ACEVO and NCVO members before the election and set out a vision for the future alongside the new government’s requests.
Civil society organizations were invited to participate
ACEVO and NCVO are now working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to develop a framework for a civil society agreement. Organizations and groups of all sizes in different parts of civil society are invited to share their experiences and give feedback on the principles of the agreement framework on 12.12. by noon. They can do this using the feedback form available on the NCVO website.
Sarah Elliott, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organizations (NCVO), said:
“We are proud to be working with the Government on the Civil Society Compact. This seminal moment will restore the relationship between Government and civil society and ensure that the expertise of charities and social enterprises is central to decision-making. We look forward to continuing our work with industry partners to achieve this vision.”
ACEVO CEO Jane Ide commented:
“ACEVO welcomes the government’s commitment to work together to develop a civil society compact that aims to redefine our relationship for the benefit of the people, issues and communities we serve. Effective leadership is based on collaboration, trust and mutual respect – the values that underpin this convention. Civil society leaders are important partners in this vision implementation and compliance with its principles.
Neil Heslop OBE, CEO of Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), said:
“Thank you to ACEVO and NCVO for their hard work in championing the sector and implementing the Covenant Framework. Charities are the backbone of society, experts who serve communities across the country and innovate for social impact. It is positive that the government values the important role of charities and announces that it will start a partnership approach with civil society on the most urgent Charities have gone through very difficult times and we look forward to working with the government to build a more sustainable and thriving civil society in the years to come.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specializing in writing for both the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. He can be reached at thepurplepim.com.